Romantic animes, but no Eroge or Violence???

[Clyde]

I guess this would be the forum, where to post this...

I am not in expert in this type of Animation Style, but I've always been interested in it, so thats why I decided to ask at this forum.

But before asking, unluckily (or luckily, who knows), I managed to be overcurious and watch some animes.

Those were Tsuyokiss and School Days.

Tsuyokiss was pretty entertaining, but it was a bit too, I don't know, childish, I guess, would be the word. And wasn't that focused on couples.

I thought I fell in love with School Days from the first sight, after watching episode one, but, continuing watching, I was shocked by the explicit content that came later on. In the end, I loved the realization of the anime, but I have expected a way much softer plot.

Spoiler for School Days:

I kinda didn't expect that Makoto would be such a pervert.

So, as you have probably noticed, I'm seeking for animes, which are equaly romantic, like School Days, but don't involve constant physical cohabitation* of the protagonist with different women or simply don't contain Eroge or special (by I mean extraordinary) brutalities.

Thank You in advance.

*

Spoiler:

I first wanted to write "Look on Wikipedia", but this combination of two words could be simply called sex.

[Phantasmagoria]

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (These days I keep finding opportunities to get this title in my post)
I fell in love with KgNE right from the start
I am confused by your usage of eroge, but I will just post KgNE anyway.

Suzuka (Manga)

If you're wondering why the anime I suggested didn't seem to your ideal one, I merely followed your title's requirement

(I skipped School Days)

Seto no Hanayome is comedic. Romantic or not, it is up to anyone's interpretation.

[Maakasu]

yeah i had the same feelings about School days aswell.

if you want love anime then check out Love Hina, though you probably saw it already

[w00tness]

ef~a tale of memories

XD Likewise, I feel like I have become a preacher for this anime.

Its a visual novel adaptation..

Okay, its an eroge adaptation.. But I think the main themes definitely go above and beyond sex. There is minimal fanservice (at least none that I noticed, the shower scene was more a symbol of Kei feeling dirty after her btchy act and wanting to clean herself), and the main male protagonist of each story does not bed more than one girl (though each does bed a girl towards the end, it is an eroge adaptation after all). Its not a harem, like, none of the main protagonists have a legion of girls who like him.. and.. I havent watched Nice Boat so I dont know if this is like that.

Try it!

[minhtam1638]

I'll be the first to say this: Kanon (2006), hands down. Although there are four side stories beside the main girl that you will go into in a linear progression, the relationship between the guy and the girl progresses over the storyline, taking breaks when another has a highlight in the story.

And it has nothing to do with harem or eroge or anything with that matter, as long as you have a straight mind.

[Skyfall]

Don't worry, most eroge adoptions are not like School Days or Tusyokiss

I will definitely second ef ~ a tale of memories~. You might find the style and presentation off-putting at first, as did i, but keep watching - chances are it will grown on you soon (provided you mind the "abstract" insertions every now and then in the first place) and it is well worth it. I also dislike School Days for various reasons, and most anime are nothing like that.

Kanon (2006) is a very good choice as well. Just watch and see, it is highly unlikely you will find it anything but enjoyable.

Canvas 2 - among my personal favorites of this genre. Nicely handled love triangle and memorable side cast. The ending scene qualifies as one of the sweetest moments in anime i have ever seen

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - short romance/drama in hospital setting. Well worth the watch.

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu - romance/drama/SciFi. Short but good series, suitable if you don't mind the plot being somewhat dramatic with the drama coming from another source than romance troubles.

Gift ~Eternal Rainbow~ - romance/drama with a bit of fantasy and the usual love triangle. Features what i consider to be one of the best male leads.

Sola - romance/drama/fantasy. If you don't mind your romance being sprinkled with some supernatural elements, give Sola a try.

Lamune - if you don't mind slower paced shows, this one is for you. One of the most heart-warming things you will ever see. A story about two childhood friends in a seaside town slowly becoming more than just friends. A very relaxing story to watch.

[tripperazn]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Don't worry, most eroge adoptions are not like School Days or Tusyokiss

QFT. They are the minority. Hell, I'll just say almost all eroge (with a plot), are NOT like School Days to begin with. Usually the protagonists aren't assholes like Makoto.

Just FYI, every recommendation so far is an eroge adaptation except for Iriya, Hantsuki, and Sola. I suggest you watch them despite your bad experiences, they are definitely the best romances in recent memory. I second every one of those.

Kimikiss and True Tears is also quite decent and currently airing, both are due to finish in about 5-6 weeks/episodes. Tons of really good drama and character development. Both are visual novel adaptations, True Tears is originally an eroge, but the anime has different plot and characters.

[Amray]

How about 'Strawberry Panic'?
Thats romantic alright...Aaaaagh Yeah!

[qtipbrit]

I'm assuming by "eroge" you mean overly fanserviced or mildly explicit, containing mild depictions of sex and whatnot.
If so:

Originally Posted by Amray

How about 'Strawberry Panic'?
Thats romantic alright...Aaaaagh Yeah!

This is out, though it's yuri and is a great series. If you can get past some of the scenes, then you'll probably enjoy it (I didn't find it nearly as "explicit" as School Days and not nearly as ecchi as fanservices anime series, though.

Originally Posted by Phantasmagoria

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (These days I keep finding opportunities to get this title in my post)
I fell in love with KgNE right from the start
I am confused by your usage of eroge, but I will just post KgNE anyway.

This also should be out, but it's a series you can't miss, and the main character's motives are different from Makoto's (I.E. He's not a horny teenager.)
Aside from that, it's one of the best dramas in anime, from episode two until the end, and it's also one of the best romances I've seen so far (and I've seen a fair bit.)

Originally Posted by w00tness

ef~a tale of memories

XD Likewise, I feel like I have become a preacher for this anime.

Its a visual novel adaptation..

Okay, its an eroge adaptation.. But I think the main themes definitely go above and beyond sex. There is minimal fanservice (at least none that I noticed, the shower scene was more a symbol of Kei feeling dirty after her btchy act and wanting to clean herself), and the main male protagonist of each story does not bed more than one girl (though each does bed a girl towards the end, it is an eroge adaptation after all). Its not a harem, like, none of the main protagonists have a legion of girls who like him.. and.. I havent watched Nice Boat so I dont know if this is like that.

No, it's not like School Days, and no, not all three characters bed a girl. Technically, one was on the rooftop, so it wasn't really "bedding".
But I support this anime as well. After you get past the SHAFTing of the series, you'll probably begin to spot the symbolism SHAFT purposefully and unwittingly added in (like the shower scene.) It's probably the best romance eroge adaptation of 2007, mainly because Clannad isn't "romance", but even so, I found Ef to be a better watch then Clannad has been so far (though it's also a great series.)

Originally Posted by minhtam2448

I'll be the first to say this: Kanon (2006), hands down. Although there are four side stories beside the main girl that you will go into in a linear progression, the relationship between the guy and the girl progresses over the storyline, taking breaks when another has a highlight in the story.

Ah, this is something you will enjoy. It contains almost no fanservice at all (two seconds of bra *gasp!*, and though it isn't necessarily one of the most romantic anime series, it's touching and you'll definately enjoy it.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

I will definitely second ef ~ a tale of memories~. You might find the style and presentation off-putting at first, as did i, but keep watching - chances are it will grown on you soon (provided you mind the "abstract" insertions every now and then in the first place) and it is well worth it. I also dislike School Days for various reasons, and most anime are nothing like that.

Kanon (2006) is a very good choice as well. Just watch and see, it is highly unlikely you will find it anything but enjoyable.[/QUOTE]
These have already been thirded and seconded by me, so yeah.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Canvas 2 - among my personal favorites of this genre. Nicely handled love triangle and memorable side cast. The ending scene qualifies as one of the sweetest moments in anime i have ever seen

It's a pretty good romance series, though a bit unconventional. I probably wouldn't recommend it until you've seen a couple others, but otherwise, this is a good series to pick up.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - short romance/drama in hospital setting. Well worth the watch.

Ah, Hantsuki gets a mention before Kholdstare and I view the thread. Kudos!
This is one of my favourite romance anime, it's short and sweet, and its ending is touching and will probably give you some mixed feelings. If you have time at all, I would recommend this series. With only six episodes, you'll be able to finish it quickly and enjoy it thoroughly.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Gift ~Eternal Rainbow~ - romance/drama with a bit of fantasy and the usual love triangle. Features what i consider to be one of the best male leads.

Ah, this is like the real third season of Da Capo with worse animation and a pink-haired lead. In general, it's not a terrible series, but not one I would really recommend. If you're having trouble looking for another series, I guess you could watch this, though.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Sola - romance/drama/fantasy. If you don't mind your romance being sprinkled with some supernatural elements, give Sola a try.

Ah, Sola is also one of my personal favourites; it has several unique characters that you'll probably be able to relate to at least one of them, and though its execution is a bit rushed towards the end, I still found it to be another very touching romance series.
Also, Mamiko Noto is so great as Matsuri, Shihou Matsuri.
It also topped Yahoo! Japan's top 100 anime of 2007 list by a landslide as well, though obviously in the same way Orange beat Simon in SaiGAR.
Lamune - if you don't mind slower paced shows, this one is for you. One of the most heart-warming things you will ever see. A story about two childhood friends in a seaside town slowly becoming more than just friends. A very relaxing story to watch.[/QUOTE]
Lamune is a good watch as well. You'll have to wait several episodes for it to pick up, but it ends well, though its ending is a bit ungratifying.

Spoiler for Lamune:

No kiss?

Now, time to suggest Air, one of the most touching and saddest series I've seen. Though it may be hard to follow the story, if you can, then it's a Masterpiece. Wikipedia helps.

[KholdStare]

Since everyone has been said, I will just post to second Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora, Kanon 2006, ef - a tale of memories, and Clannad. Kimi ga Nozomu Eien has several scenes of sex, but I think that all of its explicit content were relevant to the plot. In short, I don't think KgNE had any fanservice.

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by qtipbrit92

Ah, this is like the real third season of Da Capo with worse animation and a pink-haired lead. In general, it's not a terrible series, but not one I would really recommend. If you're having trouble looking for another series, I guess you could watch this, though.

I will have to respectfully disagree here. I found Gift to be a satisfying watch overall and it ranks rather nicely in my books, and it is not like i haven't seen plenty of material to pick from The pacing was spot on, the interactions interesting enough and Haruhiko is a male lead i can hold in high regard. Unlike the most male leads he actually takes initiative and whats most surprising - he even knows which girl of the two he likes from the very beginning. Whereas i can accuse most male leads of being wishy washy and indecisive, Haruhiko knows where his heart stands and acts upon it. I just ended up rewatching the series, and the animation aside (which isn't all that bad either) there is not much bad i can say about it.

Now, time to suggest Air, one of the most touching and saddest series I've seen. Though it may be hard to follow the story, if you can, then it's a Masterpiece. Wikipedia helps.

I don't think it is that hard to follow Air, but i do think that someone looking for romance might end up wanting, as there is barely any in Air. (Probably more in Kana's backstory than in the present time). I ended up preferring Air movie to the TV series. I am not all that satisfied with Air's (mis)handling of side characters and the pacing had some issues. Oh, and the movie has actual romance to speak of. In the end i view the two as something complementing each other, and it is a good story indeed, so i would suggest watching both

[tripperazn]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

I don't think it is that hard to follow Air, but i do think that someone looking for romance might end up wanting, as there is barely any in Air. (Probably more in Kana's backstory than in the present time). I ended up preferring Air movie to the TV series. I am not all that satisfied with Air's (mis)handling of side characters and the pacing had some issues. Oh, and the movie has actual romance to speak of. In the end i view the two as something complementing each other, and it is a good story indeed, so i would suggest watching both

I'll second that motion. The story pacing in the beginning of Air TV was horrendous, with girls introduced left and right then ignored for a while.

The movie isn't really true to Air's theme of mother-daughter, since it focused more on the romance, but it tells the story better.

[navab]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Don't worry, most eroge adoptions are not like School Days or Tusyokiss

I will definitely second ef ~ a tale of memories~. You might find the style and presentation off-putting at first, as did i, but keep watching - chances are it will grown on you soon (provided you mind the "abstract" insertions every now and then in the first place) and it is well worth it. I also dislike School Days for various reasons, and most anime are nothing like that.

Kanon (2006) is a very good choice as well. Just watch and see, it is highly unlikely you will find it anything but enjoyable.

Canvas 2 - among my personal favorites of this genre. Nicely handled love triangle and memorable side cast. The ending scene qualifies as one of the sweetest moments in anime i have ever seen

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - short romance/drama in hospital setting. Well worth the watch.

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu - romance/drama/SciFi. Short but good series, suitable if you don't mind the plot being somewhat dramatic with the drama coming from another source than romance troubles.

Gift ~Eternal Rainbow~ - romance/drama with a bit of fantasy and the usual love triangle. Features what i consider to be one of the best male leads.

Sola - romance/drama/fantasy. If you don't mind your romance being sprinkled with some supernatural elements, give Sola a try.

Lamune - if you don't mind slower paced shows, this one is for you. One of the most heart-warming things you will ever see. A story about two childhood friends in a seaside town slowly becoming more than just friends. A very relaxing story to watch.

Excellent recommendations by Skyfall, you'll be set with these shows.

I'd also like to further add:

Midori No Hibi - By all means not perfect, still an enjoyable series with an unexpected twist... the main heroine is attached to the hand of the protagonist. (The Anime is not as good as the manga, but it's watchable)

Honey And Clover - A wonderful series. A must watch.

[miaka]

2nd Honey and Clover.
Nodame Cantabile - comedy/romance based from manga. It has classical music theme.
Bokura ga ita - school romance/drama
Aishiteruzu Baby - school romance/comedy

[Radiosity]

Narue no Sekai is one of my favourite romances. It's a real romance show with the main characters getting together in ep1 and staying together. Rather than being 12 eps of them trying to get together, it plots their actual relationship with its ups and downs with some nice comedy and a sci-fi based background/story (the sci-fi mostly takes something of a back seat to the couple's relationship though).

Thanks to the sci-fi elements it also has some themes that other romance shows can't manage (like the effects of Time Dilation due to faster than light travel ).

Also seconding both Honey and Clover and Nodame Cantabile, both extremely good shows (though Nodame ended up overtaking H&C for me).

[Amray]

Originally Posted by qtipbrit92

I'm assuming by "eroge" you mean overly fanserviced or mildly explicit, containing mild depictions of sex and whatnot.
If so:

This is out, though it's yuri and is a great series. If you can get past some of the scenes, then you'll probably enjoy it (I didn't find it nearly as "explicit" as School Days and not nearly as ecchi as fanservices anime series, though.

I really want to see the whole series of Strawberry Panic and buy them all. But i'll make sure nobody's at home first or wait until they go to bed. He he he he.

[Clyde]

First of all thanks, everybody for the suggestions.
Sorry, I hadn't answered so long.

Originally Posted by Phantasmagoria

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (These days I keep finding opportunities to get this title in my post)
I fell in love with KgNE right from the start
I am confused by your usage of eroge, but I will just post KgNE anyway.

I'm definitely gonna watch this one. Looks pretty interesting and the fact that other people recommend it might be an extra cause to put this one in.

Originally Posted by Maakasu

yeah i had the same feelings about School days aswell.

To be true, it was entertaining, but... as said unexpected

Originally Posted by Maakasu

if you want love anime then check out Love Hina, though you probably saw it already

Nah, haven't watched this one, but thanks, I'll probably try it later on.

Originally Posted by w00tness

ef~a tale of memories

XD Likewise, I feel like I have become a preacher for this anime.

Its a visual novel adaptation..

Okay, its an eroge adaptation.. But I think the main themes definitely go above and beyond sex. There is minimal fanservice (at least none that I noticed, the shower scene was more a symbol of Kei feeling dirty after her btchy act and wanting to clean herself), and the main male protagonist of each story does not bed more than one girl (though each does bed a girl towards the end, it is an eroge adaptation after all). Its not a harem, like, none of the main protagonists have a legion of girls who like him.. and.. I havent watched Nice Boat so I dont know if this is like that.

Try it!

Hands down, this truly is a masterpiece, exactly what I wanted. So thanks for the recommendation. *still can't believe how happy I was*

Originally Posted by minhtam2448

I'll be the first to say this: Kanon (2006), hands down. Although there are four side stories beside the main girl that you will go into in a linear progression, the relationship between the guy and the girl progresses over the storyline, taking breaks when another has a highlight in the story.

And it has nothing to do with harem or eroge or anything with that matter, as long as you have a straight mind.

This one sounds nice, but doesn't look very well to me; I'll pass.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Don't worry, most eroge adoptions are not like School Days or Tusyokiss

Thank God.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Canvas 2 - among my personal favorites of this genre. Nicely handled love triangle and memorable side cast. The ending scene qualifies as one of the sweetest moments in anime i have ever seen

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora - short romance/drama in hospital setting. Well worth the watch.

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu - romance/drama/SciFi. Short but good series, suitable if you don't mind the plot being somewhat dramatic with the drama coming from another source than romance troubles.

Gift ~Eternal Rainbow~ - romance/drama with a bit of fantasy and the usual love triangle. Features what i consider to be one of the best male leads.

Sola - romance/drama/fantasy. If you don't mind your romance being sprinkled with some supernatural elements, give Sola a try.

I'm not against fantasy/sci-fi elements, as long as they don't dominate over the romance. Thank You.

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Lamune - if you don't mind slower paced shows, this one is for you. One of the most heart-warming things you will ever see. A story about two childhood friends in a seaside town slowly becoming more than just friends. A very relaxing story to watch.

I also managed to watch this one and enjoyed it very much.

@qtipbrit92 & KholdStare: Thanks for seconding and thirding all series above.

Originally Posted by miaka

2nd Honey and Clover.
Nodame Cantabile - comedy/romance based from manga. It has classical music theme.
Bokura ga ita - school romance/drama
Aishiteruzu Baby - school romance/comedy

*bow down*

Originally Posted by navab

Midori No Hibi - By all means not perfect, still an enjoyable series with an unexpected twist... the main heroine is attached to the hand of the protagonist. (The Anime is not as good as the manga, but it's watchable)

Sounds cool .

Originally Posted by Radiosity

Narue no Sekai is one of my favourite romances. It's a real romance show with the main characters getting together in ep1 and staying together. Rather than being 12 eps of them trying to get together, it plots their actual relationship with its ups and downs with some nice comedy and a sci-fi based background/story (the sci-fi mostly takes something of a back seat to the couple's relationship though).

Thanks to the sci-fi elements it also has some themes that other romance shows can't manage (like the effects of Time Dilation due to faster than light travel ).

Also seconding both Honey and Clover and Nodame Cantabile, both extremely good shows (though Nodame ended up overtaking H&C for me).

Thanks, I'll check it.

I got another question though:

I have watched

• Ef: Tale of memories
• Lamune

already;

could anyone recommend similar stuff (plot and atmosphere)?

And don't come knocking and saying: "You already got a lot of suggestions watch those..."

I just want series of the similar type.

Thank You in advance.

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by Clyde

This one sounds nice, but doesn't look very well to me; I'll pass.

I hope you didn't mean Kanon 2006 doesn't look good visually, because it is on the upper layer on animation quality

If you meant doesn't seem appealing story-wise ... i would urge you to at least try a few episodes. If i would have to take a guess, i would say chances are good you would enjoy it. (would be easier to guess if i were to know which part exactly seems unappealing though).

I got another question though:

I have watched

• Ef: Tale of memories
• Lamune

already;

could anyone recommend similar stuff (in the similar drawing style)?

Drawing style ? Hm ... i don't think there is anything that specifically stands out about Lamune's animation, so can't really comment on that.

As for something similar to ef in style ... well, i don't think you will find anything, as it was pretty much experimental in terms of artistic approach. (Well, there is Negima!?, but that is not what you are looking for story-wise).

Hm ... for some droolworthy eye candy you could give Byousoku 5 Centimeter a try. Basically a 1 hour long romance/drama show dealing with the issue of separation by distance.

[Clyde]

You misunderstood me, cuz I wrote the wrote the wrong thing in my post.

My bad, edited.

Originally Posted by Clyde

Thanks, I'll check it.

I got another question though:

I have watched

• Ef: Tale of memories
• Lamune

already;

could anyone recommend similar stuff (plot and atmosphere)?

And don't come knocking and saying: "You already got a lot of suggestions watch those..."

I just want series of the similar type.

Thank You in advance.

[qtipbrit]

Originally Posted by Clyde

Hands down, this truly is a masterpiece, exactly what I wanted. So thanks for the recommendation. *still can't believe how happy I was*

Approved.

Before I continue, I'd like to just say that Love Hina and Midori no Hibi are a bit immature, but still fun. The two are more "fanservice harems" than romances similar to ones stated before.
Also, I'm quite sure Midori no Hibi had several scenes involving female nudity.

Originally Posted by Clyde

I have watched

• Ef: Tale of memories
• Lamune

It all depends on what you liked about ef.
If you liked it for one side of the story with its new twist to a old idea (love triangles), you might like True Tears (though it starts out as a harem.) or Kimi ga Nozomu Eien.
If you liked it for the unique romance that had to overcome barriers, you might like Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (as stated above), or Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu.
And if you liked it for the unique and non-linear storytelling and undertones, then you're quite screwed for similar romance anime anime.

I'll agree with Skyfall that 5 Centimeters per Second is a meritable short that is similar in that it tells a good story with great visuals and music.

As for Lamune, if it was the slice-of-life feel with the story slowly taking shape, then you might like Sola (though it's a bit sudden) or Da Capo (veery slowly.)
For other just heartwarming anime, you might want to try out REC.