Bad Items for Romance

Couples in anime and manga come in all forms. The teenage girl that crushes on the popular guy. The forbidden romance of a demon and a human. The guy that can't decide between his childhood friend or the new girl. The delinquent and the A list student. ... Some series try to push boundaries while others stay traditional. Yes, there are lots of romance styles in anime.

There is already a thread about favorite couples, one that you support because of the great elements the couple has. However most of us also have a couple we don't like or something that makes us go "yeah, no".

Are there any general kinds of romantic couples you can't stand, don't like, or just find strange?

Let's see where we overlap and where we differ.

 

You pretty much listed the types of couples I dislike. Although it depends on the writing honestly.

I can always get behind a relationship that's both well developed and has interesting characters with SOMETHING unique about them, even if they use the "common choices" you listed. But if the writing is lazy and the characters are "cookie-cutter," then I'm out.

It's a shame that anime makers don't have the wiggle room to do more with their characters. There's a lot of potential in the romance anime market that is being spoiled because companies are afraid to shake things up.

 

I usually prefer anime that romance is on the side so that even if the couple is meh it isn't a focal point.

I don't like when one character is so obsessed that basically all they talk about is their partner. Don't you have other things you can be thinking about? Aren't you a person too?

Demons and humans have started to bore me too because they've become so common. First ones I read were okay but now it's just gotten old.

 

Anything revolving around family always felt off to me. Even cousins and stuff. Also step siblings or adopted siblings always felt unnatural.

Of course I say this and find Lunar Silver Story and Trails in the Skies quite endearing so maybe I'll chalk it up to the writting.

 

I think the thing that bothers me most is the protagonist that is utterly clueless. That and the one who cannot make a definite choice about which one. I guess that is the most annoying thing about harem anime. I prefer good romance like Spice and Wolf or Ah! My Goddess!.