Do you like having romance in "shounen" stories?

ashriott 2016-01-09 22:26:03 UTC #4

I don't mind a bit of romance in shounen/action series. Some examples I can think of are Full Metal Alchemist(EdwardxWinry being the "main" ship) and Magi(random love triangles here and there). I think it works very well as long as the romance is not the main focus, just like in FMA. You get bits of EdwardxWinry but it never really deters you from the plot. You can see they have a thing going, but their feelings and emotions never surface in a "shoujo-like" manner. Plus, FMA has the perfect example of a ship which leaves it up to your imagination, and it goes by the name of ROYAI ><

Evangelion is another example. Though not exactly a conventional romance, Shinji's relationships with the girls around him are totally messed up. It affects him in many ways, but it certainly contributes to the plot and themes one way or another.

My story is not a shounen, but it's got action elements as well as romance. The latter playing a very big role in my characters' actions and motives. I don't think there's anything wrong with characters' being driven by romantic-related emotions, but this point is very subjective and it really depends how it's pulled off.

Robosaur 2016-01-09 23:09:35 UTC #5

auugh i love EdWin~(and Magi) ^^ yeah , i totally get what you mean! i think it really comes down how the creator handles it. C:

demthorshie 2016-01-09 23:41:53 UTC #6

Well, what can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic x.x! Bring in all the loves!

Seriously though, it all depends on how the romance is included in the story. If it's a constant focus point then it could definitely interfere with the rest of the story. I tend to enjoy a long build up leading to a character revelation of love and/romance in a story, that way there will be plenty of room for action and story telling in between.

keii4ii 2016-01-09 23:59:44 UTC #7

I don't like it when I feel the author is shipping the characters together (and wants me to join the shipping), as opposed to simply writing the characters as being together. DO NOT try to make me like your ships. Do not glorify your ship.

If the romantic parts of your comic read like a bad fanfiction of your comic, you're doing it wrong 8D

Robosaur 2016-01-10 01:14:33 UTC #8

Luckily, i haven't seen too many comics like that. sometimes It just makes the characters so OOC for romantic parts aha xD

(also i know this is random but, i love your comic~ >//< //slides away awkwardly//)

joannekwan 2016-01-10 01:42:41 UTC #9

Yeah, I'm fine with any romance as long as it's not forced. However in a story that isn't a romance, the romance should not take over the story.

ratique 2016-01-10 04:28:13 UTC #10

If you have a love interest in a story, then make something out of it. I enjoy Shounen comics quite a bit, but it bugged the hell out of me when a female character is so obviously into the main male character and NOTHING happens!

I don't even need them to get together. He might not like her, that's fine too. But if a 16 year old male superhero simply does not react at all to someone being obviously in love with him, it makes me question their intelligence and I will call it lazy writing.

A teenage boy having nothing to say about the hottest girl being in love with him is more unrealistic to me, than him fighting undead alien overlords to save the planet 30 times in a row.

Vikiro_Hop 2016-01-10 05:06:49 UTC #11

Like everyone said as long as it doesn't hinder comics main story (never mind that there are romance shonens out there.) its fine and even enjoyable. There is definitely a soft spot in my heart when characters get together and such. Hell I even get annoyed when a series just pedals around some romance and never has anything come of it. It can be a good way to break up action and force some stubborn characters to grow.

Throwing two people together to appease an audience or create unnecessary drama is extremely annoying though. Character interactions are probably the most important part of the story to portray naturally, and if an author goes out of their way to force (or even avoid) a certain relationship it becomes glaringly obvious.

Vikiro_Hop 2016-01-10 05:08:55 UTC #12

Oh god this is perfect. I'd rather that girl not exist at all then have the dude ignore her the entire series damn it!

AnnaLandin 2016-01-10 07:24:42 UTC #13

If the romance is a well-integrated part of the comic, and it feels like something more than just the main character getting a hot girlfriend/boyfriend as a "reward" for being the main character, then I say go for it! Write a romance to go with all of those super-intense friendships for which shounen is famous (oh hello sports manga I didn't see you there).

But if it IS just a box to be ticked, then don't.

THIS. The only time this particular setup has worked for me is in One Piece, where Luffy really IS that oblivious, and it's played for laughs. The hottest girl in the world is into him, and he just does not get that at all. But as I said, it's played for laughs, and Luffy has had plenty of time before that to establish himself as seriously lacking a proper perception of reality. It also isn't constant - it's brought up a couple of times, and establishes a motivation for the girl, but beyond that, it isn't really a thing.

Otherwise, though? DUMB.

Robosaur 2016-01-10 07:35:00 UTC #14

It especially hurts when the character being "won" loses their own qualities so that the romance can be played out. I haven't watched One piece yet but from what you told me, i'd love to watch it someday ahaha >//<

AnnaLandin 2016-01-10 07:45:48 UTC #15

Ooooh yeah, I hate it when this happens! If I care about a character, I probably care because of what they're like and who they are - if those things are surgically removed when they fall in love, then why should I continue to care.

One Piece is 200% feelings. Don't let the dorky rubber powers or the weird art style distract you - One Piece is always and forever about super-passionate people willing to fight and bleed for what they believe in, cry big, snotty tears when they fail or succeed, and Eiichiro Oda's mission in life is to suckerpunch you in the heart. How he still manages to sneak up on me after nearly 700 episodes of the anime, I cannot understand. I mean, I know he's going to break my heart again - it's just a matter of time.

Robosaur 2016-01-10 08:09:29 UTC #16

Characters are the main selling point to me because i really can't get engaged with a story if the characters themselves are so bland and just have things thrown at them for convenience sake. I guess when i saw the art for OnePiece, i just assumed it be like HunterxHunter but like...on a boat. But then again, never judge a book by its cover ahah! I'm sure i'll be a fangirling mess when i actually get to watching it since thats usually how these things go. And oh god,

i totally understand this on like.. a spiritual level. Especially for sport animes D'x it's only a matter of time...

keii4ii 2016-01-10 08:33:51 UTC #17

XD That's awesome! I hope you'll like my OTP in the comic... >3>

I actually see the "author trying to sell the ship" thing quite often, though. I probably feel it more strongly/more often because I'm aromantic. Sometimes they do it well; they don't ruin the rest of the story in their attempt to sell the ship, so I can still enjoy the comic. What's the difference between an author trying to sell the ship, versus a ship simply being canon? I'm trying to pinpoint it in my head and will come back to the thread when I am able to explain it.

Robosaur 2016-01-10 08:48:22 UTC #18

Well i think your writing skills are great so i'm sure i will! xD that and Ethan is adorable so...( I actually want to make fanart if that alright with you. >//<)
Maybe i just don't notice it? But that's probably just because the comics i read are either SPECIFICALLY romance(coughBLcough) or haven't even gotten to their main conflict yet. I think that the difference is that authors who try to sell their ship more often than not , rely on the romance and in turn ,replace individual character development. I'm not sure if that makes sense ahem... I'm pretty terrible at explaining things ^//^

AngieVX 2016-01-10 11:22:43 UTC #19

I like romance in shounen. It can give characters more dimensions, can help readers understand characters, and of course it can bring emotions to the story.

zetina 2016-01-10 11:38:55 UTC #20

I like romance.
I don't like when every close relationship becomes romance.
But that's more a problem I have with fandoms and Hollywood haha (i cheered when Pacific Rim ended with a forehead-bump)

I've read quite a bit of shounen and idk the romances are pretty meh since it's, well, "ticking a box". If Bakuman is to be trusted, it's pretty much a stipulation that a heroine be added for sex appeal. Only makes sense that from there she would also end up being either in love with someone or become someone's love interest.
Kind of a reason to respect Oda (speaking of OP, I keep seeing people say "animé" and I'm just... manga. plz manga instead. or at least "too" ;v;) . He writes romance in its actual, wider meaning heh

Anyway, if the romance has some actual substance, then that's always a blessing. I don't think you'll find much of that in "shounen" though.
I should start reading more seinen manga... After becoming a Tokyo Ghoul fan last year, my standards have shifted a lot haha

neonmeres 2016-01-10 11:52:30 UTC #21

That how shonen manga get readers who wouldn't be interested in the genre in the first place. Some creators like to tease their readers, making them think it's a true romance but in the end it never goes anywhere
.

Lonely_Hitori 2016-01-10 12:09:46 UTC #22

When it comes to the thing that the main character doesn't get that a hot girl is into him and you as a watcher or a reader think he is dumb and not intelligent at all for figuring it out. IS a strategy it self. it makes you care! And it make you upset. That is the goal with it. Making a manga or a comic good. That is what I see when it come to this. Also I red a book called making a good script great.
It is say in there that to be able to see which girl that the main character will end up with. Is the one the main character open up to. Show its weakness to. And with that you can defiantly figure out the the main character will certainly has strong bond to this random character or are VERY important to the story and for the the main character

AnnaLandin 2016-01-10 14:45:24 UTC #23

I have read parts the manga, and it is amazing, but I was first introduced to the series via the anime, and so I prefer it for that reason. Also, all of that action looks great in animation, and the soundtrack is awesome.