Maybe you have plans – the same old tired activities and gifts that droves of lemming-like couples surge toward. Fancy dinners. Candlelight. Baby's breath. Terribly tacky jewelry (e.g., anything shaped as a heart or the god-awful PANDORA bracelet). The latest brain-dead “rom-com”. Maybe a terribly clichéd marriage proposal with a ring hidden in a hackneyed location.
Why not break out of said doldrums with something fresh and new? Why not (wait for it) . . . treat your loved one to some anime?! Anime has much more to offer than super-powered protagonists, technological mecha marvels, and fan service. Love and relationships play central roles in any number of shows. So in honor of this most gag-worthy holiday, here are some anime selections that might help you entertain your partner, lead to some bonding, give you a good chuckle, or lead to desperate hand-holding in response to unbearable suspense!
If you like your love stories melancholy, achingly beautiful and unfulfilled, try Five Centimeters Per Second.
This film is a visual feast – but avoid if too cynical or if you have a low tolerance for sentimentality.
Maybe you want a burgeoning romance and remembrances of first love. If you prefer your teenage romance mixed with giant mecha, science fiction and a world in peril (and you don’t mind spending 26 to 50 episodes for the complete story), crack open disk one of either RahXephon or Eureka Seven.
Both boast excellent animation, heartfelt performances, intense character development, and admirable soundtracks.
Perhaps science fiction and battles aren't something you want in a coming-of-age romance; in that case, you should tune your home viewing system to BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad.Easily one of my favorite anime ever – and you get two loves for the price of one! Our protagonist, Koyuki, not only falls in love for the first time, but discovers a love of (and talent for) music. Seeing his love of guitar awaken as he comes to terms with his first semi-adult relationship is well worth the 26-episode duration (and in the end, you just wish for additional episodes). And the English-language dub is excellent.
OK, perhaps melancholy romance, pre-potential apocalypse tales o’ love, or earnest teenage tales of love and music aren’t really your speed. You say: “I need my romance with humor!” In that case, one of my other favorite anime series may just be for you . . . Full Metal Panic!
FMP! does have plenty of drama (our male lead was a child mercenary, later recruited into an international, covert, anti-terrorism military outfit), and does involve science fiction (our female lead and love interest appears to have some very special genes that makes her a target of some dark forces) – but the show manages a rare feat. A nearly perfect blend of action, drama and comedy. Sousuke (male lead) is sent undercover to a Japanese high school to protect Kaname Chidori (female lead); as he has never had a normal childhood and is, at heart, a super soldier, his efforts to blend in are woefully inadequate and his efforts to tail Chidori unnoticed are, to say the least, ineffectual. And, as they say, hilarity ensues (and so does genuine emotion and, eventually, sexual tension). As you can see from the screen shot, she occasionally gets - shall we say "annoyed"? - with Sousuke and his lack of subtelty in bodyguarding. And for those of you who don’t want romance as a central theme (but are still stuck taking out that special someone), perhaps a horror anime would fill your needs. You can watch something likely to drive your significant other into your arms for comfort and protection, and STILL be entertained!
If you still want a touch of romance, try Blood + (the anime series, not the classic anime film).
A beautiful vampire, a loyal chevalier, gorgeous music, blood and gore. What’s not to love? But maybe your significant other needs sterner stuff in order to be driven into your waiting arms. In that case, you can sample a show that does not include romance but should be enough to freak almost anyone out. When They Cry.
They may start out cute enough. . . .
But things ALWAYS take a demented turn before too long.Creepy pre-teens (or maybe tween), horrifically graphic demises, characters dropping off like flies. It is enough to give you nightmares. In which case neither of you will be sleeping tonight. Which, after all, seems to be most people’s end game on Valentine’s Day anyway.
