Well, first of all, let me just say that I love it when people I *don't* know comment on something. It tickles me in ways I cannot begin to explain. So thank you for that. :D
I too love Kyou and Tohru together. I do. I think they fit together perfectly, and have 'shipped them from the beginning. That said, I do love Yuki. Now, I *like* Yuki and Machi. I do. I know I'm in the minority, but I like them together. That said, I think Takaya-sensei could have done *more* to make them a believable couple, and to make Machi less of a consolation prize for Yuki. (Although part of me wonders if that's a comment on the belief that the "prince" should always win the hand of the fair maiden.) But I do see where it's kind of a cop out, because for so long we've gotten the impression that Yuki DOES have unresolved feelings for Tohru. Personally, I think it could've been dealt with more neatly than it was, and the resolution felt rushed. I wish Machi had been introduced earlier, and that we'd been given time to know her and care about HER as a character before Things Started Happening.
I actually have very little trouble believing most of the relationships in Furuba, but the compulsive pairing-off bothers me. These people have lived with the curse their ENTIRE LIVES. An adjustment time is necessary, especially for the adults. You spend your entire LIVES pushing people away and avoiding human contact, sure you're going to want to indulge in it right away because you CAN, but, over time, I can't help but think a sense of... claustrophobia is going to set in. They're used to setting themselves apart, and having that... solitude. I don't think they're necessariy going to have a miraculous ... "recovery," as it were. There's going to be a huge period of adjustment for all of them.
I wouldn't mind Shigure/Akito if only there was...more to it. It all happened too fast. Akito's unquestioned redemption, Shigure's Shoulder Fairy escaping his Shoulder Devil's entrapments and possessing his brain, everyone's suddenly so happily in love, and no one seems to remember all the Shit they went through to get there.
Yes. Thank you. I never LIKED Shigure and Akito, but I... I don't know, I bought them as a dysfunctional relationship. I believed it as something twisted and manipulative and loaded with ulterior motives and tricksiness. And this "resolution" seems to not do Shigure's character justice in the least, and as he's my absolute favorite Furuba character, this bothers me. A lot.
Frankly, the pairing nauseates me. I know that's a pretty dramatic thing to say about manga characters, but I literally feel queasy when I look at them. I've never had a moment where I completely rejected the author's move, because I believe in having faith in the author's work -- it might seem madness, but there's usually method to it. Shigure and Akito worked for me as a situation where Shigure was manipulating the Juunishi's god, and NOT because he was in wuv with her. Shigure is SELFISH. He's MANIPULATIVE. Selfish, manipulative people, who have been selfish and manipulative for the majority of their lives, do not suddenly say, "Well, I'm all better now; let's hook up!"
I love Shigure's charcter, but I wanted to see a more complex, less neatly resolved "end" for him, because that's what he "deserves." And I just don't believe the Shikito of it all. I can't make myself believe it. It smacks of disingenuousness and rushed resolution. I don't like it. I doubt I ever will.
Now. After saying all of that: I still love the series. I will still continue to love it after it's all over. Because if I focus on the journey, rather than the destination, it's a fantastic, wonderful ride. That's what I loved about Furuba from the start -- these characters you CARE about. I have never cried over fictional characters like I have with this series. Furuba plucks at something deep inside and makes it resonate. And I think THAT is why the track towards the ending is so unsatisfying. There's none of that emotional resonance we've come to expect.
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I too love Kyou and Tohru together. I do. I think they fit together perfectly, and have 'shipped them from the beginning. That said, I do love Yuki. Now, I *like* Yuki and Machi. I do. I know I'm in the minority, but I like them together. That said, I think Takaya-sensei could have done *more* to make them a believable couple, and to make Machi less of a consolation prize for Yuki. (Although part of me wonders if that's a comment on the belief that the "prince" should always win the hand of the fair maiden.) But I do see where it's kind of a cop out, because for so long we've gotten the impression that Yuki DOES have unresolved feelings for Tohru. Personally, I think it could've been dealt with more neatly than it was, and the resolution felt rushed. I wish Machi had been introduced earlier, and that we'd been given time to know her and care about HER as a character before Things Started Happening.
I actually have very little trouble believing most of the relationships in Furuba, but the compulsive pairing-off bothers me. These people have lived with the curse their ENTIRE LIVES. An adjustment time is necessary, especially for the adults. You spend your entire LIVES pushing people away and avoiding human contact, sure you're going to want to indulge in it right away because you CAN, but, over time, I can't help but think a sense of... claustrophobia is going to set in. They're used to setting themselves apart, and having that... solitude. I don't think they're necessariy going to have a miraculous ... "recovery," as it were. There's going to be a huge period of adjustment for all of them.
I wouldn't mind Shigure/Akito if only there was...more to it. It all happened too fast. Akito's unquestioned redemption, Shigure's Shoulder Fairy escaping his Shoulder Devil's entrapments and possessing his brain, everyone's suddenly so happily in love, and no one seems to remember all the Shit they went through to get there.
Yes. Thank you. I never LIKED Shigure and Akito, but I... I don't know, I bought them as a dysfunctional relationship. I believed it as something twisted and manipulative and loaded with ulterior motives and tricksiness. And this "resolution" seems to not do Shigure's character justice in the least, and as he's my absolute favorite Furuba character, this bothers me. A lot.
Frankly, the pairing nauseates me. I know that's a pretty dramatic thing to say about manga characters, but I literally feel queasy when I look at them. I've never had a moment where I completely rejected the author's move, because I believe in having faith in the author's work -- it might seem madness, but there's usually method to it. Shigure and Akito worked for me as a situation where Shigure was manipulating the Juunishi's god, and NOT because he was in wuv with her. Shigure is SELFISH. He's MANIPULATIVE. Selfish, manipulative people, who have been selfish and manipulative for the majority of their lives, do not suddenly say, "Well, I'm all better now; let's hook up!"
I love Shigure's charcter, but I wanted to see a more complex, less neatly resolved "end" for him, because that's what he "deserves." And I just don't believe the Shikito of it all. I can't make myself believe it. It smacks of disingenuousness and rushed resolution. I don't like it. I doubt I ever will.
Now. After saying all of that: I still love the series. I will still continue to love it after it's all over. Because if I focus on the journey, rather than the destination, it's a fantastic, wonderful ride. That's what I loved about Furuba from the start -- these characters you CARE about. I have never cried over fictional characters like I have with this series. Furuba plucks at something deep inside and makes it resonate. And I think THAT is why the track towards the ending is so unsatisfying. There's none of that emotional resonance we've come to expect.