The ‘childhood friend’ trope is one of the most common elements in romance anime,particularly harem or reverse harem serieswhere several love interests are introduced early on. While most would expect this particular character to end up with the protagonist, especially considering their history and long-time connection, the conclusion ends up being quite the contrary, with the central character ending up with the newly-introduced love interest.
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Though this certainly isn’t the case with every anime,many shows have started subvertingthe childhood friend trope, moving away from the narrative of favoring the long-time friend to showcasing the newly-introduced characters’ appeal. The concept brings a fresh perspective to the romance genre, replacing the preset narrative with the element of subversion.
7Your Lie In April
Your Lie In Aprilis one of the few series where the childhood friend never had a chance in the first place, despite strong sentiments of love being apparent. As soon as Kaori entered the scene, Kosei became captivated by her free-spirited nature and audacious personality, not to mention herfree-flowing violin performances.
Tsubaki, being Kosei’s childhood friend, had always confused her sentiments of love as nothing but a brother-like friendship, with the realization dawning on her a bit too late. Witnessing the development between Kosei and Kauri, she had no other option but to step aside and be happy for Kosei’s new-found love.
6Orange
DespiteOrangehaving many pressing undertonessuch as depression and self-harm ideation, the series still took its time to develop a heart-warming relation between Naho and the new transfer student, Kakeru. While love blossomed between the two, Naho’s childhood friend, Hiroto Suwa, longed for her from the sides.
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Though Suwa technically ends up with Naho in the alternate timeline, the current one that the series is set in clearly subverts the childhood friend trope, with Naho saving Kakeru’s life and consequently ending up with him.
5Oresuki
Oresukistarts off by giving viewers the impression that the central character won’t be ending up with any of the initial love interests, though that narrative soon changes when Joro gets a confession from Pansy,instigating a love triangle. Even with Cosmos and Himawari confessing their feelings for Sun-chan, the sentiments soon end up being directed at Joro.
With all love interests ending up gunning for Joro’s attention, it’s up to him to decide if he wants to end up with the upperclassmen, the childhood friend, or the mysterious new character. It later becomes evident that Himawari, the childhood friend, gets the short end of the stick, losing to the other love interests.
4Shuffle
DespiteShuffleseeming like a reverse-Isekai, the events that follow clearly denote that the series is a romance anime to the core. The central character, Rin Tsuchimi may be an average high-school student, but the tears in the dimensional fabric between the human world and the world of gods and devils has certainly landed him in an odd situation.
Among the several love interests wanting Rin’s attention, Lisianthus and Nirine are two of his childhood friends, now seeking his hand in marriage. Much to their dismay, however, Rin ends up choosing Asa Shigure, disappointing the other potential love interests.
3Nisekoi
Nisekoi’splot subversioncomes as a surprise to many, especially since Kosaki Onodera, the childhood friend, turned out to be the Promised Girl. Despite Raku having good chemistry with both Onodera and Chitoge, it’s quite shocking that he chose Chitoge, even though Onodera had the real key to his locket.
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Upon realizing that he feels differently for Chitoge, Raku decides to forgo his childhood promise and follow his own heart. The plot twist feels like a breath of fresh air for the romance genre, with the series defying its preset notion and giving viewers a wholesome twist.
2Golden Time
After losing all his memoriesdue to an accident, Banri regains control of his life and enrolls in a law school. While he may have lost all his prior memories, those from his past certainly never forgot about him, especially his potential lovers. Being the reason for Banri’s accident, Linda, his friend from highschool, finds him once more in college, bearing the same guilt from all those years back.
Still having the same feelings for Banri, Linda tries her best to regain his love and attention, though she desperately fails as Banri ends up falling for Koko Kaga, a friend he makes in law school, with the two eventually dating.
1Waiting In the Summer
Waiting In the Summertakes the childhood friend trope’s subversion to an entirely new level, with the long-time friend losing to an alien from another planet. DespiteIchika being an alien, Kaito falls for her and accepts her as she is, with the two even becoming a couple later on.
Kaito’s childhood friend, Kanna, always had a crush on her, yet Kaito never reciprocates these feelings. Even with Ichika having to go back to her own planet, Kaito still waits for her return, never letting his feelings falter for the alien-love of his life.
