Shoujo Romance Anime

[symph lizard]

Welcome to another Anime Genre Recommendations Thread!

The purpose of these threads is to creat a list of anime that fit a certain genre to make it easier for people to find anime that fit their tastes. The threads will be featured and rotated, most likely on a "when somebody remembers to do it" basis. For now, they will rotate and be created fairly rapidly to get a decent database started. Please keep in mind that if you have an anime to recommend in a past thread, you can do so at any time, even if it's not featured.

The definition for any given genre is left broad, but for each entry you make, please at a minimum specify the name of the anime, why it fits the genre, whether or not you liked it, and why. Although the requirements in these threads are less stringent than they are elsewhere in the review forum, spam rules and other A4 rules still apply. Please don't just drop the name of an anime and run, tell us a little bit about it on your way out. As always, if you're interested in telling us a little more about your opinion, you are free to write a review per the rules in the writing a view thread.

If you're going to ask for general recommendations, please do it here. Specific recommendations related to the genre at hand can be asked for in this thread.

If you have a suggestion for the next genre thread, please PM one of the review moderators, currently symph lizard and EmpressStephanie. We hope to eventually have several of these threads covering the major anime subdivisions.

All the genre threads:

Horror and Gothic

Samurai, Ninja, Fighting

Mecha, Sci-Fi

Comedy

Shoujo Romance Anime

Stuff that Makes you Think

Drama/Slice of Life

The theme for this thread is Shoujo romance anime. If only I knew somebody who was really into this style who could give a better description than this. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, girl becomes CEO of a multinational firm specializing in hostile takeovers at the age of 17, and realizes she only wants the boy back. That sort of stuff.

[EmpressStephanie]

Since this is my domain of terror... I'll take a crack at it.


Full Moon Wo Sagashite

Awesome shoujo romance anime... but you need to get through the first 15 episodes which are extremely slow. This anime has a love square and is a major tear jerker.

Kaikan Phrase

This anime is based on a shoujo smut manga but Smut Queen Shinjou Mayu. The manga is concentrated solely on the romance between the lead singer and his lyrcist but the anime is more about how the band makes it big. If you can get through the first 20 romance-less episodes the last 20 are pretty full of standard shoujo stuff.

Kare Kano

This is just standard. You have to watch it.

Pretear

I always refer to this anime as every magical girl shoujo romance cliche rolled into one package. It's awesome. Another must see.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Live Action)

This review is for the live action but the anime is freaking awesome as well.

Princess Nine

:O The romance takes a back seat but this is a very angsty shoujo drama about baseball.

Saint Tail

Another magical girl anime with romance elements. This is cute. I recommend it to anyone who likes sailor moon.

Wedding Peach

Also Magical Girl but this whole series centers around love. I loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooved it. Especially the end. ._. *dies*

Animes that we don't have reviews for... yet:

Hana Yori Dango: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=1136

Seriously one of the best shoujo romances ever. If you haven't seen it yet go now!

Peach Girl:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=4592

I liked the manga better but the anime was very true to the manga. Standard but, really juicy love triangle... square... hmm.

Marmalade Boy:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...ime.php?id=461

.... best.... shoujo... anime... ever.

Ultra Maniac:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=2287

Magical Girl anime with a lot of romance. By the same creator of Marmalade Boy.

Fushigi Yuugi:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...ime.php?id=178

...second... best... shoujo... anime... ever.

*shameless plug for CoTRJ*
For anyone interested in this kind of anime we have a club for it:
http://www.anime-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=71221

[Korsakow]

no offense, but a shame Lova Hina isn't in here....

[Swiftstylez]

no offense, but a shame Lova Hina isn't in here....

Yes, also try on top of what the amazing empress stephanie~ said: Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi, Fruits Basket, Hand Maid May, Aishiteruze Baby and Onegai Teacher.

Ai Yori Aoshi, Love Hina, Fruits Basket and Hand Maid May are all 'harem-like' romantic animes that I'm sure the most people will enjoy. All of them have elements of comedy but the romance is great, as are the characters. I have reviewed both Ai Yori Aoshi and Love Hina in their respective review threads.

A.I baby and Onegai Teacher are also really well done. I have reviewed A.I baby in it's review thread.

[insanemofo]

Really its every Sailor Moon except Super S cos that sucked. The live action one isn't my bag either.

[Ushikirimaru]

Angel Sanctuary i suppose.

[Swiftstylez]

Can I stress Marmalade Boy again too. I'm suprised with the number of fans that havn't taken the time to watch the series. DAMN IT, watch it lol. It's nothing short of amazing.

[Darkshowers]

If I'm not mistaken, this topic is for Shoujo romance anime. Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi and Onegai Teacher are Shounen romance anime. It's cool though. Sometimes, it's not so easy to tell the difference.

I haven't seen Aishiteruze Baby and Hand Maid May is just another fanservice anime.

I'll get together my own list of recommendations later.

Ok...so it's later. Here is my list, some of which have already been recommended.

Kare Kano also called His and Her Circumstances

A good start into the genre of shoujo romance and essential for any anime fan to watch as it is also done by Gainax. It's a good starter because it has a good amount of humor so you aren't overwhelmed by relationships and drama. There is great character development and some side characters get attention. The last half of this series goes downhill.

Kodomo No Omacha also called Kodocha

Sana is a hyper child tv star who has her own show and goes to school at the same time. This is one of my favorite shoujo series. The show starts out with her and her nemesis in Akito going at it. They start to understand each other better. Sana and her classmates are pretty young and there is some romance though not as much as other anime. Sana is very hyper and hilarious. Beware that this anime can go from funny to very serious in a few seconds. I've only seen the first 32 episodes or so of this anime.

Fushigi Yuugi

Created by the legendary Yuu Watase, Fushigi Yugi mixes shoujo romance and fantasy very well so I really enjoyed it. Miaka finds a book that pulls her into the world of Ancient China where she is destined to be the priestess of Suzaku. A few love triangles develop between her and the Seven Seishi of Suzaku who have to protect her.

Ceres: Celestial Legend

Another Yuu Watase work, Ceres is much darker then Fushigi Yugi. The main character is Aya who has within her the personality of Ceres, an ancient tennyo being with extraordinary powers. The story revolves around Aya, her family who try to kill her and those who have sworn to protect her.

Super Gals! Kotobuki Ran

This is known as the grown up version of Kodocha, Kotobuki Ran known as the world's greatest gal doing all the stuff a gal should do as well as protecting Shibuya from scum. The family tradition is to become a policeman but she just wants to have fun as a true gal. Now there are a few love triangles in here but this anime is mostly about Ran and her friends having fun doing gal things. It is pretty funny and much better then I expected it to be. Ran is a good friend as she is always there to help a friend in need. I've only seen the first season of this and I really, really want ADV to release the last season.

Marmalade Boy

Now we get to the hardcore shoujo romance in Marmalade Boy. This anime is a bit slow at times and needs many episodes to get going but once it does, it is really heavy on romance between all characters. The anime starts with the main characters Miki and Yuu in a strange situation where their parents have switched spouses with each other and are living under the same roof. Miki is really uncomfortable whereas Yuu seems to not care. I've only seen a season of this as well.

Hana Yori Dango also called Boys Over Flowers

I haven't seen this at all though this is what I have read about it. Makino Tsukushi is a strong girl who decides to stand up to a clan of boys at Eitoku Gakuen called F4. She probably falls for some guy in the clan. Like Marmalade Boy, this shoujo romance is long and heavy on the romance.

[Scorcher]

Can someone suggest what series I should watch next? I started watching anime few days ago by accident and I'm hooked. :P Atm I have watched all the episodes from Love Hina and Chobits and I would like to watch more anime similar to them.

[animefan123]

uh love hina is not shoujo they have lots of fan-service which is obviously aimed at guys but anyways I second the Full Moon Wo Sagashite recommendation the last eps are really good

[gemila]

i guess you should put CHOBITS int he list to!

[cali141]

WTF people! I'm very disappointed in you all! There I was, stumbling around the internet looking for something to cure my boredom, and I found the manga MegaTokyo. Why hasn't this been mentioned before?? It's so damn good!! Also, the creator is an American gaming freak, so it's full of good American humor, often involving games (one of the main characters speaks almost entirely in 1337, and often raves about wanting more b33r after he vanquishes t3h ev1l z0mbies of teh d4rkne55). But what's better than the humor is the romantic plot, and all the twists and turns it goes through. It's perfectly constructed, as far as I'm concerned. I burned through all 900 pages in two days, because I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. All the characters are so dynamic, and so much more lies beneath than what they first appear to be. So good.

Anyway, I'm craving more romantic animes/mangas. Here's what I've seen (listed generally in order of how much I liked it):
Love Hina (manga)
Love Hina
Onegai Teacher
Ah! My Goddess
MegaTokyo (FTW!!!)
Hand Maid May
Elfin Lied
Marmalade Boy
Mahoromatic
Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
Aishiteruze Baby
Honey and Clover
Kare Kano
Chobits
Lunar Legend Tsukihime
Happy Lesson
Fushigi Yugi
Ai Yori Aoshi
Maburaho
Tenchi Muyo!
Pretear

I think that's about it.

One more thing: I'm open to reccomendations of any anime, not just romance. Romance is what I'm looking for, but I also love sci-fi/fantasy series such as Mai-HiME, Bleach, Outlaw Star, and FLCL. I have a strange feeling this Melancholy of Haruhi Suzuyima that a bunch of people seem to be raving over might be just what I'm looking for.

[DDR Demon]

Suzuka

Akizuki Yamato goes to Tokyo alone to attend high school, hoping he could change himself.

On the day of his arrival, his eyes were caught by a beautiful girl (Asahina Suzuka).





Eventually, he discovers that she lives in the room next to his.

-

Don't expect Love Hina. This anime is 100% realistic.
Which is great, because you can really relate to it.

Its not a boring drama either, though.
Expect alot of crazy twists. Depending on your personality, these can be either humorous or sorrowful.

I don't want to get into it too much because I'm worried I might spoil something.

I'm not a fan of romance anime at all, but this has become of of my favorite series. I hope that's saying alot.

Now...

WATCH IT!

[cali141]

Suzuka

Akizuki Yamato goes to Tokyo alone to attend high school, hoping he could change himself.

On the day of his arrival, his eyes were caught by a beautiful girl (Asahina Suzuka).

Eventually, he discovers that she lives in the room next to his.

-

Don't expect Love Hina. This anime is 100% realistic.
Which is great, because you can really relate to it.

Its not a boring drama either, though.
Expect alot of crazy twists. Depending on your personality, these can be either humorous or sorrowful.

I don't want to get into it too much because I'm worried I might spoil something.

I'm not a fan of romance anime at all, but this has become of of my favorite series. I hope that's saying alot.

Now...

WATCH IT!

Just gone done watching it. Seldom have I ever wanted to punch someone in the face so much. This anime wasn't bad as in crappy plot development, cheap animation, or cheesy music... those areas were great. However, there is one thing which seriously made me pissed off...

[spoiler:712b17f8c1]Even with the "breakup" in the last episode, Akitsuki is still only the second-best option to Suzuka. If her first love, Tsuda, suddenly came back to life, Suzuka would drop Akitsuki for him in an instant. She was forced to "break up" with her dead boyfriend, only because everyone convinced her to do so. The whole Honoka story arc was perfectly realistic... Akitsuki had [temporarily] lost hope of ever being with Suzuka, so he moved on to someone who coincidentally had had a crush on him for years. Their breakup was perfectly understandable also. Frustrating, yes, but it was still easily acceptable as realistic. After that, though, Akitsuki started transcending any level of idiocy he had ever been at (one example being how he told Suzuka that he dumped Honoka because he was tired of being with her. Who in their right mind would say that?). Also, Suzuka had the most acute case of Naru-itis I have ever witnessed... ANYTHING said, or even done by Akitsuki caused her to fly into a rage then run away. Unlike Keitaro, there was NOTHING Akitsuki could have done to help the situation. Suzuka was simply forced by a joint effort from basically all the main characters into accepting Akitsuki as a boyfriend, although she only saw her dead boyfriend in him. And to think the creator of this series called this a conclusion... INFURIATING. That is NOT a conclusion, because an issue like that can NEVER be resolved. Suzuka will always feel longing for Tsuda, and that will be the cause of a neverending struggle for both Akitsuki and Suzuka. What a sad way to end a series with so much potential.[/spoiler:712b17f8c1]

[DDR Demon]

Just gone done watching it. Seldom have I ever wanted to punch someone in the face so much. This anime wasn't bad as in crappy plot development, cheap animation, or cheesy music... those areas were great. However, there is one thing which seriously made me pissed off...

[spoiler:0b94cb1c9b]Even with the "breakup" in the last episode, Akitsuki is still only the second-best option to Suzuka. If her first love, Tsuda, suddenly came back to life, Suzuka would drop Akitsuki for him in an instant. She was forced to "break up" with her dead boyfriend, only because everyone convinced her to do so. The whole Honoka story arc was perfectly realistic... Akitsuki had [temporarily] lost hope of ever being with Suzuka, so he moved on to someone who coincidentally had had a crush on him for years. Their breakup was perfectly understandable also. Frustrating, yes, but it was still easily acceptable as realistic. After that, though, Akitsuki started transcending any level of idiocy he had ever been at (one example being how he told Suzuka that he dumped Honoka because he was tired of being with her. Who in their right mind would say that?). Also, Suzuka had the most acute case of Naru-itis I have ever witnessed... ANYTHING said, or even done by Akitsuki caused her to fly into a rage then run away. Unlike Keitaro, there was NOTHING Akitsuki could have done to help the situation. Suzuka was simply forced by a joint effort from basically all the main characters into accepting Akitsuki as a boyfriend, although she only saw her dead boyfriend in him. And to think the creator of this series called this a conclusion... INFURIATING. That is NOT a conclusion, because an issue like that can NEVER be resolved. Suzuka will always feel longing for Tsuda, and that will be the cause of a neverending struggle for both Akitsuki and Suzuka. What a sad way to end a series with so much potential.[/spoiler:0b94cb1c9b]

I think the manga goes deeper into their relationship. I'm not sure, though.

Suzuka is capable of giving people so many emotions and thoughts (like yourself). It didn't just end with a fictional acceptance. As a result, this romance is one people can relate to somewhat. It's the most realistic romance anime I've ever seen.

[Kazuma the Shell Bullet]

i guess you should put CHOBITS int he list to!

Chobits is a shounen romance anime not a shoujo romance

[Mischievous Angel]

Saikano(Saishu Heiki Kanojo)

At the beginning it shows Shuji and his girlfriend Chise who he just declared his feelings to. At the beginning it seems more like they are a bit distant from each other but changes later on.

While Shuji and friends are shopping in Sapporo a air raid started. While Shuiji was running for cover he noticed a gleaming object in the sky and follows it.

Before he became unconscious he found the object her was looking for.

It was his girlfriend, Chise. To his shock and surprise, his girlfriend had become the ultimate weapon. With the subtitle "The Last Love Song On This Little Planet" You're sure to be a little emotional

[SomethingBig]

Can you guys suggest good romance animes? They can also be harem animes. Ones that I've seen so far:

-Love Hina*
-Onegai Teacher*
-If I See You in My Dreams
-Kanon
-Maburaho
-Amaenaideyo
-Amaenaideyo Katsu!
-Memories Off (Blech)
-Girls Bravo
-Mahou Sensei Negima (Wasn't really supposed to be a love story, if they just followed the manga!)
-Hanbun no Tsuki Ga Noboru Sora*
-KGNE*
-Suzuka (I wish they continued it)
-REC
-Elfen Lied
-Haruhi (Can this be considered romance?)
-To Heart (In the process of watching season 2, once I find some good torrents)
-Ichigo 100% (SEASON 2! SEASON 2!)
-Kanon remake - watching it
-Shuffle!*
-Ah! My Goddess!
-Ai Yori Aoshi
-Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~
-Kare Kano
-Chobits
-DearS

I tried watching Honey and Clover, but the whole loli thing really creeped me out.
Any help is appreciated.

[AbnormalAnimeFreak]

i just got into anime, and i really would like to just watch them on youtube or something i have already watched : Chobits,Paradise Kiss, Love Hina and fruits baskets any more that you all could recommend? i would love the help ive been goin crazy trying to find a decent drama romance...

[MaStEr ChEiF233]

You guyz should wath the funny and peverted anime GREEN GREEN youll laugh your as$ off

[MaStEr ChEiF233]

well theres a good manga toi its called kagetora you should read that

[Karu]

i just got into anime, and i really would like to just watch them on youtube or something i have already watched : Chobits,Paradise Kiss, Love Hina and fruits baskets any more that you all could recommend? i would love the help ive been goin crazy trying to find a decent drama romance...

well most of the shoujo romance anime's recommended here can be found on youtube.. so just look back through some of the previous posts.. most of them are good and very pleasing, but that's for you to decide on

[pzero]

Kanon (especially the new one) and Kare Kano are my favorite Shoujo anime series, but I haven't seen very many.

[lovelyduckie]

A random one I really like is Princess TuTu....saw one episode once long ago and was immediately put off by it, but now <3. It's odd but definitely worth my time. It's about a duck who wishes to make a prince who lost his heart smile again. So she is given a gem to turn into a girl and Princess TuTu to collect the pieces of his heart. I'm not done with it, but you'll find yourself torn over who you want her to end up with at the end.

Also Kaleido Star was really good too, I never would have touched that one if a free sample didn't come in my Newtype magazine. About an acrobatic circus performer from Japan trying to make it in the US.

Paradise Kiss was good, but I LOVED it best in manga form. VERY bittersweet.

I also liked Midori No Hibi a lot. It's about a girl who wishes to be near this guy so badly, and the next morning she wakes up as his hand. Sort of like a little puppet on his hand.

Oh yes and Fruits Basket is still my all time fav anime.

PS- I watched Marmalade Boy, I really liked that one too

[FxF]

Hmmm, I'm kinda sure that i've read all the posts, but I haven't seen Bokura Ga Ita on there! PFFF, I think that's a good romance-type anime....Mabye someone mentioned it...but oh well =X