#i just habitually rewatch the ones in my dvd collection

[saturnniidae]

I love how like, ambiguous so many Studio Ghibli 'couples' are. They're primarily male/female duos, and it's clear how much they love and care for each other, but more often than not it's never explicitly stated to be romantic. And their bonds aren't treated any less for it.

Idk it's just something I've always held close to my heart as someone who grew up not feeling romantic attraction the way most do, it made the characters feel more relatable and human to me, and while I still didnt fully understand my identity (didn't know being aro was a thing), it helped me better reconcile with it. And I feel that's incredibly important.

(And not just from an aro perspective. portrayal of m/f friendships is rare and something we desperately need more of)

Yes, they love each other deeply, but they don't need to kiss or be a couple for that love to be agknowledged and treated with importance. It's not any less than it would be if they weren't platonic. Hell, it doesn't even need to strictly be platonic or romantic. It could just be somewhere in between and that's okay.

Studio Ghibli fr out here making the most alterous duos I've ever seen.