As a middle age man, I would had laugh if last year somebody would have told me that I ‘d be totally hooked to romance anime series. But here I am, discovering new series in my 40s one after another, and totally hooked into them!
I guess a few factors help to that: my interest and love for Japan, its culture and its movies and series in general and also, as many of these series happen during high school years, a sweet memory of probably the best times of my life, where responsibilities were not so big as we thought and we were shaping our personalities while having a blast discovering the world, the people and friends around us, and what was love, shyness and fear of rejection.
I wanted to share with you readers the list of what I have been watching in the last few months with my honest opinions, in case might help you to discover any new unwatched awesome series!!! Here they are, in no particular ranking apart from being listed from the most recent watched first and on.
(Also I have tried to be careful with spoilers, but there are some around, so just please be warned ahead)
MY DRESS UP DARLING
Sono Bisuku Dōru wa Koi o Suru in Japanese, which literally translates to something like “The Bisque Doll Falls in Love”, a series with currently 2 seasons adapted from the manga by Shinichi Fukuda.
The main character of the series is teenager Wakana Gojo, a good shy boy who lives and works with his grandfather sharing his passion for the family business of crafting traditional Japanese Hina Dolls. Though Gojo is very talented in handicraft, he lacks social skills and experiences in the real world, keeping to himself and not interacting much with fellow students. That is until he meets the co-protagonist Marin Kitagawa, a stunning beautiful, lively and straightforward blonde amateurish model girl who loves Cosplaying (and wearing her school uniform mini skirt really really short….)
Marin immediately digs into Gojo’s abilities and they create a friendship and partnership, with Gojo helping her to craft the customs for her Cosplay ideas, while romantic feelings between them start to be developed and Gojo starts to experience more things together with her, coming out of his shelf.
What to say about this one?! One of my favorites series already and a surprise as I was not planning to watch it until I saw some recommendations online. Marin ‘s character is absolutely lovable, having a perfect balance of mischievous naughtiness, kindness, straightforward communication but at the same time also a golden heart, shyness and insecurities. Her appearances both when just herself or when cosplaying are captivating, and it does really embody the female sweetness and beauty that would make most of us have fallen totally for her in high school.
The chemistry between main characters is great, and though the romance advances slowly with baby steps, mainly due to Dojo’s inability to read Marin’s clear feelings towards him, as everybody surrounding them absolutely think they are made one for the other, the journey is precious to follow. I like the touches of naughtiness and sexual innuendos (Marin can be straightforward talking about sexual matters and not shy in wearing very daring outfits, it is implied that Gojo marturbates thinking about her, we have a steamed scene in a love hotel where Marin provokes him an erection and the scene does not end up in their first kiss just by the interruption of a phone call… but those touches are very well measured, showing after all that they are still just young teenagers (age around 15) that need to feel comfortable with how things advance. It is lovely to see how they care for each other in their own way, and how they complement each other to grow into better persons, even having different personalities.
The touches of humor are nice, and I also like that the other characters at high school are not mean and they show respect for Gojo as soon as they start interacting with him. The people who surround them in the Cosplay hobby are also nice, and we can see a crush/love interest towards Gojo by another female character, Juju, but it is not deeply explored in the first 2 seasons.
That is maybe the weak point of the series, as the main storyline with the 2 main characters feels amazing, but sometimes I felt like there was just a very shallow exploration of the interactions and feelings with other external secondary characters. With exception of Gojo’s grandfather, a character that anchors very nicely parts of the story and who seems to understand silently what is happening around and enjoys to see how Gojo is maturing into a man seeing and experiencing the world.
So far a 3rd season of the anime has not been confirmed, and that would be a pity, cause following the story of those two is an incredible experience. The manga series finished already all its volumes (it seems that a bit in a rush as the author was having some health issues), and without making big spoilers, I know that they will go into the right direction and I am quite satisfied when I saw the ending arc, so give a chance to the first 2 animated seasons if you have not watched, and if you want more, the complete volumes of the manga series should fulfill you to the fullest
CALL OF THE NIGHT
This one I honestly just picked it up a bit randomly from Netflix when I saw it at the home page, and my feelings are a bit mixed about it.
Its title in Japanese is Yofukashi no Uta and is based and serialized from a manga by author Kotoyama.
The plot spins around young high school student Ko Yamori, who adventures into the night unsatisfied with his life in general and with assisting school, and meets alluring female vampire Nazuna Nanakusa.
What should have been just a quick taste of his blood turn into a friendship and strange relation developing between both, as Ko wants to be turned into a vampire and the only way to obtain that is falling in love with Nazuna, which would seem easy except that Ko has no idea what love feelings are and Nazuna is not really the romantic type.
The couple meet at night and then get sorrounded by an interesting cast of secondary characters, some friends from high school and a cast of other female vampires that are often on the verge of killing Ko or becoming their friends and confidents.
A story that mixes teenage love with vampires should sound very interesting, and well, the series is quite enjoyable at moments, specially due to the humor and the multiple layers of Nazuna, who can be wild, strong and hyper sexual, but at the same time is nerdy, funny and inmature. So from the female side, we are covered to have a lovable character, although the part of the story starting so “transactional” with her pretty much craving the tasty blood of Ko is not up to the most romantic set up.
Ko for me does not totally click as main character. I just find him a bit dull and empty, there is never really a satisfactory explanation in season 1 of why he thinks that his life is so empty, and although he grows his personality chapter by chapter, I cannot totally emphatize with him.
Might be that only 1 anime season is not enough to see the development of the characters, and do not get me wrong, there are some very interesting moments there like the fight among Nazuna and a rival vampire, or the sweet kisses that she surprisingly delivers to Ko in a couple of moments, being specially sweet the one at the end of season 1, but so far this is a couple that, different to other series, I do not feel deeply touched with their interactions nor rooting for them to be together. The visuals and art are quite stunning, so if you like anything vampire related, still sure give it a go. It is not bad, but it has not captivated me so far…
THE DANGERS IN MY HEART
I have become an absolute fan of this anime, and with a lot of good reasons. The series, that is actually available in Netflix, has 2 seasons so far and is based on the Japanese manga Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu also abbreviated as Bokuyaba by author Norio Sakurai
Its plot resembles in quite many ways the main features of the one commented at the start of the article, My Dress Up Girl, in the sense of portraying a socially awkward and isolated main character, Kyotaro Ichikawa, who starts to interact and forge a friendship and romantic relation with popular school beauty and also aspiring model and actress Anna Yamada.
Ichikawa is a really creepy fellow at the start of the show, with a lot of internal self loath and with dark thoughts of physical harm towards the ones around him, including Anna. This creepiness might have put off a lot of potential fans who could not digest the first couple of episodes where characters might seem quite stupid or mad.
However, if you give the series a chance and pass through those first couple of episodes, what you will find is one of the most wonderful rom-com animes ever made so far. Ichikawa shows that behind his lack of confidence, is actually quite a smart, caring and protective guy, and Yamada is just the impersonation of cuteness: she is loving, sensitive, sweet, not (very) narcissistic, full of positive energy and with an insatiable appetite for snacks.
It is a wonderful story between those two lovebirds, and again same as in My Dress Up Darling, we follow their amazing path as they support each other to grow as better young people. But the level of understanding of each other is probably even deeper here, and the attention to details in scenes is amazing. There are so many small cute funny moments thrown here and there, some of them might need a rewatch and you might not realize the care of the creators in building this amazing story, but they are there. I can highlight a few like Yamada not letting the hands go and screaming Ichikawa’s name when introducing him to her agent during a work photoshoot, Yamada holding a small gift that Ichikawa gave her telling the handsome guy hitting on her that she loves another and her hands are full, Yamada fishing for Ichikawa to compliment her as cute, her little jealous moments, Ichikawa growing in confidence screaming that Yamada is only hers or finding the inner strenght to give her an awesome gift in White Day and be able to express how beautiful she looks, Ichikawa’s speech during the graduation ceremony at school where he beats his inner ghosts and shows the great man he could truly become… so many big and small amazing moments of character development.
But here you see more depth also in the relations with the secondary characters and friends with special mention to Ichikawa’s older sister, a character that also grows in our hearts while the show advances and that supports in a very sweet way his little brother, and in a way, after every episode you just end up craving for the next one, like an addiction of emotions you cannot control. Yamada might be one of the cutest, if not the cutest, female character ever portrayed in a romcom, and the emo shy Ichikawa gains the hearts of the viewers taking small but decisive steps to become a better person and be worthy enough to consider himself a love partner for Yamada. It is a great work in his development physical and emotional through the show, where he is able to show that by being able to enjoy life also in the moments that is not with Yamada, he is worthy to enjoy her love too.
I also like that, again similar to My Dress Up Darling, sexual innuendos and dirty jokes are part of the dialogues, as it should be with effervescent teenagers, being realistic but also tasteful without feeling too lewd. A minus in the series, and I think many fans would agree on this, is that we see the story mostly through Ichikawa’s point of view, and would have been lovely to explore also a bit more Yamada’s side of things, which we catch glimpses by her actions and reactions, but we never get the allowance to explore her thoughts from her point of view.
What else can I say? If you have not seen the 2 seasons yet, go for it. I am just hoping that we will be rewarded with more seasons in the anime, while the manga is about to wrap up with a final volume that should be published soon. Let’s hope that these 2 find the happiness they have fought so hard for during every episode!
TORADORA!
One of the most famous anime rom-coms in history, and a very polarizing one for many fans, Toradora! came to my attention after I saw it mentioned restlessly in forums and by anime fans.
Adaptation of the manga by Yuyuko Takemiya, Toradora! narrates the evolving relation of the main character, Ryuji, a good behaved shy guy with obsession for cleaning and with great cooking skills who was abandoned by his father and takes care of his mother, with Taiga Aisaka, a small ball of energy prompted to violent attacks, but with a golden heart inside.
A kind of love entanglement develops with the series, as Ryuji is initially interested in Minori, the best friend of Taiga, a sporty cheerful beautiful girl who seems to be singing to herself all the time, while Taiga seems interested in Yusaku. Though a bit part of the plot is about Taiga and Ryuji trying to help each other to get a relation with their love interests, through the show and through the interactions they have is clearly developed a love relationship between them. Apart from this, there is a third girl, beautiful but narcissistic model Ami, who also joins the school and is interested in Ryuji.
As I said, I understand that many people could develop and kind of love/hate relation with the series. The relation between Taiga and Ryuji is not healthy at many moments and Taiga ‘s outburts of violent and diminishing behaviour could be a turn off. But if you go through that and understand that is a protection facade, the character of Taiga is really sweet, and I find exhilarating her nickname known all over the school as the table top tiger.
The script is awesome in many moments and will leave you some scenes forever in your mind, like Taiga screaming and caring after Ryuji suffers an accident at the pool. I never fully understood nor loved the character of Minori, and although you get here and there details that her personality is not at all shallow and there is an internal debate in her hart, I think that we never get to fully understand her, like if her character might have had much more potential… In fact, the character that I love how develops the most is Ami, who after losing her facade of narcissistic rude bitch, actually grows a lot showing to be the more mature and having a caring and loving hidden side. Probably in my opinion she would be the best suited to be a girlfriend in the real world. Some other subplots and scenes are also amazing, like the fight between Taiga and Sumire, and there are a lot of great touches of humor all over the show.
However, I also understand that the end of the series, although somehow is fresh, surprising and touching, leaves a bittersweet taste to the fans. All the arc of escaping from home feels a bit too forced to me, though it leads to maybe the most beautiful scene in the series with the first kisses between Taiga and Ryuji at the grandparents ‘ place where they spend a night together, a delicate and sweet scene where we also see the sweet and vulnerable side of Taiga. But her sudden disappearance at the end until the final surprising encounter in the classroom… it kind of feels refreshing compared to how many other series wrap up, but at the same time it feels somehow unsatisfying, and we wonder if Taiga is really the right partner you d like to be with, as sometimes feels like interacting with her is walking across a minefield.
I know, after having read online what happens after the series, that the two get a nice happy ending together, but still, as I said, though I did enjoy the show a lot and is a delightful rollercoaster of emotions, and though Taiga ‘s energy can be really captivating, some moments and actions in the show feel a bit off. In any case, it is undeniably one of the best romance anime series ever produced, and although it was broadcasted already quite a few years ago, it has not lost at all its freshness and appeal. A must see if you are into Japanese romance anime or, same like me, you are starting to explore this wonderful universe!
HI SCORE GIRL
Hai Sukoa Gāru in Japanese, the series is based on the manga by Rensuke Oshikiri, and oh boy! For a fan of retrovideogames who lived his pre-teenage years in the popular arcade saloons, this series will always take a special place in my heart.
The story follows a young gamer, Haruo, whose life is pretty much obsessed with videogames both playing with home consoles or at any arcade machine that crosses his path. His life will be transformed when he crosses path with Akira, a silent female classmate (so silent that she never speaks a word all over the 2 seasons of the series) and amazing videogame player, one of the few able to beat Haruo’s ability.
Haruo’s hate for the new challenger will be transforming through the series into a very special and sweet love relation with Akira, with a second female student, Koharu, getting dragged also in the gamer life pursuing her non correspondent love of Haruo.
The series is pretty much amazing, and displays so many anecdotes, historical facts, winks and tricks based on real life from a lot of the most iconic videogames in the 90s that is pretty much impossible not to love it for anyone calling him/herself a gamer. Haruo’s character although at first can be annoying gains the hearts of the viewers as inside him there is a big good naive heart, and it is really amazing how the writers were able to perform so beautiful interactions between them with Akira not muttering a single word. It is even more memorable that in several scenes of the game, the characters are able to express their feelings and the emotions just by how they interact during the games that play together.
The final theme song also by the way got stuck in my head for weeks, a beautiful lullaby that you cannot get rid of. Also, the secondary characters such as Haruo’s mother or Akira’s older sister Makoto are pretty memorable and funny, and round up this beautiful story.
If I can put a weak point, i would just say that I would have truly loved a kiss between them both main characters, though their feelings were clearly expressed in the final airport scene of the series If you like romcom anime, give it a try, though the art and drawing style can feel a bit more childish and not so beautiful like other anime, it is super charming. And if you are a retro video games lover, this series is really a must see!
MY LOVE STORY
I watched it not expecting anything much, just surfing around anything new to kill time a night in Netflix, and My Love Story grew into me immediately. The series counts so far with just 1 season with 24 episodes, being its title in Japanese Ore Monogatari!!; lit. “My Story!!”, created by Kazune Kawahara.
It follows the story of Takeo, a young student with a huge physical frame, hyper talented for any sport activity and with a golden heart, but with no filter in his words and little knowledge of love. He is inseparable of Makoto, his very handsome, shy and book lover friend who seems quite uninterested in girls attention.
Quickly in the series Takeo will help and meet Rinko, a beautiful young student who loves baking cakes and sweets, and with the help of Makoto, Takeo will realize about her love and they will start dating.
Opposite to other series, here there is no suspense about the declarations of feelings and gets resolved pretty early on. So the series is nicely following Takeo and Rinko growing as a couple, as well as Takeo growing as a person and helping others around him all the time. There are a lot of nice details here, like Takeo’s good actions often do not get the credit he deserves, but is lovely to see how Rinko is able to see him through and through while others would get deceptive first impressions due to his physique.
I also love how, although Rinko appears to be like the super sweet innocent anime girl, she actually takes a lot of initiate in meeting Takeo, showing her feelings and also in provoking more physical advances and kisses due to Takeo’s too much innocent heart. And some of the fans might have got nervous towards the end of season 2 when a competitor tries to steal Rinko’s heart. A very nice arc in the way how we see that Takeo would sacrifice anything for Rinko’s happiness, even his relation.
On top of that, I must say that one of the most memorable love actions in the series is not done by the main couple, but by one of Takeo’s friend, Kurihara, who climbs a huge Christmas tree risking his life to grab a decorative start to show to his love interest, Nanako, that he is worthy of her love interests.
A very lovely series, and though Takeo would not be your typical main character in this kind of romcom, he really gains your sympathy with his actions and his huge heart while Rinko is just an overload of cuteness but with the right amount of spicy behavior to cheer things up.