Here is my Tamaki cosplay taken during the Hanami season in France (with as bonus the emotional damage Tamaki xD)

Photo taken by my friend Hanhuiphotographe

Wig made by @nova.wig (instagram)

Been watching a loooottt of romance lately, and i find that 99% of them are about or based in a high school setting, to the point it kind of feels repetitive ):
anyone have any recommendations so i can break this cycle? lol

Note: I am 22M so I realize that I’m outside of the target audience for this anime.

So this is a first for me in multiple fronts, it’s my first magical girl anime and it’s my first CLAMP anime so going in, I was very excited to watch this show!

So let’s begin this review with the things I liked about this anime.

To begin with, I really really liked the character design and general aesthetic of the anime, it was very pretty and it added to my enjoyment of the show as well. The music was great as well, both in each seasons and I really liked that emotional scenes had their own unique songs complimenting it which was very very good!

The story particularly in season 1 was very very good, it’s not the most convoluted plot but it has its charm and it’s very good for what it was! There’s a huge plot twist at the end of season 1 that I won’t reveal for obvious reasons but it definitely retroactively greatest improved my overall feelings on the plot of season 1.

I also really liked the design of the mecha each character used and I like that the mecha was actually alive and had its own thoughts and feelings.

Now onto the things i disliked which as you may expect mostly revolve around season 2 but there is one complaint I have for both season 1 and season 2.

That complaint mostly revolves around the fact that I feel the worldbuilding is non existent across both seasons? It barely feels like we the viewers get to see Cephiro and its inhabitants and I found that very strange. I know that you might say that the world is dying and there’s barely anything to see but that’s the thing, I want to see the world’s condition, I want to see the lives of the inhabitants and how they’re suffering, it makes the world feel more alive.

My second complaint is that in season 2, Hikaru takes center stage in the narrative and while I love her, I felt that season 1 had a more equitable treatment of each of the main girls, whereas in season 2, almost everything centered around Hikaru, including the antagonists.

Speaking of the antagonists, in season 2 there’s nothing remarkable about any of them. Nova is seriously annoying and there’s nothing about her that captivated me, similarly the same can be said about Lady Debonair who’s nothing more than a generic and unremarkable antagonist. I have heard that neither of these were in the manga so it makes sense.

Also a minor nitpick, but I wasn’t a fan of any of the romance in this anime aside from Ferio x Fuu because that at least had some buildup from season 1. It’s weird watching Ascot like Umi because he was just a kid from season 1 and Lantis’ romance with Hikaru felt super forced.

Overall, this is really good anime that I enjoyed and I can’t wait for the remake that’s supposed to be more manga accurate!

I need more recommendations for anime like this, even though I plan on watching Vision of Escaflowne, all recommendations are welcome!

Are the OVAs good?

Title: falling in love with my ex fiance's grandfather

I really want to read comics where the FL and ML have these 2 dynamic. I would preffer if the leads are rival in school but I would take anything

Well the third episode has premiered and I just finished it. So far, I've enjoyed the last two episodes. Episode 3 is also really good.

First thing's first, Tito. They didn't shy away from his death or that he was skinned. Then the moment when Yuri puts two and two together about the new headwear that Kushaga is wearing.

I enjoyed that aspect. I think that it's trying to present the violence of the times in a way that is still palatable for general audiences.

Then the scene where Kail kisses Yuri to calm her down. I thought it was handled well. I get that they don't want to portray Yuri as hysterical.

I enjoyed it quite a bit when Yuri chooses to stay at least until she can get justice for Tito. Shows her claiming more agency in the story.

Then there's the exchange between Yuri and Nakia. This is the first exchange between them where Nakia doesn't have Yuri restrained or in her control. You can see the underlying tension between them. Nakia clearly doesn't care about Yuri's pleas and is taking joy in it. Yuri on the other hand is refusing to accept Nakia's excuses.

The end of the episode was superb. We're finally getting Yuri Ishtar. Yuri is regaining more and more of her own agency in the story.

What did all of you think?

I stumbled upon this manga while looking up the author, Nanpei Yamada, after reading her english-licensed series “Loving Moon Dog”. I am super intrigued by the Arthurian fantasy premise and cant really recall all that many manga that engage with this type of fantasy genre!

Besides ”Loving Moon Dog”, this author might also be known for “Sky Blue Shore”, “Tea Prince” and “Orange chocolate”.

The series began in Bessatsu Hana to Yume (Betsuhana) before transferring to Hana Lala online and later Manga Park after Betsuhana ended publication. It ran from 2017-2024 and totals 8 volumes. The Japanese name is “金色のマビノギオン　─アーサー王の妹姫”.

This is the synopsis:

Tamaki, a girl with golden eyes, is suddenly lost in a strange world in England, where she'd visited with her childhood friends Makoto and Hironori. And there's a boy who has the same golden eyes as her...!? A new legend of King Arthur.

—————————

If you’d like to see this work licensed, maybe give her steamier title “Loving Moon Dog” a try to encourage publishers to license more of her work!

Also, if you’re curious what “Mabinogion” is this is its Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabinogion

I just picked it randomly and not only do I enjoy the story but also getting why people love this medium of storytelling. I have not watched the anime yet so I am experiencing Ao Haru Ride for the first time.

Preferably a manga, but am looking for a fated mate (like Dragonkin, Beastkin) or even an ayakashi bride type of suggestions where the fated mate and/or bride is reluctant/hesitant to be with the other party.

Like no immediate “yes whisk me away!” I want the angst and slow burn. (Bonus points if the fml doesn’t come from a shitty family/origin either, but I know that’s a stretch.)

Please & thank you 💕

Hi everyone!! I really need to refresh my reading list 😭 it's been a while since I’ve read a shoujo that truly blew me away with its art style or got me totally hooked on the story.

​Sooo if you had to pick a series (or even an author) with just gorgeous art, or one where you completely fell in love with the characters and their development, what would it be?

​I’d love to hear all about your favorite picks!

Just finished the 2001 anime. And unlike the later drama focused backstory revealed in the manga, Akito (who is a man here) has a simpler backstory where he was assigned when born to take on the curse of the Zodiac which he reveals during the start of Kyo's rampage. And as a result will not live long. And his reason for lashing out at the other members and Tohru is this resentment. On another note, it is quite suprising to see Shigure break down crying and apologize to Tohru with sorrow as well as show visible worry given he is always sarcastic and smiling in the reboot (which sticks to manga) even when he is not actually happy about matters. Though, putting aside the manga, what you think of the alternate ending? It does focus less on Tohru breaking the curse and more on Tohru accepting the Sohma family for who they are. It does make for an interesting alternate end. And while Akito could have been more fleshed out his backstory in this version is actually quite good.

funny magazine references in I'm not an angel

Hi! I'm currently into vampires, love triangle, forbidden love etc. Have you got some good recs?
Thankss

basically I wanna ask you people if there’s some psychology behind me finding tomoe so hot and sexy 😂😂😂😂 I’m a 26-year-old woman feeling like a teenager after fall in love with an idol or something. why the hell those male characters like tomoe get so deep in our minds? omg

So I’ve read both the authors sfw and nsfw stories, and generally while yes they do indulge of sweet toxic, exciting,and messed up romances especially mls, I have seen a few where they actually put emotional depth into the characters. As of the latest chapters, we see fl wants to be with ml and now he’s not so sure about that (that’s his thing) I’m certain we’ll have an arc where he acts terrible towards her but I wonder if they’ll use this to still be each others person but in a genuine love way and grow or stay toxic and just doing it for the moment thrill thing? ORR will the author be evil and give us an open ending as they’ve done before? One thing for certain, the heartbreak of them going through issues because their traumas will be something😭💔

Edit: also being realistic here, it’s gonna be a tough one, while she may be nice to him and ready, our boy is NOTTTT ready at all. He doesn’t even know what he truly wants overall, just for now to keep going as he has

A romance manga that has lots of fluff and affection from the mcs. Need something that's gonna get my feet kicking and my heart thumping.

need some shojo where the ml and fl have the same dynamic as these two!!!

At least we get Junji Ito’s stuff from Nemuki+ (most recently Viz licensed Junji Ito: Dissection from 2023), but besides his stuff we’ve really only gotten Hinatsugimura from 2017 licensed by Yen Press last year (it’s hardcover!).

There’s so little available in English from them that it’s quite tragic for fans of shojo horror.

Shoutout to the smudge imprint for at least providing us with vintage Shojo horror!

Anyone know of any BL shoujos shows(not books) that give off the vibe of School Trip and I cannot Reach You? Much Appreciated!!

I have been surfing through summer 2026 anime while there are a lot of anime that have female main characters in this season. I have realized my favourites were Yani Neko and Goodbye Lara because of the way female MCs were written with depth and personality. The one that stood out to me was female MC from Yani Neko. She's incredibly flawed, suffers from addictions, has a lot of bad habits, and female equivalent of Gintoki from Gintama. I have not noticed this kind of lazy jerk with softer side kind of female lead in shoujo. There are few anime made for women in this season. One feels like low quality Cinderella story and others are villainess romance shows. FLs in these stories are non-existent and forgettable, don't compare to FLs from Yani Neko and Goodbye Lara even when these shows aren't even made with female audience in mind