Romantic Anime

Anime often has it's Childhood Marriage Promise or Magical Girlfriend for the Ordinary High-School Student who has his Unwanted Harem to deal with. It's clear that Japan likes it's romance. Who do you find to be the most romantic anime characters and why?

Surprisingly few.

You may not believe this, but Ranma and Akane still pretty much top my list.

Hinata and Yui are probably second. Strangely the main couple of the show, Otonashi and Kanade aren't really all that developed (moreso as a team than a couple).

Clannad I do consider quite romantic but again, I could never get behind Nagisa and Tomoya, even though they're the most developed couple.

Hyouka is kind of cute, but it lacks resolution. Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai is cute too, but I was never that invested in the drama side.

There are lots of characters I like and more that I ship, but if we're talking actual relationships executed well in canon, then I'm afraid there are not so many as you would think.

I'm sure my list would be longer if Japan weren't apparently allergic to romantic resolution.

My favorites are Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and Ai Yori Aoshi.

In Tsubasa, the energetic Princess Sakura is secretly in love with her best friend Syaoran. He treats her formally but we soon see that he's completely devoted to her.

In Ai Yori Aoshi, Aoi Sakuraba is the formal and devoted one. She's shy but wants to be a traditional Japanese wife. Kaoru Hanabishi is an affectionate and caring intended husband for Aoi.

The central couple in Rah Xephon comes to mind (it's a bit of a spoiler, so no names will be mentioned)

I always liked Jinto and Lafiel from Crest Of The Stars. The show had some pretty big flaws, but those two were great.

Kimi Ni Todoke is great as well, especially for the bits when people actually act reasonably.

I do tend to have an always roots for the underdog problem in romance anime, so there's that :p The pairings I like are seldom the canon ones.

As far as I'm concerned, Maison Ikkoku is the undisputed king of romance anime.

It's long, but over the course of the series, you see the change (especially on Godai's part) from shallow attraction to truly loving the other person for who they are. Which is the heart of any good love story.

It is a really good one, true.

Jojos Bizarre Adventure.

Not even trollin'. Watching Koichi and Yukako develop from victim and psychotic yandere to boyfriend and girlfriend was weird, but incredibly touching.

What are the sweetest, most romantic, Yandere characters in Anime?

KILL IT WITH FIRE! D:<

Yep, best yandere is dead one

I'm in the same boat as Ultimately Subjective. I have a lot of pairings that I ship, but I would hesitate to call many (or most) of them well-written. That said...

Nodame and Chiaki are at the top of my list. A case of Opposites Attract that actually works, their dynamic is both hilarious and heartwarming. Watching Nodame slowly wear down Chiaki's tsundere exterior and win him over with her weirdness never gets old.

I'm a huge fan of the romance in Hyouka, even though it lacks 'official' resolution (there is no way that ending did not imply they would one day get together you can't convince me otherwise nope nope nope). I think Houtarou and Eru have really good chemistry and their interactions are incredibly cute.

I watched Steins;Gate recently and thought Okabe and Kurisu had a very well done romance. Great chemistry, good build up, mostly satisfying resolution (waiting on the movie to make a final opinion).

I also have a soft spot for Araragi and Senjougahara, but that's mainly because their date in episode 12 of Bakemonogatari is one of the most romantic scenes I've ever seen in an anime.

Seconding Maison Ikkoku for the reasons Bokhura Burnes said, and Kimi ni Todoke. Sawako and Kazehaya are adorable, if sometimes frustrating.

I'm sure there are a couple more I could name, but these are the ones that come to mind first.

edited 26th Apr '13 10:56:12 PM by Ruthek

Seriously, what's an example of a Yandere who not only wants the male character all to herself but does it because she really loves him?

Yuno Gasai? I'd say she really loves Yukki.

SOC - Anime Romance Is Like A Zombie Apocalypse

I think that as soon as you mention "most romantic" you're missing the point. It's not a competition. Favourite romantic couple/anime is different, though.

I like a few of the ones mentioned above, and I don't disagree with Ultimately Subjective in post 2.

I'd also add in Keiichi and Belldandy (which I need to pick up again).

But most of the time, I find that anime just tends to go through the motions of dating and add a few touching scenes to make it seem more genuine, and the focus is more on who to pick (or when, if there are only two involved) rather than about a romantic relationship. Romantic Visual Novels tend to be far better at it.

@lexicon: Yuno is your gal.

Kimi ni Todoke is awesome because the characters actually talk to each other.

Sawako doesn't sometimes, but she seriously doesn't know about most of the things the really cliched Will They or Won't They? couples worry about. And her friends push her to talk to Shota whenever there's a problem. And also because the manipulative other girl's plans rarely go anywhere.

It's like the anti-Peach Girl actually.

Ouran High School Host Club. That is all.

Once Renton actually started to grow up, Eureka 7 did romance pretty well, and I second Rah Xephon.

edited 22nd Jan '14 5:04:06 PM by Zendervai

I think it's easier to find a favorite romantic pairing in a series than an anime about romance, because more often that not the romance is welded to the hip with melodrama.

For a recent example of the latter, White Album 2 (aka the Introductory Chapter).

edited 22nd Jan '14 5:07:38 PM by MyssaRei

Both of you are right. Instead of "most romantic" I should have said favourite anime characters in terms of romance. It can be a solid couple or someone from a love triangle. It is also interesting how unlike American stories anime is. Did anyone watch the video I linked to?

Oddly enough, I actually like TV!Keiichi and Belldandy. (First season. Flights of Fancy was never written.)

Yes, it's silly wish fulfillment where the girl is literally a reward for Keiichi's karma, and yes, like most romantic series it would have only lasted five episodes if anyone involved had been able to talk to each other like adults. But it's also one of the sweetest examples of Single Woman Seeks Good Man I've ever seen, and while it was as silly and contrived as any other anime romance, the flaws were a lot less noticeable. Particularly after the first couple of episodes, once it got into itself.

I think it might have to do with the fact that they couldn't just expect fanservice to carry the day and make 26 episodes of filler to stuff with it.

edited 26th Jan '14 4:01:10 AM by Ramidel