And sometimes I find I like a character because they get the short end of the stick, so I agree with you there about ‘if the story makes sense, I’m ok with it’ point.

@Fuyu Maiden: Yeah, any time favorites get involved in really any discussion, it tends to get messy. Still, although it’s dangerous, it’s also a lot of fun. I guess it’s some sort of allegory for real life or something – getting involved can bring you great joy or sorrow. Man, I really should become a poet at this rate I’m replying to comments! XD

And Ikuto … yeah, I’m behind on all fronts. Skimmed the manga so maybe I didn’t pick up on Ikuto’s intricacies which made him better in your eyes. Plus, I only follow fansubs. I don’t know – the main point I remember from Ikuto is ‘flirty’, and compared to Kairi’s ‘fool-in-love’, Kukai’s ‘maturely carefree’, and Nagehiko’s ‘flirty (except cooler and more mature)’, he doesn’t add up. For now.

@Mikoto (who lives again, somehow XD): Nice fix with the quote; that was what I meant.

Luckily (or perhaps unfortunately) I stay away from fanfiction on the most part (although I suppose doujins count as a similar kind of fanwork), so most of my exposure to shipping has been on the mostly rational side, in discussion on blogs or mature forums. Although, one of my worst enemies is myself: I get really bad with some shows in terms of wanting everyone to get pairing off … which gets kind of ridiculous.

@otou-san: Yeah, visual novel / harems have definitely contributed a lot to the less-standard form of shipping, but I still think that shoujo-style shows, far and away, are shipper central. Just look at me when I watch my current three shoujo (S.A / ItaKiss / Shugo Chara).

Never thought of the recent surge in ‘pandering’ – at the very least, the moe trend is taking center stage – as a force that increases the urge to ship. I do think you have a point – if characters pander more to a viewer’s interests, they’re more likely to get invested in them, and as such, wish harder for a happy end for them … no matter what it takes.

@FFVIIKnight: Yeah, it really depends on whether a writer composes out of respect for a series, or whether they just want to right the ‘wrongs’ of something by creating their own canon. I suppose it’s not bad all the time … but this is an instance of ‘the ugly majority’ for me.

Fanfiction by itself is dangerous as some writers feel obligated to make the characters OOC to fit their plot… which ruins not only those characters but the series as well. Epic fail.

My first case of shipping? Rei vs Asuka from Evangelion. Besides this, I haven’t experienced extreme fanaticism over a pairing… yet…

I’m going to go ahead and make some assumptions based on… what I pull out of my ass, basically.

First: In the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of visual novel adaptations, which of course encourage viewers to root for a particular girl because they get to pick one in the source material. Some viewers likely have become “spoiled” by being able to have the cake and eat it, as you say. Hence the Clannad you mentioned. But I thought that tennis ball scene was amazing, and it wouldn’t have worked any other way.

Secondly, I think (again unscientifically) that there has been a lot more pandering and fan-baiting in TV anime in the past few years, to the point where fans may actually get what they want. Look at say, Geass, much as I hate for it to be my scapegoat for everything. There’s something for everyone there. Regardless of what an actual story may dictate, creators end up throwing the Love Hina factor in — yes, we have a real plot with a real pairing (if it calls for a pairing), but there wouldn’t be 5 other archetypes fanservicing around in towels or whatever if you weren’t intended to imagine something between character X and character Y, one of which is bound to be a proxy for your ronery ronery self.

Fixed.

Though those kinds of people only annoy me to a higher extent when it comes to fanfiction, making the characters borderline OOC in order for it to work… and people that pair [insert hawt bishounen] with every single object and person that pops up on screen. (Funnily enough, the term “shipping” first took its anime-roots from Pokemon, which is famous for its nearly impossible crack human/furry/yaoi/yuri/het pairings, most having to do with the main character. >_>;)

This might stem from the fact that I’m just a boring person who’s only interested in plausible shippings. OTL

But people who support impossible pairings too seriously always bother me for some reason. And people who keep being all rabid for their pairing after the series has ended and there ended up being another pairing. It’s just annoying at that point to me. But I think I just take my shipping too seriously and like to establish rules that no one else follows…

And as far as Ikuto not being the best outside his flirting, I know someone isn’t reading the manga…or at least up to date with all the spoilers really.