And this month seemed quite appropriate as it holds the day that celebrates love and seemed only fitting for a 2nd date to muse about the romance anime that have entranced my gander. Love in the air, romance thrives, the second date awaits!
THE HEART POUNDING SECOND DATE
To be honestā¦ to be frankā¦ this bearded sage is a romance fanatic. For those new to this corner, this is my formal introduction. And for those familiar, this is a formal reminder. And my lord am I going into a food coma from so much fine dining to consume in 2022. And 2023 even appears exponentially more full. Romance fans continue gorge on an exquisite feast
THE MOST SOAP OPERA-ISH, SOAP OPERA ANIME TO BE WITNESSED
My first choice is possibly the most confusing drama anime I’ve watched since Domestic Girlfriend. While not as mature in theme, the Couple of Cuckoo’s situation is pretty damn wild. Pretty much the protagonist, Nagi Umino of teenage years, finds out he’s adopted and is on the way to meet his biological father and essentially confront him about his absence. On the way to meet him, he encounters a girl that is trying to take a life risking selfie on an overpass en route. Our protagonist confuses this for the worst assumption, rushing to “save” her from an unfortunate demise. That encounter of course would be the “fated” meeting, quite common in numerous of its other peers. So fated that they feature it in the opening of the anime as a constant reminder to the audience in season 1. So at the meeting, he finally meets his dad. And there he saw her again, the maiden from the bridge. But my lord did he drop a hell of a bomb on Nagi…
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED…
It turns out he was swapped at birth with this girl, Erika Amano. What’s more it turns out the two are engaged and required to live together at her father’s behest. However, this arrangement is an issue for our protagonist because he’s in love with another: Hiro Segawa, the student council president of his school, and his longtime rival in academics. She has his heart absolutely enthralled, and he’s been building courage and confidence to confess . He finally commences the sacred rooftop confession after he bested her again for the number one spot. And she challenges him that she’ll only accept his confession if he’s to beat her consecutively. Seeing their relationship unfold throughout the anime is charming and comedic, and throws a massive wrench into the engagement. And it’s even more complicated by the fact the engagement and living arrangement is supposed to be kept a secret. And what is even crazier is that his love interest is a massive fangirl for his influencer fiancĆ©e.
But the drama doesn’t end there. Another piece is that his “sister” Sachi, who is the actual sister of his fiancĆ©e, has a thing for her brother as well. A brother complex that elevates into much more after discovering they aren’t related. So the four go through a typhoon of various feelings throughout the anime, resulting in passions smoldering as feelings blossom. And to discover who the longings are reciprocated for, I highly recommend a watch. Especially for my drama fiends, because it’s overflowing with a deluge of it.
AN 80s ROM-COM CLASSIC REBORN IN GLORIOUS HD
My next recommendation is an absolute classic. And its vixen is perhaps one of the most iconic romantic comedy anime goddesses to grace paper and then the screen. Lumā¦ an endearing intergalactic Oni that has charmed numerous anime fans, has come along with her kin of Oni to Earth for conquest. And for the most part, their conquest is effortlessly all but assured. So as a mercy, her father issues a challenge to the planet’s inhabitants: a competition to decide the fate of the planet. He gives them so many days to catch his daughter by her horns in a game of tag. If they’re unable to, the world is his. If they win, Earth is spared. So in cooperation, a champion chosen by the UN’s supercomputer. From it a young lecher’s name is selected, Ataru, living in a quaint town called Tomobiki. Ataru trains for days to rise to the challenge and fails for days to catch Lum. All looks lost as she continuously toys around and escapes Ataru’s reach. And on the final day, they have a final showdown. But this time he has an immense fire in his eyes. Because the night before his elusive crush, Shinobu, promised to marry him if successful.
So each lunge and grab has far more purpose and drive with every chant “marriage!”. Lum is eventually caught and the Earth is spared. And during the celebration, the adventure of love and gags truly begins. Lum assumes Ataru was proposing to her with his vigorous chant intended for Shinobu. She decides to accept Ataru’s “proposal” and proclaim her acceptance. But this of course doesn’t go over well with Shinobu and Ataru. And what’s more, Lum is quite possessive and easily jealous. So her love is intense which leads to some of the most comedic situations with the rivalry of Shinobu, Shutaro (Ataru’s rival), and plethora of characters throughout the anime that oozes charm, and have very enjoyable stories. This anime is too awesome, and has a charming cheesiness that is lost on newer generations of anime fans. Long live Ataru X Lum
THE NIGHT CALLS, BECKONING YOU TO FULFILL YOUR DESIRES
This was truly a surprise for me in romance anime. There were certainly standouts last year including three of my favorites, Dress Up Doll, The Villainess, and Closer Than a Married Couple but not Quite Lovers. But Call of The Night was an incredibly interesting and unique type of romance. And most importantlyā¦ really, really good in my opinion.
The story revolves around a hopeless young insomniac named Ko, who has lost interest in life during the day and finds himself wandering the streets of the night aimlessly after sneaking out for the first time. Eventually he meets Nazuna at a street vending machine, a fellow enjoyer of the night, wandering the streets herself. And from curiosity of his plight, she decides to show him the nightlife and help him get sleepy. And one thing that immediately stands out and one of my favorite elements to this anime is the color palette used to showcase night. It just looks beautiful and has a sense of mystery. They really want you to feel the difference between day and night. And the music is so great for this anime to suit the mood. Very chill with mellow jazz and cooling to the ears.
So after strolling for so long, she offers a service that helps him sleep: A trip back to her room. And he reluctantly accepts, once she proves no amorous motives were behind the invitation. Though the room only has a futon and her in raunchy clothes. But he does discover a secret as he pretends to fall asleep. She buries her fangs in his neck, thus revealing she’s a vampire. The lighting again is so good, a sinister red as she leans in for the bite. I don’t mean to gush, but this anime’s palette usage is great!
So why is this a romance? Well because after Ko is bitten, he wonders why he hasn’t been turned. And it is because of this rule: “In order for the bitten to become a vampire, the individual has to have fallen in love with the vampire” delivered in Nazuna’s voice. Well that doesn’t sound too bad right? Problem is that Ko has no interest in love and really doesn’t like girls. So much of this anime is him trying to fall in love with Nazuna and coming across other inhabitants too restless to sleep. And they all have very interesting stories. High recommendation from me.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Josee: The Tiger and The Fish – This anime movie caught me off guard with how good it is and how relatable for me personally. I have Multiple Sclerosis and currently I’m recovering from relapse that has made it challenging to walk currently due to muscle atrophy. The movie centers on Tsuneo, who in need of saving money to study abroad, signs onto a care taking gig of a young paraplegic girl named Kumiko (Josee). Initially she gives him hell, but eventually opens up to him through various endearing events. This movie brought me to tears numerous times because when I was at my worst, I felt many of the feelings she felt. And these feelings I wrestle with often. Many of her fears and specific hurdles were incredibly relatable. I absolutely dread the idea of becoming a burden and wouldn’t wish this on any loved one to directly understand. I highly recommend it. It’s very touching and my best advice: Watch with a box of Kleenex.
Quintessential Quintuplets Movie – This another film I greatly enjoyed and you should only watch it if you’ve seen both seasons. It’s a condensed version of the final chapters in the manga and continues the format of mini arcs leading up to Fuutarou’s final decision. Very emotional stuff especially if you’re a fan of a particular sister that perhaps he ends up not choosing. High recommendation for the closure, though I’d still recommend the manga for all the extra detail. The movie still does a fine job wrapping it up.
Your Name – Another anime movie a few years old (6 to be exact) and I just saw extremely recently but the premise is very interesting. Like a Freaky Friday type of interesting but with a twist. Basically Mitsuha Miyamizu, a countryside high-schooler is suddenly able to swap bodies with an urban high-schooler, Taki Tachibana. And unlike Freaky Friday, there are more honest reactions. Maybe because of the different sexes, because both are pretty frisky with themselves out of disbelief. Moreso Taki, because he groped Mitsuha almost ritualistically every time they swapped. But they both do major things for one another that the owner didn’t do and leads to all sorts of shenanigans. This is another high recommendation. Side note: This anime confirmed for me things are fated to be. YouTube pianist Ru literally uploaded a cover for the awesome opening song yesterday! Felt like destiny to post today š.
I’ll likely do a 3rd musing just to highlight the awesome selection of romance anime we have to dine on for 2023. This one is so sweet it may put you in a sugar coma.
Soooo…
What did you think of the 2nd date? Did I bomb or are you on board for a 3rd? Just joking. Did you like my selection? Or were there some standouts and recommendations I may have missed?