Heartful Anime / Modern Fairytales

Ratohnhaketon said:
When considering works like Kobato and Aria, I think that these kind of stories are necessary to counter reality and show that there is beauty in this world. As much as I enjoy the optimistic messages they send, I would only watch them in light amounts, since that kind of euphoria could lead to extreme desires of escapism.

romagia said:
most high school SoL, not the ecchi kind

Litrydow said:
Nah, too unrealistic and cliché, I'd rather not have more of those.

Shiratori99 said:


I think most SoL are lacking this actually. Take Lucky Star for example, sure it's cute and got a positive outlook. But after all it's all moe fanservice, the characters are lacking "heart", or at least that's the best way I can put it.

Shocked said:
These kind of anime make of most of my favorites, if just because of how hard it is to make an unrealistically cheerful anime that's not too far detached from the viewer. Aria has already been mentioned, and I'll add in things like Tokyo Godfathers and Bartender, whose lifeblood are thick with idealism and weigh heavily on the suspension of disbelief. Yeah they're unrealistic, but if shows nowadays can make you believe in fantastic worlds full of adventure, zombie apocalypses, and futuristic worlds full of strife and discord, I find it strange for why it's so difficult to believe in the little miracles in everyday life. It's certainly sappy, yeah, but imagine there were a hardcore cynical bastard here. If an anime could get them to calm the eff down and take a slightly more optimistic look on life, or even just have fun, that anime must be exceptional, regardless of its level of realism.

Also, nah, I don't think there should be more of them. A good balance of the dramatic stuff and the cheerful stuff enriches the experience of each of 'em everytime someone hops the fence to the other side.