Problems with Canon Pairings?

[SimmyC]

I have read/seen a lot of anime/mangas/and even a few live action series, and I always find myself not liking the canon pairing. And this is with VERY few exceptions. In many cases, I keep asking myself, "Why put these two together?" Especially when one of the characters has a personality that just, well, I dispise.

Take of course, series like Love Hina and Ranma 1/2 (even if all my info on the series is through fansites and fanfiction. ). What's with the appeal of ultra violent woman? Naru and Keitaro? Akane and Ranma? Do Japanese men just like to be beaten up that much (though Ranma 1/2, and later when I get into Inuyasha is written by a woman. Hmm.)? And of course, the authors throw in that 'devious almost perfect guy/girl that could take away that woman/man's heart'! But... then I see that and think, wait, the alternative is WAY better. GO FOR THE ALTERNATIVE! What? You're marrying that bitch? WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! If you want to live your S&M fantasy, go to a club! You don't need it 24/7!

Now, I do like Motoko in Love Hina even though she is the violent duo in the group. But IMO, her reasons for hating men (why Keitaro is so abused) is better than Naru (still shallow yes with her sister complex. But at least her reasoning is still better).

I'm also not a huge fan of Dita/Habiki. While this is less to do with her being violent (which she isn't), her very childish behavior just gets on nerves. I'm personally a fan of someone that is much closer to him in personality, Meia. ^_^ I mean come on! Opposites may attract a FEW times, but in the real world, the relationships that happen and work, are from those who are on the same wavelength. Why do you think the divorce rate is so high?

Now Conan/Ran in "Detective Conan" ("Cased Closed" in the dubbed), has more to do with the extreme angst of the series than anything. I mean, it has been 8 (edit, make that 10) YEARS (12 years if you're counting the mangas that started in 1994) and it STILL hasn't been resolved. "Oh boohoohoo. Shinichi still hasn't come back on his case! Wow that kid is still 10?" Defeat the bad guys and find the freakin cure already!!! Oh, and along the way, have some loving with Ai, and if she ever grows up, Ayumi too! ^_^

Inuyasha/Kagome. Series is great except for the fact that half the series is filler. And Kagome. :angry: Can there be ANYONE more annoying than her? Heck, I'd pair him up with Sango if Kikyo stays dead (yes, I like her. I mean, she's been betrayed and brought back to life with part of a soul. Wouldn't you be pissed too?). I mean, I'm sure Sango could do better than Miroku the womanizer. I mean, I like him on his own, just not with Sango.

Now a minor exception to hating the canon pairing in my case is... Ah! My Goddess! I mean, how can you hate Belldandy? She's just so 'perfect' (except for her extreme jealously and occasional selfishness concerning Keiichi) you'd just have to fall in love with her! And seeing her happy with Keiichi, what a nice sight. Though, I admit I wouldn't mind seeing an alternative here too. :unsure: And this time, it's because of the guy. I mean, compared to her, Bell is like, way up there. I guess this is to show that love can be found in any place and with anyone... but still... wouldn't it be more fun with Urd or Peorth?

So what do you think? Do you like any canon pairings? Or do they all suck?

 

[GenocideHeart]

There are a few caon pairings I like, actually. Off the top of my head:

-Kohei/Clara in Gacha Gacha, mainly because of Clara's extreme MPD - I mean, a potential 151 personalities? Poor bastard. And Clara does like him - she only hits him because she has no memory of what her alts do, and they leave her in various states of undress and compromise near Kohei, causing her to lash out from sheer embarrassment.

-Masahiko/Shion in Family Compo. Just for the hilarity of it, sinvce Shion is basically Nabiki with a conscience - she won't blackmail Masahiko in the ground, but she gleefully embarrasses him whenever she feels like it. Masahiko doesn't mind, though - considering Shion's parents are an inverted couple (the man is the woman and viceversa), it's a miracle she's this normal, so he counts his blessings and moves on.

-Ryo/Kaori in City Hunter. A rare case where malletings by Mallet-sama are highly deserved, since Ryo is a pervert of the highest caliber who will hit on anything female. MOKKORI! XD Even so, they trust each other with their lives... you can tell neither is truly serious.

Aaand... that's it. Believe it or not, I don't kile K1/Bell. IMHO, he'd be better off with Urd or Skuld. Not Peorth, since she's a snob. <_<

 

[Fatuous One]

Mmm, generally, I dislike all canon pairings. Even A!MG, I don't really like Belldandy/Keiichi. My reasons vary, from disliking one of the characters to just liking a different pairing more. The only pairings I have an innate dislike for are love/hate relationships (Akane/Ranma, Naru/Keitaro, etc.), as I have a hard time seeing them actually last very long (not to mention that if they're IN a love/hate relationship, more then likely I'll hate one of the characters for being an abusive asshole).

Reason I don't like Belldandy/Keiichi is just because I find it boring. Despite the whole "Love Eternal" gig they've got going on, the lack of real progress in the relationship really just causes me to nod off at times.

You're right, in my opinion. Sometimes I find the pairings in canon to be somewhat like... "We're getting together... just because!" Granted, some relationships do sort of grow that way, but I find it so... uhm... lame? Perhaps not quite the word, but it's enough to say that I just find it uninteresting.

Off-hand, I can't remember any canon pairing that I really liked. Maybe... Ah, yes, I liked Makoto/Ifurita (El Hazard), oddly. Although I probably would have gotten bored with it if the series had continued on it for too long.

In the end, I think the main reason I like non-canon pairings is because of the untapped potential that they hold. Strangely enough, I might not like them if they were canon, simply because the relationship would have already been explored.

Quick question, can anyone think of an anime that starts off with the main character already in a stable relationship? Not starting off with the two getting together, but beginning with the main character already having a steady girl/boyfriend? I've been trying to jog my memory, but I seriously can't think of a single anime that has the character already having a significant other.

 

[Lord Raa]

I'm going to add my dubious opinion


There are a few canon pairings that don't offend my technician's reasoning.

1) Yushiro/Miharu from Gasaraki

2) Hikaru (Rick)/Misa (Lisa) from Macross/Robotech

3) Not really a pairing, but Noa/Asuma from Patlabor

4) Fry/Leela from Futurama

5) Keiichi/Belldandy is ok (Yes, I know that I'm supposed to be writing a K1/Urd/Skuld fic )

There could be others, but I can't remember any of them at the moment

 

[Dark Knight Gafgar]

As long as there's sex, and one or more of the parties is female and attractive, I tend to not give a $#&%.

 

[Israfel]

Hmm, I'm trying to think of one that I like but I juct can't seem to, because at first I was thinking "Well the Ayato/Haruka in RahXephon was ok...but no Ayato/Quon would have been much better!" then I think" Well maybe Akito/Yurika in Nadesico is the one I like? No way there were much better options for him!" so it seems that I just can't seem to think of an actual canon pairing that I enjoy. Man that's depressing to realize.

 

[hawker_748]

For me, Negi and Asuna in Negima.

Yeah, yeah, I like the other girls, especially Kaede, Chachamaru, Setsuna, Yue, Nodoka, and Haruna, but I have just the slightest bit more affection for Asuna.

She can be violent, but it's usually warranted, it isn't for some stupid reason like Akane...

It doesn't help that there's a dearth of good Negima fics out there,and so much of what's there is Konoka/Setsuna. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but shoujou-ai doesn't interest me that much.

 

[SimmyC]

In the case of RahXephon, for the first few episodes, I was actually a supporter of Ayato/Haruka. But than Quon and Elvy showed up, and I started drifting away from this pairing. What sealed my opposition to it was the development (or regression) I saw in the Haruka character who went from strong kick ass female, to a whiny "I can't live without him! WAHHHHHHHHHHH!" bitch!

As for Belldandy/Keiichi, there is a reason why I said "minor" exception. I mean, I like this pairing... only because Belldandy isn't some crazed violent sadist who is only with the character because "They're together longer! YEAH! That's love!" I admit, I do prefer alternatives to Bell/K1, and all my fiction will be of course, those alternatives. Just that, of all the canon pairings in any given series, this is the closet to actually liking one.

The only real exception would be Rick/Lisa (Hikaru/Misa) in Robotech/Macross that Lord Raa brought up. This I supported and was perfectly fine with. I might add I am one of the few supporters of Naruto/Sakura, and if this turns out to be canon, we may have the first real exception in my case. BUT, well, since the series is still ongoing, can't say one way or the other!

Now, the idea of exploring alternative development also intrigues me as well, and why I like reading fanfiction so much. For example, even if I liked Ayato/Haruka, what would it be like if he instead, decided to for Quon? And as very unlikely as it were, Elvy? What would his character change, not change because of it?

The issue I brought up here though was the idea of not just thinking about alternatives, but why I absolutely dispise most canon pairings.

 

[skinkfem]

i also tend to have a problem with the canon couple. but in my case its more often hatred for the male in the series.

keitaro in love hina for example, espesially in the beginning. arrgh i just want to put a bullet in his head, it would probably be the most humane thing to do.
thank godness he evolves a little near the end but he still have headplating that rivals a tank.

i can agree that motoko has a better reason to hit keitaro than naru (dosnt mean i like her but anyway)

i dont think naru is a really well planned character. even if i dont mind that she punch the dork into leo on a regular basis but her personality shouldnt allow that. since she is worried that people will only like her for her looks and not her personality she sounds like a classical introvert personality to me. granted she wouldnt like when keitaro (or anyone for that matter) sees her in compromising situations, but it would be more likely that she would give him the silent treatment and awoid him as much as possible.
instead she does a 180% turn and becomes highly aggressive (and extroverted).
my conclusion is that naru has two personalitys.

if anyone can actually make sense of the above post i would like to know your opinions.

 

[Israfel]

Agh...must...resist...urge...to go...grammar nazi...on your ass!

Hehe but anyway, I think we've pretty much established that Naru has got to be bipolar (then again, what teenage girl isn't?), there's no other way she could go form almost kissing Keitaro to punching him into space and then to crying her eyes out, a textbook bipolar.

 

[Dark Knight Gafgar]

Or she could just be psychotic. Like me.

 

[Wonderbee31]

Funny, it almost seems like a lot of the violent females in anime and/or manga could be considered bipolar, but some of them are completely delusional. I've probably said this on here, but not sure, so here goes: I grew to really hate Akane the character during the Panda scribble storyline.

I mean, I could understand her being jealous of the other fiancee's, or if the panda-girl had been a hentai drawing, but, the way she was drawn, it was just about as inoffensive as it'd get, and she was still jealous and angry when it wanted to play with Ranma, and that's my feeling, she was playing with him like a grade school girl would. That was the moment when I first really wished that Ranma had given her a good slap, and when I thought that there'd be no way for their marriage to survive, unless Ranma just married, then ran away.

I actually like K1/Bell, because even though she might get jealous, she's not likely to take out her anger on K1 just because, she's more likely to talk to him about it, like most people do. However, the continuous by K1 "Oh golly, what if Bell and I hold hands, I'm so embarrassed',but they do give some explanation of that by giving that he grew up in a close-knit rural community. I also like Rick/Lisa from Robotech/Macross as they get along and act like adults.

 

[Dark Knight Gafgar]

I grew to really hate Akane the character during the Panda scribble storyline.

I mean, I could understand her being jealous of the other fiancee's, or if the panda-girl had been a hentai drawing, but, the way she was drawn, it was just about as inoffensive as it'd get, and she was still jealous and angry when it wanted to play with Ranma, and that's my feeling, she was playing with him like a grade school girl would. That was the moment when I first really wished that Ranma had given her a good slap, and when I thought that there'd be no way for their marriage to survive, unless Ranma just married, then ran away.

Sounds like time to hire the Mafia to give your girlfriend concrete shoes and swimming lessons.

 

[Hawk]

Canon pairings I like...

Keichi/Belldandy ( AMG )
I do like Keichi/Urd better, but I do still like Keichi/Belldandy and can completely see the two of them getting together and living happily for the rest of their days. ( As long as Keichi stops obsessing over insignificant crap and starts showing Belldandy that he actually likes her and Belldandy gets a frickin' clue and actually starts telling Keichi what she wants instead of just settling for whatever tiny little gestures Keichi doles out from time to time )

Kaoru/Aoi ( Ao Yori Aoshi )
Complete supporter of this pairing, the two of them are bloody perfect for each other. Kaoru is a complete wuzz most of the time and Aoi caters to his every whim. He'll never dump her and she'll never stop bending over backwards to please him. Match made in heaven, even if they'll probably need a shrink before long if they keep feeding on each others mental problems like they do.

Kei/Mizuho ( Onegai Teacher )
Both of them are wuzzes who're afraid to tell each other what they really want out of their relationship, but otherwise, perfect.

Harem pairings would be preferable in all the above examples, but I can dig and accept the canon pairings as they are, hoping that the persons involved will mature at some point so they can have a healthy relationship, as opposed to merely a relationship.


Canon pairings I dislike...

Every other pairing I've ever come across!

 

[SimmyC]

Tenchi Muyo and it's spinoff, Tenchi GXP seem to be heading towards that Harem ending. With the end of Tenchi GXP, the guy being married to all the women chasing after him (for political reasons of course), and Tenchi simply... not chosing in OVA 3, I see a harem future for him as well.

The thing is, while that would prevent me from totally hating the couple since, it's more than a couple. And my favorite girl still technically got him in the end, I also feel that it is a copout. I mean, what kind of relationship is it when say, Tenchi has it all? Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami/Tsunami, Washu, Mihoshi, and now Noike. That's six women right there, and that's supposing that no one else comes for Tenchi. <_<

 

[GenocideHeart]

Tenchi Muyo and it's spinoff, Tenchi GXP seem to be heading towards that Harem ending. With the end of Tenchi GXP, the guy being married to all the women chasing after him (for political reasons of course), and Tenchi simply... not chosing in OVA 3, I see a harem future for him as well.

The thing is, while that would prevent me from totally hating the couple since, it's more than a couple. And my favorite girl still technically got him in the end, I also feel that it is a copout. I mean, what kind of relationship is it when say, Tenchi has it all? Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami/Tsunami, Washu, Mihoshi, and now Noike. That's six women right there, and that's supposing that no one else comes for Tenchi. <_<

It's especially a copout when you consider Tenchi didn't really deserve the harem in question. For starters, nobody deserves to even be in Sasami's general vicinity - she's like Kasumi, has an aura of untouchability that makes anyone else look less than adequate next to her. And he definitely isn't up to par for someone like Washuu.

And of course, while I love her, I wouldn't wish Mihoshi on anyone for the rest of their lives. She's destructive enough to bankrupt even the Juraian royal family if her clumsiness goes in overdrive. <_<

 

[Hawk]

I was opposed to a Tenchi/Mihoshi pairing as well.

At first...

Then I read Vaccation Days by DB Sommer and now it's prolly my favourite Tenchi pairing ( if one excludes the harem solution ), just ahead of the Tenchi/Washu pairing.

It'd be a bumpy road, that's for sure, but oooohhhboy what fun it'd be.

 

[SimmyC]

I like Mihoshi/Tenchi as well... if only because she's not Ryoko. ^_^ The only character I wasn't really fond of in the series was Ryoko, and a little bit of Ayeka (though I prefer her over Ryoko). I never saw the appeal of Ryoko and so, anytime I see fics of this nature, I automatically turn my head away from them.

That being said, I also never saw a Mihoshi/Tenchi fic working. Vacation Days by DB Sommer and harem not withstanding.

So at the moment, my favorite would still be Sasami/Tenchi, followed closely behind with Washu/Tenchi. If you're adding crack pairings, Tokimi/Tenchi comes next.

 

[Lord Raa]

I never saw the appeal of Ryoko and so, anytime I see fics of this nature, I automatically turn my head away from them.

I think it's because Ryoko has a nice rack and seems like a lot of fun when compared to Ayeka or Sasami/Tsunami.

Of course, that's just one opinion.

 

[GenocideHeart]

I never saw the appeal of Ryoko and so, anytime I see fics of this nature, I automatically turn my head away from them.

I think it's because Ryoko has a nice rack and seems like a lot of fun when compared to Ayeka or Sasami/Tsunami.

Of course, that's just one opinion.

Ayeka has that whole Juraian background that's a big turn off for anyone not into S&M, and the same goes for Sasami. Tenchi makes it clear he's not fond of pain, so it's obvious he wouldn't be too thrilled by Ayeka.

Ryoko... is actually one of the more decent female leads. She doesn't bash Tenchi, and she doesn't lie about her feelings. More importantly, she's not snobby by birth. I hate snobbish characters.

Washuu is just creepy, frankly. And she also makes anyone feel woefully inadequate.

Mihoshi... if you overlook her incredible clumsiness, she's a nice girl. And her sheer dumb luck does help.

Kiyone is about the only normal person in the whole household. And she's not even a permanent resident.

 

[Lord Raa]

I like Kiyone too. Possibly because I have a great deal of sympathy for her because of what she has to put up with in the shape of Mihoshi...

 

[SimmyC]

Well she isn't a terrible character I will say. And yes, she is no Akane/Naru. So on that point, I like her. However, her wild, and quite destructive side does tend to get on my nerves.

And to be honest, I'm not too fond of her face. ^_^ In terms of physical beauty, well, I prefer Tsunami to her.

And like I said before, I'm not a huge fan of Ayeka in the first place. Again, S&M? No. But hey, I still think she's better looking that Ryoko. Even if she lacks in a certain department.

And of course, how could I foget Kiyone? Kiyone over everyone (except Tsunami). My true second favorite coupling since she was the most normal in the group. Too bad she was 'replaced' by Noike in the canon series (since she was never in the series, you can't say she was replaced. But still... is it any surprise that her name, has the same letters as Kiyone if you take out the y? Noike...Kione. And yes, I know they are in Romanji. But again, a little too coincidental don't you think?).

 

[Israfel]

Ayeka has that whole Juraian background that's a big turn off for anyone not into S&M, and the same goes for Sasami.

Wait wait wait, how does having a Jurain background equate with being into S&M? Since when was that in the series?

And as far as my choice in pairings I'd have to say it goes like this:

1. Washu
2. Mihoshi
3. Sasami
4. Kiyone
5. Ryoko
6. Ayeka

 

[GenocideHeart]

Wait wait wait, how does having a Jurain background equate with being into S&M? Since when was that in the series?

Juraian society tends to be heavily female-dominated, if the hints we get from Funaho and Misaki are any indication. And in general that translates to bad news for males. <_<

 

[nuclear death frog]

Canon pairs I have no gripe with (central characters only):

• Keiichi + Belldandy
  Kenshin + Kaoru
  Kaoru + Aoi
  Kenshiro + Yuria
  Usagi + Mamoru
  Yuusuke + Keiko
  Akito + Yurika
  Terry Bogard + "Blue Mary" [Mary Ryan]
  Andy Bogard + Mai Shiranui

Canon pairs I tolerate:

• Harry Potter + Ginny Weasley (no, I am *not* a Harry/Hermione supporter; that's simply WRONG)
  Naruto + Sakura (since I hear the manga seems like it's going that way; personally I prefer Naruto + Hinata)

Canon pairs I dislike outright:

• Ranma + Akane (I've had a Ranma + Kasumi softspot for ages and I loathe Akane)
  Keitaro + Naru (Mutsumi forever!)

More later, maybe.