Need Help!

[mcruz1014]

Hey guys. I've actually got several questions here regarding what I should watch next. I just finished watching Suzuka and have been in the mood for romance/slice-of-life/drama stuff for a while, but I feel that I've seen most of the good shows that that genre has to offer. I'm open to any genre of show really, as long as there is an emphasis on drama and romance, so action and comedy are fine too, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Here's a list of shows that I've already seen that fit the bill:
-Love Hina
-Ai Yori Aoshi
-Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
-Koi Kaze
-Suzuka
-5 Centimeters per Second
-Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
-Voices of a Distant Star
-REC
-Fate/Stay Night
-Full Metal Panic! (all seasons)

On a side note, I've already started watching Ah! My Goddess and Lamune. I liked both shows (I plan to finish AMG), but got kind of bored part of the way through. I found this to be especially the case with Lamune, which seemed to lack any sort of plot direction for the first 5 episodes. My question is, should I continue to watch because there is a major plot development towards the end, and will any kind of romance develop for the main male lead?

[Ichihara Asako]

I found this to be especially the case with Lamune, which seemed to lack any sort of plot direction for the first 5 episodes. My question is, should I continue to watch because there is a major plot development towards the end, and will any kind of romance develop for the main male lead?

In short, yes. Lamune was an excellent series. It was a very laid back slice of life/romance, not much drama, but there is stuff that happens later on that should keep you hooked to the end.

As for other things to try:
Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu (bit more action, but a beautiful story.)
Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai (A lot more intense drama in this one)
Kanon 2006, maybe. Include Air in that, too. Kanon has a decent bit of comedy, Air is more pure drama.
Asatte no Houkou, perhaps. (drama/romance)
Bokura ga Ita (drama/romance)
Lovely Complex (high dosage of comedy, but still a good love story.)
The Da Capo franchise might fit the bill, too.
I'd put Elfen Lied in there, though the high amount of nudity and gore may be offputting.
Onegai Teacher/Twins (I think Twins is much better, personally. But it helps to have watched Teacher first to understand some of the supporting cast.)
Sola is a recently completed series that I rank very highly on the romantic drama scale.
School Days... well, I think it ended beautifully, but opinions vary a lot on that.

That should be a decent little list to get you started, bound to be at least a couple there you should like.

[mdauben]

I found this to be especially the case with Lamune, which seemed to lack any sort of plot direction for the first 5 episodes.
Well, I suppose you could say that Lamune does not really have much of a plot, really, in that the story isn't really driven by external events. It's more a character driven series, about the slow development of the relationship between the two main characters. In the end, I really liked it as a romance but if you are expecting a lot of action, you will be disappointed. ;)

If you like scifi, another series to check out would be Crest/Banner of the Stars. This series is made up of three TV series (Crest of the Stars, Banner of the Stars and Banner of the Stars II) plus an OVA (Banner of the Stars III). It's about the slow development of the relationship between a young man and woman, against the backdrop of an epic interstellar war. It has sort of a "Star Wars" feel too it, with epic space battles and a deeply developed background. I really liked it, but the whole thing is pretty long, and the romance is not real... demonstrative if you know what I mean (they would give their lives for each other, but I don't think they ever do kiss).

Another one might be Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team which is my favorite of the Gundam series. It focuses on the lives of two people on opposite sides in one small corner of the war.

A last scifi recomendation could be Planetes. It's sort of a near-future space story, about a man and woman who meet while working together on a space station for a large corporation. A nice mix of drama, action, comedy, romance and some beautify artwork.

If you want something more fantasy, you could check out either Fate/Stay Night, or Tsukihime, Lunar Legend. Both involve a young man with special powers who becomes involved in bizarre events with a mysterious woman.

Hope that helps? :)

[mcruz1014]

Thanks for the list. I forgot to mention School Days and Elfen Lied in my list of things I've already seen. I must say that I have to politely disagree with you on the School Days ending, haha. But a lot of those shows look like the kinds of things I'm looking for. Thanks a lot. And please keep the suggestions coming. :)

[miaka]

try some current series like myself/yourself (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5435), ef- a tales of memories (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5274). Both high school romance/drama.