Adachi Sakura and Shimamura Hougetsu develop a close friendship over the course of the series; however, things become complicated for Adachi after she dreams of herself and Shimamura sharing an intimate kiss. In episode 9, they go on an outing for Valentine’s Day, where they exchange and eat chocolates together. Adachi picks up the heart-shaped confection first, which is subtext for her growing feelings. She then picks up another heart-shaped chocolate and offers to feed it to Shimamura, who gladly accepts. The best moment from this episode comes at the end of the date when, on their way to catch the train, they see an electronic noticeboard where there was a promotion for sharing messages to your loved ones. As they awaited the train, Adachi caught a sweet message from Shimamura which read, “I hope we can continue to stay close!”

“Tsukasa-chan, from now on, if anything good happens to me, you’ll be the first to know. And if anything sad happens to you, I’ll share in that sadness. We’ll share with each other.” These heartfelt words from Yuzaki Nasa to his wife illustrate just how beautiful TONIKAWA can be; however, the scene would not be what it is without the dramatic kiss in front of the stained glass in the Church of Alexanmarco. By the fourth episode of the series, Nasa and Tsukasa are getting into the swing of things; however, Nasa’s statement of intent for their relationship kicked things into a much higher gear than before. We do not normally get kiss scenes this early into a series but TONIKAWA’s strong hold over this Fall season is partly because it is daring in story, characters and execution.

Romance is beautiful, but it can also be painful. In the hilarious pilot episode of The Day I Became a God, we come to meet the main character Narukami, the self-proclaimed “God of Omniscience” Hina, and Narukami’s childhood friend, the quiet, studious and aptly named Izanami. Hina’s apparent omniscience makes Narukami’s romantic feelings for Izanami obvious to her. However, when Narukami attempts to rebuff Hina’s claims about his romantic feelings for Izanami, Izanami very calmly reiterates the fact that they are just friends. Narukami’s hilarious reaction was to study the feelings away very loudly in the public library, leading to Hina and Narukami being kicked out.

By the Grace of the Gods is an incredibly pleasant slice of life anime. The protagonist, Takebayashi Ryouma, lived a life of abuse, hardship, and maltreatment; however, he now lives a life of abundance after helping members of the Jamil family of tamers. After being asked to accompany them on their journeys, Ryouma concludes that he cannot allow himself to be babied by the Jamil family, so wants to go his own way. Ryouma talks to the Merchant Guild so he can have advice on how to open his own laundry shop, using the same cleaning slimes that wowed the Jamil family earlier in the series. Ryouma’s success after the difficult life he lived before his death is enough to make anyone feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Yuzaki Nasa and his wife, Tsukasa, get into their yukatas for the summer festival. Aat the festival, the two enter a shrine to pray and make wishes, and Tsukasa’s wish for her husband’s continued good health sets Nasa’s heart ablaze. The happiness of the scene is enhanced by the fireworks, which make Nasa very excited for the life he is about to have with his wife; with whom he wants to share the sight of the summer festival fireworks again, and again. Get a room, you two!