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RE: Nisekoi and The Nature of Harem Romantic Comedies
I confess I hate RomComs. And I’ve watched just a few anime in my time (sons share now and then). However, your analysis is fun to read regardless 😉. It’s a sign of a good writer when one can read about a topic not really interesting to her, but find the reading interesting anyway. Thanks for being a good writer 🎉
Thanks for being kind!
Now I'm curious though, why do you hate RomComs? And in general, anime RomComs and western RomComs are... very different.
By the by, if you want anime recommendations that fit an adult, feel free to ask. I'd recommend giving PlanetES a try. It's a drama. The recent Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is also a good fit. Even just watching the 1 hour special would be a joy. It's about a specific Japanese performance art, and well, also a drama. The first episode has a 10 minute long in-show performance that has you captivated and laughing by the time it ends.
I would love some recommendations to watch with the kids. I mean, they're 15 and 18 so adult recommendations are okay for them too. I'm going to bring these up this weekend.
As for the RomComs, my experience of them (admittedly Western Hollywood drivel) is so formulaic, predictable, and shallow I just can't stand them. Boy and girl meet. Boy is cad. Girl hates cad boy. Somehow girl discovers heart of gold is hidden under many many layers of obnoxious, uncouth, vulgar, misogynistic behavior and for whatever masochistic reason, she falls in love with boy, who agrees to kind of clean up his act maybe a little because he of course is also in love with her.
Also, "funny" things happen, all related to the aforementioned obnoxious, uncouth, vulgar, misogynistic behavior that I just don't find funny.
But as you say, this is not necessarily what anime RomComs offer lol. I admit I assumed the word was being applied because these anime were "like" my experience of RomComs. Forgive the cultural egocentricism of the US born and raised ;)
Actually, what you don't like about RomComs is exactly the way "Shoujo" (aimed at girls) RomCom in anime are. The "Shounen" (aimed at boys) RomCom anime are mostly harems... But there are some good ones in each genre, even so.
I'll give some recs, but if you want more personalized ones, hit me up on Discord with what anime your children like, and shows you like.
But, check out this post I made on this exact topic recently. Now, anime has "fanservice," like seeing women half dressed with their breasts jiggling. Even if the shows are good, it can be quite uncomfortable for some people to watch, especially with their children or parents. So you might want to avoid Gurren Lagann and Code Geass in the above list. Shigofumi also deals with a lot of tough and uncomfortable subjects.
I would recommend starting with Steins;Gate and PlanetES from the list. The former is a sci-fi thriller and the latter a drama. Wait, I already recommended PlanetES to you. A couple of other shows that you may all like are Princess Tutu, which is actually as deep a show as you want to think about, and Ping Pong the Animation, that is directed by an auteur, has a unique look, and is quite great.
I'll check into Pin Pong and see if the boys have watched it yet. They are very into the art styles of the different series so that may be a great start, thanks!