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Don’t Like Your Partner? Just Cheat!

Koi to Uso Introduction and Story (Spoilers)

In a mirror of what is happening right now in Japan, within the story of Koi to Uso, Japanese society is on the decline. So, in order to combat it, the Japanese government has enacted what is called the Red String of Science. This is a law that uses multiple factors to force people together around the time they turn 16 in order to ensure that they will not only fall in love, but also that they will reproduce and thus, stabilizing society. These orders are absolute, so once you get your notification from the government, you have to go meet this person, get to know their family, and begin to have meetings and “training” aka how to do it, from the government. For babbling fool Yukari Nejima, this is what he needs to be able to meet a girl. When he finally does get the chance to confess to his love, Misaki Takasaki, she confesses back that she has liked him since she asked him for half of his eraser 5 years ago when they were children. Aww. However, the clock strikes midnight and Yukari turns sixteen. Just following his luck, the notification comes from the government. All messed up, it says that his partner is Misaki until two government officials come and tell him that it was a mistake and he is wrong and that his wife is awkwardly adorable Ririna Sanada. Torn, Yukari ends up meeting Ririna and they awkwardly start to get to know each other, but Yukari still has feelings for Misaki which constantly put him into dangerous positions. Supported by his friend Yuusuke Nisaka, Yukari tries to figure out what is going on around him, what is going on with his feelings, and what he needs to do about the two girls. Things take a turn for the worse and Ririna and Misaki become friends. He then has to hang out with his crush and future wife frequently. This gets more cringey when Ririna is moved by how much Yukari likes Misaki and tells him that he needs to kiss her once a day. Then, Misaki obliges him and does! Slowly but surely Yukari starts to feel conflicted about the fact that he is cheating on Ririna, both physically and emotionally, but he has a bit of a soul searching moment as he tries to figure out what to do about both girls. When summoned for “training” aka how to make babies 101, he tries to make a move on Ririna because he is told that if they do not do it, then they can be punished, but this ends up hurting Ririna deeply and she stops meeting with Yukari for a while. Events come and go, we get a few time jumps, and then she is at Yukari’s school festival to see Misaki perform as Romeo. This goes well, and they make some amends until the final two episodes when, at a wedding, Misaki begs Yukari to tell her that he loves her, and he kisses her while Ririna happens to see it through a cracked door. Struggling to put together their feelings, Ririna offers him a way out, and then he changes his mind and stays with Ririna while still dealing with Misaki and his feelings for her. And that is really all that happens, as Yukari never does reach a final decision.

What We Liked About Koi to Uso

Some standout moments from Koi to Uso, would be the initial promise of the government controlling everything. It casts them in a very dark light and really does ramp up how people, like our main characters, are going to struggle against the system. This creates all sorts of fantasies and possibilities for us, the viewers, for the story and anime itself overall. There was also a hint of diversity as tsundere best friend Yuusuke Nisaka is actually gay. Well at the very least, bisexual because he does kiss Yukari while he is sleeping and then we get a monologue about how he lies to himself at the end of the series. It is important because there are many MOGAI individuals around the world and they don’t just disappear in a situation like this. True, it would have been better if they would have explored this more in depth, but that is not this author’s M.O. The music for the anime was rather cute as well. It really lent to a lot of the scenes. The ending as well was very fitting for a series that dealt with a lot of drama. In fact, that was actually a very good part of this series was all of the drama^tm. There was so much drama because everyone is slightly babbling and Yukari can never really get his mouth to say anything clearly but instead just awkwardly trounces through everything.

Discussion Time

This is the part where we are going to get right to the meat and tell you if Koi to Uso was Koi(love) or Uso(lies). We will outline our points and try to give you three good reasons as to why you can check out Koi to Uso, and three good reasons why you should skip Koi to Uso. Ultimately, bear in mind that this was an unfinished story adapted into an anime that did not go anywhere, and just ended up hurting all of the characters within the story. The other major sin it committed is that it does dance around some dangerous moral issues. Why You Should Watch Koi to Uso

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1. The Story Is Wide Open

If there was one thing in particular that had to be said that is good about Koi to Uso, it would be the fact that the story is wide open. While we did not even get remotely close to a conclusion or resolution, we did get a lot of buildup to an open ending. This is good because, if you can manage to deal with these characters longer, there is more source material to be consumed. One thing that you, the reader, should keep in mind, is that if the anime, which was adapted from the source went nowhere, then you know that the source is probably going to do the same thing. If this is the kind of story you like, then you should absolutely go for it.

2. Yukari Nejima is Not a Lady-killer.

In typical Japanese fashion, the protagonist of Koi to Uso is not a lady-killer. In fact, he is the complete opposite in that he is a wallflower. So we do get to see a rather average person find love and romance which is something that does happen in real life, but a lot of average people think that things like captivating romance and love is something that is unattainable. That is just not true and as we see with Yukari, if he can find those two things, then surely, every person alive can as well.

3. Drama Llama

This show is full of Drama^tm. If you love drama^tm then Koi to Uso is for you. There is so much situational drama^tm that is manufactured in this series, that anyone who lives for the drama^tm, will love this series. Yukari cannot speak to save his life, Ririna fuels this by telling him to meet Misaki and kiss her, Misaki cannot be mature about anything and just move on, and Nisaka is just waiting for Yukari to pass out again so he can have his way. Actually, Nisaka is just that gif that says *gay silence* because that is what he does the entire series. There is just too much drama^tm for this poor series. If you get your electrolytes from drama^tm then Koi to Uso will have you refreshed for months.

1. This Anime Is Not Nisekoi

While many an anime fan did talk about how this is like Nisekoi, we do find it insulting to Nisekoi that you could even compare Koi to Uso’s rushed story and unfinished, open ending, to Nisekoi. Nisekoi had jokes and Koi to Uso, sadly does not. What Koi to Uso does have is drama^tm, as well as endless situations that really suit it for the Slice of Life genre. What Nisekoi does better among everything else that Nisekoi does better than Koi to Uso, is that the backstory of the families, actually exists. The government in Koi to Uso only consists of a few meetings, and like a warning at best while they play god with a race. The government does nothing and honestly, while it did seem like there was going to be some sort of intervention or something at the beginning, we can clearly see that they are useless and hands off.

2. A Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery Dark Outlook for Relationships.

Full disclosure: I am not Japanese nor do I want to be Japanese. I have lived in Japan for many years and I have a linguistic and cultural studies background when it comes to Japan, Japanese, and culture. Koi to Uso sets a very, very dangerous precedent that I as a non-Japanese person, was able to figure out. That means that many a Japanese person has formed the same thoughts and opinions that I have in this point. That idea is the idea that if you don’t really love who you are with, or are staying with them for the kids, money, etc., then you just need to get what you want on the side. Aka cheating is okay. It’s not news that marriage and satisfaction in marriage in Japan is on the sharp decline. Google it because you will get many hits. Koi to Uso, which is targeted towards younger people, as well as people who are in their 20s and 30s, shows them that if you are not happy with your partner, then just go tell someone and get with them while still not cutting it off with your current partner. Yukari’s inability to be a decent human being means that every time he is kissing Misaki or spending one on one emotional time with her, he is cheating on Ririna. Misaki is also to blame as she does not respect the relationship. Even if they have consent, you can see that it is hurting Ririna and she just tries to take an analytical approach to everything. Sure the setup sucks, but that is life and many things in life are not fair. Welcome to reality.

3. Ethical Dilemma to Arbitrarily Follow the Rules or Make Someone Happy

This was what we talked about in the last point which is when do you follow the rules and when do you break them? Having rules just to have rules, does not necessarily mean that they are good. Having rules in order to teach people things or avoid bad situations however, are not necessarily bad. The Yukari law is something that was setup to avoid the declining birthrate in Japan. Sadly, this means that many, many people will be paired together at random in order to preserve Japan. Again, just following the rules because they are rules, does not mean that they are good. It does mean that many people are able to find happiness together. Sure, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but when do you stop going behind people’s backs in order to either be honest or stop hurting them? This grey moral area of Koi to Uso may have been something the author wanted, but the problem is that the characters choose rather to be ethically murky in order to get what they want which sends a bad message.

Final Thoughts

To be honest, Koi to Uso has zero re-watch value since the series goes nowhere, and there is no development whatsoever other than fake drama and some real drama between the love triangle as Yuusuke is on the outside being dramatic. The DVD sales of the series are abysmal, you know because if you look at amazon, the sales are slow and the prices are slashed already, and it would take an act of god for this series to get more than season one. Maybe, had Koi to Uso been a bit more dystopian with a stronger tone as well as a tougher government, we could have gotten into it more. Sadly, it did not so we could not get into it as much. What are your thoughts? Do you think that this series delivered enough or do you want more? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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[en]What You Need to Know: [/en][es]Lo que necesitas saber: [/es]

• “A Silent Voice” follows the poignant and moving story of Shōya Ishida, a school bully, and Shōko Nishimiya, a young girl with a hearing disability. Their story begins in sixth grade when Shōko transfers to Shōya’s elementary school and quickly finds herself bullied and isolated due to her hearing disability. Years later, the tables turn, and Shōya finds himself the victim. “A Silent Voice” depicts the struggles and challenges of adolescence alongside coming-of-age outside the norm.
• The movie is slated to have a nationwide release October 20th, which include L.A. (Los Angeles: L.A. Live Stadium 14) and New York (NEW YORK: VILLAGE EAST CINEMA). One Of Three Attached Posters Will Be Given To All Ticket Holders While Supplies Last. Additional theatres can be found by clicking here.
• Check out the official trailer here!

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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♫♬ The girls wanna play with boys And the boys wanna play with girls And the girls wanna play with girls Boys wanna play with boys So boy, don’t you love this world? ♫♬ The affairs of young adults appear to be so simple and uncomplicated looking on, but through a magnifying glass, there is so much more to it than meets the eye. Adults may recall growing up “back in the day” with only so much as studies to be concerned about. However, today’s teens have a lot more pressures and drama involved, on top of school, to deal with. All of the conflicting and challenging situations that follow the teenage years can really affect one’s sense of worth and livelihood. In Netsuzou TRap –NTR-, we observe the lives of Hotaru, Yuma, Fujiwara and Takeda, and the tangled web they weave with one another. With so much going on, it’s hard to turn away! In a similar vein, we give you 6 anime like Netsuzou TRap –NTR-, in hope that you will be fixated on these choices as well. Enjoy!

Similar Anime to Netsuzou TRap -NTR-

1. Koi to Uso (Love and Lies)

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[en][information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="12" item2="Aired" content2="July 2017 – September 2017"][/en]

[es][information_general item1 = "Episodios" content1="___content1___" item2="Emisión" content2="___content2___" post_id=""][/es]

In the anime Koi to Uso, the Japanese government has implemented a system called “The Red Threads of Science” in order to increase the number of successful marriages and the birth rates to follow. Using a guided and calculated compatibility outline, teens reaching the age of 16 are assigned marriage partners. It’s the law to remain in this relationship with your appointed partner, or else the consequences will be severe. We are then introduced to a young man named Yukari Nejima, an average guy, who believes this marriage system will propel his life into a more than average existence. As Yukari approaches his 16th birthday, he confesses his love to his long-time crush, Misaki Takasaki, defying this important government policy. When he finds out that he is assigned to one Ririna Sanada, Ririna becomes oddly fascinated with the way relations will advance between the three of them. In comparing Koi to Uso (Love and Lies) with Netsuzou TRap, a similar quality that is seen in both is that the main characters are in a relationship where they are testing the boundaries of their current status and expressing feelings for more than one person. The main characters also exhibit a sort of guilt and conflict within themselves because they have emotions and information that they’re withholding, afraid of letting the other person know something that could be potentially harmful. Essentially, as we watch our star characters work out their issues, we observe their progression as each resolution unfolds.

Koi to Uso PV

2. Sakura Trick

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[en][information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="12" item2="Aired" content2="January 2014 – March 2014"][/en]

[es][information_general item1 = "Episodios" content1="___content1___" item2="Emisión" content2="___content2___" post_id=""][/es]

Haruka Takayama and Yuu Sonoda have been super besties ever since middle school. Now that they are entering their first year of high school, their friendship is still inseparable. With word that Misato West High School will shut down after graduation, the duo is certain that they will continue to be friends after they graduate. Determined to start off the school year with a bang, the girls make a pact stating, “Let’s do something we’d never do with other girls.” Impulsively, Yuu kisses Haruka, which leads to a lot more kissing. From this point, Haruka and Yuu realize that their friendship has shifted into something that was always there before, yet has finally been revealed. Is a kiss still just a kiss for these two anime? Nope! Based in a school setting, Sakura Trick and Netsuzou TRap both share the similarity of a special relationship between two close girl friends, exploring depth that wasn’t seen before. As one is more sweet and delightful and the other brazen and eye-catching, we are shown in Sakura Trick and Netsuzou TRap an array of elements in the way a companionship turned into a relationship functions.

Sakura Trick Trailer

3. Strawberry Panic

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[en][information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="26" item2="Aired" content2="April 2006 – September 2006"][/en]

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Strawberry Panic is about a young girl named Nagisa Aoi who is a transfer student at St. Miator’s Girl’s Academy. Her new school, along with St. Spica’s Girls’ Institute and St. Lulim’s Girls’ School, are all affiliated Catholic schools. Nagisa quickly learns of the school’s social structure, the Etoile System, and in order to fit in, she must interact and engage in many school activities. Here, we see Nagisa socialize and mix with many girls across the three campuses, doing whatever she must to feel like a part of the hierarchy. Young and old, regardless of age, often find difficulty when describing emotions that they are unfamiliar with, especially when it concerns matters of the heart. In Strawberry Panic and Netsuzou TRap, we have Nagisa and Yuma, girls who are placed in unfamiliar territories, physically and emotionally. In their environment, the girls encounter other girls who can offer them knowledge and experience. Some may be generous, while others take advantage of their naïve quality. Whomever they communicate with, Nagisa and Yuma quickly learn that their hearts can’t just be handed over to anyone and everyone. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

Strawberry Panic Trailer

Any Anime Like Netsuzou TRap -NTR- ?

4. Maria-sama ga Miteru (Maria Watches Over Us)

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[en][information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="13" item2="Aired" content2="January 2004 – April 2004"][/en]

[es][information_general item1 = "Episodios" content1="___content1___" item2="Emisión" content2="___content2___" post_id=""][/es]

Maria-sama ga Miteru (Maria Watches Over Us) follows the story of Yumi Fukuzawa as she enters the prestigious Catholic school, Lillian Girls’ Academy. With its location in bustling Tokyo, Yumi never imagined that she would stand out among the crowd, particularly catching the eye of one of the most popular girls at school, Sachiko Ogasawara. Sachiko offers to be Yumi’s guide for the school year, and although flattered and excited about the offer, Yumi is concerned that their partnership might bring about the wrong kind of attention. WWYD? What would Yumi do? Watch and see! When comparing Maria Watches Over Us and Netsuzou TRap, we notice the similar relationships between Yumi and Sachiko, and Hotaru and Yuma, in that one girl acts as a mentor or “teacher” to the other more inexperienced and innocent individual. Sachiko and Yuma’s personalities are also alike because they’re both very audacious, while Yumi and Yuma are quite the opposite. More or less, it is very interesting and entertaining to see how these dynamic characters relate so well.

Maria-sama ga Miteru Trailer

5. Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish)

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[en][information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="12" item2="Aired" content2="January 2017 – March 2017"][/en]

[es][information_general item1 = "Episodios" content1="___content1___" item2="Emisión" content2="___content2___" post_id=""][/es]

In Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish), we are introduced to eight dynamic characters who are all connected to each other in some shape or form: Hanabi Yasuraoka, Mugi Awaya, Narumi Kanai, Akane Minagawa, Noriko Kamomebata, Sanae Ebato, Atsuya Kirishima, and Takuya Terauchi. These eight individuals are smitten with someone, not just a simple crush, but with intense, fiery passion. However, they all can’t just reveal their feelings to their love interest, as easy as it seems, because they are plagued with the pain of being in love with someone they cannot be with. Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish) and Netsuzou TRap share similar scenarios including dramatic themes, unreciprocated advances, love and friendship, a sense of uneasiness and tension between some of the characters, and a great emphasis on romantic and sexual encounters. Both stories want to present a great focus on scandal and theatrics, and rest assured, these anime get super juicy!

6. White Album 2

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[en][information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="13" item2="Aired" content2="October 2013 – December 2013"][/en]

[es][information_general item1 = "Episodios" content1="___content1___" item2="Emisión" content2="___content2___" post_id=""][/es]

White Album 2 documents the story of Haruki Kitahara, a talented musician who dreams of performing at the school festival, but may not have the chance due to the light music club being on the brink of breaking up. An accomplished guitarist, Haruki still lacks the confidence to perform. However, two of his classmates, Setsuna Ogiso and Kazusa Touma, give him credence in his music and with romance. Journey with this trio, as they juggle friendship, romance, and music together. An unfortunate circumstance to liking more than one person is that two will emerge happy and relieved and the other, heartbroken. For White Album 2 and Netsuzou TRap, we notice and experience the grief that comes with being the “odd one out”, as well as many other emotions that are attached to new, undiscovered romances. Additionally, both anime demonstrate a realistic quality to them, as we can really empathize and connect with each character in some shape or form.

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Final Thoughts

Rape or not rape? That is the question.

Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita. Introduction and Story

The shy and conservative college girl Kominami Shizuka went to a college mixer, so she could hang out with other people and perhaps get rid her uneasiness around men. There, Shizuka meets Kirishima Ryou, a tall beautiful woman who is extremely polite and mature. Enamoured by Ryou’s beauty, the two spent the night talking and drinking. After too many drinks, Ryou takes the drunk Shizuka to her apartment only to seduce her. The worst part is, Ryou is actually a cross-dressing man. Skirt no Naka’s viewing experience entirely depends on which of the three versions that are available to choose, namely “all-ages, R15, and R18. For this review, we’ll be focusing on the R18 version because this gives you a complete version and is closest to the source material in terms of content. The story starts out with Shizuka and her friend hanging out in a college mixer to hit on the hot hunky men. Though the real reason is Shizuka wants to get rid of her shyness around men. While Shizuka’s friend is having a blast, Shizuka is still uncomfortable and excused herself to the restroom. Over at a distance, we see a tall beautiful blonde woman who was watching the situation follow Shizuka. After much contemplating at how hopeless she is, the blonde girl approached Shizuka and introduced herself as Kirishima Ryou. Enamoured by Ryou’s beauty, and friendliness, the two got along very quickly and spend the night at a bar, drinking and conversations like Shizuka sharing her dilemma around men, share what universities they’re studying at, and Ryou inviting Shizuka for lunch sometime. After drinking the night away, Ryou invited Shizuka to her apartment to spend the night. As the two get ready to bed, Ryou embraced, kissed, and pinned Shizuka on the bed, signifying her intentions. Despite being drunk, Shizuka soon realized that Ryou, the beautiful, tall blonde woman whom she admires turns out to be a guy. With no energy left to resist, Shizuka was molested by Ryou. On the following morning, Shizuka wakes up thinking nothing happened until she read a letter from Ryou. This concludes the first episode. The following episodes then introduce additional supporting characters, background information regarding why Ryou crossdresses, and tons of ecchi scenes, all leading to the final conclusion of the two becoming a true couple.

What We Liked About Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita.

Checking out an anime series with a story of a girl who is uncomfortable around men (fans think this makes her a lesbian somehow), but slowly falls in love with a guy who cross-dresses as a woman, is indeed interesting. In the first few episodes, the relationship between Shizuka and Ryou is nothing more than just sexual pleasure. True romantic feelings eventually developed as the two went back to basics. And the second thing we liked about Skirt no Naka is the copious amounts of ecchi scenes that, if you watched the R18 version, turn the anime into a hentai series. Though thankfully, the sexual content isn’t as explicit as actual hentai shows.

Discussion Time

Skirt no Naka has a runtime of around 4 minutes and 45 seconds per episode, so there are only a handful of key points to talk about. Despite its length, the story and romance between Shizuka and Ryou are very controversial.

Was It Date Rape?

On that fateful evening, Shizuka was just a naive girl trying to get rid her shyness around men. In that college mixer, Shizuka met Ryou, a person she thought was a girl. Shizuka got drunk, let her guard down and was taken to Ryou’s apartment to spend the night. Ryou, who is also influenced by alcohol, and being a healthy young male seeing a cute girl in his room, made his move. Do you blame Ryou for his sexual advances? Shizuka was begging Ryou to stop but he didn’t, do you think Ryou’s judgment was clouded due to alcohol?

Are the Constant Ecchi Scenes Needed?

Each episode is less than 5 minutes episode long and the bulk of the scenes are ecchi scenes between Ryou and Shizuku. Would the anime benefit from less ecchi scenes and more on character development because sex is sweeter if there’s foreplay first? Or do you think the in-your-face nature of the ecchi scenes are all right because this gave Skirt no Naka its uniqueness?

1. Unconventional Love Story

As highlighted several times, the story can be hard to stomach morally, but if you choose to ignore that and just want to watch an anime series to keep you distracted while waiting for the next episodes of other shows, or an anime series that is definitely unique featuring a very odd couple and nonstop ecchi moments. Ryou, despite his aggressiveness towards women, he’s actually very loyal, romantic, sometimes is quite sensitive, and he eventually fell in love. And so is Shizuka. If Shizuka has met him under different circumstances that don't involve a wig and alcohol, the two could still be a couple. But, yeah, if that were the case, go watch other romance anime. As it stands, Skirt no Naka is offensive but unique and cute. And who knows, stories like this may happen.

1. It’s Rape

No matter how the anime glossed it over with lots of cute and ecchi stuff, and no matter how Ryou explain his actions with sweet lying words, what he did was wrong. Ryou took advantage of a drunk girl, took her to his room and proceeded to molest her. Thankfully there was no real penetration until the very end after the two confirmed their feelings to each other leading to a happy ending. But it’s still a fact, everything started with rape.

2. One-Dimensional Characters

Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita. focused too much on the ecchi scenes and less on character development. There were some good moments like the revelation why Ryou crossdresses, and how they planned on sorting out their relationship by declaring they’re not a couple yet, but the pacing and story pattern never changed. Ryou apologized for his actions, and yet he keeps on fingering Shizuka. Nearing the last part of the series, Ryou overheard Shizuka likes someone, but Ryou was too dumb to know Shizuka was talking about him. Dying to know, what did Ryou do? He’s forcing an answer out of Shizuka through sexual intimidation. Uh, what happened to him apologizing? Shizuka is equally guilty to the point that she may be either too much of a textbook maiden, or she was traumatized since the first episode, or she’s suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Shizuka constantly allowing Ryou to feel her up, not because she likes it, it’s because she can’t think of other options. And with this lack of action may have convinced Ryou that it’s all right to keep on fingering her. There was this scene that the two agreed to start back to basics by declaring that they’re not a couple yet, but regardless, the two continue to get raunchy. The pace of the anime and the direction remained the same, making all these decisions by the two main characters pointless.

3. It’s for Adults Only

Even watching the all-ages version, the story, scenes are all the same but with zoomed in shots and still images to cover the ecchi and sex scenes. You may not see the actual sexual acts, but you can’t enjoy the anime with anyone because 80% of the time you’ll keep on hearing Shizuka moaning. And watching the all-ages version or even the less graphic R15 version, you’re not experiencing the full experience.

4. Extremely Short Episodes

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Episode length is one of the biggest flaws in the anime. A lot could’ve been done if the show is more than four minutes long. If each episode is at least 15 minutes long, the anime could’ve covered more ground, give the main characters more time to develop, and tell a lot more stories. If you combine all of the episodes, you’ll notice Skirt no Naka is one long OVA that got cut to 12 pieces and give the illusion the story covered a lot of ground since episode 01. This is partly due to the anime being based on a manga with few available chapters and it’s still ongoing.

Final Thoughts

Outside of its shock value and unconventional take on romance, Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita. is an abrupt, demeaning filled with moans and bodily fluids that should be totally okay if this was exclusive to the hentai anime side of things. The motives of the characters are all over the place, the morals found in the story is highly controversial and the lack meaningful storytelling make Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita. a very hard show to watch, love and recommend. The heart of the anime is there, but you can hardly hear its sincere beats. To those who love the anime are better off reading the original manga. The artwork is beautiful, the story has more meat to it because of more dialogue, and it’s still ongoing. Who knows, maybe we’ll find out more about Ryou and we may perhaps forgive him in the end.

The Experience

At first, it was a bit difficult to find Animate Cafe 2 in Ikebukuro where it was located because of a general lack of signs and not showing up on Google Maps, but we did find it at the end located near the Animate main store. We were greeted by an unassuming door but a cute welcome sign decorated with the cafe versions of all the main SAO characters. All the ladies were dressed in maid uniforms, and Kirito was dressed as a butler complete with a suit with tails. We immediately knew we were in the right place.

The Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale cafe was small but well decorated on the inside. Every table was themed after a certain character, and while we didn't get to pick which one we had, we were lucky to get the Kirito table. All around the cafe were large wall scrolls featuring the characters both in their cafe outfits alongside their outfits in the Ordinal Scale film. The outside of the menu featured a very nice artwork of Kirito and Asuna wearing their cafe uniforms as well. There was also a small featured area which had cosplay outfits for Kirito and Asuna's Ordinal Scale clothes - though they were displayed only and not for sale.

The menu featured food and drinks based on the leading characters in the movie. There was one food and one drink item for each, all with something that connected them to the character either with a small story or a similar colour scheme. The featured characters at the SAO: Ordinal Scale cafe were Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, Lisbeth, Sinon, Silica, and Yuna (a new character from the movie if you don't recognise her name). Some of the items available were hot matcha milk with marshmallows for Leafa, beef stew and a sandwich made by Asuna, and a special pineapple and melon parfait featuring Yui. The menu even had non-alcoholic beer if you wanted the flavour without the alcohol, or are too young to legally drink.

We ordered Kirito's peperoncino, which was very simple looking and meant to represent his general inability to make fancy food (though in reality, the dish did have bacon and asparagus hidden under the unassumingly plain pasta). In keeping with the Kirito theme of our table, we ordered the black lemonade with mint chocolate ice cream, also based on the Black Swordsman, which turned our tongue black! We also tried the melon soda with unique black vanilla ice cream based on Sinon's colour scheme. Finally, we couldn't leave without some dessert, and luckily the cafe had a dessert set called the "Clear Bonus." It had raspberry cheesecake, raspberry pie, and strawberry sponge cake. It was a great sampler to share - or enjoy on your own of course!

With each order of food or a themed drink (there are also normal drinks available on the menu such as plain soda, coffee, and tea at cheaper prices), you also receive a random coaster. These coasters feature the art of one of the characters either in their movie outfit or cafe uniform, and one also has Asuna with fan-favourite Yuuki from the second season of Sword Art Online. The coasters are presented face-down on the table and are entirely random, so you never know what you're going to get. When we paid our bill, we also got two random postcards featuring either Kirito in his Gun Gale Online outfit or Sinon in hers. Finally, there was a chance to win a small contest! The waiter let us each choose our favourite character to "cheer" for, and then drew a random one out of a box. If it matched, we won a small sticker! Luckily Asuna was a match and we left with a huge stock of free gifts from our cafe experience. In addition to the food and drinks, the cafe also has a small shop of exclusive merchandise open for cafe guests. It included a lot of merchandise featuring the characters in their cafe uniforms, as well as some Ordinal Scale products. There were mystery can badges and key chains where you could take a chance to get a random character, mini wall scrolls, clear files, and small plastic standees of the characters for your desk. The produces featuring the cafe uniforms and cafe logo was limited in availability to only the cafe and only for one month, making them awesome souvenirs for any Sword Art Online fan or collector! Everything was reasonably priced and what you would expect to pay for any similar anime merchandise in Japan.

Additional info

The Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale cafe was part of Animate Cafe. Animate Cafe is a concept cafe system operated by the well-known anime merchandise retailer Animate. The themes at these cafes that are in most major cities in Japan change every month to two months, usually to something that is timely and new - or continues to be extremely popular. With the successful release of Ordinal Scale in cinemas across the world only a few months ago, it was only natural that Animate Cafe would make a cafe themed on the movie. The SAO: Ordinal Scale cafe was featured at one of the three Animate Cafes in Ikebukuro, Tokyo in August (this is the one Honey's Anime visited), and in Okayama in September. The cafe-themed exclusive merchandise was also available in Kyoto in August, although the cafe experience itself was not. The best way to guarantee yourself a seat at the cafe is to enter the lottery system when the cafe is announced, choosing approximately when you would like to visit. After the lottery system has been completed, you can attempt to make reservations via the website for any empty tables. If you visit at a less popular time, such as a weekday, you may be lucky enough to be able to simply walk in and sit down. We were very fortunate to have that experience, but be forewarned it is rare! The experience at the cafe is mostly in Japanese as a warning to those who cannot speak it. The website and reservation system is entirely in Japanese. Be aware that you not only need your reservation number, but also a legal form of ID with a name that matches the one you used on the form (so no using fake names to reserve seats). The menu is also completely in Japanese, though in Ikebukuro they did show us a menu in which someone had hand-written an English translation over the original menu. They did a pretty good job of listing all the ingredients! They also conveniently provide an English copy of the rules sheet, though most staff speak little or no English. It's a great chance to practise your reading and speaking skills if you're studying Japanese, though! There are a few rules to keep in mind at the Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale cafe. While you are allowed to take pictures of your food and the decorations (once they are finished with the initial explanation and welcome speeches), you cannot take photos of the staff without permission. If there are cosplaying staff present, be sure to ask them as well if you want to post their picture anywhere on the internet. There is no video recording of any kind allowed. Everyone at the table must order something individually, so you cannot just share a plate with someone else. Finally, because all free gifts are random, it is okay to trade with other patrons of the cafe. However, selling the goods or harassing other customers are not allowed. And always be aware of your time limit at the table, especially, last order for food and drinks!

Final Thoughts

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" cdj_product_id="MMCC-3205" text="" url="" ]

A hero isn’t always perfect

Hitorijime My Hero Introduction and Story (Spoilers)

Hitorijime My Hero starts with Setagawa Masahiro not believing in heroes anymore. But his mindset changes when he meets Ooshiba Kousuke, who influenced him to change for the better. Fast forward to the future, Masahiro’s best friend, Ooshiba Kensuke, is panicking at the unexpected reunion with his childhood friend, Hasekura Asaya. Kensuke finds the courage to confront Hasekura, which turns out well. However, it didn’t take long for Hasekura to confess his love for Kensuke, making the black-haired boy shocked and confused. After some thinking, Kensuke realizes that he too is in love with Hasekura. The two finally get together and fade into the background of Masahiro and Kousuke’s story. Masahiro and Kousuke’s story starts with Kousuke kissing Masahiro and rejecting the boy even though Masahiro hasn’t said anything yet. Because of this incident, Masahiro begins to distance himself with Kousuke and finds himself in a tight situation when his former gang members find him. For the next few days, he goes back to being their errand boy in order to protect Kousuke from harm. Kousuke, being suspicious of what is happening, goes to Masahiro’s place to talk to him. After clearing out the misunderstanding between them, Kousuke goes out to fight the delinquents that follow Masahiro. After making it clear to his enemies that Masahiro will not go back to them, the gang members decide to leave in defeat. After this incident, the couple goes back to Masahiro’s place to reconfirm their mutual feelings. The following episodes are about their lovey-dovey life and Kensuke and Masahiro’s group of friends learning the truth about Masahiro’s relationship with Kousuke. All seem to accept their relationship, except for Shige. This creates a strain in their close relationship. Not wanting to waste their precious friendship, Masahiro decides to confront Shige and tries to make him understand his relationship with Kousuke. To answer his friend's honest feelings on the matter, Shige tells Masahiro the truth about why he disapproves of Kousuke for Masahiro. With everything out in the open, Shige apologizes to his friends and finds himself eating with Kousuke, who is also being punished by his lover. Although everything seems to be alright, Masahiro starts to get worried about his relationship with Kousuke. He is afraid that once their relationship will get found out, which could negatively affect Kousuke's chances of getting his dream job. Meanwhile, Kousuke does not care about the consequences and only wants Masahiro to be by his side. With this, the two distance themselves from each other to the point of “breaking up”. On the day they promised to watch the meteors fall, they meet up high in the mountains to sort out their feelings with each other. They finally get back together with them exchanging rings.

What We Liked About Hitorijime My Hero

Unlike other BL shows, Hitorijime My Hero doesn’t rely on fan service and focuses on the growth of its characters. One of the best things that we liked about Hitorijime My Hero is the dynamic relationship between Kousuke and Masahiro. Throughout the whole show, each of them faces the hardships of being in a homosexual relationship. It also doesn’t help that they are teacher and student, both suffering because of the age gap. In a relationship, there is no one who is above the other, and Masahiro has to learn that the hard way. Simply put, someone as amazing and cool as Kousuke, whom Masahiro looks up to like a hero, is also someone imperfect and very human. He sees that even though Kousuke is a capable adult, he makes mistakes like anyone in the world. Meanwhile, Kousuke fails to understand that Masahiro also has his own insecurities to face. Because of his upfront behavior, Masahiro gets confused most of the time. He also fails to fully understand his partner’s fear, which causes Masahiro to worry a lot. Although it took a lot of episodes to clear their misunderstandings, it is really touching to see that Kousuke and Masahiro are able to finally see each other on equal terms.

Discussion Time

If you want something that is refreshing from the BL genre, then Hitorijime My Hero is a good show to watch. The plot isn’t too heavy, but it focuses on Kousuke and Masahiro’s relationship and struggles, which is done beautifully. Some scenes and situations may be relatable to some viewers and the little touch of realistic approach towards homosexual relationships is something to see. Hitorijime My Hero also has its fluff and funny moments to balance out some of the drama. While the anime is indeed an enjoyable show to watch, it has problems when it comes to pacing and animation. Viewers may find the story too fast and confusing in the first couple of episodes while in the middle part of the show, it moves agonizingly slow. The Animation is also one thing that may irk some of the viewers. The character designs are gorgeous and stay true to the original material, but there are some parts in the show where the characters look derpy and are animated awkwardly, making their movements look unnatural.

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="B071WNTYJR" cdj_product_id="" text="" url="" ]

1. Setagawa Masahiro

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" cdj_product_id="NEODAI-29572" text="" url="" ]

Masahiro is definitely one of the reasons why you should watch the show. Out of all the characters in the anime, he is the most sensible one. It’s such an amazing contrast, that even though he has been living in such an unhealthy environment, he is still thoughtful and responsible. I mean who could not love this delinquent with a big heart? Adding to that, he is a good friend. He is very supportive of Kensuke and even cooks delicious food to his group of friends and his lover. Although Masahiro may appear weak and helpless at times, he is actually tough and capable. Overall, he is mature and not your typical uke character. He doesn’t look that handsome, but still looks manly and cute at the same time. We’re sure that you will love Masahiro since he is such an intriguing and interesting character to watch.

2. The Romance

There are two couples that are featured in the anime. The first couple is Hasekura and Kensuke. Although their story is told only at the beginning, it seems that as the show progresses, the two of them get sweeter and more adorable. If you love a forceful seme and a silly innocent uke pairing, then you will surely love their episodes. The second couple is Kousuke and Masahiro, who are the highlight of the show. Fans love this couple since everything about their relationship is mutual and very healthy, which is seldom seen in this type of genre. Nothing will happen unless Kousuke and Masahiro agree to it together. Just like any other couple, they have their ups and downs, but the way they solve their problems is something good to see. Though, admittedly, it does take time for them to talk it out. Kousuke and Masahiro’s relationship is more complex than the first couple. Their romance is more striking and entertaining to viewers.

3. Likable Characters

Although there are some moments where a few characters tend to get annoying, generally, all of them are fun and charming. Hasekura and Kensuke are good supporting characters for our main ones. Meanwhile, Kensuke and Masahiro’s group of friends are enjoyable to watch since they are the ones who usually lighten up the show. Not only that, characters that are seldom seen are appealing in some way. After all, a few of these characters are sensible enough to give advice to our main stars. All of them have their own flaws, adding a little spice to the background characters.

1. Not for Everyone

Honestly, some viewers may find the show quite unsettling. Let’s start with the first couple... As seen in the anime, Hasekura is very forceful towards Kensuke. This may trouble some viewers because Kensuke is genuinely sweet and kind, and is truly remorseful for his actions towards Hasekura back in the day. Unfortunately, Hasekura is hellbent on making Kensuke his, even if it means pressuring him to chose from his ridiculous offer: to cut ties with him again or to sleep with him. Now for the second couple, Kensuke and Masahiro. The two characters do suit each other in every possible way, however, they are teacher and student. Simply put, a relationship between a minor and an adult. It also doesn’t help that Kousuke will sometimes make some childish decisions, which confuses Masahiro from time to time.

2. Predictable

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While the show is indeed refreshing, it doesn’t really offer something new. The actions of each character are quite predictable, especially so, if you are knowledgeable about BL clichés and tropes. As usual, communication is one of the problems in the anime which makes the show very emotional in a frustrating way. Characters will take a number of episodes before they open up to each other and clear the misunderstanding between them. Viewers will find other familiar clichés like the stereotypical characters (only some), melodramatic situations, and the infuriating intense cliffhangers.

Final Thoughts

There are only a few animated BL shows out there and Hitorijime My Hero is certainly recommended if you love character-centric anime. It depicts the problems in a homosexual relationship, more so, if the two concerning parties are involved in a compromising situation. With that said, the show also has its problems. There are some things that are not fully explored like Yamabe and Natsuo. Along with that, the ending is quite anticlimactic after all that intense drama. So, have you watched Hitorijime My Hero? What do you think about the whole show? Write all your thoughts in the comment section below because we absolutely love hearing from you! Always stay tuned to Honey’s Anime! We hope to see you in the next article! Now signing off~

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" cdj_product_id="" text="" url="" ]

[en]What You Need to Know: [/en][es]Lo que necesitas saber: [/es]

• Yesterday, Home video distributor Section23 Films announced its March slate of releases which includes Sentai Filmworks’ popular shoujo anime series, CHIHAYAFURU SEASON 2. The Complete Collection will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and a Limited Edition Premium Box Set. Check out all the releases down below!

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

GIRLISH NUMBER BLU-RAY

INITIAL D LEGEND 2: RACER

MY TEEN ROMANTIC COMEDY ~ SNAFU COMPLETE BLU-RAY

CHIHAYAFURU SEASON 2

THE LIFE OF BUDORI GUSUKO BLU-RAY

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="KoeLabo Official Image" url="" ]

10. Shounen Maid

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 8" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Apr. 2016- Jul. 2016 " post_id=""]

After the death of his mother, Chihiro Komiya is taken in by a long-lost rich Uncle Madoka Takatori. Chihiro is happy to make himself useful to his new family and quickly sets about cleaning the pigsty of a mansion from top to bottom. He is determined to make for a place for himself in his uncle’s household and settles into the role of maid/elementary school student. His uncle wanted to give him something fun for Christmas, but all dear little Chihiro wanted was a new vacuum cleaner. You won’t be able to contain your own smile when you see the look on his face when he unwraps it. He foregoes video games with his friends in order to spend Christmas day cleaning. His friends even help out, hoping he’ll finish earlier so they can play. The cleaning still takes all day. We are left to believe that the moral of this story is that regardless of what you are doing on Christmas, if you’re with your friends and family and having fun, even if it is cleaning, that’s what counts.

9. School Rumble 2nd Semester (Scholl Rumble Ni Gakki)

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 19 “Here, There and Everywhere, Christmas! A Dash for Christmas! A Shattered Christmas!”" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 26 " aired=" Oct. 2004- Mar. 2005 " post_id=""]

Kenji Harmia is a thug, but at least he’s thug with a sweet spot. He has a crush on the sweetest, ditsiest high school girl there ever was named Tenma. The girl has a crush on the plainest guy on the planet, Karasuma. The story gets pretty zany from there as we follow Kenji on his quest to win the heart -- or even the notice -- of Tenma. We find that whenever big, tough Kenji gets the chance to confess his feelings something really crazy happens to get in his way. Will he ever be able to get his emotions across? The Christmas episode, like every episode of School Rumble, is a little nuts. Kenji has been squarely friend-zoned by Tenma and pours his heart and soul into a grand gesture to get her attention, a manga manuscript that will be published. The journey to get that manuscript published is a difficult one that includes a flight of mackerel missiles targeting him like in a mecha anime. The whole story wraps up with Tenma’s feelings being hurt, Kenji’s opportunity to confess gone, and a sweet, simple apology delivered while wearing a Santa suit to save their friendship. It’s an unconventional romance, but a nice one for Christmas that will make you laugh.

8. Itsudatte My Santa!

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 2" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 2 " aired=" Dec. 2005 " post_id=""]

Itsudatte My Santa! is a standalone Christmas story about a young man named Santa, who happened to be born on Christmas. The kid has problems beyond that, too. His parents have made little time for him over the years, often leaving him alone on his birthday. Santa comes to hate the holiday out of the bitterness he feels. Mai is a Santa in training, the niece of The Santa. She feels bad that none of the other Santas have done anything to rectify young Santa’s despair over the years. Mai is upset since she knows that Santa is always watching, so he had to know this kid was miserable, right? Mai is a rather precocious girl and shanghaies Santa for the evening to give him a few insights into his life. She shows him the real reason his parents are always away. She gives him a reason for his friends not inviting him to Christmas parties. Mai also resurfaces some pleasant memories of his Christmas past. The cute little Santa-in-training opens his heart and finds her way into it. The end of the episode is sweet with a promise for her to spend his next birthday with him as well.

7. The Pet Girl of Sakurasou Hall (Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo)

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 13-14" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 24 " aired=" Oct. 2012- Mar. 2013 " post_id=""]

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou Hall is a story about being average while surrounded by genius. Sakurasou Hall is the small, run-down housing unit for “special” students at a prestigious school. The rooms are filled with an assortment of best and brightest students, who are all very eccentric. The story revolves mainly around Sorata, an average guy who ends up residing there, and Mashiro, a painter with no social skills. Sorata is assigned Mashiro duty, which entails everything from making her get dressed in the morning to getting her to class. Sorata likes Mashiro; Mashiro likes Sorata, but she’s so unfamiliar with emotion she doesn’t realize it. Sorata’s best female friend, Nanami, likes him and invites him for a date on Christmas Eve. The date goes well and both Nanami and Sorata enjoy a show and dinner in a snow-filled wonderland surrounded by the lights and sounds of the season. The date is almost perfect for Nanami, and giving her the will to confess, until they find out Mashiro disappeared from a gala she was attending. The two search for Mashiro and find her barefoot and sitting in a snowy park. We don’t have a confession or a resolution at the end of the episode and Nanami is a bit depressed as she realizes the sizable task she will have in becoming first in Sorata’s heart. The entire series is good in dealing with relationships between people and this Christmas arch was no different.

6. Kimi ni Todoke

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 22" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 25 " aired=" Oct. 2009- Mar. 2010 " post_id=""]

Kronuma doesn’t have many friends and it really isn’t her fault. She just happens to look and sound like the ghost from a movie called “The Ring.” Kronuma is a sweet and timid girl and unable to stand up for herself. She dreams of having a normal life. It’s a dream embodied in her friendship with the most popular guy in class, Kazehaya. The story spans 25 episodes as we watch Kronuma learn to come out of her shell, trust others and make friends. It’s a truly gentle coming of age story. Kazehaya is hosting a Christmas party for all of their friends. Kronuma declines the invitation, though she really wishes to go, because her family has plans at home on Christmas Eve. After spending time with her parents, she begs for permission to leave and go to the party. Her mother is ecstatic and her father is a bit disappointed at having to let go of his little girl, but grants her permission to go. Unfortunately for Kronuma, the party is over before she can get there. She runs into Kazehaya on the way there and he gives her a gift after a series of cute blushing exchanges. The entire anime will put you in the mood with the romance of young love and would make a perfect Christmas Eve marathon (snuggled up with your love, of course).

5. (Tie) Nisekoi: Season 2 (Nisekoi: False Love)

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 4" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Apr. 2015- Jun. 2015 " post_id=""]

Nisekoi is the tale of two young people not in love -- or are they? Chitoge is the daughter of a mob boss and Raku is the son of Japanese crime lord. In order to prevent a mob war, the parents of this mob prince and princess announce that the couple are engaged. The two have to keep up the pretense that they are in love, despite hating each other, in order to keep the peace. We see some big changes as the series goes on when it comes to their feelings for one another. We think one of the biggest examples when it comes to Raku’s feelings is the Christmas episode. Raku knows that Chitoge has a strained relationship with her mother, a rather powerful and sometimes “scary” (Chitoge’s word, not ours) businesswoman, and wants to help mend the relationship. He knows that Chitoge wants nothing more than time with her mother, who is constantly absent from her life because of business. Raku becomes Chitoge’s mother’s assistant and works himself almost to death in order to free up time in her schedule for her daughter. He even has to go as far as confronting Hana (Chitoge’s mother) about her own feelings (a very brave task) to get her to stick around for a few hours to spend it with her daughter. The romance may not be there in this episode, but the love is. Raku understands that Chitoge is hurting because of her strained relationship with her mother and moves heaven and earth to help mend that wound. As Hana points out before boarding her flight at the end of the episode, you don’t work yourself like that for just a friend.

5. (Tie) The World God Only Knows

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 7 “Shining Star”" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Oct. 2010- Dec. 2010 " post_id=""]

The World God Only Knows is a show about a young man named Keima who is perhaps the greatest dating sim player ever. He has gone so far as to have sworn off the world of 3D girls for the 2D girls of dating sims. A young and adorable demon by the name of Elsie decides Keima is the best partner to help her catch rogue souls, those that have escaped the underworld and taken up residence in the hearts of young girls who have despair and insecurity in their hearts. His goal is to date these at-risk girls and fill them with love, expelling the rogue souls so Elsie can capture them and send them back to the underworld. Kanon is a famous pop star and part-time student at Keima’s school who has almost debilitating feelings of inadequacy. A rogue soul has taken root in her heart and is slowly turning her invisible even as her stardom sores. Keima works his way into her heart, cheering her on and cheering her up. On Christmas Eve she is to hold a big concert, the culmination of her dreams and hard work, but lets her insecurities overwhelm her and she disappears just before the start. Keima tracks Kanon down and gives her one amazing pep talk. He reminds her of all the things that make her special and that makes her fall in love with him completely. She kisses Keima and the rogue spirit leaves her body to be captured. Keima, who has sworn off 3D girls for the 2D world, even hints at the end that he might actually respect Kanon -- and even possibly like her. A rather sweet ending for a scrooge like Keima in this Christmas Eve tale.

4. Toradora

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 19 “Christmas Eve Festival”" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 25 " aired=" Oct. 2008- Mar. 2009 " post_id=""]

When you search romantic comedy + anime, Toradora makes almost every list. The lead character Ryuuji looks like a hoodlum but is sweet and gentle. Taiga, the female lead, looks like a sweet demure high school girl, and in actuality is a sometimes-violent tsundere-type character nicknamed the “palm top tiger” because her petite stature and aggressive behavior. We find looks are often deceiving, and that extends to parents and classmates. We know from the get-go that these two opposites complement each other and are destined to be together. Ryuuji and Taiga are both in love with other people and with Christmas being a romantic holiday you know things will get complicated. You also know when you are willing to blow off your big chance to confess to the girl you love to spend time cheering up a friend, you might want to reconsider who you’re in love with. We think that the prioritizing of Taiga’s feelings over his own and the way he shows up to cheer her up, in a bear costume no less, is just as much a dedication of love as any confession.

3. Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi)

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 3 “A town without me in it.”" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Jan. 2016- Mar. 2016 " post_id=""]

Satoru Fujinuma is a 29-year-old pizza delivery man/struggling manga artist trying to get his break and make ends meet. He also has a gift. He can rewind time. He calls his gift Revival. He often uses Revival to save a life by subtly altering the past, though he often only has a few minutes before the he catches up to the present. When Satoru finds a loved one murdered and the police think he did it he uses Revival to unravel truth. He does most of the investigation with his adult mind back in time in his childhood body as he relives the weeks surrounding the disappearance and murder of a female classmate named Kayo. We find that this murder mystery/science fiction anime can keep you on the edge of your seat with every episode. The show’s hallmark is suspense but a handful of scenes like this post-Christmas scene have all the holiday feels you could ask for. Satoru’s plan to save Kayo is simple, to be friends with her. He knows whoever killed her targeted her because she was always alone. Satoru realizes that there are many things you just ignore and gloss over as kids, but his adult mind sees the signs and he realizes the terrible life Kayo was living. Satoru decides that Kayo needs something nice done for her after a particularly bad day at school and convinces her to go into the mountains with him after class. He says he wants to show her a Christmas tree. The two children see a couple of red foxes and watch as the animals dance in the snow. The two end up standing at the base of a frost- filled tree, the icicles hanging down like tinsel and the bright stars in the night sky filling in the gaps between the branches appearing like Christmas lights; they innocently hold hands. We smile when he declares it a Christmas tree and she replies, “Are you stupid? It’s February.” We know they are sharing something special and innocent and isn’t that what Christmas is about?

2. Oreimo 2 : My little sister can’t be this cute (Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai)

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Season 2 Episode 14 “I can’t confess to her”" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 13 (+3 OVA’s) " aired=" Apr. 2013- Jun. 2013 " post_id=""]

My little sister can’t be this cute (or Oreimo for short) gives us many memorable moments and characters. The story includes a rather complex sibling relationship between Kyosuke (brother) and Kirino (sister) and the people in their orbit, including several love interests for Kyosuke. Kirino is an ideal student, young lady, professional model, very popular at school and a secret otaku. She also harbors some deep-seated resentment towards her brother, at least that is what we are led to believe. Kyosuke is an average student with a few friends and just goes through life not making much of an impact. Despite his sister’s open hostility, he’s a good brother and always does his best to protect her. The entire simmering pot of plot boils over in episode 14, which takes place around Christmas. Kyosuke meets Ruri, his ex-girlfriend, on a rainy night and tells her he’s in love with another girl. Ruri knows by now that other girl is his sister, Kirino. Kyosuke then spends the next day on a date in Akihabara with Kirino. The siblings spend the entire day together at cafés and shopping in anime stores. The pair decide to head home and Kyosuke decides he needs to confess something to Kirino, he has fallen in love with a girl. Kirino, upset by the news, loses her cool and storms off telling him she is leaving Japan and going to America for school. Kyosuke chases after her but loses her in the pedestrian traffic. Their friends, all former potential girlfriends for Kyosuke, show up in a minivan revealing they’d been stalking Kyosuke and Kirino’s date. The girls confront Kyosuke about his feelings for his sister and surprisingly are willing to help. Kyosuke, seeing Kirino, leaps out of the van and in a crowded street confesses his love for her at the top of his lungs. Kirino is taken by surprise by the confession, but not taken aback or disgusted. Kyosuke right then and there asks Kirino to stay in Japan and marry him. Kirino happily accepts. We know this is a weird twist on the confession, but incest aside it is a heartwarming Christmas confession of love.

1. Amagami SS

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" text="Episode 4" url="" ]

[Information episodes=" 25 " aired=" Jul. 2010- Dec. 2010 " post_id=""]

Amagami SS is a unique series in the way it follows Junichi and the women in his life. You may think harem, but it really isn’t. We get to see Junichi down several different routes after several different heroines, making each multi-episode arc a universe unto itself. Junichi is a protagonist who had his heart broken on Christmas when he was stood up. He tries to ignore girls and just focuses on his studies. Junichi then falls hard, and we mean like penny-off-the-Empire-State-Building hard, for Haruka. She’s the most popular and beautiful girl in school and Junichi proceeds to ask her out. Of course she says… no. Junichi gets to know her as a friend and continues to ask her out again and again in the most public and humiliating ways until she gives him a chance. Haruka invites him to a family gathering at Christmas at a hotel, a gathering that the rest of her family decides for one reason or another to flake out on, leaving the two of them alone in the hotel room. The girl of his dreams stands before him in front of a window with the snow gently falling outside and confesses her love to him. The scene is great for a number of reasons and it’s not just the sincerity of the confession. You feel like you got to watch the relationship mature and you are left with the feeling that the promises they make that Christmas will be kept for life.

Conclusion

10) School Rumble Ni Gakki - Episode 19

[Information episodes=" 26 " aired=" April 3, 2006 to September 25, 2006 "]

Harima has a crush on a girl named Tenma but the odds seem perpetually stacked against him. Whenever he gets a chance to confess his true feelings to her, something interferes. As if dating in high-school isn't rough enough. Luckily, he isn't too easily deterred, but the question remains - will he ever be able to get his emotions across? When Christmas rolls around, everything goes wrong for Harima, even more so than usual. A project he has poured his heart and soul into getting published is rejected, and somewhere along the way he manages to make Tenma cry. Luckily, he is able to salvage their friendship - the episode culminates in a scene that isn't exactly a love confession, but is touching nonetheless, and a bit humorous.

9) Ef: A Tale of Melodies - Episode 12

[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" October 7, 2008 - December 23, 2008 "]

This series is a sequel that begins to explore and explain the relationships between some of the background characters from the original series. It’s a drama that follows a group of young people and their separate romantic conflicts. Himura Yuu is a dedicated student, and his academic career is the main focus of his life, while Kuze Shuichii appears to be a womanizer. However, each of them meets a woman that will change everything for them, turning their respective worlds upside down. In typical Japanese Christmas spirit, the couples in the show are spending the holiday with their respective love interests. This is also the finale of the series, and is so full of emotionally charged holiday moments it is hard to choose just one. Though Kuze shares intimate moments with his love Mizuki, one of the most beautiful moments from this episode is when Yuu and his childhood love Yuko watch the sunrise together.

8) Love Hina Christmas Special: Silent Eve

[Information episodes=" 1 " aired=" December 25, 2000 "]

Almost every anime fan is familiar with the antics in the classic harem anime, Love Hina - and what harem anime is truly complete without its own Christmas episode? Protagonist Keitaro hears a rumor, that if you make a wish on Christmas, it will come true. This would seem to be the perfect time for him to confess his long-standing feelings to his crush Naru, but his poor luck persists. A series of unfortunate coincidences and drama, in typical Love Hina fashion get in the way of his endeavors, though nothing worth having comes easy. However, at the end of this episode, something unexpected happens. Naru winds up confessing her true thoughts and feelings about Keitaro, in front of everyone, on live television!

7) Kimi ni Todoke - Episode 22

[Information episodes=" 25 " aired=" October 7, 2009 - March 31, 2010 "]

Sawako is largely misunderstood by her classmates, and keeps to herself. After all, it's hard to make friends when everyone is scared of you. Kazehaya is the most popular boy in school, and has an easy time getting along with others. Against all odds, romance begins to blossom between this unlikely couple. Kazehaya has planned a Christmas party for the holiday season. However, Sawako's family wants her to spend it with them at home. Though she wants to go, she initially declines her invitation to the party. On Christmas Eve, the night of the party, Sawako realizes how important it is for her to go, and so with her parents' blessing, she decides to turn up after all. When she arrives Kazehaya gives her a gift in this adorable holiday scene.

6) Itsudatte My Santa! - Episode 2

[Information episodes=" 2 " aired=" Dec 7, 2005 "]

If you were born on Christmas, and your family named you Santa, you probably wouldn't be a big fan of the holiday season, either. Adding insult to injury, he has wound up spending every holiday by himself - not even his parents have been around to keep them company. In this universe, the role of Kris Kringle is played by magical girls, charged with delivering gifts. One of these girls, a Santa Claus-in-training named Mai, shows up on Christmas and promises to make Santa happy for a night. Eventually, she thaws his cold heart. During this time, Mai has kept a secret, however - she will be forced to leave Santa to return to her school to finish training. However, Santa tells her this doesn't change his feelings, and the couple embraces and go on one last date, before in a touching final scene, Mai bids Santa farewell for the time being.

5) Toradora! - Episode 19

[Information episodes=" 25 " aired=" October 2, 2008 to March 26, 2009 "]

Ryuuji and Taiga are total opposites. Ryuuji looks frightening, but is actually very sweet and gentle. Taiga by contrast looks sweet and demure but is actually a fiery tsundere character. When chemistry sparks between them, their differences are sure to create friction. A series of misunderstandings cause distance between the two following a Christmas Eve party. Taiga pushes Ryuuiji away from her because he has feelings for someone else, while Ryuuiji gets his heart broken by that other person. The stone cold Taiga even breaks down in tears at one point. Not all compelling romantic Christmas tales are heartwarming, and this scene is a prime example of holiday heartache.

4) Tokyo Marble Chocolate - Episode 2

[Information episodes=" 2 (OVA) " aired=" December 5, 2007 "]

Neither Yuudai nor Chizuru have had a lot of luck with romance in the past. The two have feelings for each other, but each of them has their own personal struggles that get in the way of relationships. These two are certainly romantically challenged, and at the onset of their story it looks very unlikely that things will work out for the two of them. On Christmas Day, Yuudai gets a gift for Chizuru, but instead of the rabbit he expected it to be, it's a miniature donkey. The donkey runs away, and Chizuru gives chase to it, leaving Yuudai alone. After a hectic series of coincidences that ensue, including a near death experience, Chizuru leaves Yuudai a note telling him how she feels, and he runs to reunite with her. Whether he is able to confess his feelings or not is implicit, as they unite and the credits roll, but this touching scene certainly leaves the viewer with a more optimistic outlook on the couple's future.

3) Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) - Episode 10

[Information episodes=" 13 " aired=" October 2, 2012 - December 25, 2012 "]

Shizuku and Haru both have their flaws. Shizuku is an introverted ice princess, and Haru is a well-known delinquent with a fiery temper. Neither of them are good at interacting with others, but Haru winds up falling in love with Shizuku nonetheless. The odds for these two don't look great at first, but Haru is determined to breach Shizuku's cold, hard exterior. The two wind up at a Christmas party that their friends have organized for the holidays. The party goes well, however Kenji also shows up at the party - leading to conflict, as he is also vying for Shizuku's attention. As Haru and Shizuku walk home together from the party together, he confronts her about his jealousy. Haru winds up quelling his worries, telling him that he is the one she has feelings for.

2) Maison Ikkoku - Episode 40

[Information episodes=" 88 " aired=" March 26, 1986 - March 2, 1988 "]

Godai is used to being called a failure after scoring too low on his tests to be accepted by any college. He lives in an apartment building with a colorful cast of characters who are so rowdy, he can never seem to get any studying done and his situation begins to seem hopeless. His life is further complicated when Kiyoko moves into the building. She's beautiful, very recently widowed, and his new apartment manager. Naturally, Godai falls head over heels for her, on top of all his other problems. It's Christmas Eve and the residents of Maison Ikkoku have gathered for a party. Godai is nowhere to be found, and so despite the festivities, all Kyoko can do is worry about where he is. It turns out, Godai has been out spending the night making sure he is able to give her a very special present, and even makes her a card. He finally arrives at the apartment building, only to realize he has lost his card. He steps out to find it, and she follows. The two get a moment alone so he finally delivers his gift to her. She tells him she will treasure it always, and they share a moment as the two walk back home together.

1) Amagami SS - Episode 4

[Information episodes=" 25 " aired=" July 2, 2010 - December 24, 2010 "]

This series focuses on protagonist Junichi. Two years before the series begins, he had his heart broken on Christmas, of all days. Though his heart never quite completely recovered from this trauma, he begins to develop feelings for the most popular girl at school. Does he stand a chance with the beautiful Haruka, or will he wind up spending Christmas alone again? Christmas does roll around again in Amagami SS, and Junichi boldly decides to ask Haruka out. She invites him to a Christmas gathering with her family, but one thing leads to another and the two of them wind up alone together in a hotel room instead. Haruka winds up confessing her love for Junichi and he reciprocates in one of the sweetest Christmas moments in anime out there.

Christmas is a time of year to show people you care, regardless of where you're celebrating it, whether that time is spent with family, friends, or a lover. Hopefully reading about some of these scenes helped you get into the holiday spirit, whether you have a Christmas date lined up, or if you're sipping eggnog and eating gingerbread cookies alone this year.

5. Akane x Kotarou and Tsuki ga Kirei

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[information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="12" item2="Aired" content2="Apr. 2017- Jun. 2017" ]

A romantic relationship, at least for most of us, develops very slowly especially when we don’t have a lot of experience. At some point the world decides you need to meet someone and the wheels go in motion to bring you together. A romance doesn’t have to burn with a fiery passion from the get-go and that is true of 9th graders Akane Mizuno and Kotarou Azumi. Akane is an anxiety-prone girl who tries not to let her worries overwhelm her. Kotarou is a quiet and introverted boy who does traditional dance as a member of the neighborhood association and dreams of becoming a writer. The two don’t really travel in the same circles in school yet find themselves coming together at random times. And each time they part they each have a feeling of yearning to have spent more time. The relationship develops like a lot of young love in the modern age over texting late at night in bed. We get to watch and relate as these young lovers agonize over the wording of each message as they try to say the most benign things and the most important things at the same time. We love these two because despite each of them having suitors that balance their introverted natures with the enthusiasm of an extravert, they each realize that no one can understands them like the other. The chance to take a slow look at a relationship as it develops and watch their feelings grow, get hurt, heal and be rekindled is one of the reasons we love this adorable couple. Akane and Kotarou are so careful about expressing their feelings that they can be frustrating at times but in the end, it pays off, especially in the scene after the end credits in the final episode; it will fill your heart with warmth.

4. Yamada x Shirashi from Yamada-kun to Shichinin no Majo (Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches)

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[information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="12" item2="Aired" content2="Apr. 2015- Jun. 2015" ]

We’ve all seen the story of the bad boy and the quiet girl falling in love. The tale of Yamada and Shirashi is pretty much that, with the exception of witchcraft being added to the mix. Yamada, the school tough guy, is walking on the stairs when he collides with quiet, intelligent, beautiful Shirashi and they fall down the steps and accidentally kiss. The kiss in this case isn’t the important part. The important part is Yamada and Shirashi switch bodies. A story begins where the emotional Yamada and stoic Shirashi begin investigating the supernatural phenomena at their school and discover they are the only ones with a power. We love this couple because from almost the moment they meet you can tell that they each fill a role in the other’s life. Yamada is struck by Shirashi’s stoic matter-of-fact nature and that she is not intimidated by him at all. She simply accepts him for who he is. We even get a glimpse that she likes him early on when she refuses to kiss anyone else during an experiment on her body-swapping ability. Shirashi is lonely, she lacks close friends or any intimate bond, and Yamada fills that role. You really can’t get more intimate than body swapping. We also get a sense early on that he likes her too, as one the first things he does is stick up for her when she is bullied by other girls. We like a couple that complements each other and these two definitely do. Yamada wants someone to protect and gets not only that but someone that motivates him to be more than just a tough guy. Shirashi gets someone that not only cares for her but motivates her as well by giving her someone to cheer her on and be proud of her. The story has been told before, but you can’t help but be happy for the two when they finally kiss, not just to swap bodies but for love.

3. Shirayuki x Zen from Akagami no Shirayukihime (Snow White with the Red Hair)

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[information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="12" item2="Aired" content2="Jul. 2015- Sep. 2015" ]

We’ve all seen that couple, the beautiful one, the one that makes you think they’re so gorgeous and pretty and so lovey-dovey that they make you jealous and sick to your stomach. Shirayuki and Zen are just that couple, only in anime. Shirayuki (Snow White) has apple-red hair. Her vibrant red hair is a very rare thing in the medieval world she lives in; it’s so rare that men are entranced by it to the point of wanting her as a prize. She flees from the kingdom she grew up in only to be kidnapped by a group of bandits. Shirayuki is fortunate to be rescued by Prince Zen of Clarines and his companions. Right from the beginning the sparks start to fly. Zen is head over heels for the commoner, which can cause problems later, and offers her refuge and protection in his kingdom. She begins a job as a court apothecary and the adventures and courtship begin. We can’t help but love watching Zen wrestle with his feelings for Shirayuki as he balances his responsibilities to the kingdom and his love for the truly uncommon commoner he rescued. Zen is the classic white knight always charging to the rescue yet he is always tentative when it comes to expressing his feelings for Shirayuki, even though everyone in their orbit knows exactly how they feel for each other. Shirayuki is also cautious, especially when it comes to dealing with men. She has the right to be cautious considering men have attempted to kidnap and possess her most of her life. We get to watch her overcome her insecurities and build the bonds of trust with Zen. She and Zen both realize they have to figure themselves out first and understand their own hopes and dreams before committing to each other. The story is quite sweet and you (along with the rest of the people in their orbit) often find yourself shouting JUST KISS ALREADY!

2. Moriko x Yuuta from Net-juu no Susume (Recovery of an MMO Junkie)

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" cdj_product_id="VTCL-60462" text="" url="" ]

[information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="10" item2="Aired" content2="Oct. 2017- Dec. 2017" ]

Who says love is for the young? We know there are many of us who never had that high school relationship, who never had the college one either, who just never made a connection with anyone until one day when we’ve just about given up, we find them and it changes our lives. The story of Moriko and Yuuta is just that kind of story. The 30-year-old Moriko has willfully become a NEET (Not in Employment Education or Training). She got burned out, quit her job and is now unemployed after 12 years of office work. Moriko decides to dive back into the world of MMOs she enjoyed when she was younger. She decided to join a MMO guild and make new online friends. Yuuta is an up-and-coming young man who works an office job by day and is an MMO player by night. The two meet online and decide to partner up; the catch is their avatars’ genders are the reverse of the players. A wonderful romantic comedy begins as the two fall in love online. The only question is will that translate to a real-world romance? Moriko and Yuuta are an adorable couple and begin in the best way possible: they talk. They become friends online, they don’t know if the person on the other end is male or female, gay or straight, married or single, a student or pensioner, they just know that the burden of life feels easier when they have the chance to talk. We watch the relationship grow beyond the game and that makes us feel wonderful. We get joy from watching Moriko realize that she is in love and not understanding what exactly to do with the feelings she has. Then we become overjoyed when we see her happiness fulfilled. We think in a world of anime that is dominated by overpowered high school teens it is quite refreshing to see a couple of adults find love.

1. Tohru x Kobayashi x Kanna Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid)

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[information_general item1 = "Episodes" content1="13" item2="Aired" content2="Jan. 2017- Apr. 2017" ]

The tale of two dragons and an office worker living in an apartment in Tokyo where one of the dragons is a maid and the other is an elementary schooler is the kind of thing you’d only see in anime and manga. Kobayashi is an office worker that goes out drinking one night and on the way home stumbles across a wounded dragon in the woods. She saves the dragon’s life and the next day answers the door of her apartment to see the dragon standing there and transforming into a young woman. The dragon, Tooru, announces that she will repay Kobayashi by becoming her maid. We also find out that Tooru is in love with Kobayashi, though the plan-spoken office worker doesn’t seem intent on returning her romantic feelings. The two are eventually joined by Kanna, a dragon child, whom the two take care of as if they were her mothers. The story is absolutely sweet as we watch the three form the bonds of family in a world that may not understand their genuine love for each other. You don’t need to look further than the fourth episode of the series, titled Kanna Goes to School, to understand all the warm and fuzzies it has to offer. The story details Kanna’s jealousy of the other elementary aged kids; she wants to go to school. She goes shopping with Tooru and Kobayashi and like any elementary student is excited to get school supplies. You smile as Kobayashi notices that the little dragon wants a cute pen and notebook but is afraid to ask for it only to be indulged by her surrogate mother. We are treated to Kanna playing and getting to know the human world better after a rainy day and Kobayashi and Tooru just smiling and watching like the loving parents they are. The idea that we can love each other whether male or female, dragon or human is the moral of this story. The relationship is filled with so much love and cuteness it has to the be the cutest anime relationship in recent years.

Final Thoughts

With the holidays coming up and New Year’s right around the corner, I thought we could celebrate in our own way with my top 5 cutest anime relationships. From the relationships that couldn’t be, to the relationships that are, loved lost to love acquired.

Most anime have some sort of relationship factor to the stories they hold, but these are the ones that just really stuck out and pulled on my heart strings. Especially when it comes to the romance category of anime, I’m a hard customer, so these are the relationships that legitimately made me go “awwwww.”

5. Kazuto Kirigaya ♥ Asuna Yuuki – Sword Art Online

These two are adorable. Not just in the sense of young love, but in the sense of what traumatic times can do to pull people together. Possibly the most famous anime relationship, I’d be remiss to leave this adorable couple out.

They meet inside of a game they’ve been trapped in. Kazuto under the pseudonym Kirito and Asuna using her real name in the game, they meet when forming a raid for the first stages boss. After defeating the boss they split ways and go on their own, Asuna joins the most prestigious guild to take up inhabitance in the game and Kirito going on his own. Through joining forces to face the front line bosses, they continually see each other. One time she catches Kirito lounging about during a planning session and he convinces her to lie down and relax for once as well.

Eventually Kirito finds a rare ingredient for food and the two get together for dinner. The relationship truly starts to blossom here, developing more and more throughout SAO until it’s just painfully obvious they’re meant for each other. You find yourself enthralled with their story and filled with the desire for nothing more than to see their happily ever after.

4. Taiga Aisaka ♥ Ryuuji Takasu – Toradora!

Taiga is a tsundere, one who can’t correctly show her true emotions. This is a show that begins with a delinquent looking gentleman; he really is a teddy bear, and a ferocious tiny little thing. They both have crushes on other people and decide to help each other out. They soon learn that Taiga lives right next door to Ryuuji, and their planning begins.

Toradora! is an adventure throughout, where you find yourself rooting for both of them to end up with the person they want until eventually, you realize they need to be together. They fall in love (finally!) and then try to come to terms with their emotions. This is one of the sweetest relationships I have seen, with actual issues that normal couples work through and it shows the phases of problems to resolutions. All in all, this anime really pulled at my heart strings and made me invest more than just my time watching it.

3. Shouko Sashinami ♥ Haruto Tokishima – Valvrave the Liberator (Kakumeiki Valvrave)

This anime isn’t as heavily invested in the romance as others, and at the same time it is. It’s not an in your face romance, it’s subtle until the time comes for it to be direct. It’s incredibly well done in this respect, because Valvarave is more of an action anime.

Shouko and Haruto start off with their own little seeds of romance when the show begins. When Haruto gains the ability to pilot a Valvarave, the relationship blossoms more. When it’s shown that he’s become immortal because of this, she betrays him by selling him out to the enemy they’d spent months fighting. Oh that moment in time stings, the pain in his eyes, you can almost feel it yourself.

He still loved her, even after that. That was something special to me, to be able to move past a betrayal of that magnitude. She realizes her mistake, and he forgives her for everything. That was quite possibly the most heartwarming moment in the entire series, especially knowing what’s going to happen to Haruto in the end (but I won’t ruin that surprise for you!).

2. Kousei Arima ♥ Kaori Miyazono – Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)

This is a brand new anime, one that features a boy that has essentially been broken. His name is Kousei Arima, a pianist prodigy from when he was a child. His mother died two years prior to the start of the anime, leaving him with more scars than good memories and the inability to hear his playing anymore. He has completely given up on the piano, refusing to enter any more competitions.

Kaori Miyazono comes along, a girl who likes his best friend. He meets her by way of music; he hears her playing with some kids trying to attract doves to their park. After a misunderstanding, she brings him and the rest of his friends (including his best friend and his longtime friend Tsubaki Sawabe) to her violin recital. It’s here that he finds meaning in the music again, with Kaori playing not from the sheet music, but playing the song in her own fashion.

This is a relationship that’s still growing, with the anime only up to episode 11 thus far, so I’m not going to reveal any spoilers to you. However, I can already feel the relationship happening, I can feel the happiness this brings me and I can’t wait for the entirety of the season to come full swing. This is a show that has you upbeat the entire time, with moments of foreshadowing that leaves you with a sense of dread. Over all, this is my second favorite relationship.

1. Banri Tada ♥ Kouko Kaga – Golden Time

This relationship is my favorite overall. Starting with Banri helping Kouko get over her newly recent ex, and progressing to show their love for one another.

This is an anime begins with the explanation that Banri Tada has lost his memory. Before he moved to Tokyo to go to a private law school he was in an accident, it’s later found he was on a bridge waiting for his friend Nana Hayashida to confess his love to her when a car drove by and clipped him, pushing him off the bridge into the shallow waters below. Nana cannot stand that her best friend is gone and decides to let him forget about her and his love for her.

Upon arriving at Tokyo he meets Mitsuo Yanagisawa and his soon to be ex, Kouko Kaga. She appears crazy at first, quite possibly up to stalker standards, especially when Mitsuo breaks up with her. This prompts the sympathetic Banri into helping her get over him. Eventually they end up together in one of the best relationships I’ve seen come from any anime. If I say any more it’ll ruin the show, so I’ll refrain, but know that your heart strings will be pulled, twisted and strained throughout the course of their relationship.

10. Yamada x Kosuda from B Gata H Kei (Yamada’s First Time)

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[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Apr 2010 to Jun 2010 " post_id=""]

She’s a gorgeous freshman who’s on a mission; have sex with one hundred guys before she graduates high school. Yamada schooled herself in the art of man pleasing and is ready for some action. If only she can get through her first. Yamada chooses cherry boy Kosuda to be the first guy she sleeps with. But building up the courage to have sex has proven to be quite the obstacle. Will Yamada complete her goal? It’s Christmas Eve, aka date night in Japan. Yamada and Kosuda managed to go on a date together. While Kosuda is trying to figure out what to do next, Yamada is trying to book a night at a love hotel. The two walk through a love hotel district, and a makeout park, but the mood was awkward. Finally, Kosuda decides to kiss Yamada, but freezes in the process. After an awkward pause, Yamada slams her face into Kosuda to force a kiss. It hurt her forehead, but at least she managed to slip in a french kiss.

9. Ryouta x Himiko from BTOOOM!

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[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Oct 2012 to Dec 2012 " post_id=""]

Ryouta is your typical NEET. No job, not in school, and rude to his mother. The only thing Ryouta is good at is being one of the top BTOOOM players in Japan. He even has an online wife. One day, Ryouta is knocked out and taken to an island, along with eight other people. Equipped with bombs and a green gem implanted in his hand, Ryouta is forced to participate in a battle royale in order to escape the island. What’s worse is that he’s competing with eight angry, insane, and mentally broken people. It is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The time when Ryouta and Himiko realize that they’re already married in the game. With episode 12, Himiko decides to give up her gem in order for Ryouta to escape the island. But Ryouta rejects her offer right away and tells Himiko that he loves her. Himiko cries and the two share a passionate kiss...followed by a cliffhanger caption that says “Continue the Game: Yes or No?”. If we do get a season two, we’d love to see more romantic moments like this.

8. Shirayuki x Zen from Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (Snow White with the Red Hair

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[Information episodes=" 24 " aired=" Jul 2015 to March 2016 " post_id=""]

Shirayuki is an independent woman who works as an herbalist. One day, Prince Raj kidnaps Shirayuki and forces her to become his concubine. Luckily, Prince Zen from the neighboring kingdom, comes to rescue Shirayuki. The two fall in love, but a common herbalist can’t be with a prince, right? At this point in the series, Shirayuki and Zen have admitted to wanting to be by each other’s side forever. They’ve held hands, hugged, and shared stories of their pasts. All we need is a kiss to seal the deal. But Shirayuki gets nervous and doesn’t want to rush things. Zen understands, but can’t help himself and kisses Shirayuki. Shirayuki faints at the sudden gesture. Being the charming prince that he is, Zen carries her bridal style all the way to her room.

7. Gouda x Kamine from Tsurezure Children (Tsuredure Children)

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[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Jul 2017 to Sept 2017 " post_id=""]

Several couples, several stories. We follow the romantic tales between all sorts of couples in high school. Some are trying to confess, while others are in love. But they all have one thing in common; it’s their first relationship. There are all sorts of kiss scenes throughout Tsuredure Children. We’ve decided to choose Gouda and Kamine’s first kiss for being the cutest. Kamine is a sweet girl who wants to do more couple-like things with her boyfriend, Gouda. Gouda is absolutely clueless when it comes to romance. Kamine admits that she wants to be more intimate with him, so Gouda immediately kisses her. It was so sudden that Kamine blushes and chokes. Feeling embarrassed, Kamine kisses Gouda again, and the two share a magical moment together.

6. Risa x Otani from Lovely Complex

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[Information episodes=" 24 " aired=" Apr 2007 to Sept 2007 " post_id=""]

Risa is 172 cm tall while Otani is 156 cm. The two are always arguing about something, to the point where the class calls them a comedy duo. From their disputes, an unlikely friendship is born. Or maybe something more? Risa and Otani have shared a few kisses throughout the series. We’ve decided to choose episode 18’s kiss scene for being the most romantic. It’s Risa’s birthday, so her friends and her go to the school rooftop to enjoy the fireworks. Otani shows up late, and tells Risa to meet him at a corner so her friends wouldn’t see them. Otani gives Risa a necklace with a cute bunny on it. Then, Otani kisses Risa while her friends are distracted by the fireworks. Risa gets flustered, so Otani kisses her again as the fireworks shine.

5. Victor x Yuri from Yuri On Ice!!!

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[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Oct 2016 to Dec 2016 " post_id=""]

Yuri Katsuki lost a major figure skating tournament, and decided to retire. But after a figure skating practice video of him goes viral, Yuri has caught the attention of the champion; Victor Nikiforov. Victor chooses to take a break from figure skating to help Yuri become the next champion. But with the rise of the junior champion, Yuri Plisetsky making his senior debut, can Yuri Katsuki even pass the first round? At this point in the series, it is apparent that a romance is blooming between Victor and Yuri. Ignoring Victor’s flirtatious personality, we can tell that he genuinely cares for Yuri. Plus Yuri admitted at a press conference that he wants his performance to be a love confession to Victor. In episode 7, Yuri lands all of his jumps and adds a few new moves as well. The crowd cheers at Yuri’s new personal best score. Victor, he runs up to Yuri and kisses him. The crowd cheers even more and tosses roses at them.

4. Takeo x Yamato from Ore Monogatari (My Love Story)

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[Information episodes=" 24 " aired=" Apr 2015 to Sept 2015 " post_id=""]

Takeo is a hopeless romantic, but all of his crushes fall for his good looking best friend. While on the train, Takeo spots a pervert groping a high school girl. He calls out the pervert and forces him to leave. The girl turns around to thank him, and in that moment, Takeo falls in love. We were curious as to how Takeo and Yamato’s first kiss would look like. Since Yamato is so tiny and Takeo is huge, we just couldn’t picture it looking romantic. In episode 18, we were proven wrong! While Takeo is asleep, Yamato quickly kisses him before leaving. Takeo wakes up shortly after, and runs through the snow to Yamato’s house. He asks if he can kiss her properly and Yamato nods. Takeo bends down to kiss her. They blush and hug each other as the snow continues to fall.

3. Ikki x Stella from Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

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[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Oct 2015 to Dec 2015 " post_id=""]

Ikki is considered to be the worst mage at Hagun Academy. While moving into his dorm, he opens the door to Stella Vermillion changing. Not only was he assigned to dorm with a girl, but the strongest mage in the academy as well. They don’t get along at first, but Stella agrees to help Ikki become better at magecraft. For this series, we’ve decided to choose Ikki and Stella’s final kiss scene in episode 12. It is a hard journey for Ikki. He is kidnapped and tortured, then escapes, only to nearly die while fighting Touka at the school tournament. But after coming out victorious, Stella runs to Ikki and hugs him. Before Stella takes him to the hospital, Ikki asks Stella to become a part of his family. Stella cries and says “Yes, make me your bride!” The crowd goes wild at the sudden proposal, while Ikki and Stella embrace each other into a kiss.

2. Issei x Rias from High School DxD BorN

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[Information episodes=" 12 " aired=" Apr 2015 to Jun 2015 " post_id=""]

Oppai enthusiast, Issei Hyoudo is back at it again. Rias decides to use their summer vacation as a training camp to strengthen her team. There, Koneko is forced to face her treacherous past. Making matters worse, the mischievous God Loki, rallies up a team to defeat the Red Dragon Emperor once and for all. After a long and difficult battle, Issei and Rias are suddenly transported to a beach with a beautiful sunset. Rias admits to Issei that she was jealous at all the attention he gets from the girls at the Occult Research Club. She was afraid that Issei didn’t care about her anymore. But when Rias saw how hard he fought for her, Rias realized that there was nothing to worry about. Issei goes up to Rias and says “Let’s go home, Rias.” For the first time, Issei calls Rias by her name instead of “President”. The two lean in and share a romantic kiss.

1. Kurisu x Okabe from Steins;Gate

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[Information episodes=" 24 " aired=" Apr 2011 to Sept 2011 " post_id=""]

Okabe is a crazy mad scientist, inventing futuristic gadgets, and making scientific breakthroughs...at least in his mind. In actuality, Okabe and his friends work at an apartment in Akihabara, trying to invent the next big thing. One day, Okabe’s invention works, but leads to some strange events. The phone microwave can send emails back in time, but these emails drastically change history. A unique must watch sci-fi thriller, Steins;Gate is a non-stop race against time. Okabe has a serious chat with Kurisu. He feels tired and broken, and explains to her all that he’d done to prevent Mayuri’s death. Kurisu calms him down, but Okabe says that he doesn’t want to abandon the person he cares about most. Kurisu blushes, and Okabe says that he loves her. He wants to know how Kurisu feels, so she tells him to close his eyes. When he does, Kurisu pulls him in for a kiss. When they separated, Kurisu says that she didn’t want to do that, but Okabe says that he doesn’t want to forget this moment. So he grabs Kurisu and kisses her again. Who knew Okabe was such a sly dog?

Final Thoughts

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There we go! It was not an easy task to decide which kiss deserved the number 1 spot, but I am really sure Toradora! sits really good up there as number 1. Of course, it was really tough to decide a so called “winner,” but as we all know, there are so many other great anime out there with great kisses. I hope you guys liked it?! Be sure to let us know in the comments what anime kiss scene you like the most.

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• This is incredibly exciting news for fans of the popular Eromanga Sensei, as today Aniplex of America officially announced the Blu-Ray release date for Volume 1 on June 12th, and Volume 2 for August 14th! Pre-orders officially kick off today so be sure to put your money down if you're interested!
• Aniplex of America also revealed that the Blu-ray releases will include a bevy of bonus contents including textless openings and endings, trailers, commercials and web previews.
• Aniplex of America will also be hosting a special Eromanga Sensei Panel at Kawaii Kon on March 3rd, featuring special guests Director Ryohei Takeshita and the series’ lead voice actress Akane Fujita. Among other giveaways, those attending the panel will also receive the iconic Meruru mask, often seen on the main character, Sagiri, within the series. For more details be sure to check out the official website!

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

About Eromanga Sensei

Eromanga Sensei Blu-ray Volume 1

Blu-Ray Features

Bonus Contents

Eromanga Sensei Blu-ray Volume 2

Blu-Ray Features

Bonus Contents

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• The streamline of Aniplex news continues to spew out from our press HQ, and this time we have an announcement for you Oreimo fans out there. The team announced today that both Oreimo and Oreimo 2 will be coming to Blu-ray for the first time.
• Both seasons of the beloved, fan-favorite sibling romantic comedy will be released on 2 Blu-ray Box Sets this year, giving fans the first chance to own the complete series on Blu-ray. Aside from episodes #1-12, the Oreimo Complete Blu-ray Box Set will include the 4 OVA episodes, including episode #12.5 TRUE ROUTE. The Oreimo 2 Complete Blu-ray Box Set will include all 13 episodes of the second season, the 3 OVA episodes, and the “Gal-ge” short movies. Both Blu-ray Box Sets will come with special illustration cards and a package designed by Original Illustrator Kanzakihiro. Oreimo 1 will be released on May 29, 2018, and Oreimo 2 will be released August 21, 2018. Preorders begin on March 2.
• For those wondering, Oreimo made waves in the otaku community with its endearing portrayal of the otaku lifestyle told by an ensemble of hilarious yet relatable characters. The series inspired its own manga, drama CDs, multiple video games with alternate endings, and even a partnership with Chiba Urban Monorail that decked out a Japanese monorail in full fanfare to promote the second season. Oreimo received the highly-anticipated anime adaptation in October 2010 and after overwhelming demand, a second season was greenlit, and the second season, Oreimo 2 began airing April 2013. If you'd like more details then be sure to check out the official website!

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Releases

About Oreimo

Oreimo Complete Blu-ray Box Set

Blu-Ray Features

Bonus Contents

Oreimo 2 Complete Blu-ray Box Set

Blu-Ray Features

Bonus Contents

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• Sentai Filmworks announced today it acquired all distribution rights to the romantic comedy Real Girl for the Spring 2018 Simulcast season in the following territories: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Nordics, Spain, Portugal and Central & South America.
• Real Girl is being produced by Hoods Entertainment (Mysterious Girlfriend X, Fantasista Doll) and will be directed by Takashi Naoya (Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, Luck & Logic) with series composition from Deko Akao (Anonymous Noise, Noragami). The series will soon be available to stream on select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.
• The character-driven story follows the reclusive Hikari Tsutsui as he accidentally falls in love with the popular Iroha Igarashi, despite his aversion to real-world girls. The couple begins to develop a close bond neither expected which challenges their preconceived notions of who people truly are.

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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• VIZ Media is happy to bring rom-com fans a new treat, starting with the acquistion of romantic-comedy series KENKA BANCHO OTOME: LOVE'S BATTLE ROYALE on April 3rd.
• It features story and artwork by creator Chie Shimada and is based on an original concept by Spike Chunsoft. Volume 1 carries a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. KENKA BANCHO OTOME: LOVE'S BATTLE ROYALE is also available digitally via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores. The final volume of the two-volume series will be released later this year.

Hinako thought she didn't have any family, but on the day that she starts high school, her twin brother Hikaru suddenly appears and tricks her into taking his place. But the new school Hinako attends instead is beyond unusual. Now she must fight her way to the top of Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents!

VIZ Media

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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• The hard working team at Sentai Filmworks announced earlier today that they've acquired full rights to Tada Never Falls in Love for North America, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal and Latin America. The 12-episode original series by Doga Kobo (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Himouto! Umaru-chan) explores the wonder of adolescence through the eyes of Tada, a thoughtful teen who finds beauty through his camera lens but has never fallen in love.
• The original anime will be directed by Mitsue Yamazaki (Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East) with series composition from Yoshiko Nakamura (Kabukibu!) and character designs by Junichiro Taniguchi (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun).
• One serendipitous day, Tada is taking pictures of cherry blossoms and unexpectedly meets Teresa, a transfer student from Luxembourg. Tada helps Teresa as she gets separated from her group and takes her to his grandfather's coffee shop. As Tada and Teresa’s friendship begins to blossom, Tada starts to question his feelings.

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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• HIDIVE brings a coming-of-age romance to the Spring 2018 simulcast season with its acquisition of Tada Never Falls In Love, streaming every Thursday at 13:30 UTC starting on April 5, 2018 in the following territories North America, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal and Latin America!
• An original anime that is being helmed by the studio Doga Kobo (Himouto! Umaru-chan, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun), Tada Never Falls In Love highlights the comedic timing of a boy who’s coming to terms with growing up and realizing first love doesn't always go as planned.

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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• HIDIVE announced today that it acquired the streaming rights to the cult classic, Glass Mask 1984. Episodes will begin streaming every Monday starting on May 28, 2018 at 12 p.m. CDT for the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America.
• No one said being a glamorous movie star was going to be easy. Luckily for Maya, she has the talent and dedication to help her achieve her goals of stardom. Encouraged by her mentor, a reclusive actress named Tsukikage, a mysterious admirer who leaves Maya purple roses and even a beautiful and talented rival, Ayumi, Maya begins to finetune her skills to captivate her audience. But will that be enough to turn her dreams into reality?

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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• Sentai Filmworks today announced it acquired exclusive distribution rights to the acclaimed anime series, Scum’s Wish, for home video and electronic sell-through in for USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Adapted from the manga by Mengo Yokoyari, serialized in Square Enix's Big Gangan, the 12-episode series’ striking visuals, courtesy of Lerche (Monster Musume, School-Live!), envelope the story of young lovers who each ache for the unattainable, unreciprocated love of another.
• At first glance, high school sweethearts Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya appear to have the perfect relationship and while the two enjoy each other’s physical companionship, they are merely using each other to feel anything other than pain as both Hanabi and Mugi are in love with other people. As this tangled web of emotions continues to ensnare others, viewers are exposed to the painful side of love, making this series often difficult to watch yet impossible to look away.

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release

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• HIDIVE announced today that it acquired exclusive streaming rights to the Anonymous Noise English-language dub, premiering on June 8, 2018, with weekly episodes released every Friday at 12:00 p.m. CDT. HIDIVE will offer the English-language dubbed version of the series to subscribers in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other select territories.
• As children, Momo taught Nino the joy of singing from her heart. When Momo suddenly moved away, Nino found herself lost, until she met Yuzu. He shared his musical gifts with her until he suddenly vanished, too, leaving nothing but the memory of his music. Before disappearing, Momo and Yuzu said the same thing- that she promises to keep singing because that was how they’d find her. As the trio starts high school, their paths cross again. And while Nino has kept her promise, Momo and Yuzu are marching to the beat of their own drum.

[en]Source: [/en][es]Fuente: [/es]Official Press Release