Forget A Sign of Affection, This Underrated Classic is Perfect for You Dark Romance Lovers

Romance comes in many shades, and whatever fits your lane, there is plenty to choose from. One such category is dark romance, which has many romance enthusiasts in a chokehold.

A Sign Of Affection, which became famous recently as the standard love story, pales in comparison to some really twisted tales out there. Here, Future Diary, or Mirai Nikki, deserves a mention for singlehandedly popularising the Yandere girlfriend trope in anime.

However, now that it has been years since its release, Future Diary has turned into an underrated classic that deserves more attention. We truly cannot deny that this anime helped shape the dark romance genre in anime.

Why Is Future Diary Considered A Dark Romance And Not A Sign Of Affection?

Dark romance is a subgenre that is not for everyone. It lacks the usual innocence one might expect in romances where healthy relationships and happy endings are the norm, like A Sign Of Affection.

Instead, what you get here are complex characters, messy developments, and a warped side of romance that might even border on abuse. But this unhingedness of something as pure as romance is what attracts people to it.

Hence, when we get a deranged psychopath like Yuno Gasai falling for a pathetic and weak man like Yukki, it is bound to be electrifying. On top of that, when all of this is happening in a survival thriller setup, it becomes a recipe for a successful franchise.

Yuno Is Not Normal, But She Is Loyal

When Yuno first gets introduced, she almost appears as a sweet and innocent girl with an apparent crush on Yukki. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that she is not in danger, but she is the danger.

Yuno can do anything and go to any lengths to ensure her and her beloved’s survival. Her allure comes from the fact that she is the ultimate girlfriend whose sole goal is the betterment of her boyfriend.

But she is also a tragic character who is herself a victim of abuse. Her twisted personality and flawed idea of love are a result of her adoptive parents maltreating her to the point of keeping her locked in a cage. She got her revenge, but it was with Yukki that she first felt a true sense of attachment, which evolved into a sick obsession.

Yuno is best girl
byu/SatokoHoujou inyandere

So what if she is an obsessive stalker who can kill anyone she considers a danger? In the end, many would prefer an ultimate Yandere like Yuno to a cheating and frivolous partner anyway.

Future Diary: A Masterclass In Balancing Romance And Horror

The reason why Future Diary still remains the undisputed show that successfully blended romance and psychological horror lies in its ability to be unapologetically unhinged. In a setting where people are scrambling for survival from a death game, the plot is already intense enough. But, you get an even crazier twist with a villainous heroin whose moral compass does not work.

Plus, the hero himself is unlike any protagonist. He is as normal as any average man who is scared and indecisive for most of the anime. His personality is so mediocre that many even deem him the worst anime character ever.

Yukki Is The Worst Character Ever
byu/WhatCouldBeSo inanime

However, he is the balance that indirectly calms a whirlwind like Yuno. Their romance becomes the highlight of this anime, making their pair so iconic even to this day.

Yuno and Yukki’s love might not be the standard, but it does stand out amongst all the similar and boring love stories. This is exactly what dark romance is supposed to be; it should evoke a sense of thrill, and Future Diary embodies that statement perfectly.

Watch Future Diary on Crunchyroll.