Thread: Good Transition Series?

Gah, 10 minutes of my time gone. You have all avoided a wall of text.

Basically, I'm trying writing a list (guide, something or another) that will help people branch out into different genres. I love all genres (well did anyway) and I want everyone to enjoy a large variety of series.

A few questions:
What is your favourite genre*?
What are qualities do you like about that genre?
What series do you feel best exemplifies that genre (not necessarily best)?
What do you feel are some good series to get from genre A to B? Answer as many times as you want. Edit: If you can describe why you feel that way, a word (the common link) would suffice.

* I do not "believe" in gender-specific genres but you may put one down if you so choose. Though I don't mind subgenres like harem so I guess I'm a bit narrow minded in trying not to be.

All help is appreciated.

Favorite genre: romantic comedy

Like because: It's one of the most honest forms of art about how sex and love are just so damn silly. Srsly. The dieties that invented sex are sniggering up their collective sleeves -- so why shouldn't we?

Best exemplified by: Hmm -- Lovely Complex, possibly. It's not perfect* and lacks any cases of mistaken identity, but it's got the doofiness and messiness of it all in spades -- and is funny.

Linking series: The only one I can think of is Yotsuba&! is a good gateway drug into slice-of-life series for readers of comedy.

* Standard of perfection being Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Favourite genre: Also romantic comedy


Like because: The interesting thing about romantic comedy is that it allows for progress and character development through the romance, but keeps the journey lighthearted and entertaining through the comedic elements. Therefore, the best romantic comedies keep you wanting to read more to see the next stage of development in the characters' relationship, yet offers high re-readability because the jokes stay eternally amusing in context. Romantic comedies offer two forms of pleasure - the pleasure of humor at funny situations, and the pleasure of a successful romantic encounter (WAFF). And if the story development is good, then of course the third form of pleasure - completion of a tight narrative, is also given. Of course, there are many series in the genre which do not manage to keep the balance between romance and comedy, or fail to develop sufficiently well, and this is what causes a great deal of crap to flood the genre.


Best exemplified by: Hmm... Maison Ikkoku springs to mind, as does Skip Beat! and School Rumble for the upper range. I suppose Parallel and Pastel would be more representative of the lower range, and Beauty is the Beast or Living Game is somewhere around the middle.


Linking genres:
Romantic drama (eg. Saikano, Bitter Virgin, I"s, KGNE),
Romantic slice-of-life (eg. Salad Days, Aria/Aqua),
Slice-of-life comedy (eg. Yotsuba&!, Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star)
Sports comedy (eg. Eyeshield 21, Bowling King, Yakitate Japan!)
Subgenre: Harem romantic comedy (defined as having more than 2 persistent love interests for one main character. eg. Ai Kora, Ichigo 100%, Ai Yori Aoshi, Love Hina)


Linking series:
From shounen action/adventure -> Romantic comedy:
Naruto, Bleach, etc. ---> Open Sesame, School Rumble, H2 ----> Romantic comedies

From *high fanservice* shounen action/adventure -> Romantic comedy:
Air Gear, Tenjou Tenge, etc. ----> Ichigo 100%, Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi, Yume de Aetara ---> Romantic comedies

From shoujo romantic dramas -> Romantic comedy:
Glass Mask, Hot Gimmick, HYD, etc. ---> Beauty is the Beast, Nodame Cantible, Skip Beat! ---> Romantic comedies

From sports series -> Romantic comedy:
Prince of Tennis, Hajime no Ippo, etc. ---> Hot Blooded Woman, Rough, H2, School Rumble ---> Romantic comedies

From slice-of-life -> Romantic comedy:
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Azumanga Daioh, Yotsubato!, etc. ----> Aria & Aqua, Open Sesame, School Rumble ---> Romantic comedies

From seinen action / psychological -> Romantic comedy:
Berserk, Monster, Eden, etc. ----> REC, Bitter Virgin, Dance til Tomorrow (Asatte Dance) ---> Living Game, Maison Ikkoku, Hot Blooded Woman ----> Romantic comedies

-Dizzy-