Ask John: Is Romance Anime with Weird Girls a New Trend?

Question:
Is the trend toward weird girls in romance anime a recent one? I noticed a lot of shows made now have as the object of romantic fantasy a girl that’s unusual or weird like Rikka from Chuunibyou, Erio from Denpa Onna, Mashiro from The Pet Girl of Sakurasou and Mikoto from Mysterous Girlfriend X.

Answer:
Rather than say that contemporary romance anime has introduced a new trend of fetishizing especially eccentric girls, I think that the post-tsundere era that anime is moving into is more overtly emphasizing a characteristic that’s been present but subdued in romance anime since the 1990s. Conventional romance anime really developed in the 1980s, as anime from the 60’s and 70’s including Fushigi na Melmo, Versailles no Bara, Haikara-san ga Tooru, and Sasurai no Taiyo included romance but weren’r really romance anime. Many of the romance anime of the golden era revolved around fairly normal girls. Examples of such anime include Ai Shite Night, The Kabocha Wine, Touch, Hiatari Ryoko, Maison Ikkoku, and Kimagure Orange Road. However, a few exceptions from the golden era, including Urusei Yatsura and Tokimeki Tonight depicted romance with non-human female characters.

As the golden era transformed into the 1990s, conventional romance anime seemed to face increasing competition from unconventional romance. OVAs including Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu, A-Girl, 1 Pound no Fukuin, Crying Freeman, and Kumo no Youni Kaze no Youni featured relative “normal” female lead characters. Romance TV anime series including Fushigi Yuugi, Hana Yori Dango, Taiho Shichauzo, Gokinjo Monogatari and Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo revolved around typical girls. But at the same time, productions including Tenchi Muyo, Ah! Megami-sama, Spirit of Wonder, Denei Shoujo Ai, Chou Kuse ni Narisou, and Saber Marionette became more prominent, depicting romantic relationships between human boys and female aliens, gods, robots, and artificial beings. This 90’s trend has steadily become more evident in the current decade. Romance anime from the 2000s featuring relatively normal female characters, including Ai Yori Aoshi, LoveCom, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Peach Girl, Ichigo 100%, Suzuka, REC, Bokura ga Ita, and Nodame Cantabile, have been dramatically outnumbered by romance anime featuring odd and unusual female romantic interests, including Onegai Teacher, Chobits, Enban Oujo Walkure, Saishu Heiki Kanojo, Princess Tutu, Mohoromatic, Tenshi no Shippo, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Midori no Hibi, Rozen Maiden, Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo, and Shuffle!

At least as far back as 2006, observers may begin spotting signs of today’s particular variety of romantic anime. 2006 shows including Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge and Sumomomo Momomo ~Chijou Saikyou no Yome~ revolved around human but very quirky female characters. Recent romance anime including Bakemonogatari, Durarara, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, Chihayafuru, Nazo no Kanojo X, and Chuunibyo Demo Koi ga Shitai! have likewise all revolved around human women with very unusual or eccentric personalities or quirks, as opposed to 2012 anime including Ano Natsu de Matteru, Inu x Boku SS, High School DxD, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, and Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai that haven’t even featured human women in the leading romantic role.

Over the past thirty years, anime just seems to have evolved enough to largely preclude the necessity for and interest in conventional, realistic romance anime. Even a 2012 show like Natsuyuki Rendezvous that revolved around a very ordinary human woman still injected a supernatural component into its story. The very fact that we do still get anime like Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, and Sukitte Ii na Yo proves that relatively grounded and realistic romance anime isn’t extinct. But after the past twenty years of romance anime involving gods, spirits, robots, and aliens, conventional romantic anime involving regular human beings now feels underwhelming and ordinary. The majority of today’s anime viewers, especially those that have just come through a decade rife with tsundere girls with explosive, dynamic personalities, want romance anime that’s punchy, catchy, and a little bit odd, and an ideal girl who’s distinctively unique, rather than the traditional, slow-paced and “ordinary” human romance of shows like Maison Ikkoku and Ai Yori Aoshi.