Friendship is also a theme that often intertwines with the love story. In 'Clannad', Tomoya's friendships with other characters are an important part of the overall story. His relationship with Nagisa is also influenced by the friends around them, and together they all learn about love, loss, and the importance of relationships in general.
One common theme is self - discovery. In many such stories, the guy discovers more about himself through his relationship with the girl. For example, in 'Your Lie in April', Kousei rediscovers his love for music and his own self - worth while falling in love with Kaori.
A theme could be unexpected love. In 'Toradora!', Ryuuji never expected to fall in love with Taiga. They were so different and had other initial goals. But love just happened in an unexpected way. Also, friendship turning into love is a common theme. In many of these anime, the characters start as friends or at least friendly acquaintances, and then gradually develop deeper feelings for each other.
Another theme is sacrifice. Characters might sacrifice their own desires or even their future for the sake of their loved ones. In some action - oriented anime love stories, a character may give up their power or a chance at something great to protect their lover.
One common theme is unrequited love. In many anime, a character loves someone who doesn't initially return those feelings, like in 'Kimi ni Todoke'. Another theme is sacrifice. Characters might sacrifice their own desires or even safety for the sake of their loved ones. Also, growth through love is common. As the characters fall in love, they grow as individuals, like learning to be more confident or understanding in 'Lovely★Complex' where the two main characters with height differences grow together in their relationship.
Forgiveness is a common theme. The good - hearted person in the relationship often has to forgive the bad guy for his past wrongdoings. For example, in 'Beauty and the Beast', Belle has to overlook the Beast's initial rudeness.
Another theme can be self - discovery. Through the process of drawing the girl, the guy might learn more about himself, his feelings, and his artistic style. It could be a journey of understanding his own identity as an artist and as a person in relation to the girl he is drawing.
One common theme is the breaking of gender norms. In these stories, the anime girl defies the traditional expectation that the guy should be in control. For example, in 'Fullmetal Alchemist', Winry Rockbell is a skilled mechanic. She doesn't let the male alchemists around her overshadow her skills and knowledge, and she often stands her ground when it comes to decisions related to her work, which is a form of domination in a sense.
One common theme is self - discovery. The characters often start out not fully understanding their own feelings or identities, and through their relationships, they learn more about themselves. For example, in 'Citrus', Yuzu has to come to terms with her new - found feelings for Mei.
One common theme is the 'opposites attract' concept. In many anime love comedies, the main characters are very different from each other in personality, appearance or social status. For example, in 'Toradora!', Ryuuji and Taiga are like night and day. Another theme is the struggle with expressing feelings. Characters often find it difficult to confess their love directly, which leads to comical situations as in 'Kaguya - sama: Love is War'.
One common theme is loyalty. In many anime wolf love stories, the wolves are shown to be extremely loyal to their mates or pack members, which is often intertwined with the love aspect. For example, in 'Wolf's Rain', the wolves are loyal to each other during their journey, and this loyalty is part of their love for one another.
Common themes include growth through love. For example, in 'Say 'I Love You'', Mei grows from a closed - off person to someone who can open up to love. Unrequited love is also a theme that pops up. Sometimes it gets resolved like in 'Tsuki ga Kirei' where the two characters initially have a one - sided attraction that turns into mutual love. And the theme of sacrifice, where a character may sacrifice their own desires for the sake of their loved one, can be seen in some anime short love stories.