Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman

Dear Readers,

So, Spiderman: Homecoming came out last week.  Yes, I saw it.  Yes, it is worth going to see.    It was thoroughly enjoyable with some great comedic moments, good character development, and some nice action sequences.  While the story felt a little disjointed at times, it came together well at the end, and worked well within the feel the film was going for.  Ultimately, this was a fun summer family film that, while not super original, did what it was trying to, and accomplished its goals admirably.

Immediately following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Spiderman has returned to his home in Queens, where he struggles to balance his typical teen school life with the superhero he is becoming.  Peter Parker sees Spiderman as his future, and he wants to move past the mundanities of high-school to join the Avengers and start saving the world.  Unfortunately, the world doesn’t seem to want his saving; Tony Stark brushes him to the side, telling him to keep a low profile and stay a “street level” hero, to keep working on the small things.  Peter struggles with wanting to be treated like an adult in a world that keeps treating him like a child.  This motivation lies at the heart of most teen movies, and it is well executed in Homecoming.  When Spiderman encounters several groups of street thugs who are using technologically advanced, alien based weaponry, he sets out to find the man building and selling this dangerous tech.  His search leads him to Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, a construction worker who lost his company due to the government takeover of clean-up after the Chitari invasion of New York.  He used illegally scavenged alien weaponry to create advanced technology which he then sold to the highest bidders, without regard for how the weapons would be used.  After multiple confrontations with Toomes, Spiderman finally defeats his opponent, earning the respect of Tony Stark, and acceptance into the Avengers.  He decides to turn down the opportunity, however, and stay in New York, helping the “little people” he sees being ignored by the more well known superheroes, and taking advantage of his time in high-school to grow and mature.

So Marvel as been doing this interesting thing with its movies; although they are all still “superhero” movies, the films have been drawing inspiration from the types and tropes of other specific genres.  Ant Man was basically a heist movie with a superhero overlay, Winter Soldier was a “wrongfully accused” spy movie, Guardians of the Galaxy (1 & 2) are basically superhero Star Wars.  Spiderman: Homecoming follows in this tradition; paying tribute to 1980’s John Hughes classics like the Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Buehler’s Day Off.  This keeps the comedy aspect of Homecoming pitch perfect; the delicate balance between typical high-school activities like going to class, crushing on an older girl, or getting detention, and interacting with world renowned heroes like Iron Man, the danger of fighting criminals, and the excitement of being a “hero,” provides a rich trove for conversational disconnects, absurd situational comedy, and double entendre.

One such occasion where the use of the “teen dram-edy” trope works very well occurs towards the end of the film (Spoilers!).  Having finally summoned up the courage to tell his crush, Liz, that he likes her, Peter Parker has invited her to homecoming with him and has arrived to pick her up.  In a “John Hughes” world, this is the moment where the girl’s father intimidates the boy with pointed questions, vaguely threatening comments, and askance sideways glances.  Homecoming follows the formula, but ups the ante by having Liz’s father turn out to be the Vulture, the villain Spiderman has been chasing and fighting the whole film.  The pointed questions becoming a true danger when Vulture figures out Peter Parker’s secret identity and the threatening comments turn into genuine threats should Spiderman continue his involvement.  The film does a great job of taking the building blocks of these classic teen films and incorporating the into the superhero storyline it is creating.

While the “John Hughes” tone works well for the most part, it does occasionally cause some issues.  At times the story feels episodic and predictable; it alternates between school and hero scenes methodically, with very little to distinguish one fight scene or school day from the next.  This hurts a number of the action scenes, which sometimes feel like more of an addendum to the film instead of central to the performance.  The best action sequence in the film is not the final, climactic battle, but instead occurs early on when Spiderman is required to rescue his classmates at the Washington Monument.  While the final battle alternates between moving to fast or too slow, this earlier sequence balances action with some interesting character moments, and seeing Spiderman confront a disaster situation rather than a specific villain was fascinating and a great opportunity for the character.  Most of the other battles, however, seem a bit phoned in, and while possessing some good action and interesting moments, overall fall flat in the grand scope of what Marvel has and can do with these sequences.

While the final battle was disappointing in its execution, the set-up of Toomes allows for a very good arc; creating a more memorable Marvel villain.  It was nice to have a villain that was not a corporate executive or religious fanatic.  The Vulture was an ordinary guy, trying to make his way in a world where the wealthy continue to get wealthier at the expense of the working people, where corporate elites control a bureaucratic government in order to maintain their power.  His motives were perfectly clear and reasonable; he isn’t a maniac, he isn’t looking for world domination, he just wants to support his family and move up in the world.  Adrian Toomes is an old school worker, just looking for the American dream.  Tony Stark and the Department of Damage Control created the Vulture through their refusal to acknowledge Toomes’ city contract, to compensate him for his work, and their disdain for his “inferior” qualifications.  His actions, while unjustifiable, and completely coherent and understandable.  This makes him a perfect foil for Spiderman, the friendly neighborhood hero who helps old ladies cross the street and stops bike thefts, but wants more, who constantly feels looked down upon or overlooked by Tony Stark and the Avengers, who wants an opportunity to move up in the world, but is denied that opportunity because he is young.  Ultimately, Peter Parker and Adrian Toomes face the same enemy, not each other, but themselves, and Tony Stark.  Their ambition drives them forward, while Tony Stark stands in their way.  Because he chooses to do the right thing, even at the expense of his own ambition, Peter is able to emerge victorious, having opened the door to advance with the Avengers, but choosing instead to let his ambition lie for the moment, and take advantage of the opportunities he has acting at the street level as a hero for "the little people.”  He doesn’t have to become Tony Stark to be a hero, in fact, he is the better hero for not being like Stark (who, lets face it, is a terrible hero who has caused more problems than he has solved in the Marvel universe).  By embracing the power he has as “the common man,” Spiderman is able to act heroically and inspire in a way that Iron Man never can.

So there are a few thoughts on Spiderman: Homecoming.  This highly enjoyable film employs the themes and techniques of a classic, John Hughes “dram-edy” to create a different kind of superhero movie.  Sometimes this technique works, as is the case during the climax of the movie when the Vulture discovers Peter Parker’s secret identity, sometimes it falls a bit flat, creating an episodic feel and impinging on the creativity of the action sequences.  Vulture is a great villain, and serves as a foil for Spiderman in a really interesting way, particularly considering the current social and political climate.  All in all, Homecoming was a friendly neighborhood movie, well worth seeing for the entire family.

Well, back to reality.

The Doctor is WHO?!?!

Dear Readers,

Fear not, a Spiderman: Homecoming review is in the works, but I just wanted to do a quick post on some news that has been blowing up all my social media.  So, Doctor Who? has a new doctor, and "gasp of horror," it's a woman! The B.B.C. just announced that Jodie Whittaker will be playing the 13th Doctor, and responses have been mixed, to say the least.  Some people are delighted to see a woman step into the iconic role and bring something new to the show.  Others, however, question the motives of the show-runners in casting Ms. Whittaker, and view the choice as tokenism, or selling out to political correctness.  As a longtime Doctor Who? fan, I want to add my two cents to the debate, and try to bring a little perspective to the debate.

First, I want to clarify that I am not familiar with Ms. Whittaker as an actress.  I don't know her work, and so I will say nothing about the specific choice for the role.  I am sure she is very qualified; a brief glance at her IMDb page shows performances in a number of excellent shows, and historically, the B.B.C. has a very good record for casting the Doctor.  So instead of looking at the choice of Ms. Whittaker in particular, I want to talk about the idea of casting a female Doctor, the pros and cons of such a decision, and what it might mean for the show.

In looking at many of the criticisms I have seen, number one has been the complaint that the choice to cast a woman as the Doctor is purely political, and an attempt to make the show appear progressive and open minded, to the detriment of the character, who is traditionally male.  I am of two minds on this critique.  Firstly, I am adamantly opposed to placing a woman in any position simply because "it has never been done before."  For more on this, check out my post from last year on feminism and the American presidential election (link).  Basically, it boils down to the fact that, in my opinion, it is just as sexist to cast a person in a role because they are a woman as it is to not cast them in that role because they are a woman.  Merit should be the rule for placing an individual in a position, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or creed.  So, yes, if the B.B.C. cast Ms. Whittaker simply because of social or political pressure to appear diverse and non-discriminatory, then yes, I am angry at the choice.  

On the other hand, I won't let myself get too upset because, in all honesty, we all knew it was coming.  Ever since show-runners introduced the idea that a Time Lord can regenerate into a body of the opposite sex (I believe it was the episode "The Doctor's Wife" that first opened the door), the inevitability of a female Doctor has been looming.  Many fans were actually upset that he choice was not made with the 12th Doctor.  And opening up the possibility of the gender transition has been a benefit for the show.  Michelle Gomez's Missy, or female version of the Master was one of the most interesting characters of the more recent seasons of the show, bringing a fresh interpretation to a classic character, and allowing the relationship between the Master and the Doctor to develop in new and interesting ways.  With the possibility allowed, and with Gomez's masterful performance, it was inevitable that we would eventually see a female Doctor, and the choice to allow that transition to happen sooner rather than later can be seen as a gamble that will hopefully pay off.

All this to say... Whovians always hate a new regeneration.  The choice for a new Doctor will always be controversial: "He is too young," "too old," "too white," or "still not ginger."  Fans of the show always struggle to say goodbye to the version of the character that we have come to know and love.  But each new regeneration of the Doctor wins our hearts, and brings new elements to the character.  I am really looking forward to seeing what new strengths Ms. Whittaker will bring to the Doctor, how having a woman play the role will change the character, and how the dynamic will change and stay the same between the Doctor and her companions.  Ultimately, Doctor Who? is a story about how people change, how they evolve over time, and how the events we experience and the people around us alter the very fabric of the person we were in the past.  This is the power of each new regeneration, and why, in the long run, I am hopeful about all of time and space in the TARDIS.

Well, back to reality.

Drawing Love: Romance in "Sword Art Online" and "Yuri!!! on Ice"

Dear Readers,

I wanted to do something a bit different before I returned to my regular superhero reviews.  With school being out, I have found myself with significant amounts of extra time.  I have been taking the opportunity to catch up with some different shows that friends have recommended I see, in a genre that I have, up to this point, failed to explore; anime.  Over the last month, I have blazed through six different shows in various genres, and I wanted to talk a bit about something I have really come to appreciate about the style, and that is the way they portray romance and love.

This might seem a bit out of character for the normal scope of my reviews.  Normally I stick with reviewing action stories that prioritize the progression of the story over sub arcs like romantic entanglements.  In my reviews, too, I tend to focus on the way that characters grow through the actions they take and their progress through the wider narrative.  The reason for this is not, as some might suspect, out of a dislike for the idea of romance, but actually results out of a deep affection for good romance and a dissatisfaction for the way in which love is often portrayed in popular culture.

You all know what I am talking about; the romantic comedy trope of the couple who constantly bicker, only to discover that they are truly, “in love” with each other.  The divorced couple who are flung back together only to discover that they “still have feelings” for each other, who are reunited by the end of the movie.  The woman who is dating a man who is kind and loyal who ends up leaving him for the edgy brooding fellow she just met but who she immediately felt “sparks” with.  I hate romantic comedies, situation comedies, and the portrayal of romance in popular culture in general because they glorify being “in love” over truly loving, because they emphasize fireworks over stability, and because, ultimately, they promote a view of romance that is selfish, lazy, and unrealistic.

That is why I have been pleasantly surprised to find romances I could actually cheer for in some of the anime shows I have encountered.  In particular I was drawn to the portrayals of love in Sword Art Online and Yuri!!! on Ice, two very different shows that both manage to pinpoint what good romance can be, love that seeks the good of the beloved over the good the self, love that delights in others, love that is stable despite the surrounding circumstances, love that is a choice as much as or more than it is a feeling.

Before I dive specifically into these shows, however, I want to clarify some terms that I will be using.  As an academic with an interest and delight in words, “love” is a difficult term to use.  This is because the term is so vague and so widely used that it sometimes lacks sufficient power and meaning.  So, in order to avoid confusion, I am going to go back to several of the Greek terms for love in my analysis.  The terms I will be using are agape, phileo, and eros.  Agape is unconditional love.  It is often used religiously to express the love that God has for man or that man should have for God.  This is a love that exists independent of any action on the part of the beloved.  Agape is love as a gift from the lover to the beloved, a gift that does not require any affection or expect any favors in return.  This love, more than any of the others, is a choice, an action more than a feeling.  It is possible and essential to show agape even when ones emotions are opposed to the loving action (the parent who is angry and hurt by the words of a child but still loves the child is the closest we can get to human agape).  Agape can also be used more widely to demonstrate a wider affection; the love of human kind, or the love that you give to another person simply because they exist (or from a Christian perspective, because they are made in the image of God).  The second type of love is phileo.  This is the love expressed between friends and equals.  It can also be described as “brotherly love,” or the affection that develops between two people that becomes so close that the two essentially become family to each other.  Again, phileo is not primarily an emotional love; phileo is choosing a family because of the affection you have for them, then choosing to protect that family regardless of how you are feeling at the moment because you care about them.  The last type of love I will discuss is eros.  This is the love most often associated with romance; sexual love, passion so great that it causes you to lose control of yourself.  Eros is intimate, physical, and ultimately emotional.  It is the type of love that checks rationality at the door and jumps in headfirst.  Ultimately, the expressions “falling in love” and being “in love” in general refer to eros, to physical attraction, emotional regard, and irrational passion.  There is a beauty in this type of love that stems from its heightened emotionality; passion provides vibrancy, and art is often unreasonable.  Thus, while eros does not have the same stability that is seen in agape or phileo, it provides a unique depth of emotion that makes it essential in a discussion of romance.

Ultimately, I believe that all three types of love are crucial in a healthy portrayal of romance.  We (non-Greeks) use love to refer to all these types of affection because there is crossover between the types, a unifying factor that binds them all together into a single concept, an entity that we call “love.”  Crossover occurs between agape and phileo when a soldier jumps on a grenade to save his comrades, individuals he may not even know or like personally.  Agape and eros come together in the couple who is still deeply, passionately in love, even fifty years down the line.  They have weathered storms together, passed through hardships that would drown a purely erotic love, but their relationship is still defined by its emotional depths.  Finally, one of the most popular crossovers in modern culture is the intermingling of phileo  and eros.  I like to think of this melding as “bromance;” the close friendship between two individuals that has the potential to develop into an erotic passion.  Most of the “ships” that sail the wide waters of Tumblr have developed out of this desire to develop characters from phileo to eros.

Good romance integrates all three types of love; the selfless gift of affection for another person, the strong bond of family that binds the two individuals together, and the passionate depths of emotion and physical attraction that draw the two closer together.  In their own way, both Sword Art Online and Yuri!!! on Ice balance agape, phileo, and eros to portray healthy and heart warming romances.

Sword Art Online is a combination science fiction and fantasy story; it follows a young man, Kirito, as he begins playing a virtual reality fantasy game, only to discover that he, and all the other players are trapped in the game.  If they die in the game, they die in real life, and the only way out it to beat the game’s 100 dungeon levels and the final boss.  The show is a beautifully animated fantasy world with awesome monsters, great character development, and incredible action.  But the heart of the story is Kirito’s relationship with Asuna, a beautiful, talented young woman who becomes a leader of the forces trying to clear all the dungeon levels and beat the game.  When the two first meet, Kirito admires the young woman for her speed and skill, and the two begin the story simply as comrades in arms.  While Kirito is a lone wolf, a “solo player” who does not join guilds and tends to pursue missions on his own, Asuna becomes a leader, the gifted commander of the strike force that is trying to clear the levels, and a powerful and skilled player in her own right.  When the two meet for the second time, their relationship reflects a transition from phileo to one more representative of eros.  They embody a more typical romantic comedy relationship as their differences cause them to bicker; Asuna is particularly frustrated by Kirito’s seemingly nonchalant approach to clearing the dungeons and getting out.  It is only when she realizes that Kirito is still living life, even in this video game, taking the time to enjoy himself, to delight in the small things like the wind on his face or a nap on a summer afternoon, that Asuna begins to understand Kirito and the two can progress in their relationship.  Romance comes, not from the sparks that fly from their arguments with each other, but from the quiet understanding of each other and appreciation for their differences.  The relationship progresses as the two begin to fight more together in the higher level dungeons, learning to trust each other again in battle and back each other up with their unique skills.  Most action movie romances leave the relationship hear, with the two fighting together, protecting each other, and loving the badass hero that the other can be.  But this is not a healthy romance either; life is not always battle, and two people cannot constantly be fighting either with each other or beside each other.  What makes SAO special is the way Kirito and Asuna’s relationship is more than just bickering, more than just fighting beside each other, but that their romance takes the time to develop in the peaceful parts of life too.  Eventually, the two warriors decide to get married (in the game), and to take some time off just to be with each other.  They buy a cabin together in a forest, and the show takes two or three episodes to look at the two in their “married” life.  Kirito loves Asuna’s passion drive, the fire that pushes her to become on of the best players in the game, but he also loves the way she took the time and effort to learn to cook in the game and to figure out how to make flavors from home out of the materials she found in this new world.  Asuna admires Kirito’s skill as a warrior and swordsman, but she loves the way he enjoys the world; he delights in going fishing or finishing a quest where the only reward is butter for their dinner rolls.  The romance between the two is strongest, not during their passionate flirting or their dangerous quests, but in the quiet moments where they sit together in a rocking chair, just looking at the beautiful world around them.  It is the ability they have to remain together and happy through each of these seasons that convinces the viewer that these two really suit each other and have a chance for a lasting romance.  While further episodes and seasons see countless other women and men fall in love with both Kirito and Asuna, ultimately, the strength of their relationship, a relationship forged on passion, family, and sacrifice, has remained steady, a solid foundation from which they can pursue greater challenges and new adventures.

Yuri!!! on Ice is another anime show that exemplifies a more realistic and ultimately satisfying portrayal of romance.  The story follows Katsuki Yuri, a Japanese ice skater who fell apart in an international competition and is struggling to rekindle his love of skating.  His hero, Victor Nikiforov, sees him skating and decides to come to Japan and coach Yuri.  The two are joined by Yuri Plisetsky (known as Yurio), a young Russian skater whose punk attitude and anger management issues provide a nice contrast with the withdrawn Yuri Katsuki and the indelibly cheerful Victor.  From there the story is about the relationship between the two Yuri’s and Victor, as Victor helps Yuri build his self assurance and confidence, and helps inspire Yurio to look for beauty in his skating,  and as Yuri reminds Victor that there is more to life than competition and skating.  The relationship between the three is a beautiful melding of the various types of love; starting with a tension between eros and agape, which eventually melds into a love that is closer to phileo, but still retains the essential characteristics of all three loves.

Victor and Yuri’s relationship starts as a contrast between eros and agape.  Yuri exemplifies the lack of selfishness and less emotional aspects of agape.  He is constantly concerned with the feelings of his friends and family, constantly and unselfishly trying to please everyone around him.  He views his failure as letting down his family, his friends, and his hometown, and it is this failure that has become ultimately crippling for him.  Victor, in stark contrast, embodies eros.  He is physically and emotionally self assured; his declaration that he will become Yuri’s coach occurs as he stands naked in a hot spring, the very picture of erotic masculinity.  His confidence comes at a price, however, as those around him see him as self absorbed and “to good-looking and free with his favors.”  While Yuri hesitates to claim what he wants, Victor is constantly demanding.  As the two grow closer, however, their roles begin to be less carefully defined.

The catalyst for this transformation is Victor’s decision to choreograph a short program for each Yuri, programs that contrast and compliment with each other.  The song that both young men skate to is “In Regards to Love,” with two alternate arrangements entitled, appropriately enough, “Agape” and “Eros.”  In an effort to push Yuri and Yurio out of their comfort zones, Victor assigns Yurio to skate to “Agape” and Yuri to “Eros.”  The winner of the competition will get to make a demand of Victor, that Victor will meet.  When Victor asks each one what they will wish for if they win, Yurio states that he will demand Victor return to Russia with him and be his coach.  Victor then asks Yuri what he would like, and for the first time, Yuri is forced to ask himself what he really wants.  Up to this point, he has been doing what other people expected or responding to their wishes.  But now, someone is demanding that he assert himself, that he embrace the emotional “erotic” desires of his heart.  His answer is telling… he wants to eat his favorite food, which he only gets to eat when he wins, with Victor, and for Victor to continue being his coach, and to keep winning and eating pork cutlet bowls with Victor.  The three parts of Yuri’s eros are contained in that statement.  He wants to eat without feeling guilty… this is the first request that Yuri makes for himself, so when Yuri begins to figure out what his eros is, the first part is “pork cutlet bowl.”  His free skate begins as the “seduction of the pork cutlet bowl,” an homage to the temptation of food and the allure of flavor.  But eros is more than just food; it is fundamentally tied to pursuing what you most desire.  In Yuri’s case, that comes in the second part of the statement; the desire to win.  Up to this point, while Yuri has always desired to win, he has kept that desire hidden.  He has contented himself with saying “it is a privilege just to be here” and “this will be a great experience.”  By finally allowing himself to vocalize his desire to be the best, not just to be good, he is opening the door to pursue that desire to its fullest; he is removing the blocks he has mentally set up to his own success.  Finally, Yuri admits that he wants to do all this with Victor.  Victor is not just a coach, he is the deepest part of what makes Yuri, Yuri; Victor is the person who inspired Yuri to start skating, meeting Victor is what pushed Yuri to become as good as he has, and having Victor be his coach and a part of his life is what will push him to be a success.  For Yuri, learning eros is about learning what his own desires are, expressing them, and then allowing himself to pursue them.  This process is fundamentally transformative; the Yuri who can skate his own eros is a different man from the self conscious, un-confident, slightly chubby nerd we met in the first episode.  The Yuri who can skate his own eros is a man confident enough to display his feminine side, a man who claims to be “the fem fatale of pork cutlet bowls,” a man so confident in his sexuality that he is willing to “make the world hate him” because “he took Victor away from skating.”  Yuri’s transition from agape to eros is what allows him to transform his skating and become a greater competitor and a more fulfilled and confident person.

While Yuri must transition from agape to eros, Victor has to move the other direction.  While he is initially confident and self assured, he is also selfish.  He fails to consider the feelings of other in his actions, choosing to say or do whatever initially comes into his head.  This makes him forgetful, hurtful, condescending, and oblivious.  As he begins to care about Yuri, however, he begins to learn a less selfish side of love.  One critical transition occurs when he and Yuri go to the beach together.  In a moment of heartfelt concern, Victor asks Yuri what Yuri wants him to be; should he be a father figure, a friend, a boyfriend?  This is the first time we see Victor actively making an effort to take someone else's feelings into account, to put another's well being ahead of his own.  What makes this scene so delightfully poignant is Yuri’s response, “I just want you to be Victor Nikiforov…”  The person who Victor is is the person that Yuri wants, he doesn’t want Victor to have to change for him, even if Victor is willing to.  Ultimately, this is also what Victor wants for Yuri; instead of changing himself to fit what people want him to be, Victor just wants Yuri to be Yuri; the Yuri who is inside, who is sexy and confident and talented and one of the best skaters in the world.  Agape and eros come together in a desire for the best for the other person because that other person is special and worthy of being desired and pursued.  This love is not pure, selfish eros; it is not desiring the other person because they make the lover “happy.”  Rom-coms are filled with this type of love, a love that is purely based on the way another person makes the lover “feel.”  Yuri and Victor’s love is something more, a desire for the other person because the beloved is worth being desired, because the beloved is an amazing, talented, wonderful person.  This is eros tinted by agape, sexual desire fueled by awe and fascination and delight in another person’s soul, and it is one of the purest examples of romance that I have ever encountered.

It should be becoming evident that my disdain for romantic comedies and love of Sword Art Online and Yuri!!! on Ice are tied to my view on romance.  These views are founded on my personal experience.  Maybe this is unique, but when I look at the successful romances around me, from that of my parents and grandparents, to older couples in my church, I see romance founded on both eros and agape.  This makes it frustrating to watch most romance based popular movies; they are all formulaic, and based on the unfortunate conception that “romance” is bickering, sparks, aggressive displays of affection, that ends with getting married or being married a year.  But “romance” is more than that.  Romance is quietly standing behind the beloved and allowing them to shine.  Romance is knowing each other so well that you don’t need to talk for an entire afternoon, simply delighting in the other’s presence.  Romance is the slow, steady warmth of a wood-burning stove in winter; comforting and safe; true romance is constructive; it is about building each other up, not constantly tearing at each other with harsh words or daily fights.

This is one of the reason I find Tumblr “ships” so fascinating.  Because I think that people subconsciously recognize the un-reality of rom-com romances.  Instead, they gravitate toward relationships that embody qualities of agape and phileo that more closely resemble genuine relationships that actually work.  The constant pairing of male co-stars in romantic fan fiction stems (I believe) from the healthy friendships these characters embody, healthy friendships that actually provide a solid foundation for romance.  Kirk and Spock, “Destiel,” “Johnlock,” “Sterrick” “Klance,”  I could go on, but slash fiction is romance based on phileo that approaches agape, and then verges into eros.  Perhaps Tumblr “shippers” (myself included) are so invested in these relationships because they are closer to couples that work, couples that work on their relationships and invest in their success.  Ultimately, romance is work.  It requires an investment of time, effort, and more than just emotion.  Sword Art Online and Yuri!!! on Ice both present relationships that develop over time, relationships that require effort on the part of both parties, relationships founded on a willingness to sacrifice for the other person, not simply to use that person to satisfy emotional, mental, or physical desires, and this is why they are more satisfying than any romantic comedy I have ever seen.

Sorry if I get a bit scatterbrained toward the end here... I have been working on this post for over a month, with life, the universe, and everything getting in the way of completing it.  I have reached the point where I just need to finish, or I will never get this posted, so again, apologies for the abrupt and less polished finished.  Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks for my review of Spiderman: Homecoming, and I may do another anime analysis at some point too, so look forward to that.

Anyway, back to reality!