Romantics Anonymous Review 2025 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Hana (Han Hyo-joo) is the chef behind the famous candies sold at Le Sauveur, a fancy chocolates boutique that looks both beautifully historic and perfectly Instagrammable. Customers clamor to try the latest bon-bons and gourmet bites of bespoke chocolate, but Hana keeps her identity a secret, even the folks who work at the store don’t know who she is and only the shop owner, Kenji, knows because he hired her and has served as her mentor. Hana delivers her candies anonymously and absconds without a trace so she won’t have to interact with anyone, as she has a terrible fear of eye contact, something only Kenji knows.
Meanwhile, an executive named Sosuke (Shun Oguri) who works at a giant candy company, Futago Confectionary that’s known for cheap, low-quality chocolates, is desperate to turn the reputation of his brand around to compete with the likes of Le Sauveur. But Sosuke’s boss – who is also his father – is more interested in bottom lines than quality products and he dismisses his son’s ideas. Sosuke, like Hana, has his own psychological disorder similar to OCD, he’s a germophobe who is unable to be touched by another person. Like Hana, he’s keenly aware of his affliction, but is hesitant to seek help.
The show depicts Hana and Sosuke’s phobias as true psychological and emotional issues, not simply quirky tics. Sosuke visits a counselor, Dr. Irene, and uses EMDR therapy to battle his fears. Hana initially resists treatment, but after a tragic event she seeks out a therapist, too. (Both of their anxieties, we learn, were triggered by the deaths of loved ones, so there’s also an air of sadness and grief behind their eyes.)
Sosuke and Hana’s stories are brought together when Futago acquires Le Sauveur and Sosuke becomes the store’s manager. When Hana shows up one day to identify herself as the “Anonymous Chocolatier” responsible for many of the shop’s creations, she and Sosuke share a moment that’s one part magic, one part pratfall, and she tumbles into his arms. It’s then that they realize that she has locked eyes with him, and he is touching her, and neither of them are recoiling, they’re each like an antidote to the other’s affliction.
As the show goes on, it’s not immediately assumed that romance will bloom between these two. Hana already has a crush on a local bartender, Hiro (Jin Akanishi), who she’s too scared to officially introduce herself to and who also happens to be Sosuke’s best friend, opening up even more possibilities about where the show could go and how these characters might find happiness in spite of their anxieties.
At its core, Romantics Anonymous is a well-made drama about two protagonists with a lot of underlying grief and trauma who find each other and forge a new life together. It’s a romance, yes, but it’s also a meditation on mental health and the way that our personal traumas manifest and can define us. The show is based on the 2010 French film of the same name which was written by Jean-Pierre Améris, whose own experience with emotional and mental wellness issues informed his script, which I point out because it’s clear that the show does want to aim for some accuracy and truth when addressing Hana and Sosuke’s anxieties rather than trivializing them.
Hana and Sosuke are not bold, boisterous personalities, both are introverted and shy as a result of their anxieties. Thus, the story doesn’t rely on big character choices so much as smaller shared moments that depend on them quietly peeling back their layers while proving that the other can trust them, a safe harbor in human form. Because of that, the show moves slowly and deliberately; all the characters take time revealing themselves and opening up in order for the story to feel lived-in and for the romance to feel earned. At times it feels a little contrived, it’s not really explained how or why the two share this special connection, but it doesn’t ultimately matter. Like any good romance, you just want to see them realize they’re destined for each other so they can start to be happy as soon as possible.
