Normie92

Awww you touched my kokoro (*≧∀≦*) I appreciate your appreciation ♥

Nope *sweats profusely*
I wouldn't dare use a corny love song to illustrate clearly profound thoughts hhhhh

Haha your comment made me laugh. Like the users said above.

" So I think all genres have conventions and it's a matter of how well they are used"
You eloquently resumed my intention with this article. Kudos to you for the keen observation!

*Doing the happy dace*
You said it all. What can i say except i agree with what you wrote? I didn't add IOTL because i actually used the gifs & the romcoms half-jokingly. Since they're (as you briliantly put it) slowly "bastardizing" my beloved genre. So i wanted to pay it homage, all while playing with the whole: Clichés may kill the romance while paradoxically delivering the potential to expand it through reflexively subversive approaches of said clichés. All while delivering the fluff. What's not to love?
Sankyuu for dropping an insightful comment. I feel blessedt xD ♥

I'm grateful for the bootiful & motivating comment. Thank YOU for your discerning input.
As someone who essentially perceives themself as a spiritual being (beyond the physical reality of my chubby glasses-wearing face :'D) I subscribe to the "timeless & beyond" notion of love in all its forms.
I also would love to see less prejudice on the genre itself from viewers & more openess to the whole "sappy experience" from men.

I forgot to thank you lol
I appreciate the support since it's my first article. ♥

You hit the nail on the head! I also think that it's a financial issue in its core.
On one hand we have the consumerist mindset that pumps mindless (rinse & repeat) content, because it's part of the "pop culture", cheaper & appeals to a big audience.
On the other, we have potential themes (in manga, anime, light novels, games, paraliterature..) that require a complex world-building that isn't easily-applicable to the small screen. Instead we have mediocre attempts using the shock factor & bad CGI to grab attention instead of quality writing.
I guess that's why in both aspects, hollywood (and lately Netflix) have the upper hand. But both efforts are not enough.

Happy to serve xD
Sadlt, romance is diminshed to clichés in romcoms cuz of lazy, convenient "consumerist" writing. They discovered a formula that worked so they milk that cow dry lol
Oddly enough, when consuming japanese content mainly (manga, anime, light novels...) despite the silly & wacky tone, there's some potential & many fresh concepts that i wish were applied to dramas & movies.
Though reductive, those recognizable tropes that killed the genre, could revive it through subversion.

Oh i'm humbled by your comment ♥
I couldn't agree more. Romance, when served as a backdrop to smtg greater, makes the best masterpieces in all fields of Arts (from scuplure, painting, literature, theatre, cinema, music,..)
Something transcendent about elusive romance, gives it meaning beyond the wordly realm & turns it into spiritual love. Or at least, that's how i experience & interpret it subjectively.

That's why this article was about romance as a WHOLE. I used romcoms kinda like a "tongue in cheek" half-ironic way to show that even those shows have paradoxically smtg of importance to offer to the genre.

Indeed. Romance gets a lot of bad rep mostly because of campy romcoms & corny melos, which is quite reductive, since it's infinitely more than that.
Ironically enough, those same melos & love comedies help in certain instances revive the genre and expand it exponentionally.

Thank you. I was trying to convey that it's not ALWAYS a bad thing. I also wanted to put the focus on romance in general more than "romcoms" so it won't be reduced to just that aspect.

*nods head aggressively* EXACTLY! Romantic subplots 're like salt in savory food. They make everything taste better.

I'm glad you like 'em :3

Corn salaaad!

i can't help but agree. Though i do enjoy the whimsical nature of it all. I observed that often the most beautiful romance stories are subtle & serve as a background for smtg much greater.

Welp that was a confusing ending that took like two seconds. I think they should've at least added one episode.

OMO! IKR! i fangirled a lil too much. My heart skipped a few beats.
The male lead's loving gaze & his infectious smile tho... Will definitely be adding him to my ♥ japanese actors list.

I think i squealed too much while watching EP6. The male lead is such a heart-throb. He's swoon-worthy. The female lead is adorkable too.