Late-night musings on romance
Oct. 4th, 2016 01:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soc_puppetIf there's one thing I appreciate about anime and manga, it's a specific approach to love and romance that they have.
I mean, there's definitely a lot to argue with, as well; there's a hell of a lot of unhealthy relationships, and there's probably dozens upon dozens of essays about the "tsundere" phenomenon, and that's not even getting into Takahashi. But something I've seen at least twice in anime and manga is the idea that you can love someone without needing the love to be returned, and without your love for them being a burden.
Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura is the first and primary representative of this for me, to the point where I've got an appreciative akoiromantic!Tomoyo post half-outlined, but Ascot from the Magic Knight Rayearth anime also touches on it. And, lest you think this is a CLAMP-only phenomenon, I've finally gotten around to watching Petite Princess Yucie, and the same subject comes up in the mermaid episode.
It's a nice idea, that unrequited love can be healing and non-invasive, that you can celebrate love even when it's not returned, or not returned in the same way you feel it; the idea that you can feel unrequited romantic love for someone and not suffer from it. In Western media it's all angst and bemoaning, and when it's not it tends to be tragedy and/or martyrdom. But the concept that you can be happy just loving someone is an important idea, I think, and I'd love to see it more often.
(That said, I do like a good pining narrative; I just don't want it to be the only represented possibility, especially for all the akoi-attracted folks out there.)
I mean, there's definitely a lot to argue with, as well; there's a hell of a lot of unhealthy relationships, and there's probably dozens upon dozens of essays about the "tsundere" phenomenon, and that's not even getting into Takahashi. But something I've seen at least twice in anime and manga is the idea that you can love someone without needing the love to be returned, and without your love for them being a burden.
Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura is the first and primary representative of this for me, to the point where I've got an appreciative akoiromantic!Tomoyo post half-outlined, but Ascot from the Magic Knight Rayearth anime also touches on it. And, lest you think this is a CLAMP-only phenomenon, I've finally gotten around to watching Petite Princess Yucie, and the same subject comes up in the mermaid episode.
It's a nice idea, that unrequited love can be healing and non-invasive, that you can celebrate love even when it's not returned, or not returned in the same way you feel it; the idea that you can feel unrequited romantic love for someone and not suffer from it. In Western media it's all angst and bemoaning, and when it's not it tends to be tragedy and/or martyrdom. But the concept that you can be happy just loving someone is an important idea, I think, and I'd love to see it more often.
(That said, I do like a good pining narrative; I just don't want it to be the only represented possibility, especially for all the akoi-attracted folks out there.)
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Date: 2016-10-04 02:34 pm (UTC)This is a lovely post.
Here's to unrequited love that is only A Thing for the unrequited-love-r. :D
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Date: 2016-10-04 03:57 pm (UTC)Thank you :)
Oh, but imagine the potential hilarity if the object of their attraction finds out and isn't okay with it! Like, they try and let the first person down gently, and the first person is like, "Dude, calm down, I know you don't feel that way about me, and I'm okay with it. Don't make it weird!"
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Date: 2016-10-04 05:38 pm (UTC).... oh my gosh, right?
akoi: "Thanks but no thanks, you don't need to worry about it, I wasn't going to act on it anyway?"
crush: Buh?
........ what if the crush found out... and DID reciprocate!? /o\
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Date: 2016-10-04 05:55 pm (UTC)Crush: So... You maybe wanna go on a date with me some time?
Akoi: Oh gosh, this is awkward. Um, I'm sorry, but I don't feel that way about you?
Crush: What? But you're always making heart eyes at me! You make me things all the time, you go way out of your way to make sure I'm happy, and you're always touching me! Plus, I've heard from five separate people that you confessed your love for me to them!
Akoi: Well yeah, but I never actually wanted you to love me back. I'm sorry, it's just not going to work out.
Crush: But but but D:
Akoi: I'm sorry, but it's over. I hope you can find someone who reciprocates with you!
*Akoi walks off, Crush stares sadly after them, the bouquet of flowers they'd brought wilting in their hand*
(I feel like Akoi x Aromantic-Ace might be my OTP? *is a dork*)
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Date: 2016-10-04 06:37 pm (UTC)I... didn't know that was a thing I wanted until just now. orz