Best of...ROMANTIC DRAMA

[KawaiiAngel]

Post your favorite romance/drama series XP
I just finished watching Bokura Ga Ita, and although it got REALLY annoying at times, it was good...and since it is done, I have nothing left to watch D8

So basically, this is a "POST A GOOD SAPPY ANIME SO THAT VICTORIA HAS SOMETHING TO DO" thread.

Post post post! :D

[mDuo13]

My top ones in this category are Shingetsutan Tsukihime and Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. I'm also tempted to put down Elfen Lied, but there's a lot to that series that's disturbing instead of romantic...

Oh yeah, can't forget Key/Visual Arts anime, i.e. AIR, Kanon, and now Clannad.

[JorgeRPG077]

For me, Tenchi Muyo in Love is pretty romantic. The movie was hella good and I emphatized and cheered for Tenchi's parents to get together and the whole courtship was funny, good and very romantic to watch.

I also liked Kare Kano, the manga at least and not the anime.

and Fushigi Yuugi as well.

[mDuo13]

I also liked Kare Kano, the manga at least and not the anime.

I second this opinion.

[Nyxyin]

Hm...  Most of the modern romantic anime I've run into tends to be more comedic than dramatic.  Maybe try Saishuuheiki Kanojo ("She, The Ultimate Weapon"), Voices of a Distant Star, Sentimental Journey, and Boys Be.  They all seem to be geared more towards boys, but I thought they're all good, and I think they fully qualify as romantic drama.

There are many varieties of anime that might qualify as romantic drama, but there are very few that concentrate more on the romance than the action and drama.  Ayashi no Ceres, for example, is very dramatic and romantic, but there's quite a bit of action in it.  Most shoujo in general seems to have romantic and dramatic aspects.  There's also male ideas of romance vs female ideas of romance.  (As far as I can tell, Yume de Aetera / If I See You In My Dreams, for example, tends to be viewed as more romantic by males and more just plain comedic by females.)  Shounen ai and yaoi can arguably qualify as romantic drama under some definitions.  I'm not sure which aspects of romance you're into.

[Sunara Ishi]

Emma. [period]

The only ones that contend are the Key series (AIR, Kanon, Clannad) and EF~Tale of memories...

[BrightHeart76]

Personally, when I need a good romance I go to Howl's Moving Castle.  It's a movie, not a series, and  a lot of people think it's too simple.  But I love it...sigh.

[Jun-Watarase]

Pyron's list, which will vary a lot compared to Jun's. Pyron also thinks some of you have warped views of "romantic drama" seeing that Air isn't a romantic drama(the series anyways, the game definitely is). And wow Sentimental Journey... a story about 1 guy that goes around and sleeps with 12 different girls in the course of about 2 years in 12 different parts of Japan.

I's(the comic... the cartoon was horrid)
Video Girl Ai(Though the cartoon was only like 1/3rd of the story, and comic is amazing)
Fruits Basket(comic, cartoon was too misleading comparatively)
Kare Kano comic minus everything after the introduction of Arima's parents. I wish I stopped at that point like my friends told me to do.
Rec
Emma 1st season, I hated 2nd season. If it ended at first season I would have been so happy.
Hana Yori Dango

Wow thinking about this, there haven't been too many romance drama's recently. All the "romance" series are based on eroge or are harem series. Anything else close isn't a romance drama, but comedy/harem series. Or action series. Really, you guys need to rethink your definition of "Romantic Drama" is. Every series has romance and drama in it(every... series...) that doesn't make it a romantic drama.

[Teh Ramen Sage]

well it wasn't really romantic, but it was a little dramatic.

The last episode of Zero no Tsukaima season two, when Saito was gonna die and was dead, it actually made me cry a little too and its hard to make me cry. You wouldn't understand if you haven't seen the whole series. I suggest you should, its good. funny as hell and some drama from time to time.

[JorgeRPG077]

well it wasn't really romantic, but it was a little dramatic.

The last episode of Zero no Tsukaima season two, when Saito was gonna die and was dead, it actually made me cry a little too and its hard to make me cry. You wouldn't understand if you haven't seen the whole series. I suggest you should, its good. funny as hell and some drama from time to time.

Thanks for the spoilers. -_-;;;

You should left it as a highlight option on your post.

Jun: I agree with Video Girl Ai(the manga). When I started reading that, man, I could really relate to the guy.

[JohnnyAR]

well it wasn't really romantic, but it was a little dramatic.

The last episode of Zero no Tsukaima season two,[CENSORED] although its a little to late for that.

[Nyxyin]

Sentimental Journey... a story about 1 guy that goes around and sleeps with 12 different girls in the course of about 2 years in 12 different parts of Japan.

No...?  Weren't they were all different people...?  I didn't remember any characters being the same from episode to episode.  And there was no sleeping going on at all.  Have you seen it, or are you assuming it's just a dating sim?  That'd be a bad assumption.  The anime doesn't seem like it's based on a dating sim at all.

Hana Yori Dango

Yes, I was thinking of including the whole line of shoujo like Hana Yori Dango, Marmalade Boy, Peach Girl, Paradise Kiss, Rose of Versailles, etc., but then I wasn't sure it'd qualify as romantic drama or just shoujo.

Wow thinking about this, there haven't been too many romance drama's recently. All the "romance" series are based on eroge or are harem series.

Completely agreed.  Or they're just shoujo / action / "hive".  That's why I was reaching for other genres.

[Gatsby]

I enjoy Mahoromatic, Steel Angel Kurumi season 1, Please Teacher, and Please Twins.

[Jun-Watarase]

well it wasn't really romantic, but it was a little dramatic.

The last episode of Zero no Tsukaima season two, when Saito was gonna die and was dead, it actually made me cry a little too and its hard to make me cry. You wouldn't understand if you haven't seen the whole series. I suggest you should, its good. funny as hell and some drama from time to time.

Thanks for the spoilers. -_-;;;

You should left it as a highlight option on your post.

Jun: I agree with Video Girl Ai(the manga). When I started reading that, man, I could really relate to the guy.

Actually, Pyron's the one who suggsted Video Girl Ai. I hated the series as a kid. XD

Sentimental Journey... a story about 1 guy that goes around and sleeps with 12 different girls in the course of about 2 years in 12 different parts of Japan.

No...?  Weren't they were all different people...?  I didn't remember any characters being the same from episode to episode.  And there was no sleeping going on at all.  Have you seen it, or are you assuming it's just a dating sim?  That'd be a bad assumption.  The anime doesn't seem like it's based on a dating sim at all.

My last post was typed by Pyron, but I'll reply. It was the same guy, but all different girls... but it isn't really a romantic drama series. Each episode is a standalone story about the protagonist and one girl at a time. But anyways, it is based off of a dating sim.

Hana Yori Dango

Yes, I was thinking of including the whole line of shoujo like Hana Yori Dango, Marmalade Boy, Peach Girl, Paradise Kiss, Rose of Versailles, etc., but then I wasn't sure it'd qualify as romantic drama or just shoujo.

It's still romantic drama for the most part. Most real romantic dramas tend to be shoujo anime, as all the seinin-type anime direct at males tend to be harem, comedic, based off eroge, and whatnot.

Wow thinking about this, there haven't been too many romance drama's recently. All the "romance" series are based on eroge or are harem series.

Completely agreed.  Or they're just shoujo / action / "hive".  That's why I was reaching for other genres.

Again, pretty much ALL anime has romance in them, but only a few are actually focused on the romance itself. You can do only so much with romance without being cheesy or cliche. Though, most shoujo anime and manga are romantic, since that's what is normally appealing to girls. There aren't many examples of series that are "just shoujo" without romance, if they exist at all.

[Nyxyin]

Sentimental Journey... a story about 1 guy that goes around and sleeps with 12 different girls in the course of about 2 years in 12 different parts of Japan.
[...]
It was the same guy, but all different girls... but it isn't really a romantic drama series. Each episode is a standalone story about the protagonist and one girl at a time.

Hm.  OK, I looked up other people's opinions, and while I suppose that there might be mention of the same guy in all the episodes, I'd say that, at least, your idea of all the episodes being "about" the same protagonist strikes me as a very strange use of the word "about", and it doesn't seem totally unreasonable for me to watch the anime and not realize that the same guy might've been mentioned in all the episodes.

http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/3154.php says, "Sentimental Journey, a twelve episode series that was based on the game Sentimental Graffiti, is something of an odd duck show. In a way, it highlights one of the best aspects of the slice of life kind of romantic dramas that aren't made any more in that it doesn't get played as a harem show. Instead, it's a show that focuses on the young women in question and usually just them. By actually eliminating the male love interest and keeping him little more than a shadow for many of the tales, it gets rid of what's been a continual weakness in many romantic dramas."

Hana Yori Dango - It's still romantic drama for the most part.

I personally see it as coming-of-age shoujo for the most part.  I personally think that Sentimental Journey is more of a romantic drama than Hana Yori Dango.  What Hana Yori Dango tries to pass off as romance strikes me as more abusive than romantic.

There aren't many examples of series that are "just shoujo" without romance, if they exist at all.

Agreed.  By "just shoujo", I didn't mean "just shoujo without romance": by "just shoujo", I meant "not enough focus on romance or drama (compared to action, coming of age, or other elements) to fully qualify as "romantic drama".

[Jun-Watarase]

There's no romance in SentiJourney though. It's just about the girls themselves and a quick episode about their personalities and their reminiscence of the guy that sexed them and disappeared in the past.

Hana Yori Dango has a lot of romantic drama/tension. It's the whole basis of the story and how she becomes a target, and the development between her and the members of the circle.

It's sorta like a Romeo and Juliet deal. Two people that socially, realistically, etc. that SHOULDN'T get together, that end up do getting together and the drama surrounding it etc.

[HarpB]

Nana.

[Nyxyin]

"POST A GOOD SAPPY ANIME SO THAT VICTORIA HAS SOMETHING TO DO"

I nominate "5 Centimeters per Second" by Makoto Shinkai.

[Nyxyin]

Hana Yori Dango has a lot of romantic drama/tension. It's the whole basis of the story and how she becomes a target, and the development between her and the members of the circle.

It's sorta like a Romeo and Juliet deal. Two people that socially, realistically, etc. that SHOULDN'T get together, that end up do getting together and the drama surrounding it etc.

OK, I can see your point of view.  I personally see Hana Yori Dango more as "coming of age shoujo".  From my point of view, it's a story of Makoto finding herself in this weird rich-kid school and figuring how out deal or fit in with the various cliques and people (both male and female).  In doing so, she also gets more insight into who she is, what her strengths and weaknesses are, when and how to stand up for herself, and what things might just need to be accepted as being simply beyond her control.  I think the romances are a significant part of the story because the social environment in reality does still seem to think that romance should play a significant part of a girl's growing up, but I personally consider the show to fit better under "coming of age shoujo" than "romantic drama".

[Sunara Ishi]

Nana.

I forgot about it. D: How could I...
~Seconds it~

Along with Nana, Paradise Kiss. >.<