By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko

    February 14th… Valentine’s day, love it or loathe it, it matters not because it isn’t even a public holiday. However, it’s one of the most celebrated days. Whether you’re celebrating it with a special someone or avoiding it because you’re hurting or if you’re one of the cool people who have it saved as “Caroline Polachek’s album drop date”; then adding a romance anime to your itinerary isn’t a bad idea. Watching studio ghibli with your Valentine is sure to brighten the mood.

Binge-watching a random romance anime is also a great way to kill time and avoid the “His and Hers” posts. Plus, Caroline Polachek’s album is about 45 minutes long; what will you do after your 4th listen? You can always cuddle in your bed and watch a show where people scream as loud as she did on the track, Welcome to my island. Life is filled with tough choices and picking the right anime on Valentine’s is up there. The wrong option can dampen the mood or worse; it can do more damage than a random cute couple in matching pyjamas. So here are a few anime movies that will certainly keep you interested and not at the expense of your emotions… or will they?

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE:

        This Studio Ghibli production is one of the most beloved. It recently made its runway debut when Spanish luxury house, LOEWE made a Howl’s moving castle collection. The Oscar-nominated animated feature follows the tale of Sophie, a young milliner who gets cursed by a wizard and turns into an old woman. Seeking to break the curse, Sophie leaves home and sets off through the countryside. She ends up at Howl’s castle which as the title suggests is transportable. She gets the adventure of a lifetime. The key to enjoying Howl’s moving castle to the fullest is to pay attention to the dialogue because there’s a story within the story. It is practically a cinéma à clef and truly a masterpiece. It’s available on Netflix.

YOUR NAME:

        Cliché? Definitely. But it is on every list because it is so good. It even has a 98% rating on rotten tomatoes. Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it is not good.  Plus, it has the perfect vibe if you’re still in the Caroline Polachek mood. It has a rather unique story, it depicts a high school boy in Tokyo and a high school girl in the Japanese countryside who suddenly and inexplicably begin to swap bodies. When they wake up as each other on some mornings, they must live through the other’s respective activities and social interactions for the day. Eventually, they learn they can communicate with each other by leaving messages on paper, phones, and sometimes on each other’s skin. If you haven’t seen it, you should get to it. At least before the live adaptation comes out and then you can hate-watch the live adaptation. 

DOUKYUUSEI:

        This wholesome anime has its niche. Unlike the others on the list, Doukyuusei requires an acquired taste. Due to its peculiar art style, it is rarely the first option for anime lovers. But if you look past the quirky animation, you’re bound to have a fun time. Something as little as the art style and brush techniques shouldn’t serve as a barrier between you and peak fiction. The romance follows the tale of two very different high school boys as they grow up, meet each other and fall in love. A relationship between two high school second years, Licht Sajo, who is an honour student, and Hikaru Kusakabe, who plays in a rock band. It has a simple plot that focuses on the ups and downs of a high school romance, with a lot of the drama you might expect from the yaoi genre of anime romance. 

HOTARUBI NO MORI E:

         Translated as “Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light”. This is a tragedy that rivals Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This movie utilizes Japanese folklore to tell a story of love and loss. During a summer vacation at her grandfather’s house, six-year-old Hotaru Takegawa gets lost in a forest rumoured to be inhabited by spirits. She is rescued by a spirit when she gets lost in a forest as a child. The two become friends, despite the spirit revealing that he will disappear if he is ever touched by a human. Hotaru grows up but falls in love with the spirit despite being unable to touch him and becomes dedicated to reuniting with him each year. Well, it is a tale of misfortunate events but there’s a sweetness to it. 

THE WIND RISES: 

      Another Studio Ghibli production. But unlike the fictional Howl’s moving castle which has a hidden agenda, The Wind Rises is neither fiction nor is the story hidden within the story. It is an animated historical drama. It is based on the story of the Japanese engineer, Jiro Horikoshi who developed the Zero fighter plane. Jiro faces many struggles, first, he learns that his eyesight prevents him from flying an aeroplane, and then struggles with more obstacles as an aeroplane engineer.

Over the years, he meets and falls in love with a young lady he has met several times in passing, a lady who has her own coming tragedy. It is a sweet tale that challenges viewers. 

Welcome to the end of my list. If I were to arrange in what order you should view them, I’d say start with Howl’s moving castle and end with The Wind Rises or vice versa. However, you want to watch everything else is up to you but whatever you do, don’t watch “Hotarubi no mori e” last.