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BWTraveller · 2021-09-22, 17:58

In a certain thread every now and then a trope has come up (though I haven't been able to find it on TV Tropes) where a man or woman one day realizes that (s)he has actually been in love with this other character for ages. Don't believe I actually know of any series that pulls this, so I was hoping for some examples (and the trope name if anyone knows it). I'm hoping I can get both good examples that are believable and/or moving, and bad ones that feel like a cop-out.

Lex79 · 2021-09-23, 03:22

I take that you are not looking for stories where a character falls in love early but fails to realize until much later (unless the story spans over years or decades) but stories where a character has been in love for years, maybe from childhood, without realizing. Correct me if I'm misunderstanding.
Anyway, two examples I can think of are Musume Janakute, Watashi (Mama) ga Suki Nano!? and Tekito na Maid no Oneesan & Erasou de Ichizu na Botchan. Curiously enough, both are age gap romances with younger male x older female. Between the two, the former is definitely more believable and moving, due to the latter being more of a gag manga.

BWTraveller · 2021-09-23, 11:27

I'm fairly flexible. It doesn't make that much difference to me whether the person was in love since long before the start of the story, or fell in love at some early point in the story but remained far beyond oblivious to their own feelings only to realize very late in (though for the latter it'd probably have to start very early, last a long time, and sell me pretty well on the disconnect). Let's just say if it's "fell in love early in the story but didn't realize until late" then the person should have pined for/dated at least one person for a long period between when they're supposed to have fallen for the other person and when they realized it.

I just realized there is one series that at least gets close to/implies this. On a whim I watched an old anime (and read the manga) called Nurse Angel Ririka SOS. In it, the heroine spends much of the story pining for her senpai Kanon and having a sort of "vitriolic best buds" relationship with her childhood friend/neighbor Seiya. From time to time it demonstrates that she gets pretty jealous when other girls are around Seiya and upset if she accidentally says something cruel to him, but then immediately goes into fangirl mode the moment someone mentions her Senpai. This gradually shifts but she remains unclear/oblivious to the end of the anime and the main end of the manga. Only in an extra that happens afterward, set a few years later, does she admit that she'd actually realized that she's been in love with Seiya for a very long time (implied to be from the start though not explicit).

Lex79 · 2021-09-23, 12:22

Ok, I'll try to think of other examples.

0cean · 2021-09-23, 12:25

I can only think of Toradora that goes into that direction.
It's kind of a trope in battle anime for the protagonist to eventually get together with the only other girl at some point, too.

But the whole concept of being in love without realizing it is debatable, I guess. The only anime that convinced me of this happening was Ookami to Koushinryou.

2021-09-22, 17:58	Link #1
BWTraveller Born to ship Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Texas	Cases of "Always loved you" In a certain thread every now and then a trope has come up (though I haven't been able to find it on TV Tropes) where a man or woman one day realizes that (s)he has actually been in love with this other character for ages. Don't believe I actually know of any series that pulls this, so I was hoping for some examples (and the trope name if anyone knows it). I'm hoping I can get both good examples that are believable and/or moving, and bad ones that feel like a cop-out.

2021-09-23, 03:22	Link #2
Lex79 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Italy	I take that you are not looking for stories where a character falls in love early but fails to realize until much later (unless the story spans over years or decades) but stories where a character has been in love for years, maybe from childhood, without realizing. Correct me if I'm misunderstanding. Anyway, two examples I can think of are Musume Janakute, Watashi (Mama) ga Suki Nano!? and Tekito na Maid no Oneesan & Erasou de Ichizu na Botchan. Curiously enough, both are age gap romances with younger male x older female. Between the two, the former is definitely more believable and moving, due to the latter being more of a gag manga. __________________ You will die, mortal

2021-09-23, 12:22	Link #4
Lex79 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Italy	Ok, I'll try to think of other examples. __________________ You will die, mortal

2021-09-23, 12:25	Link #5
0cean Transfer Adventurer Join Date: Oct 2017	I can only think of Toradora that goes into that direction. It's kind of a trope in battle anime for the protagonist to eventually get together with the only other girl at some point, too. But the whole concept of being in love without realizing it is debatable, I guess. The only anime that convinced me of this happening was Ookami to Koushinryou. __________________

2021-09-23, 11:27	Link #3
BWTraveller Born to ship Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Texas	I'm fairly flexible. It doesn't make that much difference to me whether the person was in love since long before the start of the story, or fell in love at some early point in the story but remained far beyond oblivious to their own feelings only to realize very late in (though for the latter it'd probably have to start very early, last a long time, and sell me pretty well on the disconnect). Let's just say if it's "fell in love early in the story but didn't realize until late" then the person should have pined for/dated at least one person for a long period between when they're supposed to have fallen for the other person and when they realized it. I just realized there is one series that at least gets close to/implies this. On a whim I watched an old anime (and read the manga) called Nurse Angel Ririka SOS. In it, the heroine spends much of the story pining for her senpai Kanon and having a sort of "vitriolic best buds" relationship with her childhood friend/neighbor Seiya. From time to time it demonstrates that she gets pretty jealous when other girls are around Seiya and upset if she accidentally says something cruel to him, but then immediately goes into fangirl mode the moment someone mentions her Senpai. This gradually shifts but she remains unclear/oblivious to the end of the anime and the main end of the manga. Only in an extra that happens afterward, set a few years later, does she admit that she'd actually realized that she's been in love with Seiya for a very long time (implied to be from the start though not explicit).