In their first-ever appearance, Rintaro Tsumugi and Kaoruko Waguri from The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity have claimed the Couple or Ship of the Year award. Rooted in a classic opposites-attract dynamic, their cross-school romance attracted romance fans, as they could not help but be drawn into their chemistry.
The pairing won 11,874 out of 60,795 total votes, finishing well ahead of the other pairings. Jinshi x Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries S2 placed second with 10,979 votes, while Ken x Momo from DAN DA DAN S2 and Wakana x Marin from My Dress-Up Darling S2 placed third and fourth with 10,433 and 10,286 votes respectively — all just within 700 votes of each other.
The Summer 2025 season was filled with fan-favorite couples like Ken x Momo from DAN DA DAN S2, Ko x Nazuna from Call of the Night S2, and the beloved Mai x Sakuta from Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus. Yet, Rintaro and Kaoruko never slipped out of the top four throughout the seasonal couple charts, reflecting their consistency and how deeply the series touched its fans.
Aside from the Couple or Ship of the Year Award, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity also won Romance Anime of the Year at the 12th Anime Trending Awards.
Here are the nominees for Couple or Ship of the Year:
RankCouple or Ship of the Year NomineeAnimeVotes1Rintaro x KaorukoThe Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity11,8742Jinshi x MaomaoThe Apothecary Diaries S210,9793Ken x MomoDAN DA DAN S210,4334Wakana x MarinMy Dress-Up Darling S210,2865Damian x AnyaSPY x FAMILY S38,4246Loid x LorSPY x FAMILY S38,2107Ko x NazunaCall of the Night S26,9938Hanako x NeneToilet-bound Hanako-kun S26,8489Izuku x OchacoMy Hero Academia FINAL SEASON6,50410Morihito x NicoWITCH WATCH6,05811Sakuta x MaiRascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus5,56712Ranma x AkaneRanma1/2 (2024) S24,28113Kiyoka x MiyoMy Happy Marriage S23,05114Yu x HimariCan a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?2,05115Taiki x ChinatsuBlue Box1,90616Rentaro x KaraneThe 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really REALLY Love You S21,54817Arata x OkaThe Shiunji Family Children1,33018Arata x BanriThe Shiunji Family Children1,136
To see the full results of the 12th Anime Trending Awards, click here.
