Does Hachiman from Oregairu count? He might for into more misanthropy than introversion, but I like that he’s capable and the non-standard way he goes about finding solutions.

Oreki from Hyouka seems like more of a standard introvert that gets dragged out of his shell by an extrovert. He’s depicted as intelligent and capable of lateral thinking. I adore how his realization about his feelings is done.

Throw them into the deep end: Golden Boy.

Words Bubble is quite the juxtaposition to Perfect Blue.

Haven’t checked out season 2 yet, but I put myself through watching the first season. It’s very very different, has more action and gore, the villain is so cliche he plays an organ, and the big climax was a ::: spoiler minor spoiler progress bar :::

What didn’t you like about Horimiya?

Really looking forward to this one. It’ll be interesting to see how the short scenes translate into episodes and how they do the voices.

How much worse and generic could isekai slop possibly be than all the other isekai trash?

Didn’t even realize this was becoming an anime. Probably a better medium for a spoken art form.

I did enjoy that but it felt like it was other genres much more than romance.

Watakoi has straight up physical and emotional abuse going on with that secondary couple.

You made me realize the genre is so sparse that most of what I’ve found has been manga. The single anime I can think of off the top of my head word be Signs of Affection, but it’s college and only the first season is out. As for manga:

Complete:

• Sweat and Soap - they get together early in the story and actually have sex and communicate about their problems
• Telework Yotabanashi - one volume, this is what got me introduced to the author of Sweat and Soap.

Ongoing:

• Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You. This one is much more drawn out, but the main characters are so earnest and emotionally supportive of each other.

Non toxic romance that doesn’t involve high schoolers.

Golden Boy

I’d also love to see the manga finished. But there’s probably enough for another season at least before catching up again.

No, he’s emotionally abusive and insults her to her face. She tries to slap him in the face. Then he’s sweet to her. This is common in abusive relationships and is called the cycle of abuse. If you think that’s a healthy relationship, please see a therapist.

Scene in question: https://youtu.be/TNyZJ8IF_d0

Here’s what I see:

Cycle of abuse - tension, incident, reconciliation, calm

Trauma bonding

That secondary couple is pretty screwed up, though. I’d avoid if OP is looking for wholesome.

This is the episode that got my partner to draw me up a diagram. Feels like I gotta go back and watch the all the episodes again.

Just like Requiem for a Dream, though that’s not anime.

I read the manga and imagined it with a lot of silence during the night. I tried the anime and the opening and first episode was such a different tone than what I expected that I stopped watching the preserve the mood I got from the manga. Anybody else have a similar experience?

I really like the tomato. Kobato has this whole story in his head that relies on the other person not being a ditz. That’s why Osanai is such a good fit for him, be it opponent or otherwise, as she would never defy his expectations like that by being so unintentional. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their interaction continues.

I did that once in a Chinese history course. The single essay question on the final was something like: How did the Mongolian invasion in the year xxxx change property rights for widows in China? I had absolutely no clue. Got some odd looks as I left 5 minutes in but there just wasn’t any point in trying to BS my way through.