Narumi Takayuki is a normal high school student with a crush on Mitsuki, the school's swim star -- that is, until he receives a profession of love from his friend Haruka. But amidst the beautiful budding relationship, tragedy strikes when an accident occurs, turning Narumi’s life upside-down. Kimi ga Nozomu Eien is a compelling drama about one man, and the choices he must make for love.
Yota is a young man who is in love with his friend Moemi, but there's a catch: she's confessed her love for his best friend! Heartbroken, he finds himself in a mysterious video store that offers him Ai, a video girl who can fulfill his every desire. Thanks to his broken VCR, this dream becomes reality when she suddenly... emerges from the TV?! With a real life video girl on his hands to give advice and set him straight, Yota might just stand a chance of winning over the heart of Moemi, and curing his unbearable heartache...
Sogoru Kyo is a normal high school student with great passion for the things he holds dear. In fact, his love for swimming is so great he is attempting to single-handedly keep the team alive. However, his life takes an unexpected twist when meets a strange girl at the pool whose existence shows him an enemy force that is threatening the very existence of humanity. These beings known as GARDS-OMS seek to eliminate humanity and take Earth for their own. His choice is to live as he has been, or take a place in the cockpit of a mecha to stop the extinction of humanity. They often say the truth will set you free, but in this case the truth may destroy Kyo and leave his beloved hometown without the hero it so desperately needs.
Yes, Zegapain has mecha, science-fiction themes, combat, and an epic story about mankind's future and uphill struggle for survival. But it also has relationships affected by tragedies, sacrifices made for others, and themes of friendship and romance. If you liked the depth, love, and tragedy of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, and don't mind something similar but in a fantastical and action-packed setting, then I highly recommend Zegapain.