Most of the romance anime I’ve seen are based on a high school setting or something similar.
They were good and all but all have this typical format with the usual shenanigans like Love triangle, beach and fireworks festival episodes, useless love interests that have a shelf life of a hamburger… Etc.
And the memorable ones have me feeling nostalgia for memories I’ve never even had. And in some cases its almost like waking up after a fever dream but with chest pain.
P.S - From the top of my head- the only grown up romance setting I can think of is Wotakoi. Maybe it’s time I venture more into K-dramas for the romance, I remember seeing one named “Twentyfive twentyone” which was absolutely amazing.
The Ancient Magus’s Bride is a nice slow-burn romance/adventure series that skips a lot of tropes and isn’t in any kind of rush. The setup is pretty uncomfortable, though.
The first few episodes were so uncomfortable I couldn’t get through them. :(
It’s definitely a series that rewards persistence. Watching Chose come into her own and grow got me hooked.