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Last edited by Narg on Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

Howdy everyone! Smile

As the topic says I am looking for a new romance anime to watch.
It can involve school life, slice of life or deep drama as long as it has good romance! Not a big fan of harem anime though... But if you can't think of anything else, just keep 'em coming Smile

The one that I just recently finished watching was Kannazuki no Miko and I liked it a lot! The only thing that kinda bothered me in some points was the mecha theme as I am not a huge fan of big robots doing Mega Super Sonic Blasts. I'm glad the fights didn't last that long and the series had a touching romance story (I kinda cried in the end... Embarassed

).

Midori no Hibi was awesome too! The fact that Sawamura's other hand got replaced by this cute chick that loves him didn't really freak me out Smile

It worked pretty good! I liked the "finish line" of the series.

First love! Razz

Though Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) had some goofying around crazy humor scenes, the drama and romance was made well! I'm not sure how much I liked the ending... It was a bit different but I felt like some of the things didn't get to the end! Oh... And the animation got very disturbing at some points... Confused

Suzuka... Ah... This really was something. I liked it how Yamato tried to get closer with Suzuka though most of the time it seemed that she hated him. The plot was awesome! At first I didn't think that I'd like an anime with a sports theme but in this case it worked for me! The ending was superb. One of the best animes I have yet seen!

GreenGreen... Hmm... For some reason, I just didn't like it so much. I guess it was because of the pointless messing around that lead to nowhere. When I finished watching the last episode, I kinda had a "Well... I kinda hoped for more/different"-feeling.

Aargh >.< I'm too tired to write anything else... Two more series that I loved to watch:
Ichigo 100%
Love Hina

How about two older series which are considered classics in the romance genre - Kimagure Orange Road and Maison Ikkoku?

KOR is at the beginning the more romantic of both series and with 48 episodes also not too long or a burden for your wallet. It's one of the very first anime with a love triangle at the plot's centre. The character designs by Akemi Takada are definitely for lovers of old school anime but give it a try, if not only for the cool 80ties pop/jazz soundtrack. After that, you can still watch the OAVs which are the vein of the tv series. Finally, you can watch "I want to return to that day" to have a definite conclusion to the tv series - but beware, this movie is a real tearjerker Embarassed

Maison Ikkoku starts more like a very good slice-of-life comedy. Poor student Godai never having his peace and dreaming of beautiful housekeeper Kyoko Otonashi. But it gradually becomes one of the most realistic romantic stories to be found in anime and has a very definite ending with all characters evolving to a new part of their life, even minor characters. The only problem: It's 98 episodes long. Still, give a try to the first couple of episodes - you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the recommendations so far. I haven't really gotten into any so called "old school classics". For some reason I just find the very old animation style kinda disturbing Sad

Kare Kano is an exception. But sure, if nothing newer comes up I'll give those two a try Swissman. Thanks.

And naruto fan 09812, I haven't seen Fruits Basket Razz

I generally don't watch this type of anime, but I actually have enjoyed Strawberry Panic, but be forewarned, it is of the schoolgirl/lesbianism motif.

Also, there is Saikano. I originally thought it would be violent, but it is a love-story. I waxed and waned between screaming at the TV over the Japanese prudishness involving the relationship and weeping over the angst and suffering the female co-lead experienced. Err...don't mention this one to my wife Embarassed

Don't forget the latest KOR movie Summer's Beginning, I still need to finish watching all of the series myself, but I do reccomend this as well.

Well, this one is right in my alley since I prefer these kinds of series (look at my personal top ten list and you'll see mostly shoujo and drama anime).

Some other titles you'll want to take a look at are:

Air: This anime was what really got me into the anime scene, I was kind of in it before, but, well, before this I only saw maybe 20 max, and now I'm going towards 140+ just in that one year compared to the 5 or 6 years before it (can't remember how long, when Sailor Moon started on toonami). I don't want to get too much into the storyline, but I will say that this anime even made me, someone who didn't even cry at his baby cousin's funeral, cry. So yea, it can be a real tear jerker at the end, but there's some comedy in it to lighten the tension.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora: This one is something that can be labeled short but very sweet. Counting in only 6 episodes, this series really draws the viewer into the setting and if you don't get moved by this series, you're a heartless bastard that shouldn't be watching this genre. I personally think that this series could very well be a hit if more people watched it, but that's the only poblem with this genre, not a big enough audience.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (Rumbling Hearts): This one, unlikne the other two, has a little bit of nudity, but that is nothing to worry about. This series is the forerunner of its genre in America, and will soon be released on DVD, and depending on its sales can affect the licenses of many other anime of its genre. That being said, this is a VERY good watch and the storyline is one of the best I've come across and is even rank 2 on www.animenfo.com 's top 100 list, which in itself is a decent achievement. This is an anime that more people need to watch as well, as it is a very good anime that should have many more see it.

Kanon: This one isn't as good as some of the others, but there is going to be a 24 episode remake with animation by Kyoto Animation, the same people that did Air (another product of Visual Art's/Key) and Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, so we can expect a very good remake of this series. The original is also a good watch, but as I mentioned, it doesn't draw you in quite as well.

Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~: This one, like Air, is based off of an H-game, though this one is slightly more obvious (though no nudity, there's a few panty shots). This is one that some people might not like, but I personally loved. The storyline can be a bit sidetracked at times, but you tend to get a feeling that you want one of the two main heroines to be with the main hero (Elis-chan for the first half, and Kiri for the second half [I should mention that I think they should've put Kiri as one of the main characters rather than supporting because she does have a major role, especially in the game, but also in the anime]). To add to this, the opening and ending songs ("Plastic Smile" and "Na Na Iro," respectively) are very well chosen, as well as the voice actors (Hirano Aya as Sumire FTW, but not to mention Elis-chan, which was very well done and who's VA can be linked to many other great animes).

Last but not least Shuffle!: This is one of the other animes that got me really into otakudom. If Air was Chocolate Ice Cream, this would be the Cookies and Cream. This series isn't like the others in that it's not quite as serious in the theme, but the comedy parts more than make up for it (I still can't believe there's a KKK club, short for Kitto Kitto Kaede). This anime is more like the salt you add to sweet foods, it's more into getting you to laugh about the situation in some places, but then it throws a brick wall of drama in your face.

Some other similar titles, though I won't go into depth, are Wind-a breath of heart-, W Wish (Double Wish, the opening alone is worth the watch), Okusama wa Joushikousei (My Wife's a Highscool student, go figure), To Heart (very good anime, only watched the sequel Remember My Memories, so I can't offer too much), Comic Party and CP Revolution (more comedy in them, but still decent), Lamune (a must watch Slice of Life story, it has a nice slow pace and is good to watch between action animes), Mizuiro (there's the 2k2 and 2k3 version, the former being hentai and the latter not being hentai [same people that did Lamune]), Aria the Animation and Aria the Natural (both very good slow paced stories that are good to watch between action), Ai Yori Aoshi and AYA ~enishi~ (Bluer Than Indigo and BTI ~Fate, very good story of how the two main roles have to keep their engagement a secret from everyone or it might cause a scandal) and a few others that I can't remember exactly, but I think you get the idea.

And now you know why I only bothered putting long descriptions of the ones in my top ten...still have some anime to list in my seen some/all folders -_-

Oi oi, Kare Kano and "very old".... you know, I used to get episodes from this series on VHS shortly after they were airing on Japanese. tv some eight years ago - Kare Kano was considered cool and flashy then. Now I feel kinda feel *very old* when I read commentaries like yours ^_^'

I know the feeling you're describing about older anime. Many aren't used to the more "cartoonish" character designs of the eighties to mid nineties anymore. Designs of many nowadays series - especially "moe" ones - look more flashy, edgy and thus often more attractive. But after all, in a romance genre it's the story that counts, the relationship between the characters and the emotion they let the audience feel. In this sense, you hardly can go wrong with UY and MI. Just don't expect too much obvious fanservice comedy - there's some in KOR but its very tame compared to newer romance and/or harem shows.

Last edited by selenta on Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

Well, I'm pretty sure he's ok with the yuri concept.... considering Kannazuki no Miko is also about that... so if you're looking for another shoujo-ai show, Strawberry Panic is a good one, but it's done in a much more shoujo style than the clearly shounen Kannazuki.

If you want some more action oriented romances, a few jump to mind (in order of preference): Shakugan no Shana, Fate/Stay Night, My-Hime, Eureka 7, DN Angel (god I love the twist in this show, only reason it makes the list Wink

)

If you want some innocent, all about the romance shows, I'd go with: REC, Ai Yori Aoi, Ah My Goddess

If you're looking for depressing stuff though... Air and Voices of a Distant Star are both really good. I didn't really like Saikano myself (too much forced depression), but I can see why it's popular.

Too many recommendations to look in depth at them all, but all the ones I posted are worth watching eventually imo.

EDIT: Damn you syntax!

Heh, that being said I've already watched all of your suggestions except Eureka 7, DNAngel, and Saikano O_o. I'll also agree with Strawberry Panic!, it doesn't have the action that some other animes have, but it's a very good story (even if Yuri, yay Yuri) and deserves a watch.... maybe I should add recommendations categories listed by genre, might help with this later on Razz

The recommendations just keep pouring in! Very Happy

A big THANK YOU to everyone of you! I'm glad I got this many new titles added to my "Watch This Anime"-list Very Happy

Now... Where should I get started Razz

I'll keep an eye for this thread if there is more to come Smile

I'd have to second both REC and Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora for a short sweet fix. They're both fairly short in length, and have great stories. There's just the right amount of comedy mixed into each one as well. REC is the most light-hearted of the two, while HanTsuki is more dramatic, and deals with a bit heavier subjects. However, both are great, and highly recomended.

One show that I'm simply amazed was not suggested is Honey and Clover. This is probably my favorite romantic comedy of all time, and the second season that is currently airing is even better. I liken it to a bit more mature version of Kare Kano, but set in a college, with a bigger bunch of characters. That is one of the great things about this show - we don't have just Yukino and Arima - there's at least 10 well thought out, fully realized characters. The music is also great - not the same classical tunes as in Kare Kano, but some excellent tracks are to be found. There are some great insert songs throughout the series as well, that set off the mood perfectly. With all the crap that gets released these days (Honestly, Green Green?!?), you'd think this would have been picked up already. Regardless, I honestly can't recomend this show enough!

seeing as nobody mentioned these two, id have to go with peach girl and paradise kiss. both of which should fit exactly what your looking for.

peach girl is a tear jerker with characters you will love to hate and hate to love. with 25 episodes theirs no shortage of crazy moments.
peach girl is about

paradise kiss is an awsome series as well. not to the extent of peach girl but with this one only lasting 12 episodes its definetly worth a look. this one in my opinion has some of the most intresting characters I've seen in any series.
paradise kiss is about

I second Kanon, and I'll have to disagree that it does not draw you in as much as Air or HanTsuki. Sure, it has cheap animation, but the beautiful storyline stays intact. The characters are memorable and are all full of life in their own unique way and backed up by great voice acting, the plot being an engaging drama with some cuteness and comedy as well. There are scenes that will make you laugh, and others that will make you cry, and overall is a wonderful watch.

You could perhaps wait for the remake airing this October. It will most likely be amazing.

Mahoraba - Heartful Days is a nice little slice-of-life series in which nothing very significant happens, but it is enjoyable all the same.

I would reccomend these:

Fushigi Yugi - This is about Mika Yuki and her friend Yui Hongo who go to the National Library, wind up in the rare book room reading a book and somehow both are sucked into the book. Yui makes it out of the book and for about 1/3 of the story is in a way the Narrator (the other 2/3s is Mika's brother, Keisuke). Mika stays behind and becomes the Priestess of Suzaku, who must make 3 wishes, hopefully using them to save the country against the evil clutches of another country. Part of the first half is Mika looking for and finding the Warriors to help her make the three wishes. The second half is much darker. Yui re-enters the book, becomes the Priestess for the enemy, becomes Mika's enemy, etc...Mika and her crew have to go against Yui and her group to get magical objects to help them summon the Gods because of problems in the first half of the story. It's very good, there is humor throughout, but there is also murder, rape and betrayals. Tissue recommended.

Ceres - Which was originated by the same Manga-ka as FY (Yuu Watase). This is about Aya Mikage. She turns 16 and her life goes to hell. She finds out that she has a seperate being inside of her who can take over her body and morph it. The being, Ceres, has a serious hatred for the Mikage family especially Aya's twin Aki, who has some serious...emotional/physical feelings towards Ceres and Aya. There is also Toya, Aya's love of her life, who also has his own issues towards the Mikage and Aya. Again, very good, humorous (you may like Alex Howell - anime fan boy ), there is also murder, rape and betrayals of family and trust. Tissue recommended also.

I also have to recommend Marmalade Boy.

Miki Koishikawa is an ordinary high school student with wierd parents. Her parents go on vacation to Hawaii, come back, say that they are going to get a divorce and that they are going to marry two people that they met on vaction and who are going to do the same thing. (Hope this makes SOME sense) And the other couple have a son Miki's age and so that both kids can be with all their parents, everyone is going to move in together. Miki is, needless to say, stunned, shocked, hurt and appalled. In the inital meeting with the entire group, she tries to get the other couple's son, Yuu Matsuura, to agree with her but he says that if that's what his parents want, it's okay with him. Miki seems to give up but is determined to keep her parents together if at all possible. After they all move in together, Miki still has issues about the whole thing and thinks that school will be her refuge...until Yuu enrolls. This is very much a character driven story with several storylines. Love triangles? Far too simple for this story: spoiler[Miki loves Yuu; Ginta, Kei and Michael love Miki; Akiko, Arimi and Jinny love Yuu, Brian and Bill love Jinny... needless to say things get REAL interesting. There is also the relationships between Miki and her best friend Meiko Akizuki, Meiko and a teacher, Meiko and the student body president who just may be related to Yuu, Meiko and her parents, Yuu and his parents....] WOW! Just lots going on. And lots of people falling in love with each other or someone who doesn't love them, heartbreak and misunderstandings. Marmalade Boy is an older anime; it came out about the same time as Sailor Moon, but it's still fun

My suggestions

Koi Kaze: The "first warning" about this series is that it involves an incestuous situation, but that's no reason not to watch it. Disturbing at times, moving at other times, Koi Kaze is just a very well-written story that will leave an impression on you. Even though it's not as "pretty" as other anime artistically, KK is still one of those special series that rises far above average. There's even scientific justification for the way characters act the way they do, according to the ANN Encyclopedia Trivia entry. Check Key's reviews on this site for more details.

Diamond Daydreams: 6 separate stories in 13 episodes, with girls/women of varying ages and the romantic troubles they go through. Almost no fanservice or cheap comedy--DD is all about quickly developing characters and making audiences care about their stories, and imo it succeeds in doing so. And, you get the lovely scenery of Hokkaido with well-placed "mood music" to set the tone. It's just a laid-back, slow, mostly realistic series, perfect for turning off the lights and settling onto the couch to watch.

Boys Be: A slightly older series (2000 or 2001 IIRC) that tells about the loves and losses of a few high school guys. In BB, you see all kinds of relationships, all kinds of women, and all kinds of ways of messing up said relationships with said women. Pretty girls + fanservice too, but not harem.

Please Teacher! and Please Twins! : these are a bit more on the fanservice/harem side of things, but there's just enough romance to keep them from getting too far gone. Teacher~ has some sci-fi, with a high school guy winding up in a secret marriage to an alien, who is also his teacher. (Don't worry, it's all legal.) Of course, there may be other girls after him and friends, family, etc. to provide subplots and complications. Twins~ doesn't have sci-fi, it's just a shamelessly addictive soap opera that keeps viewers coming back to find out which of two girls is Lead Male's long-lost sister, and which is free to get their non-incestuous freak on with him. It's set in the same town as Teacher~ and features some of the same side characters, which is why it gets sequel billing.

I'd also second or third most of the series listed in other posts, particularly Marmalade Boy, DN Angel, KgNE (Rumbling Hearts), SaiKano, Shuffle!, Hantsuki, Rec, Ai yori aoshi, Kanon, and Air.

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