Ai Yori Aoshi. What. The.

The way the first and second episode went I swear I could go ImpishIdea and snark all over the Idiot Plot.

Does it get better?

Define 'better'.

Do you prefer your romantic comedies on the wacker side? If so, it gets better, more humorous and less overdramatic when Tina, Taeko and Mayu enter the picture. If you dislike the crass comedy, however, you'll hate Tina until her Hidden Depths of character show up. At that point everyone (in fandom) starts loving her.

Also, if you dislike Aoi's submissive doormatish nature, it gets worse. Far worse. There are points when you wonder how f***ed up in the head she is, since she's so goddamn insecure about herself and makes a mountain out of an anthill every time she thinks she has done ANYTHING Kaoru would dislike and even hate (despite Kaoru being pretty much a saint in almost every sense of the word).

The second one. Oh well.

The noise you heard behind me was eleventy million femmenazi going berserk.

edited 21st Oct '10 3:56:34 PM by ArgeusthePaladin

The Manga it does get better at the very end the Anime doesn't ever get that far though.

Its almost a downer ending.

It is still a good anime though IMO I have the 2 series on DVD.

edited 21st Oct '10 4:15:45 PM by Raso

I still think both manga and anime are worth getting, however.

Kaoru is more likable than most harem leads (only Negi and Otaru fare better with me), and I actually like Mayu despite her Scrappy status (which I think is largely undeserved- she's at least honest about her feelings, unlike Tina, unafraid of publicly voicing them, unlike Aoi, and her character flaws can be mostly explained by her youth. Also, she's gorramn funny when she wants to).

edited 21st Oct '10 4:11:52 PM by OverMaster?!

Ai Yori Aoshi was pretty bad.

It's also pretty old, I haven't heard about this series since I was a kid...

It has that mid-1990s feel to it. Just look at the streets.

I watched it about the same time I started watching the Love Hina anime (the second series was just hitting DVD) so it cant be THAT old....

Or he's THAT young...

In relation to the number of animes that have come out since then is what I meant by "old" many new series have come and gone since then, my opinion? Meh, it was fine, not bad or good, average.

as far as Romantic Comedy Harem anime goes, I own Ai Yori Aoshi, Ah My Goddess, Love Hina, DearS, My Bride Is A Mermaid, Karin {Ok, it's not a harem, but still counts for the purpose of this post), and Shuffle.

I've only begun watching Shuffle, but I've heard it falls victim to Cerebus Syndrome.

In that regard, Here's how I rank the animes from most comedic to most heartwarming/dramatic. I'm just talking about the animes, not the manga. I know that the Love Hina manga is much MUCH better than the anime. I'm not gonna include Shuffle since I'm ony through the first 6 episodes.

• 1. My Bride Is A Mermaid: The Rule of Funny is in full swing for this anime. It has a few tender or serious moments, but even during those, it's still just wacky crazy awesome funny. Comedy rating: 9/10
• 2. DearS: The comedy comes from the Ecchi factor cranked Up To Eleven without actually crossing into Hentai territory (and one episode wasn't even aired in Japan because of it. The story isn't too serious due to being a 12 episode series with a Gecko Ending. Comedy rating: 8/10
• 3. Love Hina: The comedy comes all the physical abuse that Keitaro suffers due to being the Butt-Monkey and Accidental Pervert that he is. It's heartwarming moments are a nice offset, but the comedy isn't too far away from those moments. Comedy rating: 6/10
• 4. Karin: The anime slowly slips into dramatic territory over the course of the series, and cranks it up to maximum during the last two episodes that were made as a Gecko Ending (with a hilarious WHAM twist at the end). Comedy Rating: 6/10
• 5. Ah My Goddess: This series has a good balance between comedy and heartwarming moments. Some episodes are pure wackiness comedy, and some are serious plot developments. It does a good mix between them. Comedy rating: 5/10
• 6. Ai Yori Aoshi: The heartwarming moments are much more prevalent over the comedy, though the series is still very funny. Comedy rating: 4/10

That's just my opinion on each series. I dont' think any of them are bad. They're still all very entertaining.

edited 21st Oct '10 7:17:12 PM by DRCEQ

^^ On an off-topic note regarding Shuffle:

It will get hit by the Cerebus Syndrome HARD. And also incite a certain Greek enthusiast on this forum to whack the main character's canon love interest hard with the blunt pole of his Sarissa.

edited 21st Oct '10 7:13:41 PM by ArgeusthePaladin

I cant recommend the Love Hina manga more to anyone looking for a romantic com. It is by far my fav The anime however cheapened things with Filler, Flanderization and Gecko Ending.

edited 21st Oct '10 7:16:21 PM by Raso

# 3. Love Hina: The comedy comes all the physical abuse that Keitaro suffers due to being the Butt Monkey and Accidental Pervert that he is. It's heartwarming moments are a nice offset, but the comedy isn't too far away from those moments. Comedy rating: 6/10

1. 4. Karin: The anime slowly slips into dramatic territory over the course of the series, and cranks it up to maximum during the last two episodes that were made as a Gecko Ending (with a hilarious WHAM twist at the end). Comedy Rating: 6/10

I recommend you read the manga instead.

I've read all of Love Hina, and in terms of long-running manga, Chibi Vampire is the only manga series that I've dedicated myself to buying the whole thing. I've read them both, and enjoy them more than the anime, but I was just giving my opinion on the animes.

edited 21st Oct '10 7:37:34 PM by DRCEQ

^ I liked the anime's ending of Karin better than the manga, Cut Short and all that kinda screwed it over.

If you want romance I'd recommend:

Maison Ikkoku: It's old, but still the best romantic comedy I've seen.

Cross Game: Romance with a bit of comedy, a bit of Slice of Life, and a bit of baseball.

Kimi Ni Todoke: So sweet and innocent it goes beyond Tastes Like Diabetes and instead just tastes like cotton candy. The primary factor that kept me interested was that first of all the male lead actually talks like a man. Yeah, he's a very nice guy, but he's willing to yell a little at the female lead when she's being stupid and overly self-sacrificing. Secondly, Sawako (the female lead) may be nice and innocently oblivious to the point of being a saint- but that doesn't make her weak. She's got a stubborn streak and straight forwardness, so all the backstabbing and manipulating by enemies are about as effective as punching a pillow. They hit dead on, but just don't have much effect. (It's rather funny actually).

Thanks!

It so happens I am in need of Snarking Material.

If you keep on watching the series, please keep us updated on your further impressions.

I find Ai Yori Aoshi to be rather interesting to debate.

edited 22nd Oct '10 4:20:45 PM by OverMaster?!

Eh. Umi No Misaki is better no matter what you think.

edited 22nd Oct '10 6:42:42 PM by T-bone61

That page could use an image and maybe a date it started before or after Ai Yori Aoshi? (I for one had never heard of it so couldn't disagree or agree with ya.)

edited 22nd Oct '10 6:43:25 PM by Raso

^^ Haven't read that one, can't opine on it yet.

In all honesty and seriousness, I do suggest the series. There's Scenery Porn abound, WAFF at critical levels, a main character who won't make you want to break stuff, and a very nice aesthetic in general.

I found it for DL and its still ongoing hmm going to give it a shot.

and found a good image to put up on the page. (a little nipy though now that I look at it)

edited 22nd Oct '10 6:55:41 PM by Raso