Romance in the Manga/Anime/Asian Drama World

[destiny4ever]

On your recommendation, I started reading Hana Yori Dango, Destiny!

Yay! I’m very glad to hear that.

I haven't got very far and the actual romance has yet to really begin, but I'm already loving it almost as much as I did the drama (and I think you already know that's quite a lot ) If the romance is anywhere as good as in the drama, then this is going way up on my list of best romance manga for sure :3

The romance is actually better because there are some things (very romantic btw) that sadly didn’t make it into the live-actions. Mmm...just out of curiosity, what chapter are you on atm?

P.S. Out of the three versions, Meteor Garden (first season) is the one that is the most canon, so if you enjoyed watching that drama you’ll definitely love the manga.

[Josef K.]

@ M3J

Wow! Amazing read! Thanks you explained it better then I would have imagined, and perhaps even better then I would have read myself.

I agree, the thing is both Utsumi and Shou and Utsumi and Kurokawa make a nice couple for various reasons, like I said it all comes down to the story of course, which couple would be better considering everything that has happened in the story. For example the main thing we thought in the story at first was that Kurokawa would just help Utsumi but later well it turned out the mangaka would focus more on Kurokawas relationship with him.

Haha, yeah well like I sad in this rant before it will be good either way as long as it is not Oonuma, it will be hard if the author trolls us with Oonuma and Utsumi being together. >.<"

Well everyone is friends now with Utsumi, sort of, that was the goal of the mangaka, even though the way he makes friends with everybody is in a nice and honest way. The misunderstandings sometimes are just hilarious.

Shopkeeper? I was talking about Utsumis friend, not baldy the other one. XD

Yeah I read somewhere she interfered, once again thanks for that read it was really good.

@ Destiny

That would murder my Internet connection. >_>

Glad to hear there are more good guys then I thought there were.

Well if some horrible or tragic past is involved then it is understandable.

As much as i am a fan of good villains, I may not like him because this anime is not some action anime and being a villain here means he is a bad person.

Good.

Um, Goo(Renji) x Good(Chihiro)

It was a joke thing a good person gets together with a good person^^.

[saladesu]

Yay! I’m very glad to hear that.

The romance is actually better because there are some things (very romantic btw) that sadly didn’t make it into the live-actions. Mmm...just out of curiosity, what chapter are you on atm?

P.S. Out of the three versions, Meteor Garden (first season) is the one that is the most canon, so if you enjoyed watching that drama you’ll definitely love the manga.

Ooh. I'm not too sure what chapter I'm on since the scans don't seem to show it, but I've just finished volume 7 It's the part where everyone's on Doumyouji's island. The romance has certainly kicked in but at this point I'm not sure if I can say it's better than any of that in the live-action versions I've watched...

I did watch Meteor Garden (though memory fails me as to whether I watched all of it or not) and liked it a lot! I personally preferred the Japanese version though~

[Newkerzy]

What about Kimi no Iru Machi?? I really like how down-to-earth the characters are. In fact, I would even say it's close to being one of the most realistic romance mangas out there.

[destiny4ever]

Well if some horrible or tragic past is involved then it is understandable.

And it is more horrible and tragic than you think…especially of…one of the main girls in ef-melodies.

As much as i am a fan of good villains, I may not like him because this anime is not some action anime and being a villain here means he is a bad person.

Horrible, despicable, evil, loathsome and many other not very nice adjective is the way in which I would describe the villain of ef-melodies.

Um, Goo(Renji) x Good(Chihiro)

Ahhh, I get it now. And yes, good x good ftw!! ^_^

---

It's the part where everyone's on Doumyouji's island.

This is before Makino x Tsukasa or after Makino x Tsukasa? I mean before

Tsukasa confesses to Makino and begin “dating”

or is it after that?

The romance has certainly kicked in but at this point I'm not sure if I can say it's better than any of that in the live-action versions I've watched...

Since I’m not sure what part you mean, I can’t compare it with the live-action versions…if it is after the incident between Makino and Rui then it is better than Meteor Garden and the others because it was a few moments that didn’t make it into the dramas.

I did watch Meteor Garden (though memory fails me as to whether I watched all of it or not) and liked it a lot! I personally preferred the Japanese version though~

It terms of being the most faithful to the manga, I liked MG better. However, in terms of acting, music, and everything else, HYD was my fav.

---

What about Kimi no Iru Machi?? I really like how down-to-earth the characters are. In fact, I would even say it's close to being one of the most realistic romance mangas out there.

I haven’t read that one, what is it about?

[M3J]

@ M3J

Wow! Amazing read! Thanks you explained it better then I would have imagined, and perhaps even better then I would have read myself.

I agree, the thing is both Utsumi and Shou and Utsumi and Kurokawa make a nice couple for various reasons, like I said it all comes down to the story of course, which couple would be better considering everything that has happened in the story. For example the main thing we thought in the story at first was that Kurokawa would just help Utsumi but later well it turned out the mangaka would focus more on Kurokawas relationship with him.

Thanks. Thought it'd be too long; certainly was for me. O_o

I think the mangaka was using Utsumi's like for Shou as a way to get him closer to Kurokawa, and then use Shou liking her senpai as a way to really get Utsumi to be with Kurokawa. Either way, it's a good pairing for Utsumi. :P Kurokawa doesn't seem as clingy as Shou does, though.

Haha, yeah well like I sad in this rant before it will be good either way as long as it is not Oonuma, it will be hard if the author trolls us with Oonuma and Utsumi being together. >.<"

Well everyone is friends now with Utsumi, sort of, that was the goal of the mangaka, even though the way he makes friends with everybody is in a nice and honest way. The misunderstandings sometimes are just hilarious.

Shopkeeper? I was talking about Utsumis friend, not baldy the other one. XD

And I'll drop this manga. -.- She's seriously soooo annoying, I can't stand her. :\

It is, and even awkward most of the time, like when Shou caught him and Eri in a closet. xD Sometimes it's sad as well like when Kurokawa caught him hugging Shou.

The guy that has perverted thoughts and is Utsumi's friend is pretty epic. He also comes out with great advices and good observations!

Yeah I read somewhere she interfered, once again thanks for that read it was really good.

No problem.

And let's hope she doesn't interfere again, or I'll be setting something on fire. <_< Probably a book I don't care about, but something will be ablazed with rage!

[Newkerzy]

I haven’t read that one, what is it about?

The story is pretty ordinary, but the character development in the manga is great. I would say the author is a master at developing romantic relationships between characters. Go read it at MangaFox.

[destiny4ever]

The story is pretty ordinary, but the character development in the manga is great. I would say the author is a master at developing romantic relationships between characters. Go read it at MangaFox.

Thank you for the info, Newkerzy! I’ll add it to my must-read manga list.

Another great manga/anime romance is Honey and Clover. When we hear the word “romance”, the first thing it comes to our minds is “requited love”. But one of the things that make Honey and Clover a great romance series is that it focuses on unrequited love, showing us the good things and the hard/painful things about unrequited love. Throughout the series we accompany various characters while they live and go thru their unrequited loves, but in the end, and this is the part I really like, Honey and Clover showes us that there is a point/purpose in loving someone even if you’re not loved back,

as Takemoto, one of the main characters, realizes while saying goodbye to Hagu-chan, his unrequited love.

[Kyouria]

- Boys Over Flowers
- Absolute Boyfriend

I've watched more anime than have read manga but those two come in mind for Romance.

[destiny4ever]

Because shojo series aren’t the only ones with good romance stories and romantic bits, there are some shounen series that are pretty good in the romance department. Like Bleach. ^_^

Oh you mean the phone call? I can't wait/want kubo to follow that one up so much, as much as I am looking to Rukia's new design, I'm also looking to more interactions

Yes, I was referring to the “phone/badge” call. I loved how Ichigo immediately recognized Rukia’s voice and was so excited about it. And yes, I want more IchiRuki interactions!! And have you noticed how every time Rukia leaves his side Ichigo is not quite the same anymore? Yes, I know I’m totally biased but I think a big part of Ichigo’s strength has to do with Rukia.

I'm sorry! I typed the wrong thing. I was listening to the ending not opening
It's mirrored due to copyright but here it is here and here(full ver). The ending totally gives me the Ichiruki vibes~

Thank you so very much for the links!! That song is now my favorite anime song!!

And I agree, that ending is totally IchiRuki. It is from Rukia’s POV, it is as she is remembering all the moments she lived with Ichigo, his family and his/her friends before saying good-bye.

It took me sometime but here is it, ichigo stepping before rukia, it was short and doesn't really give off any romantic vibes, but it's cool to see him saving rukia again.

Thank you so much for the link!! As long as Ichigo and Rukia are interacting, I’m more than satisfied. ^_^ And maybe it’s not a very romantic moment, but it does show, in some way, how deep the bond between Ichigo and Rukia is.

It's episode 286 and for that speech part it's episode 296, and it's this page.
I'm sorry destiny, I can't find the first time rukia said it to ichigo
my connection is kindda crappy now but I remember it was during the fight with the grand fisher/when ichigo visits his mother !

it goes like this

"...If I ask, will you answer? ...It's your problem. A deep, deep problem. I have no right to know. I don't have a method of stepping into the depths of your heart without getting it dirty. So I'll wait. When you want to talk, when you think it's okay to talk... Talk to me. Until that time, I'll wait." ."

Edit: I found it, here!

Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much for all those links!! They helped me a lot with the symptoms of the IchiRuki withdrawal I have been suffering for the past few weeks.

And…may I ask why you do like Ichiruki? What are the thing you look for in a manga/anime pairing? And what are your favorite romance manga/anime series?

[Zeltrax]

[QUOTE=destiny4ever;2338051]

Yes, I was referring to the “phone/badge” call. I loved how Ichigo immediately recognized Rukia’s voice and was so excited about it. And yes, I want more IchiRuki interactions!! And have you noticed how every time Rukia leaves his side Ichigo is not quite the same anymore? Yes, I know I’m totally biased but I think a big part of Ichigo’s strength has to do with Rukia.

Well, he would have lost his shinigami powers and everything if he wasn't that determined to save Rukia.
I'm biased too but I feel that Ichigo was way more resolved and cooler during the first soul society arc of bleach.
I was actually cheering him on and I could feel rukia's sadness, however for the orihime's rescue arc..
I can't feel any resolve or sadness, maybe just a little..but that's about it

That song is now my favorite anime song!!

And I agree, that ending is totally IchiRuki. It is from Rukia’s POV, it is as she is remembering all the moments she lived with Ichigo, his family and his/her friends before saying good-bye.

I agree, I always like bleach endings, really well done. (Everytime I listen to that, I remember Ichigo's wide smile in that ed..weird.) This one is exactly like you said, rukia remembering the memories of ichigo, and seeing him for one last time, because she knows that she won't be able to see him again.
It's kind of sad when I think about it..

Thank you so much for the link!! As long as Ichigo and Rukia are interacting, I’m more than satisfied. ^_^ And maybe it’s not a very romantic moment, but it does show, in some way, how deep the bond between Ichigo and Rukia is.

Ichigo and Rukia have a deep bond despite only spending such a short time together when they first met. Even though it is not canon, I think that it is a kind of love. It just feels natural to watch them interact and yes, Rukia can read ichigo's mind .

And…may I ask why you do like Ichiruki? What are the thing you look for in a manga/anime pairing? And what are your favorite romance manga/anime series?

How they interact and how special they are to each other. For most part, I like the pairing because of Rukia's character Especially, like I said, in the first part of bleach,how sweet and funny to watch them and how they got along well. Also, like you mentioned, rukia is a character that has been guiding ichigo in some way or another, I'm not sure how to put this but I can't seeing Ichigo having feelings for orihime, but I can see him having them for Rukia. I think they've went through alot together.


Love, of course. However, that doesn't mean generic love, not sure how to put this but I don't like how two person just come together without explanation and they live happily ever after.
I was throughly disappointed with Amagami, a terrible anime about "love" imo. ( Basically, it's a guy and 5 girls, guy dates different girls in each arc, not enough interactions, not enough developments, etc)
Yep, I look for interactions and developments, and true love
Moments that can melt my heart and make me wanna cry, sometimes even make me feel depressed/happy for an entire day. That's when that anime successfully caught my heart. This is going be a long post but..what I look for in an anime is something like that in Clannad AS, that is the kind of love that I look for.
Instead of just being together, they work hard to be together and/or both sides do their best to maintain the relationship.
I like couples that understand each other the best, like Nagisa and Tomoya and in toradora!, Taiga and Ryuji.
Honey & Clover might also another great example but that's more like unrequited love..
What I just wrote is messy because I type almost everything I was thinking down. Sorry if you don't see what I'm blabbering about. I guess I can sum it up with a quote:
"You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving."
I believe in love, both sides need to give their all for their happiness. I like Lovely Complex for that too, although sometimes I feel that Riza might be trying too hard.

My current favorite romance is Shuffle! But that might change when I start to watch ef-a tale of memories tomorrow.
But my longtime favorite will always be Clannad~ and my most loved one was Toradora!

Edit: I saw the discussion above about requited love, I guess that is something similar to what I'm saying.

[destiny4ever]

Well, he would have lost his shinigami powers and everything if he wasn't that determined to save Rukia.

Are you referring to the beginning of the series, to the SS arc? Or are you referring to the current arc?

I'm biased too but I feel that Ichigo was way more resolved and cooler during the first soul society arc of bleach.
I was actually cheering him on and I could feel rukia's sadness,

I completely agree with you! Reading your comment about Ichigo’s resolve and determination being stronger during the SS arc, (because of his strong desire to save Rukia of course ) and Rukia’s sadness totally reminded me of this opening. And you couldn’t help but cheering Ichigo on, just like you, I really wanted him to save Rukia

however for the orihime's rescue arc..
I can't feel any resolve or sadness, maybe just a little..but that's about it

There was some resolve, but it wasn’t as the resolve he had when Rukia was the one he had to save. I think…the MH arc…it was more like a friend saving another nakama, but in the SS, I could truly feel Ichigo’s passion.

I agree, I always like bleach endings, really well done. (Everytime I listen to that, I remember Ichigo's wide smile in that ed..weird.)

Ichigo’s wide smile in Rukia’s memories is such a contrast with the look of sadness on Ichigo’s face at the end of the ed. mmm…could this mean Ichigo is happier when Rukia is by his side?

This one is exactly like you said, rukia remembering the memories of ichigo, and seeing him for one last time, because she knows that she won't be able to see him again.
It's kind of sad when I think about it..

It is very sad.

I really hope that Ichigo and Rukia reunite once again, I’m so looking forward to an IchiRuki reunion.

Ichigo and Rukia have a deep bond despite only spending such a short time together when they first met. Even though it is not canon, I think that it is a kind of love. It just feels natural to watch them interact and yes, Rukia can read ichigo's mind .

IchiRuki is not canon, but there is no way someone can deny the great chemistry Ichigo and Rukia have.

How they interact and how special they are to each other.

Interactions are a very important thing for me as well.

For most part, I like the pairing because of Rukia's character Especially, like I said, in the first part of bleach,how sweet and funny to watch them and how they got along well. Also, like you mentioned, rukia is a character that has been guiding ichigo in some way or another, I'm not sure how to put this but I can't seeing Ichigo having feelings for orihime, but I can see him having them for Rukia. I think they've went through alot together.

QFT! I couldn’t agree more with you.

Love, of course. However, that doesn't mean generic love, not sure how to put this but I don't like how two person just come together without explanation and they live happily ever after.

The more I read your post, the more I agree with you.

I was throughly disappointed with Amagami, a terrible anime about "love" imo. ( Basically, it's a guy and 5 girls, guy dates different girls in each arc, not enough interactions, not enough developments, etc)

I didn’t like Amagami either; I stopped watching it after the third episode.

Yep, I look for interactions and developments, and true love

So we basically look for the same things.

Moments that can melt my heart and make me wanna cry, sometimes even make me feel depressed/happy for an entire day. That's when that anime successfully caught my heart.

It seems we have a lot in common when it comes to anime. ^_^

This is going be a long post but..what I look for in an anime is something like that in Clannad AS, that is the kind of love that I look for.

I utterly agree with you.

Instead of just being together, they work hard to be together and/or both sides do their best to maintain the relationship.
I like couples that understand each other the best, like Nagisa and Tomoya

Nagisa x Tomoya is my OTP (one true pairing) in the whole anime world. And part of the reasons why I love that pairing is because of what you said about them: “Instead of just being together, they work hard to be together and/or both sides do their best to maintain the relationship.”

and in toradora!, Taiga and Ryuji.

I liked that pairing as well.

Honey & Clover might also another great example but that's more like unrequited love..

I have the feeling I have asked this before…any way…just our of curiosity which one was your favorite pairing in that series?

What I just wrote is messy because I type almost everything I was thinking down. Sorry if you don't see what I'm blabbering about.

I just not only see it, but I fully agree with you. ^_^

I guess I can sum it up with a quote:
"You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving."
I believe in love, both sides need to give their all for their happiness.

That is a very nice quote.

My current favorite romance is Shuffle! But that might change when I start to watch ef-a tale of memories tomorrow.

Because of your post, I have started to watch Shuffle! And so far, I’m truly enjoying this series. And I’m so glad to read you are going to begin watching ef, that series is amazing. Maybe we could talk about both series, since you’ve already watched Shuffle and I’ve already watched ef.

[Zeltrax]

Are you referring to the beginning of the series, to the SS arc? Or are you referring to the current arc?

This arc, and sorry for replying to this thread late.

I have the feeling I have asked this before…any way…just our of curiosity which one was your favorite pairing in that series?

Yamada and Maya, I had to choose them over Hagu and Morita

Because of your post, I have started to watch Shuffle! And so far, I’m truly enjoying this series. And I’m so glad to read you are going to begin watching ef, that series is amazing. Maybe we could talk about both series, since you’ve already watched Shuffle and I’ve already watched ef.

I hope you've been enjoying shuffle! so far, for me, I really enjoyed watching ef-a tale of memories and I only wanted to reply here when I finished that.

Since I just finished the last episode a few minutes ago, I need to gather my thoughts because there's really so much that I like about ef.
If I'm not wrong does ef stands for ever forever ? I'm not really sure but I thought that's a really nice name if it is.
edit: I was wrong, it stands for euphoric field~

Warning, long review ahead:

Firstly, the most important thing of them all is the story. From the first few episodes I already guessed something like memory loss will happen because of the relation of "tale of memories" and the way Chihiro was behaving the first few episodes, that was when I know what I'm watching is going to be very emotional.
Then there's another story happening at the same time that at first glance have no relation to one another but they do relate to one another in many ways.
Anyway, I really like Hiro and Miyako pairing and I thought they're cute together the first time
I see them together
the couple drew me in instantly.. although they weren't a couple then, lol.
Another character that I neglect at first was Kei, she came to play a heavy part of the story later on and I don't like her for what she did but I can't bring myself to hate her,
because I know that there is humans who behave like this.. and it's for love,
she really loved Hiro.
If there's anything I learnt from watching Hiro and Miyako's plot,
it's that love can't be forced and you can't stop it when it comes..
and when you miss it, it's too late.
Hiro used to have feelings for Kei and vice versa,
but they missed the chance to confess to each other.
Still, maybe Hiro still have some feelings for Kei but when Miyako came into the picture,
he fell in love with her in a short period of time.
That means that the feelings for miyako is greater and that is love..or so I tink . The most lovable part for me in ef-a tale of memories was the phone booth part when Hiro said "I love you", near the end of the story, even more than what is to happen later.
The hardest part to watch was when Miyako called Hiro when he stood her up though..

Renji's plot is the one that pulled on the heartstrings the most. I sympathies with his character and at the same time feel sorry for him. But, at the same time I don't want him to stop trying to stay in Chihiro's memory. No, I wanted chihiro to feel love after all the sadness so long.

"Because she learned about happiness, she feels lonely for the first time. And because she knows unhappiness, she understands happiness for the first time. "
(Ef: A Tale of Memories)

There was one part where renji question whether the chihiro she knew was "dead" and whether the one he is facing now is another person. The answer he came to was shown by how he act in the later episodes, as per usual, smiling with her.
That shows that he accepts her as everything..at least that's how I see it.
It was devastating to watch, that part where she reached her "time limit" and forgotten..everything.
I feel sad for her and renji when she threw the book at his head, that must be hard..and then to pretend to be someone you just read..that must be harder.
But love shows us something else, that it grows beyond memory loss
and that no matter how hard she tried..chihiro never forgot renji in the past 13 hours.
That moment was so..

But, what i love most next to plot is the animation and everything about this anime, about the directing, the soundtracks (MUST DOWNLOAD ), the art, THE BACKGROUNDS. and the directing, oh I mentioned it already..
It was..in a word, I can describe it as "mesmerizing" . One of the most beautiful anime I've ever seen..

This is prob one of the shortest romance anime I've ever watch in terms of episode but not in terms of storytelling, I feel that the storytelling is great and tells a lot, if I think about it, it enlightens me alot about the term "love". In a short duration of 12 episodes, I could relate to all the characters and the feelings..that's why it impacted me more.
I can't say that I cried after watching this but it was sad and some parts hard to watch.
But the ending left me really satisfied, I can't find a short romance as beautiful and as engaging as ef-a tale of memories.
This anime will be remembered and will not leave my memories forever.
"Put your wishes into the memories you do not want to forget. " I'll keep that in mind

[destiny4ever]

This arc,

But Ichigo doesn’t need to save Rukia during this arc…

and sorry for replying to this thread late.

NP. ^_^ Thank you for replying!

Yamada and Maya, I had to choose them over Hagu and Morita

For me, my favorite paring was Rika x Mayama

I really enjoyed watching ef-a tale of memories and I only wanted to reply here when I finished that.

Glad to hear you enjoyed watching ef-memories. I hope you enjoy watching ef-melodies as much as you enjoyed watching the first season of ef.

Firstly, the most important thing of them all is the story. From the first few episodes I already guessed something like memory loss will happen because of the relation of "tale of memories" and the way Chihiro was behaving the first few episodes, that was when I know what I'm watching is going to be very emotional.
Then there's another story happening at the same time that at first glance have no relation to one another but they do relate to one another in many ways.
Anyway, I really like Hiro and Miyako pairing and I thought they're cute together the first time
I see them together
the couple drew me in instantly.. although they weren't a couple then, lol.
Another character that I neglect at first was Kei, she came to play a heavy part of the story later on and I don't like her for what she did but I can't bring myself to hate her,
because I know that there is humans who behave like this.. and it's for love,
she really loved Hiro.
If there's anything I learnt from watching Hiro and Miyako's plot,
it's that love can't be forced and you can't stop it when it comes..
and when you miss it, it's too late.
Hiro used to have feelings for Kei and vice versa,
but they missed the chance to confess to each other.
Still, maybe Hiro still have some feelings for Kei but when Miyako came into the picture,
he fell in love with her in a short period of time.
That means that the feelings for miyako is greater and that is love..or so I tink . The most lovable part for me in ef-a tale of memories was the phone booth part when Hiro said "I love you", near the end of the story, even more than what is to happen later.
The hardest part to watch was when Miyako called Hiro when he stood her up though..

I wasn’t a big fan of the Hiro x Miyako pairing and I didn’t like Miyako very much either, I didn’t hate her…but…there was something about her that didn’t allow me to be that fond of her. In fact, I liked Kei better than Miyako. Yes, what Kei did was wrong, but I found Kei a more interesting character than Miyako. In fact, I felt sorrier for Kei than for Miyako; that’s why the scene of the conversation between Hiro and Kei through her bedroom door was really painful for me to watch. Great scene btw. But I do understand why you liked the Hiro x Miyako pairing; it was the fandom favorite (versus the Hiro x Kei) when ef-memories was airing after all.

Renji's plot is the one that pulled on the heartstrings the most. I sympathies with his character and at the same time feel sorry for him. But, at the same time I don't want him to stop trying to stay in Chihiro's memory. No, I wanted chihiro to feel love after all the sadness so long.

"Because she learned about happiness, she feels lonely for the first time. And because she knows unhappiness, she understands happiness for the first time. "
(Ef: A Tale of Memories)

There was one part where renji question whether the chihiro she knew was "dead" and whether the one he is facing now is another person. The answer he came to was shown by how he act in the later episodes, as per usual, smiling with her.
That shows that he accepts her as everything..at least that's how I see it.
It was devastating to watch, that part where she reached her "time limit" and forgotten..everything.
I feel sad for her and renji when she threw the book at his head, that must be hard..and then to pretend to be someone you just read..that must be harder.
But love shows us something else, that it grows beyond memory loss
and that no matter how hard she tried..chihiro never forgot renji in the past 13 hours.
That moment was so..

I loved the Renji x Chihiro pairing!! It was my favorite ef-memories pairing. Renji was my favorite boy and Chihiro was my favorite girl. ^_^ This AMV does a good job expressing why I like this pairing so much. And the scene when Renji gathered all of the pages of Chihiro’s notebook was one of the most touching and sweetest I’ve ever watched. And yay! That Chihiro hadn’t forgotten about him. Their love was so wonderful~

But, what i love most next to plot is the animation and everything about this anime, about the directing, the soundtracks (MUST DOWNLOAD ), the art, THE BACKGROUNDS. and the directing, oh I mentioned it already..
It was..in a word, I can describe it as "mesmerizing" . One of the most beautiful anime I've ever seen..

This is prob one of the shortest romance anime I've ever watch in terms of episode but not in terms of storytelling, I feel that the storytelling is great and tells a lot, if I think about it, it enlightens me alot about the term "love".:

I totally agree with you. Great review!! Thank you for sharing it with us!

[destiny4ever]

Reviving this thread with a new topic of conversation :

I’m currently watching a new K-drama called “Secret Garden”, and one of the things that the male lead said caught my attention, he said:

"If a man ever tells you he fell for you at first sight , punch him…its just another way of saying he wants to get you to bed and stop wasting time" - Kim Joo-won

That phrase made me think about various things, one of them being love at first sight of course. Which leads me to this question, when regarding romance in manga/anime/Asian drama, do you like for love between two characters to happen as a result of their interactions? or are you a fan of love at first sight between two characters?

As for me, I’m not very fond of two characters falling in love at first sight or because the story says so, I like it better when two characters gradually fall in love with each other as a result of their interactions, as a result of each one of them finding things about the other that they like, I like it better when pairings/couples are formed in that way.