The 10 Most Frustrating Failed Confessions in Romance Anime

Failed confessions are a complicated trope. Although the current era of anime has been much kinder to romantic progress thanks to anime Kaguya-sama: Love is war, there have been some really frustrating confessions over the years. Some are so inexplicable that it starts to boggle the mind.

To some extent, it is understandable why confessions fail from time to time. The story has yet to happen, and perhaps the author doesn’t want to pull the trigger so quickly. Sometimes it can even be well written. However, good or bad, it doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch.

Kazuya’s Many Self-Sabotages – Rent-A-Girlfriend (Kanokari)

In an age where romance is treated far less cautiously than it used to be, it’s only natural that modern anime has a little more sexuality in the mix. However, this doesn’t stop the characters from constantly failing in their romantic pursuits, and Kazuya is the shining example of this trope.

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Kazuya, despite being hailed both in-universe and out-of-universe as a big loser, still manages to attract a harem of women to fall for him, or at least feign interest. That doesn’t stop him from canceling the possibilities of a relationship he has with his absurd paranoia. All with NTR’s weird fantasies about it.

Unforgettable Confession – Your Name (Kimo no Na Wa)

Your name is one of the best romantic films of recent years, and it’s all thanks to the strength of its two protagonists. Taki and Mitsuha are distinctly different people who nevertheless share a bond by seeing the happiness in their own lives. Unfortunately, an incident threatens to turn everything into a memory.

In the film’s most emotional scene, Taki and Mitsuha finally come face to face, at the mouth of this faithful lake. As they open up about their feelings, they begin to share their names. Unfortunately, fate itself intervenes, and both are left struggling to remember the name of the person they loved the most.

At Death’s Door – Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin)

Attack on Titan it’s not exactly a “romance” in the traditional sense (nor is it a traditional anime), but it has its fair share of romances. For starters, the relationship between Mikasa and Eren is a constant presence in the story, even though it’s a relatively one-sided romance.

As the two are surrounded by titans, the stoic Mikasa begins to gush about her feelings, and as she leans in for the final kiss, Eren stands up after having an epiphany. Although he promises to “wrap her scarf as many times as he likes”, this does not lead to a developed romance between two of the best characters of Attack on Titangiving viewers one less beacon in this bleak anime.

Intended Phone Call – Oregairu (My Teen Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected)

Oregairu there’s no shortage of frustrating half-confessions, but this is perhaps the worst, mostly because it exposes each character’s biggest weaknesses. When the non-confrontational Yui finally decides to confess her true feelings to Hachiman, she suddenly receives a phone call.

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To his credit, he wants to put it aside, but Hachiman, in typical fashion, tells him he should pick it up. While many cite this as a way for Hachiman to protect Yui’s feelings, the truth is that he is doing it on his own. He doesn’t like the idea of ​​rejecting someone close to him, but instead of engaging with her directly, he decides to keep stalling, which hurts Yui in the long run.

Your Biggest Fan: Girls’ Monthly Nozaki-Kun (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun)

While frustrating, the whole premise of Nozaki-Kun monthly for girls is based on this hilarious misunderstanding. After Chiyo finally confesses her feelings to the tall and handsome Nozaki, she misinterprets the scene as his offer to become her manga assistant.

This is because Nozaki is a famous shoujo mangaka, and to Chiyo’s surprise, she ends up going to his house to spend time with him. The irony of a shoujo mangaka who is a complete stranger to the lovelorn Chiyo is the basis of the anime’s comedy and frustrations.

Guardian Confessions – Cardcaptor Sakura

The adorable name Cardcaptor Sakura remains a cultural touchstone of anime. He is beloved for many reasons, but one of the biggest was his surprising progressiveness with his romantic relationships. In the 90s, well-written gay romance was hard to come by, but the dynamic between Touya and Yukito was very sweet.

However, this relationship didn’t get off to an easy start, and one of the most annoying things fans had to deal with was the constantly failed confessions. Whether it’s a mundane errand or a dangerous villain, Touya never seems to find an opportunity to tell Yukito how he feels about him. Still, at least fans can look back fondly on it in a post-canon Touya x Yukito world.

Platonic Misunderstandings – Kimi no Todoke (From Me to You)

Kimi no Todoke is a classic in the eyes of many romance anime fans. unfortunately, Kimi no Todoke it was also an early example of how annoying failed confessions can be. Sawako and Kazehaya have such clear feelings for each other, that even in-universe, people wonder why they aren’t together yet.

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The reason, annoyingly, is that they have confessed, both saying “I like them” almost in unison. Unfortunately, they both somehow interpret this as platonic, and fans can spend an entire season trying to be awkward friends instead of dating. It’s every romcom fan’s worst nightmare.

The moon is beautiful, isn’t it? – A silent voice

A silent voice is a beautiful drama about overcoming trauma and depression, but it also happens to have a romantic subplot that unfortunately gets in its way. After Shoko and Ishida reconnect, Shoko begins to admit her feelings in the most intimate way she can think of: with her voice.

Unfortunately, since Ishida isn’t very used to Shoko’s normal voice, she misheard and assumes she’s talking about how beautiful the moon is. Fun fact, saying “the moon is beautiful” is a common literary trope to confess, due to their phonetic similarities. However, Shoya isn’t the literary type, so this didn’t beg for an answer, and Shoko frustratingly doesn’t get to confess properly during this movie.

“Who is Rem?” – Re: zero

Arguably the most infamous confession scene in recent memory, Rem’s penultimate confession to Re: Zero it was a heartbreaking scene for both Rem and his legions of fans. All this dedication causes Subaru to reject her and then tell her who he rejected her for. Understandably, this sparked a lot of internet flame wars.

By all accounts, it was a perfect confession on Rem’s part, but the simple truth is that Subaru doesn’t reciprocate any romantic feelings. This left many Rem fans surprised, especially with Subaru pining for Emilia, a woman who wasn’t even that interested in Subaru at the time. Still, it’s a bold choice, since there’s nothing to be done about how people feel, romantic or otherwise.

All The Tropes – Tsurezure Children

Tsurezure children it’s like a gallery of all the best tropes in romantic comedy history. Although there are many established couples in the series, the classic “boys and girls who can’t seem to spit it out” are still there. There are also some unorthodox dynamics, leaving romance fans with a fun library of ships.

What Children of Tsureuzure understand about the frustrating confessions that many bad romances don’t have to build something. With each failure, the couple should not take a step back, but a step forward. This is done wonderfully with all the different romances, and while they’re frustrating, it’s a love letter to the romance genre as a whole.

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