Morridine said: I don't understand what makes you say "superficial attraction" regarding Yamaken. And you cannot compare Haru with Yamaken in the way they relate/love Shizuku, simply because no relation between people or characters is the same.... contextually speaking so to say. Yamaken is a different, much different person from Haru, he would never approach Shizuku like him and tehrefore, between Yamaken and Shizuku, certain scenes that made Haru-Shizuku come close in a very, actually, weird and unnatural way are not possible. Yamaken would never kiss her and then start laughing, or hug her and then say smth weird, those kind of things that Haru does and embarasses Shizuku, while at the same time inflicts a great emotional impact on her. You cannot ignore this emotional impact that Haru, with his FLAWS, has on Shizuku.... they do got close to one another in an unhealthy way because of all their weird stuff.... in real life, this kind of thing never works out. while Yamaken simply is a idfferent type... he's arrogant, yea, selfish, maybe, but not in the relation with Shizuku. I don't see any "egocentristic selfish" thing here... at most he himself is surprised by what he's feeling, and that's what makes his feelings genuine. maybe he is involuntarily helping Shizuku... but he's not doing/saying things because he's trying to achieve anything, it mostly looks like he's unable to control some stuff, which is again a sign of rather sincerity than anything else.
Triangles ..... you make it look like we are talking about math. Just forget this word really, it's nothing like a triangle. It's simply different kind of bonds that link people. starting off with the most weird of their flaws to the most unexpected reactions... the way Haru is attracted ti Shizuku, teh way yamaken is... the way they ignore the other people who have feelings for them.... yea it's a bit soap-opera-ish but it's what happens in reality, with the only difference that there is no way for you to know about it then. The difference in this anime. however, is that exactly this "likings" have accentuated the flaws of both the one who likes and the one who's liked.
Haru and Shizuku's closeness, in and of itself, isn't unhealthy at all; nor is the manner with which their unique actions towards one another, such as the spontaneous kiss or numerous hugs, have initiated their mutual love. He's shown her the ability to broaden her similarly naive, restrained outlook on life, since her emotional capabilities, ever since meeting Haru, have grown immensely, as she's thrown away an abundance of her flawed inhibitions, which, so far, has helped her considerably, particularly in the newly established tendency for her to trust in others and open up to them. Shizuku, as well, has helped Haru significantly, motivating him to attend school and, though understandably not absent entirely, she's assisted in propelling him to discard his violent tendencies, as well as teaching him how to make friends, which has partially destroyed his inherent loneliness and solitary despair towards the world. They have a mutually beneficial love for one another, and so far, despite their occasional inability to properly assess their slight differences, it's worked quite well.
In comparison to Haru, Yamaken's feelings for Shizuku definitely seem relatively superficial. Essentially, the only reason Yamaken likes Shizuku, or at least the only one that's been illustrated, is that she's kind to him and remarkably similar, which, though potentially complex motivations for love, haven't been depicted as such, since, up until this point, Yamaken's emotional attachment to Shizuku has little to no depth. Perhaps that will change, but I'd prefer it if the story didn't waste time with focusing on his monotonous, slowly developing feelings. His contradictory reactions to this unexpected change are occasionally amusing, but, at this point, they've worn thin, since all he ever does is notice her romantically and then deny his feelings, time and again. It's a dull, tedious cycle that doesn't need to be explored further, since his feelings haven't, so far, forced him to relinquish his considerable arrogance, since the only person he seemingly cares about at all is Shizuku; the rest are comparatively worthless to him, which is a thoroughly unlikable characteristic.
Yamaken is certainly selfish in his attraction towards Shizuku, since, though he often denies and subsequently tries to dismiss his feelings for her, he also has no qualms whatsoever with romantically pursuing a Shizuku that loves someone else and is effectively in a relationship with said person. He has attempted to ask her out and intentionally compels Haru into jealousy, displaying a subtle, but unmistakable manipulation, particularly in his supposedly innocent suggestions toward Shizuku that she would be far better off with him, which are all selfish tendencies. I'm quite certain that if Shizuku wasn't dating Haru already, he would have made a more aggressive move on her, similar to what Haru did towards the beginning of the story, but, because he's aware of her love for Haru, he only subtly attempts to break them apart, which is quite deceptive.
"Triangle" is a convenient term to use, but it's also a correct one. If there are secondary characters that have feelings for one particular side of the main relationship and attempt to interfere, as Yamaken constantly does, then yes, it's effectively a "love triangle". Of course, it's not a purely defined love triangle, since neither Shizuku or Haru reciprocate the other's romantic inclinations, but whenever the story filters characters into the main relationship, whether it be to actively interfere or confess their unrequited love, then there's absolutely nothing incorrect with my description of their dynamic as a triangle. If Yamaken was used for other purposes within the narrative, rather than a perpetually uninteresting and repetitive development of his "feelings" for Shizuku, then perhaps his character wouldn't be limited to the proverbial third wheel. |