CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

? I like em. It doesn't seem like Anime if there isn't some love story imbeded somewhere. It doesn't seem like an RPG if there isn't some love story somewhere.

Oh, I don't really have any issue with them. I will admit that I have a thing for relationships between older, mature characters (as opposed to the main characters). At times they can add significant depth to the plot.

But I strongly dislike the attitude that says that love stories have to exist (no offense intended to you). Sometimes they help, sometimes they don't. Ah well.

I'm not a guy but--
I detest sentimentality(mindless emotion, such as love stories just for teh sake of evolking emotion). I really like love stories when they are important to a plot or character development. (I think of the story of Kana and Hatori. It wasn't there just to make us happy/sad. It served a purpose and told us something about Hatori.) There's my two nickels.

It just depends. If it's socioety's idea of love, then no. Mindless emotion and sexuality have no meaning or appeal. But if it's real, deep, spiritual love, and considering it works well with the plot, it can be good. The last samurai , for example, is a movie with a love story that I actually enjoyed.

I like games that start off with a love story, ala FF4. Instead of the usual "guy hates girl, girl hates guy, guy and girl fall in love" scenario you see so often in RPG's...

I like games that start off with a love story, ala FF4. Instead of the usual "guy hates girl, girl hates guy, guy and girl fall in love" scenario you see so often in RPG's...

I've seen some movies with that scenario too. ^^;;

Usually I'm a sucker for a good romance, unless it's the waaaaay too used: boy knows girl from childhood, thinks of her as little sister, boy starts to fall in love with girl, girl finds she has strange powers........etc. Bleh.
(And I know I'm not a guy but I had to say that)

Even though I'm a guy, I'll admit I'm a sucker for romance. But it really all boils down to how cliche or realistic it is. The most recent game romance I enjoyed was the love story between Zidane/Garnet in Final Fantasy IX. (I highly recommend this extremely underated addition to the FF series.)

I hate movies/games that:

...start off with a love story, ala FF4. Instead of the usual "guy hates girl, girl hates guy, guy and girl fall in love" scenario you see so often in RPG's...

I love a good love story in an anime, if its done right.

I'm a sucker for tragic/unrequited love stories myself...it says a lot about a character if they can let go of the love of their life because they put his/her happiness above all else.

I love th elove stories in anime like Kenshin and Tomoe, Gene and Melfina, etc.

Im a sucker for them.

Yes, I do rather enjoy a good (clean!) romance; but the problem is that they tend to leave me longing for a mate of my own in the process. -_- (Someday it'll happen, if it's the Lord's will. I just need to be content with singleness first, I guess. Sorry to get off topic.)

I love roma

i liked the kenshin series... does that count?

Also, I generally go for love stories after marraige. You'd think they didn't exist if you just listened to the media.

Volt wrote:man: hi i just met you... lets sleep together
woman: uhm, okay

Usually there are two more lines thrown in there (and that makes it completely alright).

I'm a sap, but I'm not a hopeless sap. I guess you could call me a snobby sap! I like well-developed romances, and like UC said, I find the ones with married couples very sweet. Somehow, the angst and "I want to be with you, but can't!" grates on me after a while if the issue is pushed.

Edit: I'm not a guy either, but that didn't really stop me from responding, now did it?

We females take over every thread. No polite request for us to stay out of your conversation will do. Atleast not for me.

I like a good romantic read/movie/game. Emphasis on the word good. There are a few things in a romance story I can't stand.

1) Overly overdramatized obstacles.
(Girl: My great aunt on my mother's side takes her dog to a kennel that's run by a woman who has her nails manicured every month.
Boy: WHAT! Well, we definitely have to break up.
Girl: I am crushed forever.)

2) Love stories between really young high school/middle school students.
(Guy: So after we pick up our report cards, would you like to go out with me?
Girl: Well, like, um, sure.
Guy: Cool. So I'll pick you up at four. No, wait--- me and my mom will pick you up at four.)

3) Love stories that are rittled with an unnecesarry amount of physical affection.
(Guy: We just ordered fast food. Why don't I kiss you for a while. I know everybody at home is just dying to read about that.)

AHHH!!! I'd say that last one is one of my biggest problems with many romance books. One of my friends lent me this "girl book" (which I found out is really just a code word for endless descriptions of pointless romance between really dull characters.), and the whole two hundred pages was consumed alternately with her thinking they could never be together and them getting together and hugging, ect, ect.

I would love to read a good Christian manga about some college teens battling the temptations and getting married. Wouldn't that be awesome? *goes to hit up Mave and TNC*

Mangafanatic wrote: 2) Love stories between really young high school/middle school students.
(Guy: So after we pick up our report cards, would you like to go out with me?
Girl: Well, like, um, sure.
Guy: Cool. So I'll pick you up at four. No, wait--- me and my mom will pick you up at four.)

I couldn't agree with you more. I've noticed that many anime relationships start extremely young. I've never actually watched the show, but take CCS for example. That has tons of romance, and some very serious love themes in it. And aren't they all under 13?

Even my beloved Full Moon Sagashite - Mitsuki's age often distracted me. Even if the characters seem very mature in the anime, I think I'd be better off not know their ages ...

Ashley wrote: I would love to read a good Christian manga about some college teens battling the temptations and getting married. Wouldn't that be awesome? *goes to hit up Mave and TNC*

Right! As if they're not busy enough ... or maybe they already thought of this.

Gypsy wrote:Even my beloved Full Moon Sagashite - Mitsuki's age often distracted me. Even if the characters seem very mature in the anime, I think I'd be better off not know their ages ...

Ditto. -_-

I like unrequited love stories for some reason. (As a matter of fact, I'm kinda writing one. o.O)

Also, I like tragic love stories. Like Moulin Rouge. *sobs*

i like love stories, but watching them can be a pain cause it makes you want one.

I'm a sucker for the good warm fuzzies if they're not stupid, like all of the previous examples that everyone so thoroughly made. I like love stories if they're tastefully written! With me everything has to be tastefully and meaningfully done. I guess it goes for love stories and adventure/action stuff too. I hate pointless explosions, violence and gore just as much as i hate pointless love and romance. It's gotta have meaning behind it!

I'm a sucker for romance, which is probably why a watch a lot of shoujo stuff, too. I also thought the love story in Ai Yori Aoshi was a good one, despite some other problems with the series. At least it wasn't the "typical guy likes girl and girl likes guy but both of them are endlessly tripping over all of the other guys/girls in the show." The bond between the main characters is unbreakable and they simply avoid a lot of the misunderstandings typical of the romances in the shounen harem type shows.

Although I like that, too. I love the weird and twisted love polygons the Rumiko Takahashi is famous for as well.

... am I allowed to post? *sees other girls posting* I suppose so then...

Uhm, I guess I agree with everyone else. It needs to be original. Well... not original, just the plot better be good. And actually worth it. I like stories where one of the characters (male or female) think that they just... aren't worth it? Like they don't even bother 'looking' for love cause ... oh nevermind.

*hides in closet under jackets* i'm sorry... ;-;

Yeito

Edit: I cracked up on what Volt and UC said....

Don't feel that way, Yeito. Your opinion matters to us. If you were going to continue as I believe you were, I actually agree with you somewhat.

Mangafanatic wrote:2) Love stories between really young high school/middle school students.
(Guy: So after we pick up our report cards, would you like to go out with me?
Girl: Well, like, um, sure.
Guy: Cool. So I'll pick you up at four. No, wait--- me and my mom will pick you up at four.)

Hear hear.

Man, I really don't know as much about guys as I thought. I thought every man/boy was into violence and action... Stupid societal, stereotypical images...

I don't think I watch or read anything for the romance so I'm not that observant over what kind of romance I see in an anime. But I do notice that I get these "Ugh! That's so dumb" feelings when I see characters who are supposedly "in love" but it's only a physical attraction or it's nothing in depth (ex. characters sleeping around with each other--ICK! )

[quote="Yeito"] I like stories where one of the characters (male or female) think that they just... aren't worth it? Like they don't even bother 'looking' for love cause ... oh nevermind.

*hides in closet under jackets* i'm sorry... ]

Hey I understand what you're saying. Yes, I've been carrying a few ideas with that concept as part of the plot. Unfortunately, I don't write novels/mangas. So I just walk around staging entire movies in my head.

One of my favorite love stories is from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Chow Young Fat and Michelle Yeoh... now there's a scene for the ages - I'll avoid spoilers.

I also love "Voices of a Distant Star," as those who recognize my avatar already know, and that is a love story.

I would say that I do enjoy love stories, like everyone else has said, that have depth, meaning, and you don't have that feeling at the end where you think, "and they lived happily ever after... after the divorce... no wait, they didn't marry... after the breakup, and the next girl/guy, followed by another, etc.

I guess I like seeing what I really value in love protrayed: selflessness, commitment, sacrifice, integrity, devotion, and the rest follows.

"Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13, I think. That's Christ's love, and I think that's why stories with these elements are so much more appealing than all the other drivel out there.

Voices of a distant star. Now that's a romance story that is just what I like. Not overtly sappy, not over dramtized, but simple, honest, and clean. Sometime I want to transcribe all the dialogue from that movie (or just read it if someone knows where I can get it *hint hint*) because it sounds so much like poetry.

Romances I can't stand: Virtually the ones in every modern day American movie.

Hollywoods' version of 'true love':

Man and woman meet.

Man and woman have sex. (usually within the first few minutes of meeting each other.)

Man and woman experience problems in their relationship.

Through some plot device, man and woman get problems resolved and things return to normal.

Man and woman are considered to be 'in love'.

Man and woman begin living together.

Man and woman get married.

Man and woman get divorced not long after getting married.

Each movie will be slightly different, but that's the basic pattern they follow.