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Your Favorite Anime/Manga Couple?


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Heishi



Joined: 06 Mar 2016
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:00 am Reply with quote
Well, seeing all this Chikane x Himeko bashing, I suppose I must do what a good Kannazuki fan would do: defend their love through fulfillment.

I do not believe Chikane is Mary Sue, because while she is gifted and well adverse in tennis, she is not perfect, especially her countless failures to actually protect Himeko.

She is also not very creepy, either. There are much, much, creepier lesbians out there like Kaname Kenjou, Haruka Nishida, Kuroko Shirai, etc., IMO.
The reason why Himeko chose Chikane over Souma was not of pure coincidence, but because she did generally develop feelings for her. She just didn't realize it until spoiler[she kissed Souma] and yes, there was a part of her that still had that centuries old feeling of love for Chikane. It's sorta like a childhood romance promise to reunite one day, you see in a few romance shows. (Of course, Souma and Himeko were childhood friends but they never had a childhood romance and their relationship didn't actually develop until much later and even then, it wasn't really true love)
Because Himeko and Chikane are the reincarnations of the Solar and Lunar Priestesses.
That's where I strongly disagree with Raftina, Chiibi, and especially Vaisaga on this matter.

Hope this clears things up.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 2:07 am Reply with quote
Heishi wrote:

She is also not very creepy, either..


I'm sorry but:

spoiler[All rapists are creepy, terrible people who should not be in relationships.]

There is no excuse. None. The only one I would accept is if she was possessed by a demon or something but she was not. She knew exactly what she was doing. And no, "I wanted her to hate me" isn't a good one.

And I will not support a ship that spoiler[not only involves rape but actually rewards the rapist with requited feelings.]

What a giant middle finger to actual victims of this situation. Sorry Heishi, but I find this so very offensive. I'm shocked more people do not, let alone think it's "romantic". I am sickened by it.

SoumaxHimeko was spoiler[not allowed to be canon because the Kaishaku decided from the get-go this was a yuri series.] And I am very familiar with their work; they are a couple of perverts who pander to the male demographic and they don't seem to respect female characters all that much because they treat them as sexual objects to oogle at in most of their works. It's too bad that SoumaXHimeko is a much more accurate way to portray what true love actually is about (I'm mostly speaking from Souma's POV but I could see it in Himeko for him as well.
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Heishi



Joined: 06 Mar 2016
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 3:16 am Reply with quote
Chiibi wrote:
Heishi wrote:

She is also not very creepy, either..


I'm sorry but:

spoiler[All rapists are creepy, terrible people who should not be in relationships.]

There is no excuse. None. The only one I would accept is if she was possessed by a demon or something but she was not. She knew exactly what she was doing. And no, "I wanted her to hate me" isn't a good one.

And I will not support a ship that spoiler[not only involves rape but actually rewards the rapist with requited feelings.]

What a giant middle finger to actual victims of this situation. Sorry Heishi, but I find this so very offensive. I'm shocked more people do not, let alone think it's "romantic". I am sickened by it.

SoumaxHimeko was spoiler[not allowed to be canon because the Kaishaku decided from the get-go this was a yuri series.] And I am very familiar with their work; they are a couple of perverts who pander to the male demographic and they don't seem to respect female characters all that much because they treat them as sexual objects to oogle at in most of their works. It's too bad that SoumaXHimeko is a much more accurate way to portray what true love actually is about (I'm mostly speaking from Souma's POV but I could see it in Himeko for him as well.


If you equate a fictional piece of work to actual real life events, then I find this argument rather uncompelling. That's like me saying, I hate Vegeta because of what he did killing innocent people and it offends me as members of my family were killed by a madman.
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Hikari14



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 1040
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 4:27 am Reply with quote
Psycho 101 wrote:
Hikari14 wrote:
Nitpicking isn't the purpose of this thread. Kindly stay on topic instead of doing such. :/

Kindly leave moderating to the actual moderators. Killjoy is actually right, this is not going to be a list thread. If you want to post who your favorite anime couples are you are expected to post why they are. As for criticizing couples people pick everyone needs to stick to the couples. Do not insult the poster for their pick. You don't have to agree with their choices but if you disagree then you best do so civilly. If people just start arguing over ships or listing names this thread will get locked real quickly.

Now personally I would have to say my 2 favorite anime couples has always been Belldandy & Keichi from Oh My Goddess and Kaoru & Aoi from Ai Yori Aoishi. Both for much of the same reasons.

The biggest criticism both Aoi and Bell get from people is that they are door mats. They're the typical passive waifu and have no backbone or characters. I admit at the start both do come off as such characters in the shows. Which is part of the point. They both progress as characters. They both become more sure of themselves and more assertive. In both shows while they have harem aspects neither show is a harem in the traditional sense. It's clear from the start in both series that Aoi and Bell are the love interest. period. Sure the other girls try to become the love of Kei and Kaoru but you never really believe for a second that they will succeed. The other girls eventually come to respect the relationships and affections they have for each other. During the course of both shows as the other female characters, and plot elements, create trouble or distress for the couples both Bell and Aoi become more sure of themselves. Their affection for Kei and Kaoru deepen and becomes much more genuine. They evolve within the relationship and learn to stand up for what they want.

Kei and Kaoru do much of the same. Both become more assertive in their own rights and fight to hang onto their love. It's not so much them fighting to earn the love of Bell or Aoi but to keep it. To keep the relationship going or deepen it. They show friendly affection for the other female characters and help them but they never waver in who they love.

Because of this the relationships to me seem more genuine. The relationships, like the characters, grow and evolve. Both couples have to fight to keep and save their love and time together. They also are genuine in their affections. A lot fo times in RomComs I feel the actual relationships and affection can come across as a bit shallow or empty. Where as in both these shows the relationships feel genuine as they evolve. The soft heartfelt moments feel full of emotion and not empty.

Now my favorite platonic "relationship" in anime is hands down Kurau and Christmas in Kurau Phantom Memory. Those sisters go through trial after trial after trial and fight to stay together. Tey are willing to sacrifice everything to stay together. The whole main premise of the show is those 2 fighting to stay together. There's a reason they won our Best Duo Tournament years ago here.


That's right, I am expected to post WHY they are, not WHO they are, which was his problem with my post.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:27 am Reply with quote
I'm on a phone so I can't say much right now, but the way that Duck and Fakir's relationship goes is pretty dang good, whether you interpret it as platonic or romantic.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:33 pm Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
Well, no. She wanted to be drafted into it. She had that past relationship with him that he didn't know about.


Is that how it worked? I'll admit I've only seen the original OVA and the associated movie.

Heishi wrote:
The reason why Himeko chose Chikane over Souma was not of pure coincidence, but because she did generally develop feelings for her.


I went into the show knowing more or less how it turned out and I hadn't realized my dislike of yuri (KnM is actually what turned me off of yuri) so it's not like I had a closed mind or anything, but I just didn't see it. Nothing about the way Himeko acted around Chikane suggested she felt romantically about her. I saw no gradual change of her perspective in that direction either. The first half of the series focused on Himeko growing closer to Souma and her strengthening feelings towards him. Then in an instant all of a sudden she's all about Chikane and Souma doesn't matter to her anymore. And the only justification they give is that past life nonsense.

So yeah, felt like a total asspull made worse by what it did to poor Souma. The bro managed to resist his Orochi nature and even fought his brother for Himeko's sake. He deserved better than that.

I'm certainly more sympathetic towards Chikane than Chiibi is. From what I remember she did support Himeko's relationship with Souma even if it hurt her. And while sexual assault is wrong no matter what, Chikane's intentions were noble. Not to the point where she should be forgiven instantly, but to the point where she could be forgiven after an appropriate amount of repentance.

Maybe I'd see things different if I watched the show again, but I ain't gonna do that anytime soon. I'll just stick with Shattered Angels, thanks.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:45 pm Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
I'm on a phone so I can't say much right now, but the way that Duck and Fakir's relationship goes is pretty dang good, whether you interpret it as platonic or romantic.


Say hi to number #9 on my list of OTPs Smile

My take: Fakir is spoiler[in love with her by the end and he knows it and embraces it. Ahiru hasn't realized it but she feels something subconsciously for sure.]

@Heishi: My point is it was poorly written and Himeko's actions make no sense. That's not what a sane person would choose. A ship has to have some grounds in reality for me to like it. Vaisaga sums it up well. For the record, Vegeta is also an asshole and not good boyfriend material at all. lol
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Heishi



Joined: 06 Mar 2016
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:31 pm Reply with quote
I don't think we've seen the same shows because from what I saw, Himeko first meet Chikane with awe in her beauty.
spoiler[As soon as Himeko touched Chikane's cheek to clean her stain, they both blushed.] I've also noticed they did spend some time together throughout the series, Like during their time together in Chikane's house and outside her home, like in the beach and at school, notably the garden where they would have lunch and when they we're trying to revive Ame no Murakumo.
spoiler[She even went with Souma not necessarily on a date but to shop for a gift for Chikane.]

About Himeko's actions, of course she did what she had to do. Himeko wanted to found out why, she didn't want to hate Chikane despite what she did. Besides, it was not like Chikane would win Himeko easily after that. spoiler[She would eventually have to sacrifice herself for the good of the world and say good-bye to Himeko.]

I do have tremendous sympathy for Souma, especially because of his rough childhood.
It doesn't mean he will automatically win Himeko's heart. He already is a very close friend of Himeko, so its not like she rejected him 100% outright.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 2:21 pm Reply with quote
Chiibi wrote:
louis6578 wrote:
I'm on a phone so I can't say much right now, but the way that Duck and Fakir's relationship goes is pretty dang good, whether you interpret it as platonic or romantic.


Say hi to number #9 on my list of OTPs Smile

My take: Fakir is spoiler[in love with her by the end and he knows it and embraces it. Ahiru hasn't realized it but she feels something subconsciously for sure.]

@Heishi: My point is it was poorly written and Himeko's actions make no sense. That's not what a sane person would choose. A ship has to have some grounds in reality for me to like it. Vaisaga sums it up well. For the record, Vegeta is also an asshole and not good boyfriend material at all. lol


I think that one of the best things about their relationship is that you can easily interpret it as platonic or romantic, but either way, Duck/Ahiru is special to Fakir.

You know, that's another thing about Princess Tutu that it does right which a lot of Magical Girl anime several times its' length can't figure out. A lot of shows keep SAYING that the protagonist is special and radiant, but in Princess Tutu, they rarely speak of how great the protagonist is, instead showing that the other characters are clearly growing to admire her and the reasons why they would do so.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 2:22 pm Reply with quote
Lol, Heishi, I will never ship it. It's my most hated canon pairing in all of media and I have felt this way for the past 12 years after seeing it.

People cannot agree on everything. ESPECIALLY couples and romance. I'm just glad I'm not alone on this at ANN.

@louis: I believe the Itou confirmed that he loves her; he did call her "his princess".^^

But I wish the series had treated Ahiru better. :/ She deserved more happiness than what she got.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 3:20 pm Reply with quote
^

I can see the argument, but I like the ending as it is. It feels more real if the main characters win, but aren't treated like royalty or living a life of luxury or living the dream of becoming princess and prince. It's a simpler happily ever after. Beautiful.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:10 pm Reply with quote
Heishi wrote:
I don't think we've seen the same shows because from what I saw, Himeko first meet Chikane with awe in her beauty.
spoiler[As soon as Himeko touched Chikane's cheek to clean her stain, they both blushed.]


Neither of those things on their own necessarily means anything romantic. You can be stunned by the beauty of a sunset but that doesn't mean you want to bang it. Similarity finding yourself inadvertently close to some one can be embarrassing regardless of your relationship to them.

Heishi wrote:
I do have tremendous sympathy for Souma, especially because of his rough childhood.
It doesn't mean he will automatically win Himeko's heart. He already is a very close friend of Himeko, so its not like she rejected him 100% outright.


Sure, doesn't mean he should automatically win, but I'd argue that he did more to earn Himeko's affections than Chikane did.

In the end, Kannazuki no Miko isn't a good show. It's actually a pretty bad show, but for me at least those first 11 episodes were plenty entertaining. And it still has one of the best openings ever.

But I understand why its still held in such high regard by the yuri fandom. It was probably a lot of people's first canonically yuri show and back then there wasn't much else to pick from.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:26 pm Reply with quote
Lol KNM is the yuri version of Gravitation. There are so many similarities between the two. Anime hyper

One being I could listen to those OSTs over and over a thousand times. KNM introduced me to the wonder that is KOTOKO. ♥
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Heishi



Joined: 06 Mar 2016
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:46 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
Heishi wrote:
I don't think we've seen the same shows because from what I saw, Himeko first meet Chikane with awe in her beauty.
spoiler[As soon as Himeko touched Chikane's cheek to clean her stain, they both blushed.]


Neither of those things on their own necessarily means anything romantic. You can be stunned by the beauty of a sunset but that doesn't mean you want to bang it. Similarity finding yourself inadvertently close to some one can be embarrassing regardless of your relationship to them.

Heishi wrote:
I do have tremendous sympathy for Souma, especially because of his rough childhood.
It doesn't mean he will automatically win Himeko's heart. He already is a very close friend of Himeko, so its not like she rejected him 100% outright.


Sure, doesn't mean he should automatically win, but I'd argue that he did more to earn Himeko's affections than Chikane did.

In the end, Kannazuki no Miko isn't a good show. It's actually a pretty bad show, but for me at least those first 11 episodes were plenty entertaining. And it still has one of the best openings ever.

But I understand why its still held in such high regard by the yuri fandom. It was probably a lot of people's first canonically yuri show and back then there wasn't much else to pick from.



I could argue that would be the case because she did looked at Chikane quite deeply, blushing red. Chikane did the same. It marks a sort of "love at first sight" meeting.
Banging a sunset, WTF? That makes no sense whatsoever.
Well, Himeko and Chikane certainly didn't find it embarrassing, spoiler[especially them staring at each other, afterwards Himeko gave Chikane a hairpin to protect her hair from the wind.]


That's where I strongly disagree. I believe Kannazuki no Miko is a damn good show, especially for a yuri series. It is not just because it one of the first canon yuri shows that people love it. Or their first yuri show. It was a show that did what yuri fans wanted to see. A compelling love story that spoiler[actually had a clear happy ending for a couple where they would be together if you look at the final scene after the credits] and it holds up well, even today and it is a damn shame it doesn't get much love as other yuri shows like SP and Sakura Trick.
I myself, love it not just because it was my first yuri show and there wasn't anything else as I first discovered it back in 2006 so I had plenty other shows but Kannazuki was the one that truly amazed me and there was nothing quite like it.


Last edited by Heishi on Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:53 pm Reply with quote
Heishi wrote:
Banging a sunset, WTF? That makes no sense whatsoever.


My point is beauty can be appreciated objectively. I could give you a long list guys I think are super hot but that doesn't mean I'm in love with them.
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