bonhwatheloser

[bonhwatheloser]

this is so pweety op

Bunnies and one guest 🐯

[bonhwatheloser]

Why Momoko and Hibiki from Hanaoni are IT

TW: spoilers

Just finished watching Hanaoni/Battle of Demons III and in my opinion Momoko x Hibiki is one of the best canon pairings I've seen in an awfully long while. They are a fun and interesting trainwreck you just cannot take your eyes off.

At first, I was skeptical of the pairing. Hibiki's evilness is very much emphasized in the first two movies. Thus I was dreading another brain-dead good girl x bad boy pairing. I was terrified that the story would revolve around how Momoko's presence and love would make Hibiki a better person. So you can imagine my surprise when at the 20-minute mark, we are made clear that our protagonist and the apparent de facto good girl Momoko has crossed all rings of Dante's inferno. She admits to Hibiki at what is their third meeting that she wishes for her friend to end up miserable and agrees to assist Hibiki in his schemes to ensure Kaki's death.

Hence the very likely comradery between these two anti-heroes begins. We see Momoko and Hibiki tease and banter with each other all the while plotting the kaki's death nonchalantly. They communicate clearly and as friends with mutual respect. Hibiki possesses extreme supernatural powers but Momoko is assertive in her stances and boundaries, we never see Hibiki try to bulldoze over them by strength or manipulation, something we know his character is perfectly capable of. When he does threaten her it is always facetious something which is not the case for most male leads, even the "nice ones".

What makes Hibiki x Momoko work is ultimately their likeness to each other. Both at heart are people hurt by the demon society, capable of good but also self-aware of their brutality, the latter being something both are unwilling to give up on. They do not force each other to be better but provide each other with confidence, even when they might not necessarily agree with each other. Hibiki for instance advises Momoko against hurting Kanna because a part of him pities the girl but he does not go out of his way to hinder her decision. Eventually, when he reveals to Momoko Kanna's own pitiable state he is able to sway her into saving Kanna.

Hibiki asking Momoko out is in line with his character and their relationship. Hibiki eats a wrongly seasoned pastry Momoko bakes for him as a parting present, aware of the amount of work Momoko put into it (cute) and kisses her just because.

It is hard to point out the moment in which Hibiki develops feelings for Momoko and vice versa but that is what makes their relationship even more endearing. Momoko and Hibiki don't hold each other back by petty jealousy and acts of possessiveness instead Hibiki stands by Momoko's side when she dates the low-ranking demon who eventually falls for Kanna. He advises her and supports her even though it might not have been ideal for him.

In the end, what makes this ship uber special in the supernatural genre is that they are not made to love each other by the divine providence of fate, we never even get to see Hibiki give Momoko his mark (which is fitting) but ultimately we see them choose each other for all the right (and wrong) reasons.