We So Won In This QNA Harukawa And Asagiri Did

that one ouma sprite

#get a man that match your freak

The difference in their dynamics is hilarious to me

I’m back tumblr !!

I have come to the realization that I don’t need another account to post separate stuff (I am still new to tumblr ;-;)

Both of them are stuck in my head (old niyaka/ayanilou sketch)

Still can't get over the fact that sskk spend time thinking about how the other dresses

Filipino Miku!

Nacromancy for who?

Romance Anime Starter List

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick and tired of seeing “Top ___ Best Anime of All Time” lists that are nothing but shounen. So, with "My Happy Marriage" getting a little attention from the anime community, I wanted to put together a list of some romance anime that I consider good “starters” for the genre. Because if I were just now becoming an anime fan, I’d think all there was to offer was shounen action series.

And by “starters” I mean basic stuff that’s not too…out there, and actually involves the characters getting together instead of just harems or using romance as a side plot (sorry Ouran High School Host Club and My Next Life as a Villainess). 

So if you’re new to anime and want stuff that’s not just guys beating the shit out of each other (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong), here are some basics.

Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale- When the pessimistic Tamahiko Shima loses all function in his right arm, his family sends him away to live in the mountains with the cheerful, hard working Yuzuki Tachibana…who was purchased by the Shima family to pay off her family’s debts and basically act as a caretaker/future bride for Tamahiko so they’d never have to deal with him again. It’s a more cheerful version of My Happy Marriage (without the supernatural stuff), except in this one, the guy is the one who has massive self-esteem issues and an abusive family. There are still very serious themes, but ultimately it’s not meant to make you cry every episode. I swear it’s so good, but nobody watched it!

Horimiya- A slice of life in which pretty and popular high school queen bee Hori, finds out her quiet, unassuming classmate Miyamura is hiding piercings and tattoos that could get him expelled. The two gradually find out more about each other and get together in the most realistic way I’ve seen depicted in an anime. It’s also fucking hysterical and genuinely emotional.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie- Another slice of life that focuses on two adults who meet in an MMO game without realizing they also know each other in real life. I don’t want to say much more than that. It’s adorable, and the main character is so relatable it hurts.

Love with Yamada-kun at Level 999- Speaking of MMOs, this is a newer series about Akane Kinoshita, a college first year who’s reeling from a bad break up. In an attempt to get back at her ex, she winds up meeting Akito Yamada, a popular gamer who happens to be in her guild in the MMO they both play at an IRL meetup. The two go from acquaintances to something more as they keep running into each other. Even more relatable main characters and just wholesome relationships all around.

Snow White With The Red Hair- A fantasy in which an apothecary named Shirayuki (meaning, you guessed it, “snow white”) runs away from her home in order to escape becoming the concubine of her town’s prince. While fleeing, she is rescued by Zen, the prince of a neighboring country, and she ends up becoming an herbalist to repay him. It's super cute with some genuinely swoon worthy moments and a couple that just works so well together. I have a habit of comparing this to Akatsuki no Yona, even though the two aren’t really that alike. This is more romance driven while Akatsuki no Yona is more of a serious historical fantasy with romance elements (Yona manga is amazing, but the anime barely scratches the surface, so that’s why I didn’t include it).

Sasaki to Miyano- When the shy, easily flustered Miyano meets Sasaki, a cool “delinquent” upperclassmen, the two end up bonding over manga…specifically BL manga. That’s right, Miyano is a fudanshi, but due to his small stature and somewhat feminine appearance, he’s constantly trying to convince others that he’s not interested in having his own love story where he’d be reduced to a stereotypical doe-eyed uke. But as Sasaki and Miyano spend more time together, they realize that what they have is more than friendship, and they have to come to terms with their own perception of gay relationships. This is my favorite romance of all time. It’s a slow burn, but boy is it worth it. Their relationship is so natural and realistic, just like Horimiya. Just two people hanging out and bonding over things the way people do in real life!

Given: The story of some boys in a band with trauma. Enough said. It's great. Go watch it.

Bloom Into You- Yuu Koito is a high school girl who’s been waiting her whole life for her own perfect romance to start…but when she receives a confession, she realizes she doesn’t know how to respond when she’s just not into the guy. And then she gets another confession…this time from the cool student council president Touko Nanami, who basically jumpstarts her lesbian awakening. Very cute story about how we perceive the concept of love vs actually feeling it. Also has a canonically aro/ace side character, so that’s a win for me. Another show like this is Adachi to Shimamura (but I honestly don’t remember much about it. It just didn’t stick with me as much).

Ore Monogatari- Takeo Gouda is a tall, bulky high school first year with a sensitive heart of gold. He wants nothing more than to find his own true love, but most girls are intimidated by his enormous stature, and they end up falling for his conventionally attractive friend instead. That is, until he meets the tiny, adorable Rinko Yamato. He falls in love instantly, but he’s sure she’s interested in his best friend like everyone else, so he vows to help get them together, even though his heart is breaking. Peak himbo behavior. Pure of heart, dumb of ass.

Yuri on Ice- Yes it’s the gay figure skating anime everyone knows. And yes it’s a fucking romance, okay? I will die on this hill. The romance between Viktor and Yuri is just as important as the plot!

Kaguya-sama Love Is War- Two insanely smart high school students both have a crush on the other, but since they’re…you know…high schoolers, neither of them wants to admit it first. So they come up with increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess first. This will go down as one of the best of all time. It’s a hilarious yet poignant modern classic.

Fruits Basket- I’ve talked about it before and I’ll talk about it again. A romance “comedy” that slowly morphs into a drama about a girl named Tohru who finds herself living with the mysterious Sohma family after her mother dies. Little does she know, the Sohmas are the victims of a  (somewhat silly, but ultimately tragic) curse that she must fight to break. Even though I’m more into it for the family drama, the romance is still top tier and plays an important role in the story. This is my second favorite anime of all time, and it’s a classic for a reason. If anyone hasn’t watched it yet, GO WATCH IT! IT WILL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!

And now for some honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into the regular list:

Ride Your Wave- A movie about a surfer who falls in love with a firefighter……and I’m not going to say any more than that. Go into it blind. If you like stuff like Your Name, this is a good one to watch.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun- A comedy about a high school girl who finds out the upperclassman she has a crush on is actually a shoujo manga artist, and no matter how she tries to confess to him, he just never gets it.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague- A slow burn slice of life that focuses on a guy with ice powers who has a crush on his coworker. That’s it. That’s the show. When I say slow, I mean SLOW. It’s perfectly cute and fluffy, but my god does it take forever to get anywhere with these two.

Skip to Loafer- A high strung, small town girl decides to go to high school in Tokyo, where she meets a variety of classmates, including the laid back Sousuke Shima. The unlikely pair become friends, and soon enough, she starts to feel something more than friendship. The only reason I didn’t include it in the main list is because they don’t get together by the end of the first season, but it’s still really cute (also canonically trans character for the win!?)

So that’s my starter list. And no, I didn’t include Toradora, even though it’s a classic. I know it’s blasphemous, but I like it more as a comedy than a romance. It kinda lost me with the ending. But anyway, maybe someone will find something they like. Or maybe you'll just want to roast me and my picks 😅

For anyone who's looking for good, well written saiouma stories ;)

Finished Long Fics:

Second Chances - Post Game fic where the game was virtual reality and everyone lives. Shuichi goes back to his apartment only to realize he had a roommate pre-game; Kokichi. VERY good highly recommend, it seems very boring at first but it's fucking HILARIOUS and very much slow burn. 10/10

Therefore you and me (as a result of living, as a result of dying): HONESTLY MY FAVORITE FIC EVER. it is post-game and everyone lives but throw in all their trauma (ACTUALLY realistically) and that Team Danganronpa is forcing them into their rehabilitate facility and absolute major angst and voila. the energy this fic gives me is to DIE for but im a slut for angst. emotionally damaging, indeed. 100/10

our deal: in-game fic where when kokichi stops shuichi in the virtual world in chapter 4 when he asks him to partner up, except shuichi says YES. this entire fic gives me anxiety and also makes me kick me feet like im delulu. character study + introspection are by far my FAVORITE ao3 tags. 12/10

Reaching: in-game alternate universe fic where kokichi, the mc, is stuck in a loop. whenever he dies, he wakes back up in the locker. OMG THIS ENTIRE THING IS SO GOOD. there's a twist with shuichi that you will NOT see coming. out of pure encouragement i will not say anything more abt this fic. 600/10

Deceit - The Phantom Thief: predictably, a phantom thief AU where shuichi, a detective, takes on the impossible case of the notorious phantom thief! i've read a lot of phantom thief stuff, but this one has a very solid plot line and HORRIBLY slow romance. like, the world seemed like it was going to end before they confessed. literally. 25/10

Sending Postcards from a Plane Crash: another slow burn fic bc im a whore for internal torture. basically the v3 cast survives a plane crash and are isolated on an island. they need to find a way off, but there are some strange irregularities on the island. like polar bears! (it's a tropical island.) everyone is characterized pretty well, but kokichi isnt villainized for the most part, which i like a lot. 10/10

I Reach Out My Hand, Yet He Doesn't Take It: OH. MY. GOD. if i said the other ones were emotionally damaging, this fic takes it to the NEXT FUCKING LEVEL AHAHA. this.... hurts :') but in a good way i think. another post-game fic where everyone survives except this time danganronpa wasn't a game show and the other two games plots were actually happening. it's SO GOOOOOD. and sad. pls read it.

Porcelain Parasite: i havent actually finished this one, but it's a royal AU where shuichi basically gets sold by his parents to kokichi's parents, who are like royal people. and kokichi is kinda weird bc i think he gets cursed by junko. not sure ahaha. ITS GOOD THO. some of the parts scared the heebie jeebies outta me. had me scared for their lives actually. if you like stuff like this its the only fic of its saiouma kind that's written well 👍

Temptations: VERYYYY smut heavy, so if you're not into that i don't recommend this. but if you are.... this is where you belong, brothers. it's in-game and kind of enemies to lovers at the beginning, but shuichi doesnt take very long to move past "hating" kokichi LMAO. very angsty.... and sad. my heart breaks consistently while reading this </3 definitely and owie fic but still very very good. 58388583/10

lies (and how to unravel them): TW for eating disorders throughout the entire fic- like it's the main focus. it was kind of hard to read for me bc it was so well described. shuichi is the one struggling with an ED, and while saiouma is a part of the fic, its main point is his struggles rather than him and kokichi. 10/10 but if you're sensitive to that kinda jazz, i dont recommend this

Sexy Singles in Your Area: the entire first three chapters of this fic is just entirely second hand embarrassment. im talking the worst second hand embarrassment of my LIFE out of all the shows ive seen and books ive read. its so bad fhejgj. it's a very funny and cute fic but also shuichi is DUMB. dumb dumb dense and dumb. also, it has a bunch of angst. cute but angsty. i would say its relatively light however. kokichi is characterized very well, which makes it even better <3 10/10

Everyone's Killing Reality: it's everything you want and more. in-game saiouma where the author changed a bunch of things from the danganronpa game that fucking SUCKED ASS. this is so good bc it satisfies my poor saiouma heart while also making the plot simultaneously stronger. this fic is canon idc what anyone says. 1000000/10

Coastline Massacre: solider au that gave me a bajillion heart attacks while reading it. THIS MADE ME CRY. A LOT. just thinking abt it is making me sad holy shit. 40/10 but oh my GOD beware of the goddamn PAIN you will feel while reading this.

Stay With Me: omg a fic without angst?!?! and a lot of smut. if it isnt angsty its sex. real tears. very fluffy and smut heavy (and its GOOD). 15/10

Dawn Again on this Vibrant and Violent Night: literally just finished this read. OH. MY. GODDDD. i know im obsessing over everything else on this list but by far this is the best one. so fr rn!! the way this person writes is ASTONISHING. the plot had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, plot twist after twist, i SCREAMED at a few of them. its very much plot heavy and focuses on kokichi and shuichi, and it's also ingame. kokichi is characterized to PERFECTION, and im very picky abt how other people write kokichi. i was on the verge of tears throughout the second half of this not bc it was sad, but bc how well the tension was written and laid out. GEHAHFJD IM. I LOVE THIS FIC. MY WHOLE HEART <33 199293848757585885/10

Finished Short Fics:

i consider "short" to be from 10,000 words to 70,000 words. so 😍

you've got the right to remain right here with me: phantom thief au where kokichi is looking for a new roommate to live with (cuz his dumbass got evicted). but kaede hooks him up with shuichi, the detective who is actively chasing his case. so now kokichi is living with him and somehow avoid getting caught <3 all my heart, angsty and fluffy, SO ADORABLE OMG. pls read its worth it

arisama, arisama: in-game alternate plot where instead of the time limit as the motive, it's the despair disease. kokichi has the gullible disease and i find it fucking hilarious. kinda bittersweet ending but its still cute— i would say light angst.

Where the Music Meets the Ocean: again i think this is light angst but some may disagree— alternate universe outside of the killing game where kokichi finds out that shuichi is some sort of mermaid thing- IDK it was never specified exactly what he was. but yeah its very cute and kokichi is a bit of a reckless dummy

Searching for Redemption: in-game universe where no one actually dies for the sack of saiouma and nothing else, there's no real plot logic, but not in a bad way. it starts out smut heavy but gets kinda angsty/fluffy, so i highly recommend it lol. also by one of my favorite ao3 authors 😍

Unextinguished Embers: ok im very much used to plot twists and what not, but the plot twist in this made me SCREEEEEAM. genuine shock. this is a fantasy AU where The Tragedy was about Junko being a sorcerer and basically giving sorcerers a bad name bc she was evil. they were all eradicated except.... one (its kokichi spoiler). shuichi meets him and OOPS you'll have to read it yourself ;P ITS SO GOOD PLS

Pirates of the Caribbean: Vault of the Pirate Lords: if you like pirates and Johnny Depp then you will def like this. it's kinda based off the movies but not really, it has a different plot line. shuichi is the governor's kid and kokichi is a pirate- kokichi kidnaps shuichi but for some dumbass reason he's enthusiastic abt it???? like why are you excited to be kidnapped. weirdo!

Unfinished Fics:

now i don't normally read unfinished stuff but im running out of content 😭😭 send help

fool me twice: alternate universe au where shuichi's ex from high school is kokichi, and now they're both 22 and working at the same place and shuichi is STILL a bitch abt him and kokichi's history. unfinished but so far it's pretty damn good. kokichi and shuichi are so perfectly characterized it's maddening

that's all for now but PLEASE if you have something not on this list that i can read TELL ME. i've read every finished long-fic on ao3 and even wattpad at this point. begging so hard