Sekitou Elegy, Yonensei Recommendations
What I HATE about romance series is how, typically, the ENTIRE duration gets spent on a couple getting together. They usually end when there's no more drama to be milked from the 'will they won't they' scenario. If you're lucky, you get an epilogue to close off the story. If you're unlucky, NOTHING; maybe just a kiss.
This is why Sekitou Elergy surprised me. It's 15 volumes long and within the first few volumes the lead duo meet, kiss, have sex and start living together. Instead of all the fannying about leading up to a relationship, in Sekitou you get see a relationship developing over time
as naturally awkward - and funny - dialogue leads to love. Sex isn't hidden away: instead, it's treated as a natural part of life and human relationships. And the characters aren't high-class university students: they're real people that have to do part-time work to make ends meet. It's hilarious, touching and - most importantly - believable.
There aren't many series like Sekitou. And that's why Yonensei also stood out. Where as Sekitou wasted no time in getting its couple together, Yonensei begins with its couple having already been together for a year or two. This allows you to see the comfort zone couples reach when sex becomes casual and what was initially endearing becomes a source of conflict. The series are very similar - natural dialogue with mature humour / sex (males wanting sex; females being less needy) - but Yonensei's starting point puts sustaining a long-term relationship under the microscope--even more so because the heroine is an overachiever and the male lead is a slacker. ARGUMENTS.
In short, both series are MUST reads for anyone tired of what is generally the shoujo definition of love. They will appeal more to the seinen demographic, granted, but the strong female characterisation will appeal to both genders. As will the laughs.
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