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Romance Anime to Make Your Heart Flutter


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MrJeremyT



Joined: 27 Dec 2021
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 10:17 am Reply with quote
The lack of "The Dangers In My Heart" is sad Sad
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tintor2



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 2177
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 10:27 am Reply with quote
When it comes to romance shows, my favorites have to be Steins Gate and Kaguyasama. The amount of energy the protagonists have is amazing to the point it's really enjoyable whenever they have an argument or plan something even if it goes nowhere. I think Okabe's friend even calls him and Kurisu tsunderes.

While Clamp are wellknown for writing romances, it's a shame most of them in tragedy. While Cardcaptor Sakura was fun I never liked how Sakura realized she loved Syaoran at the final chapters when the later spent half of the manga wondering what to do with his feelings. That's why I preferred their Tsubasa incarnations as there their feelings are the main focus of the story and are tested a lot before the really confusing ending.

While not exactly romantic, I remember enjoying Heavenly Delusion for the chemistry between Kiruko and Maru, especially when the latter admits being in love of the of the former despite knowing Kiruko is male. While the anime ended there, the mangaspoiler[ actually has Kiruko actually developing feelings for him but still in shock about that because of the controversial Robin episode as she feels Maru should not love her after what happened to there.]

By the way, if Monogatari had been a romance only series without any weird harem, Araragi and Senjougahara would also be an amazing duo to follow.


Last edited by tintor2 on Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:02 am; edited 1 time in total
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18507
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 10:47 am Reply with quote
Surprised but pleased by the wide diversity of titles brought up here. (I fully expected Kaguya-sama to dominate the list.) Especially pleased to see nods to the great Toradora!, the largely-forgotten Engaged to the Unidentified, and, yes, the delightfully smelly trash heap that is Domestic Girlfriend.

Two additions I'd make to this list are Ai Yori Aoshi (for more conventional romances) and Crest/Banner of the Stars (for stories not focused on romance). The former is one of the better harem series to come out of the '00s, one where the unshakable bond of love between the two central characters Kaoru and Aoi forms the core of the story. The latter is a case more like FMP, one where the romantic elements aren't the core of the story (and you could certainly argue that, for most of the story, the bond between Jinto and Lafiel isn't exactly romantic), but the deep connection between the two leads provides the defining human element to the sweeping sci fi epic. I still consider them one of the all-time-great anime couples.

And for a much, much less conventional scenario, there's always Kurau Phantom Memory. The Kurau/Christmas relationship defies even unconventional classifications, but you won't find a deeper or stronger bond between two characters anywhere in anime, and that bond is at the core of most of what happens in the series.
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tywhoppity



Joined: 09 Sep 2019
Posts: 227
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:05 am Reply with quote
Love is War, Oregairu, and My Love Story were expected, but I had mostly forgotten Engaged to the Identified. IMO, Toradora and Oregairu had a lot of harem elements to them, also.(Saki Kawasaki best girl, you can't change my mind!)

A favorite romance of mine actually involved middle schoolers: Tsuki ga Kirei. As much SOL as romance, the tropes were done with more realism than most. spoiler[Plus, the timeskips at the end where the eventually get married!]
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Cho_Desu



Joined: 27 Dec 2022
Posts: 242
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:13 am Reply with quote
For those who only have time for a movie today, I recommend "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop." It's available on Netflix, and is a sweet and simple romcom with nice characters and a fun art style.
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njprogfan
Collector Extraordinaire



Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Posts: 1233
Location: A River Named Toms
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:19 am Reply with quote
A lot of great choices with Toradora my fav. I would like to add Insomniacs After School, Komi Can't Communicate and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out for slow burning love stories, Love After World Domination for action packed love, Lovely Complex, Dangers in My Heart and Midori Days for mismatched by height couple love, O Maidens in Your Savage Season, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend and too many to list straight out school love stories.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4933
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:21 am Reply with quote
I'd like to make a small shout-out to Tsuredure Children, romcom from a few years back. It's hilarious and really sweet. It has multiple couples all with different dynamics so it has a bit of variety and its half-length episodes are nice bite-sized things that don't require much commitment. Would recommend.

Key wrote:
Two additions I'd make to this list are Ai Yori Aoshi (for more conventional romances) and Crest/Banner of the Stars (for stories not focused on romance). The former is one of the better harem series to come out of the '00s, one where the unshakable bond of love between the two central characters Kaoru and Aoi forms the core of the story.


And I'd say to steer clear from Aoi Yori Aoshi. Aoi is a complete doormat. She is boring and her reason to be completely and utterly devoted to the male lead is laughably weak. She is much less a person and more of the embodiment of the most idealized version of a Japanese stay at home wife. I've only seen the first season, but that's enough for me. Blegh. I think I'd rather subject myself to Love Hina.


Last edited by Cam0 on Wed Feb 14, 2024 5:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Saeryen



Joined: 26 Aug 2020
Posts: 1010
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:26 am Reply with quote
I’ll have to check out Sweet Blue Flowers, thanks for the rec Rebecca!

My faves/recs are Bibliophile Princess, My Happy Marriage, Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Kamisama Kiss, Fruits Basket (the remake) and Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts.
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Ggultra2764
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Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 3979
Location: New York state.
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 12:09 pm Reply with quote
No mention of His and Her Circumstances? One of those rare instances in romance anime where the couple gets together early in the series instead of playing up the old "will they or won't they" relationship dynamic and the series dabbles into how both view one another and their relationship.

Also would suggest Mysterious Girlfriend X as despite its odd gimmick involving saliva, it's a unique departure from your typical romance anime with the focus on communication and emotional connections within a relationship thanks to the unique abilities of Urabe's saliva for both her and Akira to understand the thoughts and emotions of one another.
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JustMonika



Joined: 17 Jan 2022
Posts: 1169
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 12:59 pm Reply with quote
Where's Happy Sugar Life and Eromanga Sensei? Laughing
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invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2487
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 1:24 pm Reply with quote
Five years ago, Clannad and Yuri!!! on ICE would have been shoo-ins for this list, and I’m surprised to see how much the latter has utterly disappeared from the group consciousness, given what a phenomenon it was when it came on the scene. Seriously, people, go back and watch Yuri on Ice, it’s a delight.

I’m going to nominate Bloom Into You, with the caveat that it’s an incomplete story that really should have gotten an anime completion by now. IIUC, the TV series we got ended about half-way into book five of an eight-volume series, so I’m not completely sure how you’d finish it: a second TV series or a movie. We haven’t heard word of either, which is a shame.

EDIT: One more nomination: White Album 2. Kind of romantic, mostly dysfunctional, bummer ending, and hands down the best sex scene I’ve ever seen in anime (despite / because it doesn’t “show anything”).
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FuzzyDave



Joined: 07 Jan 2022
Posts: 63
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 1:47 pm Reply with quote
What a great list! It's an unexpected pleasure to see Full Metal Panic there since I ADORE that show. A couple more suggestions: If you like Toradora you might want to check out The Pet Girl of Sakurasou. It has a similar tone with it's rich cast of characters and emotional depth. I'd also like to give a shout-out to Ouran High School Host Club, one of my absolute favorite shows of any genre
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moozooh



Joined: 30 Sep 2022
Posts: 151
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 3:10 pm Reply with quote
Since both incomplete and tragic/dysfunctional romance were fair game, I'd have expected to see the likes of Insomniacs After School, Katanagatari, the first season of Rakugo Shinjuu, Rascal Doesn't Dream, Sukasuka... or even The Duke of Death and His Maid, even though I dislike the adaptation. Sad that a lot of shows with compelling character interactions and great romantic chemistry between the leads were forgotten or knowingly omitted in favor of the more tropey ones.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13242
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 3:33 pm Reply with quote
I still stand by my opinion that Toradora had a terrible ending.

Anyways, Tamako Love Story. You don't even need to watch the show.
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garfield15



Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 1536
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 4:14 pm Reply with quote
MrJeremyT wrote:
The lack of "The Dangers In My Heart" is sad Sad


Seriously, I was like "really, not even one person?"
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