Synopsis: With the introduction of an ultra-advanced AI that surpasses human intelligence, beings that mankind is yet to fully comprehend made from materials far too advanced for human technology begin coming into being. Lacia, an hIE equipped with a black coffin-shaped device, is one of these. In boy-meets-girl fashion, 17-year-old Arato Endo has a fateful encounter with the artificial Lacia. For what purpose were these artificial beings created? Amid questions regarding the coexistence of these artificial beings and humans, a 17-year-old boy makes a decision...

Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Sakura starts junior high school along her friends, including Syaoran, who had just returned to Tomoeda. After having a dream with a mysterious cloaked figure, all of Sakura's cards turn blank and are rendered powerless, thus she starts her quest to find out what is wrong. In doing so, Sakura and her allies discover and capture new transparent cards using a new key.

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo

My Thoughts/Reviews: Read my first episode impression here: LINK for you to know how every 90's kid are rejoicing for this anime coming back this year. 

5. Darling in the Franxx

Synopsis: The story is set in the distant future. The land is ruined, and humanity establishes the mobile fort city Plantation. Pilots produced inside Plantation live in Mistilteinn, also know as the "birdcage." Children live there knowing nothing of the outside world or the freedom of the sky. Their lives consist of battling to carry out missions. Their enemies are mysterious giant lifeforms known as Kyouryuu, and the children pilot robots called Franxx to face off against them. For the children, riding the Franxx proves their existence.

A boy named Hiro is called Code:016, and he was once known as a prodigy. However, he has fallen behind, and his existence seems unnecessary. Not piloting a Franxx is the same as ceasing to exist. One day, a mysterious girl known as "Zero Two" appears before him. Two horns grow out of her head.

Genre: Mecha, Scifi

My thoughts/Reviews: The most hype mecha anime this season. You can read the inspiration of the names of the mecha/franxx: LINK and some fan theory of the ending of this beautiful anime here: LINK. 

6. Devilman: Crybaby

Synopsis: Akira Fudo is informed by his best friend Ryou Asuka that the demons will revive and reclaim the world from the humans. As the humans do not stand a chance against the supernatural power of the demons, Ryou suggests fusing with a demon. Akira becomes Devilman, with the power of a demon and the heart of a human.

Genre: Action, demon, horror, supernatural, R18

My Thoughts/Review: This series is not for the faint hearted. It has a solid and awesome plot but some scenes may be very disturbing. Nevertheless, it's worth to watch this legally on Netflix. 

7. Gakuen Babysitter

Synopsis: After their parents are killed in a plane crash, Ryuuichi and his younger brother Kotarou are taken in by the chairman, who they never met before, of an elite academy. Ryuuichi becomes the school daycare's new babysitter.

Genre: Slice of life, comedy, school, shoujo

My Thoughts/Review: The most heartwarming, tearjerker anime this season, well, because of babies. Every episodes are full of, "ahhss!" Please don't miss this one, it's a very cute series. 

8. Junji Ito Collections

Synopsis: A collection of animated horror stories based on the works of Japanese artist Junji Ito.

My thoughts/reviews: If you have been a fan of Junji Ito, finally there's an anime adaptation to his spine-tingling, sleep-depriving stories. Please watch it with other horror fans and don't watch it at night. 

9. Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san

Synopsis: Living by this principle, the middle schooler Nishikata gets constantly made fun of by his seat neighbor Takagi-san. With his pride shattered to pieces, he vows to turn the tables and get back at her some day. And so, he attempts to tease her day after day, only to find himself victim to Takagi-san's ridicule again sooner than later. Will he be able to make Takagi-san blush from embarrassment even once in the end?

Genre: Slice of life, Shoujo, Romance, School

My Thoughts/Review: Finally an anime adaptation of this title. Anime fans has been labeling Takagi-san as one of the best waifu this season. Story wise, transitiona and dialouges are thumbs up!

10. Koi wo Ameagari no You ni / Love is Like After The Rain 

Synopsis: Akira Tachibana is a soft-spoken high school student who used to be a part of the track and field club but, due to an injury, she is no longer able to run as fast as she once could. Working part-time at a family restaurant as a recourse, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with her manager, a divorced 45-year-old man with a young son.

Despite the age gap, Akira wholeheartedly embraces his mannerisms and kind nature, which is seen as spinelessness by the other employees, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. Although unable to explain why exactly she is attracted to him, Akira believes that a concrete reason is not needed to truly love someone. On a rainy day, she decides to finally tell her manager about how she feels... but just how will he react?

Genre: Romance, Seinin

My Thoughts/Reviews: This might be a bit cringy but romance is romance and age doesn't matter so if you are looking for a bit 90's animation feels, this one is for you!

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Please look forward to PART 2

I met the girl under the full-bloomed cherry blossoms and my fate has begun to change.

This is purely my personal opinion of the series so read at your own risk. If you find some grammatical and clerical errors, well, sorry, grammar nazis, I'm not perfect but I'm doing my best in expressing myself in this language. Hahaha.

If you haven’t watch or read Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, I am warning you, this blog entry might contain spoilers that are bad for your heart.

----SPOILER ALERT----

The PLOT/TEASER:

The story is about Arima Kosei, a piano prodigy at a young age who always wins on all the piano competitions and every child musicians knows him. But when his mother died, he had a mental breakdown and suddenly stops playing at the middle of a piano competition. After that he hadn’t played the piano ever since. The death of his mother resulted him not to hear music anymore even though his ears are perfectly fine. It’s like he psychologically acquired a hearing illness.  Years later, he still didn’t played the piano but was contented with the companionship of his friend Tsubaki and Watari not until she met the girl under the full-bloomed cherry blossoms that changes his fate—Miyazono Kaori!

Kaori is a lively, pretty, free-spirited violinist who plays the violin the way her personality reflects her. She made Arima played the piano again and led him back to the world of music and discovered that there is more to playing the piano, following every notes written on the score but rather playing by your heart and how the audience wants to remember you while you are on the stage being you.

HOW AND WHEN DID I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SERIES?

So basically, I found out Shigatsu when the summer animes were almost done, I’ve read it on the Fall 2014 charts and thought to myself that the plot is quite interesting.

MY REVIEW

The first episode was so entertaining. The art is so awesome and Kaori is just so pretty. Plus, the opening is one hell of a catchy song! I was like, ‘Gosh, this is like Nodame Cantabile young version’, but it was nothing like Nodame in the next few episodes, very different. The idea of comparing the two said series might came from the idea that the two series involves classical music, piano and other instruments. But whatever, as usual the agony of waiting for the next episodes is a very tedious cycle, so I decided to read the manga in advance.

MANGA READING TIME!

It was after the fifth episode that I decided to read the manga. It was so awesome because it updates every week. The advantage of making Shigatsu into an anime is that we have the chance to listen to what these certain classical pieces are, I mean when I was reading the manga, I can’t really fully sympathize with the characters on how sad Chopin’s works are or how lively Mozart’s pieces is, vice versa, not all are musically inclined or loves classics, some might even thought that classical music are boring or just for lullaby purposes only. Though, in my case I have little knowledge about it because of Nodame Cantabille and all the music anime out there and from my MAPEH class in high school. It really feels so good listening to these pieces on the anime played by the characters.

NOT SO SPOILERS AND MY VIEWS

It was so good! I’m sure I will be crying again when the last episode of the anime comes out. It’s a worth-reading series. It’s like an endless roller coaster of feels! I like how the transition and the back-story of of how Kosei became a piano genius with the help of his perfectionist mother, who was like a bit villain-ish to me. I really hate the ‘Death Flag’ scene(almost all of the fans and readers hate this too), when Kaori suddenly falls and there’s blood, the ‘Death Flag’. It was the turning point of the series for me, it’s like meeting the future of Shigatsu, I knew this scene. I keep screaming in my head the word no. This can’t be happening. Though, after reading the last chapter, I still can’t accept it, even if deep inside me I knew that it was meant to be, that it was all part of Naoshi Arakawa-sensie’s plan.

And then there’s this letter Kaori wrote, a bloody tear-jerker letter! Heck, why did Kaori wrote a damn letter? Why not say it to Kosei personally, huh? Drama? No!

I really like Tsubasa’s character too, she was a well planned character for me and most of the time I can see myself in her. She’s a tsuntsun but not so, she is quite pretty too but the boyish type and I know she will take good care of Kosei. Watari is awesome at some ways but he didn’t leave me a certain impact, I think Aizawa Takeshi and Emi Igawa was cooler, aside from they were voiced by my favorite seiyuus! All the other characters are awesome.

Kaori will forever stay in my heart; her character will be my inspiration, how she changed Kosei for the better, how she led her back to light.

So my personal interpretation of the Title, Your Lie in April, is that it all boils down on the lie Kaori made to Kosei, not only to him but to everyone else, in order for her to get close to Kosei. And that lie is in Chapter 44, read it. It was a heartbreaking lie, why did you lie Kao-chan? It could save up all the tears and the paper where you wrote the letter, nah, kidding on the paper. Truly, love changes people.

I just think that it will be good if there’s a bit of straightforwardness in the characters but I guess it was all planned out and it will never be that awesome if something happened out of hand, well, everything happens for a purpose; nevertheless, it was a 10/10.

LESSONS LEARNED

I always write what I learned after reading or watching a series. I get irritated a lot when people say that what otakus usually do is wasting time. Well, the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. And we really learned a lot from watching and reading.

So, I learned in this series that always be yourself. Play or do things with all your heart without minding the people around you, never do things half-heartedly because you really don’t know what might happen, what if the chances of redoing it will never come. Live everyday as if your last day because you will never know what tomorrow brings. Cliché but it’s true. It really reflects on the anime.

Do what you love, there’s no excuse in doing what you really love. Ika nga, kung gusto may paraan! No matter how frail you body is, even if your body is giving up but your mind and soul are pushing you, move forward.

One heartbreaking scenes in the manga is when Kaori said to Kosei this lines while pushing herself to stand up and played air violin (because she wasn’t holding a vioin at all, like air guitar, playing imaginary guitar),

“Stop, looking down… Look, you’ll have your miracle soon.”

So, that’s it, sorry if it was a bit like ranting already but whatever, I enjoyed writing this, finally I can let go of the feels this series gave me, err, maybe not!

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I managed to finish reading the manga before the anime ended. It was a good idea for me as I felt more ready to experience the ending. I accepted it wholeheartedly, though, it was more surreal in the anime because it's 2D plus all the music. Have you guys read Your Lie In April guys? What's your" thoughts?

2017 is over but for some anime fans who doesn't like to wait episode every week in every season it’s their time to binge-watch the last year’s awesome series without cliffhanger. If you are looking for titles to binge-watch from last year’s line up as the winter season anime is airing, you have come to the right place. In this list I listed up the TOP 10 ANIME under the ROMANCE genre. If you are in the mood to feel in love or just want to feel some fluffiness because you are single, this list if intended for you SHOUJO ANIME LOVERS!

 1. BLEND S

Synopsis: High school girl Maika Sakuranomiya has trouble finding a part-time job because of how scary she looks when smiling. However, she is scouted one day by an Italian man who is also the manager of Stile, a café where its waitresses are given unique traits such as tsundere and younger sister. Maika is given a sadist trait because of her looks and has to adopt a dominant and cruel persona when servicing customers, particularly masochist ones.

Smile, Sweet, Sister, Sadistic, Surprise, Service! That's was the first line of one catchiest anime opening theme from Fall 2017 line-up. Blend S was based on a 4-koma manga.  With just 12 episodes, the series will make you laugh with it's consistent humor and character-driven antics. It doesn't depic any solid plot. Every character is lovable. Blend S is a refreshing series, it didn't show too much romance, you will still feel the chemistry with the couples of the series 

2. FUKEMENKEI NOISE

Synopsis: Every day, a young girl wearing a mask stands by the beach and sings a nostalgic melody. After experiencing two sudden heart-wrenching partings when she was only a child, Nino Arisugawa has been singing her songs to the ocean, bound by a promise made with her two childhood friends—her first love, Momo Sakaki, and a boy who composed music, Kanade "Yuzu" Yuzuriha. Having never met each other, the boys both individually promised that if Nino was ever separated from them, her voice would be the beacon to reunite them once again.
Another 12 episode series adapted from the manga with same title by Fukuyama  Ryoko, Fukemenkei Noise or Anonymous Noise features a love triangle between Nino also known as Alice, Momo and Yuzu. Nobody wants a triangle because it's painful, someone will get hurt at end, though as the anime is airing and the manga is still ongoing the series is still worth watching. 

3. OUR LOVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN 10 CENTIMETERS APART

Synopsis: Under the cherry blossom tree during Sakuragaoka High School's Entrance Ceremony, Miou Aida meets Haruki Serizawa for the first time. Ever since that day, their eyes chased after each other. Miou is reserved, while Haruki is very social. While many mistook them as a couple, their relationship remained a little more than friends.

As they stop to sit on the steps of a deck on their walk home, Miou cannot help but ask, "Haruki...do you like anyone?" Haruki replies, "I do like someone ...what about you?"

Just 10 centimeters between their hands.

It's just 10 centimeters, but the distance remains...
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One of the most anticipated romance anime last year, the series has only 6 episodes. If you have watched Zutto Mae kara Suki deshita.: Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai and Suki ni Naru Sono Shunkan wo.: Kokuhaku Jikkou Iinkai then you shouldn’t miss this one too. You can either watch this first or any of the movies as they both happened in the same timeline, just focusing on different couple. The series is a dream come true to those who are fans of Honeyworks, their songs are very heartwarming. The story might be a bit cliche but the mini-series has a different unique vibe in it.

Synopsis: As another school year begins drawing to a close, the third-year high school students move steadily toward the next milestone of their lives: graduation. Among them are Mio Natsume, a girl burdened with lingering feelings; Hazuki Morikawa, a member of the concert band but distant from the others; and Haruto Souma, an athlete obsessed with baseball. Meanwhile, second-year student Ena Komiya seeks to revive the photography club to its former glory, refusing to let the organization be disbanded. Though this group lacks a strong connection with one another, their lives suddenly cross paths with the arrival of a third-year transfer student.

While a transfer so close to graduation is unusual for most, it is business as usual for Eita Izumi. Due to his father's work, he has never been able to stay in one place for very long. But as luck would have it, their most recent relocation has returned Eita to his hometown for his final semester of high school. For better or worse, it also sparks the rekindling of old relationships left behind in the past.

With graduation already causing its own share of anxieties, Eita's sudden arrival brings these students' carefree days to an abrupt end. Long-forgotten memories, deeply buried emotions, and inspiring new passions—everything is brought to light in their bittersweet final semester.

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Slice of life, school drama, love triangle, Just Because has it all when it comes to school romance. I swear to write spoil-free reviews but Just Becuause! is my favorite last year, it keeps me hype because you can’t find any materials that you can spoil yourself to since. It’s very character-centric that’s why you will always look forward every episode what will happen to each characters and couple. The way it was presented was a calm but not really. You be the judge. It depends on your preference if you will be satisfied with the ending, as for me, I am very satisfied!

5. KONBINI KARESHI

Synopsis: Six high school students' lives around the convenience store on their way from school; they talk about their lives and meet girls they end up falling for.
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Konbini Kareshi is a slice of life and romance anime set in modern day Japan. Using the convience store as the point where the characters of the anime meet-up, bond, strike up friendship and romance. The overall story follows four characters; Haruki a honest and responsible high school freshman, Towa a bright and lively person that’s the joker of the group, Mami a quiet but serious girl and Miharu a positive and kind girl that gets nervous easily. As the story goes by they will encounter events that will affect their relationships. 

6.  MAHOUTSOKAI NO YOME

Synopsis: Hatori Chise is only 15, but she has lost far more than most. With neither family nor hope, it seems all doors are closed to her. But, a chance encounter began to turn the rusted wheels of fate. In her darkest hour, a mysterious magus appears before Chise, offering a chance she couldn't turn down. This magus who seems closer to demon than human, will he bring her the light she desperately seeks, or drown her in ever deeper shadows?

7. MASAMUNE-KUN NO REVENGE

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Base on the title itself, this shounen that also falls in the romance genre is about our main hero, Masamune-kun trying to set his revenge on his childhood sweetheart Adagaki. But what will really happen between the two? I dare you to watch! 

8. NET-JUU NO SUSUME

Synopsis: Moriko Morioka is a 30-year-old single NEET woman. After dropping out from reality, she has taken off in search for a fulfilling life and ended up in a net game or "netoge." In the netoge world, she began her new life as a refreshing and handsome character named Hayashi. While starting out as a beginner, a pretty character named Lily reached out to help her. Meanwhile, in the real world, awaits a shocking encounter with a good-looking elite company employee, a mysterious blue-eyed blonde.

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Net-juu no Susume tells the story of Morioka Moriko, a 30-year-old woman who is a self-proclaimed NEET. Very exhausted with real life stuff, she resigned because she couldn't stand her working conditions. She decided to start a netoge titled "Fruits de Mer" which is a RPG-fantasy universe in which she'll meet many people. In the game, she plays with a male character named Hayashi. She meets Lily, a girl, , and gets closer and closer to her. Circumstance happen and Moriko accidentally meets Yuuta Sakurai and that's the start of the conflict of the story. What happens when reality is too harsh you seek salvation on online games? Net-juu no Susume is a very relatable series so if you want to know what happens after the accident meeting between Moriko-san and Sakurai-san head over to you anime subscription channels and binge-watched now. 

9. TSUKI GA KIREI

Synopsis: With a new school year comes a new crowd of classmates, and for their final year of junior high, aspiring writer Kotarou Azumi and track team member Akane Mizuno end up in the same class. Though initially complete strangers, a few chance encounters stir an innocent desire within their hearts. A yearning gaze, a fluttering heart—the hallmarks of young love slip into their lives as fate brings their paths to a cross.

However, though love is patient and love is kind, Kotarou and Akane discover it is not always straightforward. Despite the comfort they find in each other's company, heartache and anxiety come hand in hand with pursuing the feelings in their hearts. With the uncertainty of how the other truly feels as well as the competing affections of those around them, the road ahead is unclear. Even so, under the shining light of a beautiful full moon, Kotarou gathers his courage to ask Akane a single question, one that forever changes their quiet relationship.

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I'll rate this series a 10/10 with it comes to sweetness, you'll get diabetes. The  story is just so  simple yet very exceptional.  When most of the romance series go to the roundabout troupe this is the straightforward one which is awesome. Straightforward but is not rush and characters are well-develop as well. I personally had a great time watching it, I hope you will too!. 

10. TSUREZURE CHILDREN 

Synopsis: Young love-it takes many unique and fascinating forms that flourish as children begin to mature into adults. From being unable to confess to not knowing what real love actually feels like, various obstacles can arise when learning about romantic attraction for the first time. But underneath all that, young love is something truly beautiful to behold, leading to brand new experiences for those young and in love.

Tsurezure Children depicts various scenarios of young love coming to fruition, along with the struggles and joys that it entails.

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Ah! Young love, indeed! Based on a 4-koma manga. The series is quite a diverse range of characters, which means it has a lot of character, some wasn't even shown on the anime. The series also shows different types of couple. You wouldn't expect how smooth and straightforward the story was despite how short every episode is. It's an all in one romance series, with character drama, humor, realism and of course, romance. This anime gave me more enough laughs last year.

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So, that's it. If this list was helpful don't forget to comment your favorite title and couple  below! See you next Top List!