#anti-romance

[animangabwedit]

Anti-Romance by Hidaka Shoko

#anti-romance #manga #bl manga #shounen ai #manga panel #mangacap #manga cap #manga edit #monochrome #black and white #animangabwedit #tw depressing thoughts

[warlordgab]

Analysis of shipping: One Piece anti-romance arguments

Years before Oda was asked to write Strong World, years before the Summit War saga, even years before many of us joined the fandom, a significant portion of fans shared an anti-romance sentiment.

This perspective was so widespread that it seemed as if the One Piece community in general was convinced no pairing would ever become canon. Sure, there were some exceptions: 

Some people dispalyed indifference toward the anti-romance trend, but also towards the emotional narrative of the story. So, they would likely support shallow premises anyway

Others shipped characters by relying on inter-series comparisons that no longer hold up nowadays. (it didn't take long for perceptive individuals to find out how unlikely those "theories" truly were)

Some of these people were editors on other wiki sites, that pointed out how filler provided shipping fuel for stuff that never gets actual development in the manga. And yet, the same editors also promoted a non-existent "sexual tension" as many shallow shippers would, but I digress.

Still, since that era, a lot of arguments had been made for this position regarding romantic love; some were forgotten, and some stuck but in pretty unexpected ways.

So, here we’re going to consider those arguments, how bad they aged, and what possibly led to the anti-romance idea losing its initially strong foothold in the fandom.

The anti-romance idea through time

Firts, let us consider that one of the most important elements that helped the anti-romance idea to grow was how Oda talked about the subject. When the mangaka was asked about if someone from strawhats (except Sanji) was in love, he replied in a SBS they were all "in love with adventure."

While that was a pretty creative answer, it seems some readers weren't satisfied with Oda’s reply. But, it wasn’t like fans couldn’t agree that the statement was technically a correct.

Not to mention that fans back then didn’t have the Hancock character westerners simp so hard for. Instead, they had Alvida as the first woman calling dibs on Luffy...

... But, this was easy to dismiss given how they never became allies or friends.

Still, that doesn’t mean the anti-romance idea didn’t have its weak spots. In fact, Oda gave us an interesting “insight” on one scene, that LuNa fans loved, in the SBS Volume 32:

This was long before Summit War saga. It's interesting how the only girl that managed to make Luffy a “little horny" was Nami.

It’s true that the Oda’s answer would later change to what basically amounts to “bad influence,” when he was confroted with the fact Hancock’s beauty couldn’t get the same response from Luffy. But, the fact, still remains that it was Luffy’s response, unless people want to argue Luffy’s companions have a greater influence on his libido than Hancock’s beauty ever could. Doesn’t sound so good when you think about it, does it?

Of course, a lot of perceptive readers and even some anti-shippers know that being as “horny” as a “healthy boy” is not something inherently romantic. So, even if this moment left a crack on the anti-romance argument by displaying Luffy’s “healthy” reponse to Nami’s sex appeal, that still wasn’t enough to debunk it.

Needless to say, some anti-shippers may claim being “horny” is a must for a relationship to grow, but that myopic perspective completely disregards how emotional connections can develop by sharing meaningful moments instead of lusting after a potential partner. 

Moving on, Oda’s vagueness back then just encouraged readers to keep discussing the subject of potential romance by relying on the manga material they had so far. Still, the anti-romance crowd would shortly get another argument, when Oda stated the following:

“One Piece is basically a shonen manga, manga for boys, so romance isn’t depcited“

Ironically, this is where the another crack in the anti-romance idea starts to show. As many chapters later, we got something subtle about Usopp and Kaya at the end of the Ennies Lobby arc.

But, the fact the story focused more on its plot, themes, and other characters, probably made it easier for everyone to miss how this relationship could contradict the 'no romance depcited' argument.

Later, the fandom got introduced to Boa Hancock. While Alvida’s interest in Luffy got scratched as “not romantic enough,” Hancock’s infatuation for the hero couldn’t be ignored due to how over-the-top it was. But, it still wasn’t enough, why?

Because the relationship between Luffy and Hancock never develops into something deep or truly impactful, as Hancock’s crush remains as one-sided as it can get.

Luffy’s rejection to Hancock’s proposal just made it a lot easier for the anti-romance argument to stay strong despite the few cracks it had at that time.

Specially, when you factor context. Luffy’s reply was framed as a negative response to Hancock’s promotion of herself as a potential wife. Add Luffy’s personality to this setup, and no matter how you try to put it, he sunk that ship before it had a chance to sail.

Debunking the “no romance” myth?

So far, we’ve seen things that could a best put a dent on the anti-romance argument. But, what actually destroyed this myth?

We have to flashforward to the Dressrosa arc. Two pairings with tragic backstories were introduced: Kyros and Scarlett & Señor Pink and Russian

Kyros' relationship Scarlett story serves as part of the compelling drama of his background. And we can tell how Pink’s relationship with Russian made his character and current state and struggle emotionally impactful.

This obviously destroyed the argument of “no romance in One Piece” and contradicts Oda’s own “romance isn’t depcited”

It became easy to see that romantic love was not only playing a part in the story, but it was doing so in a way that didn’t negatively impact the author’s work. Instead, Oda used romantic love to enhance both character and story.

And this wasn’t going to be the last time, as One Piece Film: Gold gaves us something we’re about to consider in the following section, as Tesoro and Stella were depicted as lovers.

However, the greatest blow to this argument was delivered by something that not many people saw coming: SanPu's tragic love story

We already know that Pudding’s initial affection was just an act to fool Sanji and carry out Big Mom’s plot against the Vinsmoke family. But, as soon as she has her first genuine moment with Sanji, she develops actual feelings for him as the chef shattered the image she had of her own self for years. 

Needless to say, due to their respective crews being enemies, this relationship couldn’t become official, as Pudding gives Sanji a pretty romantic farewell... before removing it from his memory.

Here, romantic love plays a important role in the emotional narrative of the final scenes.

I could mention Kinemon and O-Tsuru, as well as Oden and Toki, but I think that would be overkill at this point.

Still, while the “no romance” myth got destroyed, the anti-shippers didn’t give up, those who saw how this approach became ineffective in promoting anti-romance just made their arguments undergo a microevolution. And this is where we get to the final stage:

“They’re in love... with adventure”

Given that the statment of “romance isn’t depcited” became completely useless, one would think that’s the end. But, instead of trying to encompass the entirety of One Piece, the idea came back to its origin.

All strawhats are “in love with adventure,” so accordig to self-aware anti-shippers, there will be no romantic relationships between members of the strawhat crew, because adventure is their only “love.” But, as the philosopher George Santayana once said: 

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”

And even the old version of this argument started to shows some cracks at the Zou arc:

Nami was both happy and eager to receive Luffy and the rest, and as pointed out by perceptive readers, she could've ran to someone else, like Zoro, something some westerners in high positions clearly wanted, but I digress.

Instead, she went straight to Luffy and only then she let out how she felt about their current predicament with Sanji...

...people try to downplay it by saying the moment was all about the chef. But, the thing is, not only she could’ve ran to someone else's arms, she ran straight to Luffy, but also poured her heart out only when she was with him.

This scene was truly remarkable as it was not only impactful, but also consistent with previous developments between Luffy and Nami as seen in Oda's works.

As we already already analyzed multiple times in this blog, this matches the trend of Nami seeking (and finding) hope, comfort, and strength in Luffy.

While this isn't something explicitly romantic, this consistent bonding could likely lead to a potential growth and an eventual relationship upgrade if the author keeps working on it.

After Dressrosa damaged the credibility of their arguments, and the possibility of more development from characters so important to the story, anti-shippers had seen better days. But, that wasn’t the only thing that left another crack on the last anti-romance argument.

Let’s talk about One Piece Film: Gold

At this point, a lot of LuNa fans, and many people who read my post already how Oda changed the climax of One Piece Film: Gold, and his work speaks for itself...

...as explained in the special Volume 777, Tesoro was in a romantic relationship with a slave: Stella. Their romance ended up in tragedy when he failed to save her from getting bought by a noble.

If we see the climax of the movie, as well as Oda’s draft of the scene, we can see that the intent was for Luffy’s situation with Tesoro holding Nami in his grasp to mirror Tesoro’s own tragedy back when he lost Stella. And thus Oda drew a parallel between Luffy/Nami, and a romantic pair: Tesoro/Stella.

However, many people would find such things too subtle or simply insufficient. But, even if we ignore emotional narrative and trends, the real weak spot in this “no romance in the crew” argument, is the basis itself: “They’re in love with adventure”

This isn’t only a clever response, and a way to avoid the subjet. It is a reminder of what One Piece is at its very core. 

You probably don’t hear this one pretty often, but One Piece story is “romance.” In fact, here are some definitions that show how that statement is far more accurate than more people would imagine:

Romance:

“A mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful”

“A long fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place”

“A narrative in verse or prose, written in a vernacular language in the Middle Ages, dealing with strange and exciting adventures of chivalrous heroes”

– thefreedictionary.com, 2016

“A prose narrative treating imaginary characters involved in events remote in time or place and usually heroic, adventurous, or mysterious”

–  Merriam Webster, 2016

Romantic:

“Marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized”

“Having an inclination for romance: responsive to the appeal of what is idealized, heroic, or adventurous”

–  Merriam Webster, 2016

Remember what’s the title of the first chapter of the manga? “Romance Dawn.”

The claim of the strawhats being in love with adventure fits the definition of “romance” in the framework of the series. But, does this concept exclude romantic love?

No, this narrative style can easily include romantic love if the author wishes to. In fact, as far as we seen, One Piece featured this kind of relationships multple times in the story.

So, trying to uphold this anti-romance phylosophy is ultimately pointless as the only argument left is not enough anymore, and the story already debunks most, if not all of the arguments.

Shippers take the anti-romance approach?

While anti-shippers don’t have a solid ground to stand on, some of their arguments are still used nowadays. Ironically, they’re used by shippers in an attempt to discredit rival pairings

This why the “no romance in the crew” lives on. More often than not, shallow shippers don’t even try to quote the author, instead they repeat what they hear or read in YouTube or Reddit. 

This applies to many newcomers that lack the time and patience to stomach a long-running series, as well as people who let their bias for certain characters dicatate their view on the story, something akin to the mindset that feeds the endless squabble of Zoro Vs. Sanji.

Still. the point is that the anti-romance arguments are now the greatest assets for pretty loud individuals to wage shipping wars out of ignorance and hate.

However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any active anti-shippers using these arguments. It’s just that LuNa seem to be their favorite target

But, that leads to the question: Why LuNa? Why are pairings like LuHan, SaNa or ZoNa seemingly getting ignored by anti-shippers for the most part?

Well, you guys probably realize I haven’t mentioned Sanji at all in the “Debunking” section. That’s wasn’t something incidental

By the time, the community rebuffed the idea of romantic love in the series, Sanji with all his corny flirting and pervy gags never made a dent in the anti-romance arguments because most people knew back then that being horny is not something romantic. Even when Hancock appeared, fans knew a well-written pairing could only happen if the feelings between the characters become mutual.

So, what makes Luna the favorite target of these people? What makes the pairing stand out to anti-shippers?

Is it because their consistent bonding is the perfect setup for a relationship upgrade? Is it because their moments are far more meaningful and impactful from a narrative standpoint? Or is it because the alternatives to LuNa lack the potential to grow? I’m not sure about it

Still, those who had seen all of this, know better. At this point, anti-romance arguments mean little to nothing in the story. And Oda will keep writing characters and human relationships regardless of what fans do or say.

So, instead of going around making noise about how “there shouldn’t be a romantic relationship in the crew” or trying to start senseless war between fandoms, we should enjoy the ride and see what Oda has in store for us in the final saga.

#one piece #Analysis of shipping #analysis #anti-romance #eiichiro oda #anti-shippers #ルナミ #sanpu

[mojinchiimanga]

#anti-romance #anti romance #m: anti-romance #manga #mangacap #manga cap #boys love #bl manga #yaoi #yaoi manga #shounen ai #shounen ai manga

[logan-exe]

Let me tell you about Anti-Romance. The manga.

HHHGGNGNG. I really like how this is playing out. Enough back and forth of will they won't they but not so much it becomes annoying dull. Given I'm only on book 1. Soon book 2.

#Anti-romance #manga #reading #√ Prattle #reading new manga since 2022?? #last one was Doukyusei

[minyare2906]

Anti-Romance announcement

Hello guys!! I'm here today to announce that Seven Seas has licensed Anti-Romance:

Anime News Network

This means that we'll take down all of our links to this project. In fact, the GDrive links are already down, and I've decided to leave the Mega ones until Sunday, so hurry if you wanna download it.

It also means that we won't be doing volume 2, sorry. I hope you understand ;)

On the bright side, you can buy the official release in English which means nice goods and the smell of new manga!! Plus you'll have the chance to help sensei to keep on doing the wonderful stories that she does.

Cheers!!

EDIT: The post and all the links are officially deleted.

#anti-romance #has been licensed #go buy it when it comes out!

[pastelwitchling]

Some mangas I’ve read recently.

Hello, Melancholic! Vol. 1 by Yayoi Ohsawa

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was very cute, I really liked the characters and their dynamics. Exactly the lighthearted softness I needed.

Given Vol. 1 by Natsuki Kizu

⭐⭐⭐⭐.75

Oh my gods, I loved this story so much, I can't wait to read the others. This is the highest rating I've ever given a graphic novel, and it's no wonder. This story is funny, cute, charming, I absolutely love Sato, and the last line/scene really blew me away. Wonderfully done.

Anti-Romance Vol. 1 by Shoko Hidaka

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

I really enjoyed this book. I do think that it could've used a little bit more humor and interactions between the main characters, and the ending felt like cutting off the middle of a scene, but I really liked the characters and their relationship, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

#rin reads #manga #hello melancholic #given #anti-romance

[tanenigiri]

Review #28: Anti-Romance (Volume 1)

Japanese title: アンチロマンス (Anchi Romansu)

Story and art: Shoko Hidaka

English publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment

Number of volumes: 1 in English, 2 in Japanese (complete)

Ending six years of stasis.

(This review contains story spoilers.)

This was a last-minute addition to this project, as I bought the physical copy on a whim since I saw some pretty good reviews of it online. Went into it knowing nothing, and now I think I’m gonna hunt for the scanlations since I need to find out what happens next, and the English translation of Volume 2 isn’t coming out until next year.

But I’ll just focus on the first volume of Anti-Romance here, which revolves around childhood friends Ryou and Suou who have been roommates for the past six years. It just so happens that both of them have been individually dealing with their feelings for each other, and neither of them has brought it up due to their own excuses and insecurities. However, both Ryou and Suou can feel that they do care for each other, but the lack of any acknowledgment keeps them from acting on these feelings.

It’s an incredibly frustrating situation, but at the same time, it leads to a fascinating dynamic between Ryou and Suou. Here are two characters who know each other better than anyone, but at the same time, they both feel like they don’t know enough about the other. On top of all of that, since both of them are in their mid-20s, they have to deal with pressures from their respective jobs. And it’s the mixture of their personal and professional issues that the story revolves around.

I’ll start with Ryou, as I think he has the more interesting plot arc between the two leads. He’s a writer for an agency, and while he’s seen to be quite serious about it, he doesn’t seem to have the same passion for it in the same way that he does for his side-projects. The most notable thing about this plot arc, though, is how Ryou has a pretty complicated relationship with Towada, his direct superior in the agency.

My opinion of Towada changed pretty much after every scene he was in, as it caught me off-guard how this story treats him as a major presence, putting a lot of depth to his character and even giving him scenes where he’s the one narrating. It’s an interesting difference from the other series I’ve covered for this project that have a similar vibe to this one - most notably There Are Things I Can’t Tell You, which solely focuses on its two leads. By the end of this volume, though, Towada might actually be my favorite character, as his dissection of the two leads’ relationship is what makes it move forward from its six-year stasis.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We find out from the first scene where he’s the one narrating that Towada finds Ryou cute, and this initially worried me as the power dynamic would put Ryou in a really unfavorable situation should Towada decide to pursue it. But not even a chapter later, I realized that Towada was being positioned as a mentor not only in Ryou’s job but also in his personal life, as from the single instance where he sees the two roommates interacting - Suou runs into Ryou and Towada while the latter two are heading to a bar after work, and Suou is seen to feel jealous as he wanted to spend the night drinking with Ryou - Towada’s already gotten a good idea of what’s going on between them.

True enough, when Towada invites Ryou to drink with him the night after the above encounter, Towada reads Ryou’s situation like an open book. Notably, he eggs him on by saying that there must be something going on between him and Suou if they’ve stayed as roommates for six years, and Towada says what is pretty much the thesis statement of this entire situation: “Perhaps you’re not the only one who knows how you feel, but pretends not to.” True enough, the scene right after this shows Ryou and Suou share their first kiss, and an internal monologue shortly after reveals that Ryou has been holding himself back from doing this for a long time.

But before we get to this confrontation, the story also spends some time exploring Suou’s professional life, though I personally think it’s not as interesting as Ryou’s half of the story. Suou works as a stylist in a hair salon, a path we’re told that he forced himself to take after the untimely death of his mother, which made him inherit the family salon. His own superior, Sakuma, is nowhere near as involved as Towada in terms of his relationship, but he does look after Suou as a junior, being strict with him but only doing so because he knows Suou will improve with that kind of treatment.

What Suou does get from his superior, though, is an offer to leave their current job and join Sakuma in his own salon business. At first I thought that this was gonna go down the route of Suou having to move out - especially since the parallel conflict in Ryou’s side is how he’s looking for a new apartment to live in - but we don’t really get that sense here. What I think is happening, though, is a different parallel, where this is supposed to represent how Suou’s “stuck” in many facets of his life. And true enough, Sakuma tells Suou an equally scathing line as Towada’s above: “People who can’t accept their current situation are bound to fall apart.”

I think this breaking down of the central conflict is where this story excels, as it’s able to tackle it even indirectly through the other plot arcs of the volume. I mentioned above that this story was going to mix Ryou and Suou’s personal struggles with their professional lives, but I didn’t realize that it was going to do so very closely. I think it’s a great decision, though, as it really allows the story to explore what’s going on with these characters and highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

In any case, it’s with those two scathing lines in their minds that Ryou and Suou share their first kiss, and I’m not surprised at all that they both seem to shut down because of it. This is where Ryou’s idea of looking for a new apartment comes into play, and when he confronts his roommate about it in the volume’s final chapter, Suou is understandably taken aback by the sudden decision. After all, six years of doing nothing about the situation and suddenly one of them wants to completely change it would catch anyone off-guard.

This confrontation proves to be the final spark needed for both of them to start admitting their feelings to each other, though. And while the volume doesn’t really end on a definitive note - we’re not exactly sure what Ryou’s and Suou’s decisions are regarding everything they’ve put on the table - we do get the sense that they’re finally doing something about their situation.

And that’s why I really wanna read the next chapters of Anti-Romance - Volume 1 doesn’t end on a cliffhanger per se, but rather a stop in the journey when there’s still a lot of ground left to cover. It’s been a really fascinating journey so far, and I can already tell that it’s gonna be even more interesting once that journey continues.

Random thoughts that I couldn’t fit elsewhere:

We find out in one of the story’s last scenes that one of the main reasons why Towada is so invested in Ryou and Suou’s relationship is because he seems to have had a similarly complicated relationship with another man when he was younger. We actually meet this man in this volume - Junichi, who’s the bartender in the place where Ryou and Towada have the revealing conversation I talk about above - and the second kiss of the volume even happens between Towada and Junichi. The latter even goes on to say that he “still loves” the former, but interestingly, Towada calls it a lie. There are a lot of things left unsaid between these two, and I’m almost certain that we’re gonna get more out of them in the next volume, and I have a feeling that it’s gonna be just as messy as the main relationship.

There’s one other slightly prominent character we’re introduced to in this volume that I haven’t mentioned above: Misono, Sakuma’s friend from high school who’s looking to help him with his business. We don’t really get much from Misono yet, but he does have a really interesting line after they first bring up the idea of the business to Suou. Once they’re left alone, Misono calls Sakuma out for his line that I point out above, saying that not everyone is able to “move forward without hesitation” like Sakuma can. I of course got the feeling that there’s something personal going on here, and while both Sakuma and Misono deny that something’s going on between them when asked by Suou, I’m pretty skeptical myself.

I’m still a bit confused about whatever Ryou was writing in that very first scene? He first says it’s an interview, but then Suou describes it as a novel, and the snippets both of them bring up make it sound like a diary. Whatever it is, Towada notes that Ryou’s the most passionate when he’s working on it, so I’m excited to see what that’s all about.

Thanks for reading! Like I said in the intro, Anti-Romance was the latest addition to this project, as this physical copy was only released earlier this month. I’m glad I decided to buy it, as it really turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought.

#Anti-Romance #Anchi Romansu #Shoko Hidaka #Kakitani Ryou #Hiroki Suou #Towada Atsushi #BL manga #manga review #manga

[castielsprostate]

i hate you "influencers", i hate you tiktok, i hate you "content creators", i hate you "unalive" and "s€x" and "dr/ügs", i hate you instagram, i hate you consumerism, i hate you family friendly, i hate you puritans, i hate you facebook, i hate you family vloggers, i hate you violating other people's privacy, i hate you modern day social media

#sjonnie.text #i just saw someone make a 50 SECONDS reel about combining movie genres and movies and it was scream and romance and it was 50 SECONDS and #they said “i'm sorry i unalived all those people” go actually fuck yourself. #IF YOU CAN'T SAY THE WORD MURDER KILL DRUGS SEX ETC YOU ARE NOT READY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THOSE TOPICS #AND SHOULD NOT PRODUCE CONTENT OF IT #i hate this “family friendly” aesthetic jesus fucking christ #text post #anti instagram #anti tiktok #anti influencers #anti capitalism #20k

[animangabwedit]

Anti-Romance by Hidaka Shoko

#anti-romance #manga #bl manga #shounen ai #manga panel #mangacap #manga cap #manga edit #monochrome #black and white #animangabwedit #tears

[mojinchiimanga]

#anti-romance #anti romance #m: anti-romance #manga #mangacap #manga cap #boys love #bl manga #yaoi #yaoi manga #shounen ai #shounen ai manga

[ur-local-emo]

"Get away from your brother!" - Ray Toro

#ray toro #gerard way #mikey way #my chemical romance #mcr #danger days #waycest anti #waycest anti ray is so real

[yourhighness6]

Me, screaming into the void: I DON'T HATE MAI I JUST FEEL LIKE SHE NEEDED MORE DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE OF ZUKO AND HER ARC SHOULDN'T REVOLVE AROUND HER LOVE INTEREST

Also me, still screaming into the void: I DON'T HATE AANG I JUST QUESTION WHETHER HIS ROMANTIC INTEREST IN KATARA BRINGS OUT THE BEST SIDES OF HIM AND FEEL AS THOUGH HE AND HIS DEVELOPMENT IS NOT ABOVE NECESSARY CRITICISM

#why do antis think I hate either of them the moment I question their development and the writing choices bryke made for them #they're good characters I just want them to live up to their full potential #a lot of their actions in season 3 especially revolving around romance were counter intuitive to their arcs made them come off as jerks #it got to the point of character assassination istg #anti maiko #anti kataang #mai #aang #criticism is not hate #aang critical #anti bryke #this doesn't have anything to do with zutara but tagging for exposure #zutara

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Why I feel like Ka/taang is one-sided, despite textual evidence 

ATLA does try to convince us that Katara has romantic feelings for Aang. For example: she seems thoughtful when she realizes that Aang is a powerful bender; she’s offended that he didn’t want to kiss her in the Cave of Two Lovers; she gets jealous when Sokka says On Ji and Aang look good together.

So…what’s wrong with anti-Kataangers? Do we just lack media comprehension? 

To be clear, on their own, these gestures can indicate romantic interest. But at the same time, we have stuff like “Aang is a sweet little guy, like Momo.” We have her ambivalent facial expression after he kisses her before the eclipse, and her hedging during Ember Island Players, and her anger when he kisses her anyway. In the context of these conflicting cues, Katara’s possibly romantic reactions can absolutely be interpreted in a different way, because: 

Acknowledging a friend as a potential romantic interest is not the same as actually being romantically interested in them. (Imo this is something young women struggle with, due to a combination of romance-centrism and heteronormativity that make women feel like they should be in romantic relationships, and that boys and girls who share intimate and deep feelings for one another must be romantically into each other) 

Wanting someone to find you desirable is not the same as desiring that person. (Which is something a lot of women, especially young women, struggle with. Remember all the discourse around Cat Person back in 2017?) 

Being jealous when someone flirts with your friend is not the same as wanting to be with your friend. (Especially when you see your friends as family, or if you’re accustomed to a specific type of devotion from that friend. It is jealousy, and it is possessiveness, but it doesn’t always arise from romantic feelings) 

Growing up in a patriarchal society means that your desires are always filtered through what men want from you, sometimes in an abstract male gaze-y way, and sometimes in a very visceral and interpersonal way when a boy wants you specifically. And Katara’s reactions are just that — reactions. Reactions to what other people — including Aunt Wu, Sokka, Aang himself — have insinuated about her and Aang. She’s not really proactive in her interest in Aang: we don’t really see Aang, romantically, from Katara’s POV. Under the framework of “Katara is reacting to a romantic prospect she’s kind of uncertain about,” it is completely plausible — and indeed likely — that she would sometimes act in ways that indicate romantic interest, in addition to moments where she indicates the opposite. 

Ka/taang shippers often bring up other evidence, like Katara’s despair when Azula hits Aang with lightning, or how protective she is of him when Zuko joins the Gaang. The thing is, these pieces of evidence aren’t necessarily indicative of romantic love. The fact that Katara genuinely loves Aang makes the whole thing more complicated, not less, because — especially at that age, especially when Aang is twelve years old and grew up in a sex-segregated society of monks — it is really difficult to tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love. Their mutual devotion is layered and complex yet straightforward in its sincerity. What was not straightforward, until the last five minutes of the show, is whether this devotion on Katara’s end is romantic. The romantic arc for Katara and Aang is not really an arc, as Sneezy discusses in this classic ZK video. Katara actually becomes more conflicted over time and we never see an event that clarifies her feelings. She seems more interested in him in The Headband than on the Day of the Black Sun, and she has never been more hostile to his romantic overtures than in the penultimate episode. 

And in light of this, it’s pretty easy for fans to fill in the blanks with a different interpretation: maybe Katara’s weird expression after their kiss at the invasion means she didn’t enjoy it; maybe the kiss made her realize that she doesn’t actually feel that way about Aang; maybe against her will and her better judgement, she’s developing feelings for another person, a person who hurt her and whom she fervently tried to hate until he pulled off what is in my opinion the greatest grovel of all time in the form of a life-changing field trip. Maybe. Am I saying that Zutara has more romantic interactions than Ka/taang? Of course not. But ironically, the lack of romantic interactions means that it’s not inherently one-sided, the way Ka/taang became in the latter half of season 3.

I’m not arguing that Katara’s unequivocally not into Aang. Obviously the text declares that she is, because they get married and have kids. But I am saying that there’s a very good reason that so many people, especially women, see Katara’s interest in Aang as ambiguous. It’s not because we can’t pick up “subtle” hints of growing affection. It’s because we know not all affection is romantic, and it’s really easy for someone else’s insistent romantic intentions to muddle what you want.

P.S. I first started thinking about these topics (platonic vs romantic love, desiring someone vs wanting to be desired, etc) in the context of compulsory heterosexuality, a term describing how queer women contort themselves into relationships with men even if they’re not really into men. I saw a post a few days ago joking about why so many queer women seem to be into Zutara. I wonder if part of the reason is because as queer women, we are very sensitive to the ways in which we can talk ourselves into wanting things we don’t actually want, and Katara’s romantic interest in Aang can be easily seen that way. 

#Anti Kataang #Zutara #anti Bryke #Katara deserved better #From Bryke who offered her so little romantic agency #I actually think Aang and Katara’s mutual devotion is really compelling because the wires get crossed when you have such intense love #And navigating romantic vs platonic feelings can be very complicated and interesting #but no we did not get that bc I guess they just had to end with a romance however shoddily developed #my meta