30 Day Anime Challenge #8 – Favorite Anime Couple

I’m sure some of you will recall that I was attempting the “30 Day Anime Challenge” at some point, right? Personally I just use the prompts when I can’t think of things to write about on my own; I’m not hung up on the 30 days being consecutive, obviously. In any case, while I catch up on some of my anime-watching behind the scenes, I thought I’d try to tackle some more items off of this particular list.

This subject is actually a little bit difficult for me, to be honest. I wouldn’t say that I seek out much anime where romance and character couplings are the primary concern of the story. Anime romance, like other genres, tends to center young people. While teens definitely have the potential to experience the full range of emotions that come along with love and loss, many anime stories focus more on overcoming the hurdle of confessing one’s feelings than the subsequent development of a relationship -and I’m honestly more interested in the latter. Keeping that in mind, it seems like that would narrow the potential pool quite a bit.

Frankly, there really isn’t just one anime couple that I hold above all others, and I don’t feel too bad about that. However, there are quite a few that that by some chance seem to exemplify the complicated nature of choosing to tie your life together with another person’s, and below are a few pairings that I think about quite a bit.

Akira Fudo and Ryo Asuka from Devilman Crybaby

Well, no one said these choices couldn’t be tragic, right? Devilman Crybaby is a lot of things – a re-imagining of a manga classic, a good example of cyclical storytelling, even a flawed-but-interesting look at the way in which society vilifies members of the queer community. Yet I think my biggest takeaway from the story was the way in which our relationships with other people can, even in the smallest of ways, change us for the better. Akira bears the heart of both a human and a demon, struggling to reconcile the two while also attempting to create an ill-fated peace between two societies. Ryo is literally Satan, a being concerned with fulfilling his own ambitions – life and society be damned. Their two conflicting mindsets (which eventually result in the end of the world) wouldn’t seem to provide the building blocks for a good relationship, and yet the entire series is really about the redemptive power that Akira has over Ryo.

Throughout the series, there’s the repeated visual motif of track-and-field relay races, where runners work together to hand off a baton to the next runner in the sequence. Each person runs with all their might to help bring their team to shared victory. Akira offers Ryo the baton again and again, and Ryo continues to avoid the pass. It isn’t until Akira has died by Ryo’s hand that Ryo understands the meaning behind those missed opportunities – Akira was offering friendship, love, and the chance to choose humanity over demonic ambition.

I think many of us have probably looked back at past relationships, even those that ended poorly, and seen things that we’ve since taken with us. It could be the importance of setting boundaries and actively cultivating self-respect, or perhaps the value of clear and open communication. While Akira and Ryo’s situation is large-scale and apocalyptic, I think the point of their relationship is more focused; Ryo comes to realize his many missed opportunities and the inherent wrongness in his denial of love and emotion, and accepts the love that Akira tried to give to him many times over. Perhaps in the world’s next incarnation, he’ll be in the mental space to make new choices.

Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena

I’ve mentioned Utena here before, and for good reason – I consider it a classic series and I think any anime fan should try to watch it if they’re able to. Central to the series is the relationship between the characters Utena and Anthy; it’s one that starts more out of obligation and then gradually turns into something important and redemptive. As Anthy’s story moves to the forefront in the later part of the anime, there becomes a good sense of just how crucial Utena’s existence has become to her.

The characters are complimentary to one-another; Utena is the outgoing, brash hero-type character who’s chosen to embody a chivalric ideal due to her own past, while Anthy is introverted, offbeat, and (gives the illusion of being) passive for similar reasons. One might be so bold as to describe them as a “prince” and a “princess,” but of course those archetypes play into the series in complex ways, going against the expectations of the viewer in a way that’s iconic and memorable.

I’m one of those weirdos who questions whether Utena is actually a real person, or at least real to the extent that she physically exists in Anthy’s life throughout the series. So much of the story straddles the realms of reality and fantasy, where characters begin to exist as broader concepts, that I fully believe that the last few episodes of the show are more symbolic than they are concrete. In the end, Anthy’s relationship with “Utena” may actually be a re-connection with a part of her own psyche that had gone dormant from abuse. “Utena” represents strength, whether that be a physically strong role-model, friend, and lover going against an evil system to save their companion, or the emotional strength that arises from overcoming abuse and oppression.

Megumi Noda and Shinichi Chiaki from Nodame Cantabile

Nodame Cantabile is an example of a series that I really liked at first, though in retrospect I started to see a few cracks form in its facade. At its most basic, it’s the comedic story of some music-school students and they hone their craft and plan out the first steps of their adult lives. Megumi (who goes by “Nodame”) is incredibly talented, but also has some personality issues that become stumbling blocks in many contexts. She’s unfocused and crude and lives life like a slob, but there’s clearly more to her than meets the eye. Shinichi is also talented as a pianist and violinist, but he’s incredibly driven toward his real goal – to become a conductor. He comes off as kind of a jerk, because he doesn’t suffer frivolousness or idiocy, but in fact he’s covering up some of his own trauma, too. The two meet and it’s an oil-versus-water situation from the get-go, but somewhere along the way their feelings for one-another begin to blossom.

The first season is generally regarded as the “best;” it’s very funny while also managing to cut to the heart of the characters’ feelings. It also features a lot of slapstick-style comedy between the two leads that can read as a bit violent at times. As for me, I generally prefer the second and third seasons which are less comedic, but which spend more time following the characters in their adult lives after college. They travel out into the world attempting to carve out a place within it while still maintaining their relationships with one-another. And the simple fact is that trying to uphold a romance with someone whose very personality is contrary is challenging enough to begin with, let alone when work drags you all over a foreign land.

Like I mentioned before, some of this series’ former luster has since worn off for me. It’s difficult to watch two people in a romantic relationship yell at one-another and engage in slapstick hijinks when you’ve known situations where abuse is much too real. The series also has an issue (like many anime do) with its portrayal of gay characters. But beyond all that I think this story of the two very flawed people speaks to me as an adult who’s gone through a lot of the same relationship tumult and subsequent soul-searching.

I’d love to hear about your favorite anime couples – feel free to let me know in the comments!