This is another musing I’ve sat on for years to write; a musing about the blossoms of Spring, stories of tumultuous times of great complexity of passionate youth; tales of this brutal and emotional war, an intense war of love. And the inspiration of this blog? Possibly my favorite romantic comedy anime of all time: Love is War. The delay of this blog has given me plenty of time to reflect, watch the dubs, reflect again, rewatch the series, and reflect for a final time. I’ve realized more than my favorite genre of anime is romance/drama and that much like Isekai, romance anime are some of the most experimental. Especially this year. This is another musing I’ve sat on for years to write; a musing about the blossoms of Spring, stories of tumultuous times of great complexity of passionate youth; tales of this brutal and emotional war, an intense war of love. And the inspiration of this blog? Possibly my favorite romantic comedy anime of all time: Love is War. The delay of this blog has given me plenty of time to reflect, watch the dubs, reflect again, rewatch the series, and reflect for a final time. I’ve realized more than my favorite genre of anime is romance/drama and that much like Isekai, romance anime are some of the most experimental. Especially this year.
i just have to celebrate anime's golden age
Anime has impressed me considerably in the last 5 or so years. They have blown up in creativity and popularity. And man is the competition between them all strong and vicious. Netflix entered with DevilMan Crybaby, Castlevania, etc; Amazon entered with Scums Wish, Grand Blue, etc; CrunchyRoll came with Tower of God, InSpectre, etc… as their original content in addition to awesome and unique series. Hell, even Disney is entering the fray, firing off the Bleach 1000 Year War license leading its charge with others including its own originals such as Star Wars Visions. Man, you have to adore the absolute splendor of competition. Because they’re pushing as hard as possible to get your eyes and dollars. And the fans of the media are benefiting most. And damn has anime knocked it out of the park recently and I really feel it’s quite fair to say, we’re entering a sort of Golden Age. I might have to declare and scream it from the rooftops, I am so electrified by where it has been and it is going
Now we’re getting uncensored, absolutely U-N-C-E-N-S-O-R-E-D anime, anime with unique and creative stories, some very intense competition, and the eyes of the mainstream. This truly is a wonderful time to be an anime fan. We are feasting my comrades! We are feasting right now my comrades and it feels so very good to finally say…
comrades... we made it...
Maybe worthy of musing over in another blog? Something to think about another day I guess. I apologize for digressing so. Let’s get back to the heart of it. Romance anime has been blazing for me for some time and I am absolutely over the moon. Whether it be high-school romances that blossom at a very confusing point of lives, a lot… nay, a majority have had very interesting stories.
komi chan... komi chan... my darling komi chan...
This will be the third time I celebrate Komi Can’t Communicate. However, I found it necessary to give a brief recap. It’s a story about an average lad, Tadano, assisting the school’s idol on her ambitious quest to amass 100 friends. However, he soon discovers a secret that increases the challenge of this quest by multiple fold: Komi couldn’t communicate. And ironically, it lends immensely to her charm. Her peers think she’s a quiet and icy beauty that the class rallies behind as the princess of the school. But the audience is greeted by a soft-spoken, endearing sweetheart who is struggling to overcome the hurdle and anxiety of conveying a person’s thoughts and socializing. Her whole character and reactions are depicted through emotes and subtle or ostentatious animations that only Tadano is able to decipher. It’s a very charming and comedic story to watch unfold and love blossom.
go go power rangers!!!
Another is “Love After World Domination”. This anime is pure comedy gold this year. Right on the heels of the 3rd and final season of Love is War and is extremely unique. It’s literally Power Rangers, but Rita and Red Ranger have a secret forbidden relationship. And you have the gist. Gekko’s Reaper princess Desumi and Red Gelato Fuudo, leaders of each faction, are secretly going steady while trying to play their respective roles. And cleverly use their clashes to secretly spend time together and date. As their relationship progresses, they encounter various romantic hurdles from the standard romances such as planning dates, future plans, having romantic rivals, and discovering one another’s interests. This on top of arranging rendezvous during factional battles, invasion events, or even at school. It’s a very comedic and enjoyable experience.
cosplaying gyaru bishoujo on the scene
Up next, for a time, this was my anime of 2022 hands down. Now the pool has expanded considerably. I was totally enamored by the doll Marin, an overflowing deluge of gal charm that swept the anime community by storm right before the sensation, Spy x Family. But this earns a spot on my list for its charming love story between an aspiring cosplayer and her wardrobe creator, Gojou. He is an heir to Hina Doll shop run by his grandfather. Gojou’s meticulous handle of dressing and decorating the Hina Dolls is what attracts Marin to interact with Gojou. You see, one day, one chance encounter, Marin enters the crafts club planned to make modifications of her own makeshift cosplay outfit. And expecting to be absolutely alone, the club is relatively empty normally, Gojou is there, tenderly caring and admiring his Hina. Surprised at first from the scene, Marin is speechless. But seeing the astoundingly beautiful craftsmanship, she is inspired to make a simple request: “Make a dress for me!”
With that request, a story ensues of shame, love, comedy, and charm. High recommendation from me and Season 2 was just announced two weeks prior to this musing.
and in my opinion... the goat...
Then, the biggest reason for writing this. The creme de la creme in my opinion. Probably, my favorite rom-com series of all time. Love is War. The whole premise is the constant and intense battles waged for confession between Kaguya Shinomiya, the Student Council president, and Miyuki Shirogane. The two are intensely in love, but too proud and too cautious to make the first move. So they cleverly devise maneuvers and situations to corner their adversaries in love. And eventually the other student council members, family, and classmates add to the chaos with their own advice and romances. And it continuously becomes more complex and elaborate. And damn are the English dubs S tier. In a way, I prefer them to the subs. I feel they actually enhance the comedy, especially due to the awesome narrator in addition to a damn good roster. Honestly I may run through it again. I still can’t grow numb to the scenes and gags. Still is extremely funny to me. While I certainly watching both, I think this is the rare exception that the dub edges out the sub. i found this clip on YouTube and very much encapsulates why I recommend the sub.
It is the Golden age i say... and romance/drama are leading
This genre is on fire. Especially with adapting so many common or uncommon or outrageous scenarios to spice up the stories. As I mentioned in the intro, anime feels as though it’s entering its Golden Age. Especially because there are so many more eyes now and it has grown immensely in mainstream culture. More studios are competing intensely for eyes and attention. It is a wonderful time to be an anime fan. And as connoisseur of a bit of romantic comedy or drama, we are eating like kings!
honorable mentions
Recommended by Cal Wu is this anime called “More than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers.” This anime is only on episode 1 so far but it seems pretty interesting. The school is conducting a “Couple Practical” to prepare students for living with the opposite sex in proper. I assume Japan has a birthrate decline in this scenario because this measure is very interesting in my opinion. The MC, Jirou Yakuin, is paired with gyaru, Hikaru Watanabe, under close surveillance. They are graded by how well they get along and how affectionate they are. And they plan to reach the highest rank to swap partners. However, considering how points are acquired, I have a feeling they’ll fall for each other’s affection.
And by the lovely Crimson Peach, she recommended an oldie but goodie “Ouran Host Club”. From my recollection, the main heroine, Haruhi, attends a very affluent and prestigious academy on scholarship. She searches for a room to study and escape the boisterous rooms distracting from her studies. She finds her way to the Host Club, mistaken as a male breaks vase, and ends up joining the club. Pretending to be a male to tend to female students at an extravagant host club of her prestigious high school. There were 5 members fulfilling different “types” the ladies preferred. It’s a fun series I may run through again