REVIEW: ‘Romantics Anonymous’ Is Awkwardly Adorkable In The Best Way

If there’s ever a feel-good, slow-burning romance to add to your watchlist, it should be the latest Netflix series, Romantics Anonymous. Based on the critically lauded French film Les Emotifs Anonymes, this Japanese-South Korean co-production blends an adorkably awkward romantic pair with mouth-watering chocolate-making visuals, along with overwhelming positivity that is absolutely welcome in this chaotic world. While not breaking the mold in terms of romance, this series is comfort viewing that feels right at home.

In Romantics Anonymous, we meet Sosuke Fujiwara (Shun Oguri), who has a fear of germs and breaks out into stress hives whenever he touches someone. This fear impacts every aspect of his daily life, putting his status as heir to Futago Confectionery in jeopardy. His father puts him to the test by making him the head of Le Sauver, a renowned chocolate shop, and tasks him with revamping the shop. This inevitably introduces him to the series’ main romantic protagonist, Hana Lee (Han Hyo-joo).

Hana is a genius chocolatier. However, she has an extreme fear of eye contact, which makes it nearly impossible to interact with people or maintain stable work. After a chance meeting at a chocolate-making competition, the chef of Le Sauver employs her to make chocolate for the shop, but only when no one else is around. Inevitably, she becomes an essential part of the shop’s success, but when Sosuke takes over,  a new path starts to emerge for her. 

Romantics Anonymous is a celebration of love and overcoming one’s fears.

In the most dramatic way possible, Sosuke and Hana end up falling into each other. This epic bout of flailing forces Hana to look Sosuke in the eye, while Sosuke ends up touching Hana. At this moment, they realize they can do these things without an adverse reaction. With this strange bond cemented in place, what unfolds is not only a story of the two finding love but ultimately overcoming the fears that have been holding them back.

How these two characters come into their own in Romantics Anonymous is a delight to watch. Shun Oguri and Han Hyo-joo play Sosuke and Hana with different levels of awkwardness that feel natural. Yet, there is an aura of loneliness that permeates, especially early in the series, as both struggle with their respective mental illnesses. While Sosuke has all but given up on love and recovery, Hana is trying desperately to overcome things (with some catastrophic attempts at dating perfect for tropey heaven). 

As the two continue to get to know each other, they experience new life together. Shun Oguri leans into the gradually cracking mask his Sosuke hides behind, yet you can feel the frustration when Sosuke faces a setback. Similarly, as Hana becomes more comfortable around her colleagues, her energy becomes brighter. Han Hyo-joo fills this Hana with a palpable bubbliness and joy. That is why it becomes all the more heart-wrenching when her anxiety becomes too much, pulling her back to square one. 

Shun Oguri and Han Hyo-joo make chemistry gold.

Rather than a simple love triangle structure, Romantics Anonymous has a love square. As the recipient of her unrequited crush, Hiro (Jin Akanishi) has a quiet energy and sex appeal that makes him almost the perfect counterpart to Hana. Yet, with every attempt to make her feelings known, destiny seemingly intervenes (and makes it nigh impossible for the two to connect fully). While we don’t get enough time with him, Jin Akanishi makes the most of his time with Hiro and makes a memorable enough impact.

As the fourth component of the square, the therapist Irene (Yuri Nakamura) gets much more screentime. What makes her role so fascinating is that we’re allowed to witness the more human side to therapists that the public might not always get to see. Therapists are, in fact, people. We watch as Irene makes mistakes, is messy and awkward, and embarks on her own mini journey into self-discovery. If anything, her arc shows us that sometimes love isn’t what we need. Sometimes, we need to focus on healing first.

And healing is a big part of what makes Romantics Anonymous more than just a standard romance series. While the love story is the draw here, there are bigger obstacles for Sosuke and Hana to overcome. For them to grow, they need to address what they fear. What the series does best here is demonstrate that growth and healing don’t need to be done alone, which is something I’m sure many (including myself) have likely struggled with in the healing process. However, with the right support group, you can move mountains.

Not to be missed are the delectable chocolate treats made in the series.

Central to Hana’s trajectory is her love and association with chocolate, which the series never lets us forget. Do not, I repeat, do not skip each episode’s opening credits because each one depicts a different kind of chocolate being made. And, for Sosuke’s motives, each episode offers us a deeper look into the importance of ingredients, customer relations, and similar themes, providing many beautiful cinematic moments in the countryside as the two travel to each vendor location. Yes, it’s a love story, but also an homage to chocolatiering.

The series waffles slightly in how it wraps up Sosuke’s storyline with his family’s business. Without getting into specifics, a little more time spent fleshing out his brother, Takashi (Ryo Narita), would have delivered a more substantial impact. As is, with little else to do aside from following Sosuke around, Ryo Narita isn’t given much to do that allows him to stretch his range or the character’s.  

In the romance genre, it’s incredibly difficult to make something feel comforting, yet still fresh. With Romantics Anonymous, they succeed and then some. Even with its tropes, the undeniable likability fostered by Sosuke’s and Hana’s struggles makes you immediately want the best for them. And with Shun Oguri’s and Han Hyo-joo’s chemistry and flow, they give their all to make this unlikely couple pop. 

All episodes of Romantics Anonymous are now streaming exclusively on Netflix.