Valentine’s Day is only two weeks away, but with the economy being as bad as it is, who has the money to spend on expensive things like flowers and jewelry? Besides, who wants to give in to Valentine’s Day cliche anyways? For the otaku in your life, plan an anime-centric celebration. Here are some cheap ideas:
- Dinner: Instead of going out to a restaurant, fighting other couples for the last available table, and awkwardly trying to force conversation through bites of food, cook a romantic dinner together at home. For the meal, there are lots of manga titles to choose from for inspiration. “Yakitate!! Japan” is about a boy who has a dream to create bread to make Japan famous. “Iron Wok Jan” is another popular series about cooking, full of over-the-top competition between rival chefs, and a lot of space devoted to realistic discussion of food preparation and cooking. For dessert, pick up any shoujo (girls’) manga, and you’ll probably run across a reference to the parfait. (Apparently, parfait is a big fad among Japanese schoolgirls!) To find lots of Japanese recipes and cooking tips, check out the Just Hungry Blog and its sister site, Just Bento, at justhungry.com and justbento.com, respectively.
- Movie: These days, a trip to the movie theatre can cost upwards of $12 per person (and don’t even get me started on the price of popcorn!). Instead, rent a DVD for only $5 (or less if you use Netflix). To set the mood, here are some romantic choices:” Sailor Moon R: Promise Of The Rose” – The most romantic of the three “Sailor Moon” movies. In this one, Sailor Moon must rescue Tuxedo Mask when a former childhood friend kidnaps him.”Saikano” – A devastating television series set during a modern war, about a relationship between a hotheaded high school boy and his clumsy girlfriend…who just happens to be the “ultimate weapon.” Sounds a little farfetched, but do not underestimate this one. Tears will spill.”Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team” – An unusually tender and more realistic Gundam series that focuses on two star-crossed pilots from opposing sides of the war who fall in love.”Romeo x Juliet” – Another pair of star-crossed lovers; this one is a space-age retelling of Shakespeare’s tragic play, full of references to other works of his.
- Gift Ideas: Forget the flowers and chocolates; this year, get your sweetie something quirky and cute from Japan. The Nohohon Zoku is sure to draw a smile: it’s a solar-powered bobblehead that tilts his smiling face back and forth all day. May-Wa Denki Knockman toys are anthropomorphic musical instruments that play themselves when you wind them up (and each has a heart emblem somewhere on its body). To really pull out all the stops, though, you’ve got to go with My Beating Heart, a heart-shaped pillow that has a (battery-powered) heartbeat inside. Awwww.Nohohon Zoku and Knockman toys are available at acgears.com. My Beating Heart is available at my beating heart