So it's the weekend before Valentine's Day, and instead of sitting down in a fancy restaurant with a hot girl (or guy), you're sitting in a half-empty lecture hall watching anime. Or if you want to look at it optimistically, as Greg might say: "You're all alone on Valentine's Day, but at least you can watch anime!" Not having a girlfriend myself, getting the chance to sit here tonight is like winning the toaster behind door number three, but looking on the bright side, at least you can come here and wish that you were half as popular as the characters in our shows... I mean, take Miaka for instance. There is absolutely no good reason for dozens of eligible male characters to fall over themselves in trying to win her love. What's up with that, anyway? After all, Fushigi Yuugi isn't even as popular as Manga Club...

Now while we're on the subject, FY isn't the only show in which hoards of good-looking men and/or women become infatuated with one character, like bugs drawn to a high-voltage bug-zapper. And now, just to rub it in for all the pathetic... er... unshackled members out there, we're going to go through a quick recap of all of the relationships in our four main series. (Note: Eric disavows all knowledge of everything I've just said. -Jae)

Fushigi Yuugi: Right now, only three love triangles exist within the series: Miaka, Tamahome, and Hotohori; Tamahome, Miaka, and Yui; and Miaka, Nuriko, and Hotohori. Now that tangle's about as bad as those in Marmalade Boy (which we showed last year). There really isn't that much to say about this set of love triangles, except that they and the whole world seem to revolve around Miaka. From what Eric tells me, things are only going to get worse from here. There is something about Miaka, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is.

Martian Successor Nadesico: (Ye Gods I love that name) Now in this series, things aren't quite so simple as in Fushigi Yuugi, and the Nadesico is a veritable Love Boat, with the poor, befuddled Akito being loved to death at the center of it all. In a sense, it's hard not to feel for him. Not only does he have to deal with hundreds of Jovian Lizards on a daily basis, he also has to put up with the less-than-tender affections of Yurika, Megumi, and Ryoko -- not to mention their cooking. And to top that off, it's starting to look like both Ines and Ruri are about to get in on the action... Unfortunately, the passionate feelings of these beautiful women seemed doomed to fail, for Akito's heart is singularly devoted towards... Gekiganger. Adding to this huge mess, both Jun and Akatsuki are in love with Yurika, who hardly notices their efforts: "A-ki-to!"; and then there's Gort, the big guy, and his affair with Minato, the girl with the big... ideas.

Nadia of the Mysterious Seas: Now unlike the first two series we visited, Nadia is a lot more sedate when it comes down to relationships. The most obvious one is, of course, the one between Nadia and Jean, our two lovers. In the past, Electra and Grandis have been rather open about their affections for the enigmatic Nemo, but with the Nautilus having recently become so much calimari, who knows how things will turn out. Add to one engineer with a crush, and you get a situation that's more volatile than Fushigi Yuugi.

Rurouni Kenshin: Last but not least is our boy Kenshin. Now despite being a longer series than any of the others -- hell, than any two of the others combined -- Rurouni Kenshin seems to have the least romance of all of our spring lineup. There is definitely something between Kenshin and Kaoru, it's impossible to deny it, but it's never really clear just what that something is. Then there's Sanosuke and the foxy doctor Megumi, who never happen to go beyond simple flirting. Now you might be inclined to think that some of the other great swordsmen present in Kenshin's world, like Aoshi, might be popular with the ladies, but the real pimp-daddy of the series has to be Yahiko. After all, he's only 10 years old and he's already got two cute girls, Tsubame and Marimo, in his pocket. Imagine how many he'll have by the time he's old enough to enter college...

So before the lights dim and the projector casts its first Seishi upon the screen, you might want to take a moment to sit back and be grateful. For despite any other troubles you might have, at least you'll never have to deal with the unique problem faced by Miaka and Yahiko...