View Single Post
Old 2007-12-31, 22:50   Link #35
khryoleoz
Power of 9 SoShi-ist
 
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: USA
I know just what you mean about Sukuran. Unfortunately, Harima will never see Eri as anything but a wall until twinkly Tenma is removed from his sight and Kobayashi stops hitting the reset button and using foils like Yakumo.

My highest recommendation for romance that actually goes somewhere is Ai Yori Aoshi. Don't let the harem backdrop fool you. Kaoru's heart clearly belongs to Aoi and their romantic moments are superlative, so touching and moving in a way I've not seen outdone yet by any other anime.

Hana Yori Dango is another great one, though this is a long series that requires patience. One of the finest heroines I've seen to date, Tsukushi goes through hell with the F4 first until winning the heart of unlikely suitor, bad-boy Tsukasa, and their relationship goes through so many ups and downs and in and out turns before finally stabilizing, and that not without the opposition by the most powerful person Tsukushi would ever meet.

Cardcaptor Sakura is cute and cuddly, but it will be a mistake to identify this as geared towards a juvenile audience, as some of its themes, in particular gender identity, is very mature. This is not a title wherein one would have to suffer through some unappealing element just to get to the romance. This is a well crafted magical girl story that is even unto today is unsurpassed and THE BEST in the genre, rich with dynamic characters many of whom have hidden identities and agendas, but reward you with highly gratifying interrelationships. There's a fascinating love triangle that is broken with tenderness and grace that you become sympathetic to the third wheel. The gender confusion is resolved with a profound explanation of the source of one's interest in the other, clarifying that character's real romantic interest and in the end expressing that love in a very powerful and sacrificial way. That my friend is Cardcaptor Sakura, a deceptively simple and juvenile magical girl show.

SDF Macross TV - Ichijou, Misa, and Minmei. Need I say more?

I'll have to knock down some other suggestions though.

Elfen Lied - Come on. Is anybody actually serious about this as a recommendation for a romance anime?

Love Hina - The anime is pretty bad. But the manga is pretty good. The core of the story is a love-triangle that is formed as a result of memory lapses between the three chief characters. However, the real shining star isn't the couple who end up in love, but the losing member of that triangle who loves both of them so much that she gives her own chance away, and for that she'll always be one of my favorite fictional characters. This is told profoundly and in a very touching way in volume 10.

Ouran High School Host Club - Too much going on here and not enough reciprocation by heroine Haruhi.

SHnY - Currently one of my favorite anime titles but no serious romantic development has occurred yet between any of the characters

School Days - Let's get serious. This show preaches about the dangerous consequences of being a man whore. There's no romance going on here whatsoever, only heartbreak and eventually homicides.

Onegai Twins - I think its prequel Onegai Teacher is a more qualified entry as a romance recommendation. While there is some romantic attraction involved, Twins is more about familial identity than a budding romance between possible siblings. A more real, though somewhat disturbing depending on your cultural upbringing, entry as a romantic drama between siblings is Koi Kaze, which is a painful look at the inner struggles of a man and his confusion.

Chobits - It's an interesting title that is a tangent of if not a sequel to Angelic Layer. But this too deals more with identity issues rather than actually pursuing the development of a romantic relationship. It's main theme is can a human and robot actually share love. This topic is explored by contrasting student/teacher relationships, sibling relationships (which is where we have one of the two Angelic Layer tangents), and two other but failed human/robot relationships. I'd go with Angelic Layer for more positive romantic pairings.

Zero no Tsukaima - Saito is a cool stud. He's a romantic failure however for never choosing Siesta.

Ichigo 100% - Junpei suffers from the same indecision as Saito above. But if you stick with the manga and you were among those like me who favored the Nishino relationship, then you might find the thematic recapitulation interesting.

Midori no Hibi - This too I can't see seriously as a serious recommendation for romantic content. But it is somewhat funny and should you follow this, you'd need to follow the manga to get a satisfactory conclusion.

Bokura ga Ita - Another title involving a man whore and a fatality, though not necessarily a homicide. If you like man whores, then you'll think that Yano like School Day's Makoto is very cool. Otherwise, this wasn't worth watching the heartbreak Nanami goes through for a horny loser.

Honey & Clover - This is a good, fun anime. However one of the romances just did not go the way I wanted it to.

KGnE - Too many people here without resolve and courage to do what is right make this too much of a let down. Haruka lost too much to get shafted the way she did. The alternate retelling that goes in her favor is hopefully better.

Maburaho - I'm not sure this is even worth commenting on.
khryoleoz is offline   Reply With Quote