#spectacular message at the core of it tbh

[tsukiiro]

I'll probably be the first one to have a problem with Francesca's new love interest and no, I don't care what's their gender.

What I don't like about introducing a new love interest in general is the fact that we were supposed to get a unique romantic dynamic. "Love can be silent. Love dornst have to start like a spectacle with fireworks" - is what I thought the message would be and as an introvert I loved that to the core.

But then we have Francesca having her doubts even during her wedding ceremony (her facial expression after the kiss? girl, you're disappointed and it's showing) and I get it, they rushed their wedding, maybe Francesca deep inside wants something grand and spectacular as well.

But that's not what I was getting from her so wholesome romantic subplot. We could have had her head over heels for John and have a romance which is quiet, comfortable in silence and just being with each other because love comes in many ways.

And then comes a new love interest be it Michael or Michaela. I know they had to plant seeds to make her transition from one love interest to the other more believable but I can't help but mourn how the message of "love doesn't have to a sudden powerful affection" is going down the drain.

Now it turns out Violet was right all along and if attraction doesn't show at a first glance then you must be romancing wrong 🤡

I know, we already had Polin as a rep for introverts but tbh? Francesca and John are on a whole new level of being introverted and I rarely see couples like them in fiction which was quite refreshing. So seeing Violet finally accept Francesca's way of seeing romance was very touching and now the show is seemingly setting her arc up to "ok so actually my mother's experience is the only blueprint ever and that's how love should look like". And like??? No, thank you.

And yes, I know who she ends up with in the book. I just had hopes we'll see how genuine her affection for the first love interest is.

Maybe I was too invested in a trope I rarely see the rep of in media that I forgot we have book plotline to follow. Violet, I love you, but not everything has to be like your marriage.

Plus, I'm sure Francesca eventually falling for Michaela can be written in a convincing way without pushing "Violet views on romance" agenda.

[okkottsus]

Thanks for this amazing answer https://www.tumblr.com/okkottsus/773988123891892225/what-are-your-top-10-favorite-media-ever-can-be?source=share

I totally agree with you! Because for me, most of my favorite media (about 80%) are also anime & manga. 😆😆

I love some of your favorite, too (like Banana Fish, Akatsuki no Yona, Haikyuu, and Attack on Titan).

It's just kinda funny for me, NagiReo is in your fav ship list and Reo is one of your fav character, but Blue Lock is not on your fav media 🤣 (sorry I don't mean anything negative with this comment).

I felt the same thing. Until now, Reo is in my top 10 fav anime/manga character, and I fall in deep for NagiReo (now they have entered my top 10 fav non-canon m/m ships ever), but somehow Blue Lock is not my favorite anime/manga, too. Like for me Haikyuu >>> Blue Lock as a whole.

Sorry for this long ask.

P.s

Do you mind if I ask your top 5 (or top 10) favorite moments from any media that you love (can be anime/manga, tv series, books, movies, games, etc)?

asjdjk no i get uuuuu, tbh i do consider blue lock one of my favorite manga to this day, but its not that high on my list anymore, mainly cause of its latest chapters. i still think it's had a looot of incredible moments (with the u20 match being absolute peak) & i still enjoy most of the characters in it, but i def wouldnt have remained as invested in it if it werent for nagireo

haikyuu has better writing as a whole for sure, but the two manga have completely different approaches & charms too, so i usually dont even bother comparing them

oooo interesting continuation... i think i'll include one moment from each of my top 5 media cause, if i'm being totally honest, i could easily make a separate list just for aot moments 😂 spoilers ahead

1. aot: eren & mikasa's final plead to levi & hange to save armin from certain death instead of erwin. mikasa sobbing and struggling against hange as they tell her that we all have to say goodbye someday is devastating, especially since we know every character in this show has experienced loss in very cruel ways. mikasa's desperation isn't something we had seen often either, so her breakdown hits even harder, we can feel to our core how important armin is to her. and eren's words are so powerful, too: "all i had left inside me was hate... revenge for my mom, wiping out the titans... but armin is different. fighting isn't all he has. he has dreams!" him recognizing that his best friend is different from him & capable of amazing things bc of that... incredible stuff.... i feel like crying just remembering it…i always knew this show was spectacular and that aside from its great plot and epic looking fights, it also has so much heart, but at that moment i was struck speechless for real. it truly conveyed to me that its messages were centered around love above everything else.

2. fruits basket: child yuki helping child tohru find her way home to her mom after getting lost. after everything we had previously seen of yuki & what he's gone thru... him thinking 'was i a little bit useful? if so, then i'm glad. i now know for sure that there was a moment when someone else needed me' is absolute cinema.... it will always be etched into my very being, its so bittersweet.

3. haikyuu: the ending sequence of the karasuno vs aoba johsai (second) match. so much emotion packed into that final point... and maybe im biased since oikawa is my fav, but i cried like a baby when his team lost after having worked so hard (even tho i didnt want karasuno to lose, either). everything from oikawa pointing to & setting for his trusted partner iwaizumi, his iconic "talent is something you make bloom, instict is something you polish" to every save after that and, lastly, oikawa failing to receive the ball, resulting in his defeat... chills!

4. yugioh: yugi saying "i love you" to jounouchi. its such a simple moment and yet so important & impactful. we'd seen their bond grow during the show already, so that whole duel between them with jounouchi being mind controlled was one of the most painful but interesting duels, during which yugi demanded that he fights despite the danger and yami yugi's objections. yugi's desire to save his friend is so strong that he's willing to sacrifice himself. and while that may not be uncommon for shounen anime, an emotional admission of love between two guys (whether sb wants to view it as platonic as i do or romantic) is extremely rare and greatly appreciated.

5. avatar the last airbender: the fight between katara & hama. everything leading up to their showdown was so well executed. the viewer has come to understand hama's pov, but cant help feeling apprehensive of her attitude regardless. they're made to question a lot of their own morals & how far they'd go in her place. and ofc the peak of it all was katara being forced to bloodbend in order to save sokka & aang. in the end, despite her rejecting bloodbending completely at the start, dismissing it as immoral under any circumstances, she chooses to use this power on her opponent in a moment of desperation. it's a very sad but thought provoking scene.