Renn’s 12 Moments in Anime: 7 Ships

Warning: Spoilers for AnoHana, Chihayafuru, Kimi ni Todoke, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Mawaru Penguindrum, No. 6, and Steins;Gate. That’s a spoiler for the post, but better you be spoiled about that than these series.

No, this post isn’t about boating. It’s all about love, or romantic relationSHIPS.

Last year, we had Nodame and Chiaki (Nodame Cantabile Finale), Nino and Recruit (Arakawa Under the Bridge), Senjougahara and Araragi (Bakemonogatari), Akashi and Watashi (The Tatami Galaxy), Ed and Winry (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), Roy and Riza (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), and Shizuo and Izaya (Durarara!!) in the romance department. Kinda tough to beat that line-up, whether I’m kidding about that last one or not.

And truth be told, this year’s line-up isn’t quite as good. The characters are a bit younger, for one thing. And most are more about dramatic build-up or tragic circumstances than sassy chemistry. But this is still anime, and there’s still plenty of romance, much of it great. There’s plenty for a fan to be passionate about, which I believe is the point of these things.

Allow me to demonstrate with my top seven couples, or “ships” of the year. Hit it!

7: Chihaya Ayase x Taichi Mashima (Chihayafuru)

Since shipping is a contentious issue, might as well start with a controversial one off the bat: team Taichi all the way. Not that Arata isn’t a great guy; I wouldn’t blame a girl for picking the brilliant, quiet megane over pressured, rich boy Taichi. But for Chihaya, Taichi is much better suited. For one, she doesn’t worship him. For another, they’ve brought out the best in each other. She’s softened his snobbish, elitist tendencies and lessened the pressure placed on him by his parents by forcing him to see the fun of competitive karuta. In contrast, he’s tempered her brash, often thoughtless, attitude, and taught her that there’s more to life than winning the card game. And as the two leaders of their karuta club, with Taichi the thoughtful brains and Chihaya the inspiring brawn, they’ve made an unbeatable, passionate team.

Loveliest moment? The end of episode 8 when Taichi steals Chihaya’s food. It’s much more romantic than it sounds.

6: Homura Akemi x Madoka Kaname (Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica)

With Homura and Madoka, you could argue there’s nothing romantic going on, but come on, they embraced and cuddled naked amongst the stars. I don’t think two heterosexual girl friends would do that with each other (no matter how close they are), so I’m going with the lesbian angle. Truth be told, Sayaka and Koyoko make just as good a case for girl on girl action, but with Homura and Madoka, the stakes are raised. Homura’s unwavering dedication for Madoka, and her countless re-winding of the clock, is more “epic” than any other romantic gesture this year. And when Madoka realizes her friend’s dedication, she gifts her with a hair tie, the red string of fate. Uh huh, sounds like love to me. If not, let my fanart collection convince you otherwise.

Loveliest moment? All of episode 10. We learn the extent of Homura’s dedication to Madoka, and we see how sly a flirt Madoka is with the new student. Ohhh, yeah.

5: Sawako Kuronuma x Shouta Kazehaya (Kimi ni Todoke 2)

This year, I picked up two franchises to watch their 2011 installments: Kimi ni Todoke and Natsume Yuujinchou San. I don’t regret marathoning either of them as they’re both fantastic series, but Kimi ni Todoke is a much rougher trip than Natsume. Sawako and Kazehaya have an inordinate amount of misunderstandings and insecurities that prevent them from finally getting together… even though they’ve liked each other from the start. Still, that just makes every bubble-backed, sparkle-adorned moment of theirs all the more sweet. Bonus points for the second season where they finally realize the other’s feelings.

Loveliest moment: Well, nothing beats them finally recognizing the other’s feelings. It’s been forty episodes!

4: Nezumi x Shion (No. 6)

With Nezumi and Shion, you could argue it’s more ~curiosity~ than romance, but come on, they kissed twice and danced in the sunset, which means they got more action than 95% of all non-ecchi anime characters this year. So, I’m going with the romance angle. Still, there’s a lot that sets these two apart from standard romantic fare. For one, they’re both dudes, and unlike in those embarrassing DEEN anime, they aren’t relegated to the seme/uke format to please fangirls. For another, they’re both dudes, but their relationship isn’t based on rape and misunderstandings to please fangirls. Amazing! But fangirls still love them anyway, and I don’t blame them. The concept is daring, and they had real chemistry with each other. Their well-written relationship is a bright highlight of the show, even in the face of that mystical mumbo-jumbo finale.

Loveliest moment? The penultimate episode where Shion brutally kills a man, and Nezumi cries for him. Highlights how much they’ve changed each other.

3: Jinta “Jintan” Yadomi x Meiko “Menma” Honma (AnoHana)

Yes, it’s a bit sick to want a dead loli and a depressed hikikomori to be together. And yes, Anaru is fantastic. And yes, I don’t mind that, in the end, Jintan and Menma part ways and go to where they’re supposed to be. But their relationship is the heart of AnoHana, an anime that, for all its flaws, does have a huge, beating heart. In another life, these two would be the perfect couple: the cool, confident leader and the beautiful, charming girl. That it doesn’t turn out that way–and that they’ll never get that chance back–makes them go from cliche to memorable. Also, that they’ll never forget or stop caring for each other, even with the obstacle of death, is moving and dramatic in the way every sappy drama should be.

Loveliest moment? Their final goodbye. The whole finale is overblown and cheesy, but I might have cried a bit when she told him she loved him that way.

2: Ringo Oginome x Shoma Takakura (Mawaru Penguindrum)

Yes, that’s a picture of Shoma giving Ringo CPR… which is about where they stand right now on the actual romance scale. Penguindrum hasn’t finished yet (it ends tomorrow), so Director Ikuhara might screw me over and make them siblings. But at this point, I’d still ship it. These two understand each other, and they’ve forced each other to grow. Ringo has turned from the biggest psycho on the show to the most grounded character, and Shoma has finally gotten a spine. And if half this post is any indication, I’m a huge fan of that sort of romance. Screw destiny and that soul mate business; my fingers are crossed for their happy end.

Loveliest moment? When they rip on each other in episode 8; he calls her a black-hearted bitch, and she says he doesn’t love his family. They get each other perfectly, plus it’s great to see any members of this very-flawed cast get called out on their crap. That said, their embrace in the penultimate episode is a heckuva lot more romantic.

1: Kurisu Makise x Okabe Rintarou (Steins;Gate)

As if it could have been anyone else. There’re a lot of things that I love about Kurisu and Okabe; for example, they quickly turned a harem set-up into a harem fake-out. Plus, the sexy red head rightly snags the man above those brown-haired, pink-haired, green-haired skanks (kidding, about the skanks part). But mostly, I love how they’re two very well-developed and smart characters that have great chemistry with one another, which is a bit of a rarity in anime. They’re adorable when they amp up their romance, but since the start, they’ve had a charming, witty rapport. That it develops the way it does is one of most rewarding aspects of Steins;Gate, a great anime with or without romance.

Loveliest moment? Well, the moment when he finally breaks down and turns to her is great, but it’s gotta be the kiss. It’s the most satisfying smooch this year.

Other couples I love include… Hmm, can’t think of any. I’m sure I’m missing some good ones, but these seven really are my favorites this year.

Moment seven? Stooping to the levels of Bieber fangirls with my passion for anime couples. I suppose my (web-invented) last name means more than just my favorite animal.

Which romances won your heart this year?

Note: Aww, shoot, I’m late. Darn exams, taking priority over anime. I’ll cram in moments eight/nine/ten together within the next two days, so I’ll be back on track for the final two moments. To those who don’t know what this is, it’s the 12 Moments in Anime Project. One moment per day for twelve days straight. Thanks for reading!

Image Credit: 1, 2, Random Curiosity (All screencaps)

/ 8 Commentsleave a comment /

• wandering-dreamer says:

  December 22, 2011

  Aw man, at first I thought you meant real ships (like, the ones that float in water and/or the sky) and I got super excited about this post. XD Nice post, think I actually agree with all the ships which is a rarity for me, there were just a lot of cool couples this year I guess.
  My recent post Anime Review: RahXephon

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  • Renn says:

    December 23, 2011

    Aww, sorry to disappoint you. If I talked about boating, I'd disappoint you more though because I know nothing about it. xD

    Thanks for the compliment! :) Let's hope for another great year for romance in 2012.

    Reply
• Overcooled says:

  December 22, 2011

  There really weren't a lot of good ones this year (or maybe I just don't watch a lot of anime with romance). I'm with you for Kurisu x Okarin being at number one. Just watching them talk to each other was fascinating, and that was before things even started to take a romantic slant. It's interesting to see Madoka on Homura on your list too. Okay, so the anime doesn't explicitly state they are a couple, but I'd totally buy them being lesbians. I don't embrace my friends without clothes on in the stars, last time I checked XD Heck, I'd probably try to put Kotetsu x Barnaby on there if I could.

  Good luck with exams! Did I mention I'm super happy you're doing the 12 moments of anime posts? Well, I'm super happy.

  Reply
  • Renn says:

    December 23, 2011

    Kotetsu and Barnaby definitely count. If we had seen them making fried rice together, I might've put them on the list. We'll see with the movies. ;)

    Thanks for the luck! Exams went super well. :D And thanks a lot for the compliment–coming from you, that means a lot. :) I can't wait to see the rest of Metanorn's mega end-of-the-year wrap-up. You guys are insane (in a good way!).

    Reply
• Tofu says:

  December 22, 2011

  Jinta and Menma in the first picture up top looks like rape, just saying lols but I definitely ship Okabe and Kurisu out of the rest here ;D As for the reason why… I'll get back to you on that
  My recent post Renn’s 12 Moments in Anime: 7 Ships

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  • Renn says:

    December 23, 2011

    Hahaha, can't unsee. Is it wrong that I still think it's cute?

    Okabe and Kurisu are awesome. Not just for this year. For anime in general.

    Reply
• Vivi says:

  December 23, 2011

  The Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica manga makes their feelings much more obviously romantic (moreso for Kyouko -> Sayaka, but Homura -> Madoka too) so I would count Homura/Madoka as a romantic ship too haha.

  Reply
  • Renn says:

    December 25, 2011

    And after reading this, I read the manga. No regrets. Thanks for the rec! :D

    Reply