Disproportionate hatred for the second _female_ lead but sympathy and sometimes preference for the second _male_ lead definitely involves a lot of internalized misogyny from the straight female audience. They see the second male lead as another option but the second female lead as competition and a threat -- a b*tch trying to ruin the ship. I think it's the same as when straight female fans of male Vtubers love seeing them interact with other male Vtubers, but send death threats when they interact with a female Vtuber.
That's not internalized misogyny that's just girls being girls. Female readers often identifies themselves with the female lead, so having a rival of the same sex for the love of one person is definitely gonna spark that gate keeping urges that is already innate within men and women. It's like being jealous that some hoe is making a move on your man.
This is really true. It's also worth mentioning that this isn't just an audience's skewed perception, but an author's as well. As, in these love-triangle stories, the second male romantic interest is oftentimes presented as far more sympathetic then a second female romantic interest. The narrative is fit around it to convey that the woman is a "threat" to the relationship from the beginning, there are few stories that show the actual self-awareness on the protagonists' side or a sympathetic view for the "second woman". Perhaps this is because, oftentimes, in love-triangle stories we're presented with a female perspective. The second male love interest is an option, why the second female love interest is competition for the male love interest. Why, if this were written in a male perspective, perhaps we would see more hatred towards the second male love interest. Either way, the sexism is STRONG in this trope.
Fruits Basket was the manga/anime in which I first thought that the love triangle between Yuki and Kyo was going to be the focus. Turns out, the triangle was the least I ever thought about after finishing and I loved that.
Pls i was SO worried about that when I first started watching Furuba so i was sort of preemptively rolling my eyes. Turns out it was barely a triangle at all and my feels were completed demolished by the end of it lol
@@sweetlittlenothing7696 u see i love fruba w all my heart . It got me into animes nd gave me PAD for like 2 weeks . Its great but only like ick i have w it is . How tohru got interested in kyo all so suddenly at the end . Ik she hadbeen blushing fr kyo all throughout the series but same thing can be said fr yuki also . I dont like how all of sudden her will to save kyo nd yuki changed into saving only kyo . Whereas i really felt bad fr yukis back story then kyos . Nd it broke me where she let go of her mother fr kyo . Aghhhhh why . I loved how she always remebered her mothers words nd tried to better herself nd suddenly she let go of her So loving (nd badass) mother for kyo! Whom i didnt forgive fr her mothers dying literally it was so selfish of him ! . Md lastly why didnt they show cute moments of kyo nd tohru . Ahh i wanted more. All of these waiting nd we only got like two intimate moments ?!(myb its a me pblm) nahhh i wanted more . So fr me except the last two eps it was THE Best Anime fr me . Nd i miss it so much
@@tabassumsaraah those are all valid points,tho I'd argue Tohru didn't really stop loving her mother or anything for Kyo,I think it was more so meant to represent her allowing herself to live in the future and love someone _besides_ her mom without feeling like she was being unfair for it,not loving Kyo _instead_ of her mom. I think it was just her realising her mom would just have wanted her to be happy even when she was no longer there with her,you get what I mean? At least that's how I'm personally reading it lol. Also i agree! I wanted more cute moments!!! Maybe there were more in the manga and got cut for time who knows lol :P
@@sweetlittlenothing7696 your take on it is quite good . Ill also try to think it that way , uk to cool down my hurt heart 😪hehe anyway you got some cool anime or manga recs ? It soo painful to find a good manga ,
100% agree. Long running love triangles that don't have character growth are what put me off of romance series for a long time. I'm glad to see more fleshed out ones coming up and being mentioned because the trope itself isn't bad it's just the way it's used by many authors is just so tired and blah.
I agree 100%! When romance is the center theme of a story it gets like 60-80 tops. It gets boring really quick when they drag it out. If it has romance as a side but is a still thing then it better be developed with in 100 chapters.
Can someone spoil me on who Chihaya ends up with? I loved the anime to pieces but waiting very impatiently for an English release of the manga in physical volumes to read it to completion. I just want to know if my ship sails of sinks.
@@ilvanime01 Literally don’t know yet. If it happens, it’s a last chapter thing. And you might just yesterday be able to find raws to know, but Team Iroha hasn’t translated yet. You can search for my comments elsewhere in these video comments if you want my full perspective on it. ;-) But the long and short is “it kinda doesn’t matter.”
Being a major fan of villainess type series (I've read so many I could probably write my own) I feel like that genre very much stemmed from wanting to give the second female lead a chance at happiness. My main gripe with villainess stories is that love triangles turn into full blown reverse harem and I can only take so many harem themes before my brain implodes
I've never read a villainess series but I've heard that same sentiment how it's basically for the second female leads. What would your #1 fave villainess series be? I might need to check one out.
@@ColleensMangaRecs Hmmm that's hard to say but I think the one I'd recommend the most is Jishou Akuyaku Reijou na Konyakusha no Kansatsu Kiroku. I don't think it's been serialized in English yet but it's already completed and it has a really sweet ending!
@@ColleensMangaRecs If you’re into manhwa, The Villainness Reverses the Hourglass is a pretty classic Villainess plot that’s mostly completed (currently in the ending side stories phase).
@@ColleensMangaRecs sorry to chime in but I have to recommend Tearmoon Empire too, it's a great read and there aren't a lot of chapters out, it's so good I even went to read the light novel after first catching up with it
@@ColleensMangaRecs I feel like this was a much, much bigger trend in manhwa than manga. Unfortunately, even outside of the more comedic stories I feel like the writers just use regression/isekai/etc to have the former villainess character become just another cookie cutter female lead (earnest, super sweet, focused on nurturing the male lead's feelings, oblivious). If you'd like one where the villainess retains an edge I can't recommend Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess/Villains Are Destined to Die enough. The series maintains a sense of tension and danger that's amazing. I don't want to give spoilers, but I love how she interacts with the "love interests" from such an analytical survival focused perspective. She's not indecisive, she's hedging her bets just to live.
I usually suffer from second male syndrome, but it isn't because I feel bad for the guy if I prefer the male lead then I prefer the male lead, but I am usually a fan of the extroverted friend type over most other archetypes, but that usually is the second male lead (it also doesn't help that I am not a fan of stoic characters who are usually the main love interests) and to be fair that also applies to second female leads, there is a reason people say the childhood friend never wins my final thoughts on love tringles, if they are done well then it exponentially increases my enjoyment of the story, but if they are done badly it exponentially decreases my enjoyment of the story
@@denizkaragullu6239 Sure! I am always happy to help fellow fans with exquisite taste ;) one I am reading currently is *"Something About Us"* , (it's a solid college drama with fun characters, with an engaging friends-to-lovers trope where the extroverted guy is a keeper and end game! it's a truly great read, but it's manhwa) and if you're not in the mood for reading a manhwa there is still some great anime like *"Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You"* (which is a classic love story between a shy girl and an extroverted gut) or *"Aishiteruze Baby★★"* (where an extroverted guy and a quiet girl have to do their best to take care of a kid together), there is also *"Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun"* (a love story between a reserved studious girl and a delinquent boy who was actually quite sweet and cheerful but just wanted friends) but if you're in the mood for reading some good and old reliable manga then I also got you covered, with quality series like *"Taiyou no Ie"* where the female lead goes to live with her old-time extroverted friend and starts developing feelings for him, or *"Koko ni Iru yo!"* where the female lead tries to get out of her shell while the two most popular boys of school try to support her since unbenounced to her they are actually her internet friends, and last but not least there is *"Last Game"* where an extroverted guy tries to make his long time quite friend fall in love with him, which is quite hard considering she is super dense I hope this was helpful, if you end up enjoying at least one of them then this comment was worth it :)
@@yurineri2227 dude/girl you are the best I am so happy 😭😭😭 I've read "something about us" and watched "Kimi ni Todoke" but I will definitely check the other ones. I will comment my thoughts for sure! Thanks again and againnnn
main issue with SLY for me is when they clearly have better chemistry. In the worst case I've seen, the main girl didn't even talk much to the main guy. 😭
Fruits basket until this day is my only love triangle approved story. Where it turns the tables on the 2nd male lead syndrome and reveals that that there are different types of love and what they see in others that make that love different to another
I can't help but roll my eyes whenever there's a love triangle in romance anime just because of how poorly most of them are done. I'm actually guilty of 2nd male lead syndrome but I actually got it from watching so many kdramas where the 2nd option is so much better than the male lead because of how unlikable they always make them. Not gonna lie I was totally in love with Touma in aoi haru ride but I think I just really did not like Kou during the later half that made me want Futaba to be with Touma instead... I never noticed till you mentioned it but wow, I really cannot remember a love triangle with a female 2nd lady that didn't write them to be super antagonistic and bitchy. Also I really hated the love triangle in Orange I feel so bad for Suwa.
I 100% feel this for kdrama/manhwa second male leads. To the point where I consider Strong Woman Do Bong Soon an example of a second male lead (in tropes and personality) getting to be the male lead (in being endgame) and that's 90% of my love for the show.
Yessss, I definitely noticed female 2nd leads getting scrutinized a TON! Kurimi from Kimi ni Todoke is a perfect example of this, especially when she had feelings for Kazehaya. On the other hand someone like Kairi from Peach Girl was seen as the perfect guy for Momo…
Ironically enough I actually liked Kurumi in Kimi ni Todoke especially because of her immense growth as a character. On the contrary Kairi worked on my last nerves in Peach girl. While initially I preferred him over Toji-I feel like in the end they were both equally bad.
Not even a female 2nd lead. If just another female period would appear in the manga chapter in the end, all of the comments would already be sharpening their pitchforks and lighting their torches, already suspecting this new character of whorous witchery
Say I Love You is my favorite manga series for numerous reasons. One thing I’ve noticed that I absolutely love about it is that, although it uses love triangle dynamics several time ms throughout the series, each one is for a different reason which gets explained. Aiko starts out jealous of Mei because she’s dating Yamato. she likes him bc he doesn’t judge based on looks and she has body image issues. She’s aggressive toward Mei and even bullies her, but Mei responds in an understanding and even supportive way. Flash forward later in the series and they’re best friends. Megumi likes yamato bc he’s “princely” which stems from her deep-seated need from her childhood to be given attention- if she’s with him, this popular good-looking guy, all eyes are on her too by association. This is one of the first times Mei has to deal with jealousy and it is done very well and very maturely, the characters clearly communicate their feelings and after that meg kind of does her own thing focusing on her career as a model (not to mention the growth she has as an individual, which is supported by her frenemy type relationship to Kai). Later on there are the twins. the brother has a crush on mei. After the other times where mei and Yamato have dealt with jealousy and grown together, they have learned they have a deep enough bond now that there’s little risk of one of them leaving the other. So although yamato gets jealous momentarily, it subsides quickly because he knows by now that mei won’t leave for just anybody. Their trust grows as a result of all these little instances, and not only that but mei who started out with only asami as her friend develops close friendships with many of the same people who were threatening her relationship early on like kai and aiko. Even the twin bro’s crush on her doesn’t stop them from being friendly and staying in contact as acquaintances while mei finds her footing as a volunteer. I love this series so much, but all of these little ways the author creates interest while focusing closely on character development and strengthening their bonds makes me love it all the more.
I agree, love triangles are unfortunatly a bit overused but if they are done right they can be very rewording as well. And thank you for recomending new shojo manga again. I love your videos
Although I'm not a fan of love triangles, what you said about Snow White with the Red Hair is sooooo true. I LOVE Obi!! He wouldn't be the same character if he wanted Shirayuki all for himself, his attraction to Shirayuki is directly related to how she conducts herself while being in love with Zen. There aren't many characters like that and I find it so charming.
Yeah, with Obi I get less "waiting in the wings for HIS DAY TO SWOOP IN" and more "the sweet tang of something lovely out of reach". You can both move on from someone while still always having that soft spot for them that makes you smile. The manga captures that feeling well.
Coming from someone who often falls for the second leads and jokingly identifies as having "Second-Lead Syndrome", I do agree with the point that if the main female were to end up with them, it would stray away from the focus/development of the already established bond with the first male lead. And I can get why that'd frustrate a lot of people, especially if you're coming into the story solely for the main female & male lead to get together. In my experience (and personal opinion ofc!), I just find myself more invested in the second-leads bc they act as a good stress-relief away from the chaos/drama that sometimes goes down between the main couple. So when I see them interact with the female lead and they're vibing with little-to-no problems, I can't help but consider them as an option I'd personally prefer~ Or sometimes the manga ends up giving them more internal monolgues/insights that make me understand their character so much more than the main lead (though that varies case-to-case, depending on the writer) That or sometimes, I just like personality of them much more and I want their happiness to be fulfilled. So ultimately, the bias-ness on our side ends up choosing what they desire vs what the female lead would desire. Just a list of reasons from my perspective! I do like how you mentioned how second female leads get mistreated compared to their male counterparts and I always found that annoying as well. Great video btw!!
I jokingly talk a lot about having "Second Male Lead Syndrome" and I agree with all of this! re: male vs female seconds it is really rough how the "competing" women are written. I wonder if it's an outcropping of obsessively making the female leads "average" and "relatable". Once a female audience has related to the female lead they probably don't want a female competitor to make them feel... idk... insufficient?
Totally agree! For me, most of the stories I read/watch, the 2 lead often is more open to his own feelings and more open up to the protagonist, mean while, the real lead is causing some jealousy ou deattacthments problems. I 'm honestly tired of leads whos acts "cold" kkk. But when is a female 2 lead, often she is write as a mastermind bully b*tch... So... Totally unfare writings kkk
I feel like the best love triangle I’ve ever seen is probably in fruit basket between tohuro,kyo and yuki At first I thought it was going to end ugly but it actually helped develop the characters into better people and it was only for season 1!!! So ya that’s my favorite but I definitely enjoyed your picks :)👍
Sorry to barge in here, but do you think their situation can seriously be compared to other love triangle though, when despite trying Yuki ended up seeing her as mother. Most other love polygons , people see each other as romantic love interests. Personally I felt some of yuki-tohru interactions were a bait from author. Kyo-Tohru romantic tension felt more natural.
This was the comment I was looking for! I personally loved Yuki over Kyo but I thought they did the love triangle really well and I’m glad it ended up the way it did :)
I was going to comment that, I know it's not a traditional love triangle but the reader don't know that till the ending chapters. I find their dynamic refreshing and couldn't choose a side till the end, I spend most time curious about what's going to happen
@@nushrathumaira2257 it wasnt a "bait". Remember yuki said when he realized that his feelings for tohru were non romantic he played up the princely character. Cuz he freaked out and thought it was weird for a boy his age to be seeing tohru as a mum
@@mono8476 to be fair, most romance manga use this sort of bait to spice up and spark peoples curiosity/shipping war, where characters are sort of flirting or thrown together every chance. So yes here the author used it too, readers fell for it otherwise why would they think yuki- tohru may happen. At least for Yuki, he had a reason and he was doing this to test himself so that’s good( imagine irl someone do this test and mislead the other to fall for them, that would be so bad). Me personally , 9 out of 10 times didn’t see any attraction between those two( yuki - tohru) and thought yuki was doing it to provoke kyo. For me , the thing I cared about was everything related to kyo and tohru, everything else I criticize very hard about.
Long-running love triangles are one of those things that usually don't work for me unless the author is really careful with it (what you said about characterization being a potential plus is very true) or the concept itself is somewhat played with or subverted. But at the same time I've never been super caught up in shipping in general, so even love triangle's worst outcomes are just detrimental to my enjoyment of the story than feeling like a personal stab of betrayal haha Also appreciate the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend shout-out - that show is such a gem!
CXG is such a good show! All those songs really get stuck in your head. Ever since editing this video I've been singing the math of love triangles song nonstop. Yeah like honestly for Koi wo Shiranai Bokutachi wa (which I briefly showed in the video) I wasn't happy with the endgame couple but I was just kinda meh about it more than hating the series because it did make sense lol.
My first ever Shoujo manga was Kitchen Princess. I was a kiddo so it was also the first time I read something with a love triangle and boy was I not ready with how that manga ended their love triangle.
I was a teenager when I first read Kitchen Princess, and how the love triangle ended messed me up for a whole week. My friends and I were in disbelief! Can't even imagine how you must have felt reading it as a kid!!
I feel so seen and heard when you mentioned Strobe Edge being better than AHR. The triangle absolutely helped the characters grow and propel the story. I use to get a lot of hate online for even saying it lol
YES! THANK GOODNESS YOU ADDRESSED ZOBIYUKI - I personally love obi - and have rooted for him since the beginning - but I also recognize how much love Zen and Shirayuki have for each other. Being an Obi supporter really does make you feel like Obi himself just cuz I also feel like I have an undying loyalty to Zen and Shirayuki even though I know in the forefront of my mind that I am simultaneously an Obi supporter. I didn't even think of possibility or even desire for Zen and Shirayuki not to end up together cuz I mean hmm that defeats the whole purpose of the series and the only alternative I could ever see happening is zobiyuki haha the mangaka really has a way of creating character chemistry cuz I also love the trio mitsuhide, kiki, and hisame too
I am *VERY* picky with love triangles. As a Shoujo mangaka I ensure I do this carefully! I prefer ones when the second male lead also becomes happy but with a well-built and developed relatable, rather than being depressed from rejection or getting a last minute relationship for “happy ending” sake. I think love triangles help to enhance the quality of the story but it has to be done right and I usually like “bad boys” but with genuinely justifiable backstories rather than them being abusive or dismissive for no good reason. I like healthy relationships so present it in my work.
I'm a second lead stan for bad boy Colleen Great analysis of the love triangle and the ways it can go wrong or go right. A lot of it comes down to how much of a real character the author makes the "rival". I particularly like your point, when using Snow White with the Red Hair as an example, that the resolution has to make sense within the context of the story being told. Futari de Koi sounds like really interesting and looks gorgeous, I'll check that out!
When a love triangle is an actual "who will they choose?" I can really enjoy the inner conflict of sorting out one's feelings and seeing how the two competing love interests will react to the idea of having a rival and the person they care about not feel the same arduous, certain devotion they do. It's interesting when it's very much a mystery how things will turn out and generally requires some good character building + relationship development, which I like. There's so many interesting situations you can put characters in that can allow a love triangle to form and be executed with excellent results, so it's super sad that it's often poorly used. If I can INSTANTLY recognize who the MC will choose, it's almost always terribly contrived and irritating, because it's going to not have much bearing on the characters, their relationships, or the plot in the long term. Plus, it's even more frustrating when the MC always seems to choose the lead who is broody, mean, condescending, etc. over one who is cheerful, kind, mature, etc. It's always so strange that it's almost always the same conflict without much variety and the broody character is almost never written in the kinds of ways that would make them sympathetic or endearing or have worthwhile internal growth.
I definitely agree with you. To your first paragraph, one of the reasons I think triangles were so popular in YA is because, in all honesty, most love triangle behavior is only tolerable in teenagers. They're inexperienced and tend to make complete messes of their interpersonal relationships as part of growing up. A good triangle "who will they choose?" can really make a "who do they want to be?" pop. ((And yes - if we know who's end game day 1 it's no fun as a triangle))
I’m complete opposite, I find it incredibly unromantic when the female or the person that has to choose between two people just cannot decide, there are some things in life that is hard to decide who to choose, but if it’s about a person you love, that is so fcking unromatic and messed up, flip that table and have a male lead being split between two girls, and you wouldn’t like it, the idea of being desirable to a point you can’t choose between two people makes it so shallow to me, imagine your husband falling for someone and suddenly he can’t choose between his mistress or you? lol I doubt you would still find this romantic
@@aoharu_jwell your analogy doesn't really accurate in this topic, if your spouse hesitate in choosing between their marriage partner or their mistress then it's adultery, a betrayal, not love triangle. Love triangle's real purpose is to push the feelings of FL and ML so their relationship could progress further or to stir drama intended for the character growth of all intended party involved. If the 2nd ML at this point chasing just after FL and ML already in relationship then it's not longer love triangle but rather unnecessary nuisance. Sadly not all manga/comics understand it and just making the 2nd ML a sad boy who hard simping FL and can't move on, homewrecker in totally fine relationship, or a villain. However I understand your opinion, you have different perspective and I respect it. For example I personally don't really like the love triangle in fruit basket between yuki, kyo and tohru and not everyone thinks the same and it's totally okay.
I was really enjoying Ao Haru Ride in the beginning but it really gets frustrating further on... I've loved Futari de koi and all other Hiro Chihiro's works until now! Thank you for this video, I might think again next time before avoiding a love triangle manga :D
I think my favorite type of Love triangles are the ones where the main couple is pretty much established, but the other party wouldn't also be a bad choice. A good example would be "Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun" where Shizuku and Haru have established that they like each other and then we have Ooshima-san who also likes Haru, but knows that she doesn't have a chance and also Yamaken who likes Shizuku, but doesn't know it it's only because Haru likes her. That series also has another subtle love triangle between Natsume, Micchan and Sasayan and it's also pretty much without artificial drama.
As someone who knows a person in a love triangle, I would appreciate the second lead to be more calm, collective, and respectful in expressing their love. In real life, love triangle dynamics will only cause more harm than good: not only you will have a bad fight against the main couple, it can also stain your reputation in the eyes of the people around you.
I hope with all my heart that some random publisher sees how many of us miss good Shoujo through your great videos :) I remember reading Peach Girl when I was young (it‘s been 84years xD) really enjoying the triangle and the characters
Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of love triangles on my bookshelf… however…. And it’s been a long time since I read it but… have you read “Honey & Clover”? I don’t remember how prominent the love triangle in that was but it’s a story that I felt did a good job of weaving the different character arcs through their artistic journeys and love lives. But you’re right that the problem isn’t the triangle, but how well the author juggles multiple character arcs.
Honey and Clover is a series where I started the anime and then kinda fell off. It wasn't even because I disliked it, I just forgot to keep watching. Maybe I'll try the manga instead.
@@ColleensMangaRecs It’s been so long since I watched the anime and I don’t recall it leaving a big impression on me the way the manga did. 🤔 Definitely give the manga a try though! There are a lot of meaningful panels & pages that I still think about 10+ years later. It’s really well done!
And here I was thinking about hachimitsu to clover while watching the video. Gotta be one series that really makes my heart ache for the ML. You don't always get the girl but that's okay. Just revel in the pain and melancholy.
I didn’t think I’d finally find the positive review for Strobe Edge I’ve been yearning for all these years! The only reason I tried sticking with Ao Haru Ride was because I absolutely loved how Strobe Edge handled the love triangle. I didn’t find myself hating or loving the second lead, and he definitely wasn’t some prop to make the ml jealous, which I think is what most mangaka take that assignment to be. I still haven’t finished Ao Haru Ride, but I guess I finally will one day since it’s part of the Viz subscription. Thanks for the Strobe Edge support, I was practically yelling in agreement at all your points!
i really hate the obvious bias of readers when other female/male 2nd leads/ rivals get introduced in the story even without a single line. if it's a guy, stans are like "kyaa 2nd male lead syndrome is so strong" and if it's a girl she gets called a wh-re even if she did nothing (yet)😭😭
I feel bad because I’m a huge 2nd lead male fan, I don’t feel bad for them or go for them if they’re problematic or anything though. I just love childhood friend types which are really common. Any romance that involves destiny or knowing each other for a long time just gets my heart in a chokehold. That moment of “Oh my god, is that you? I’ve always had feelings for you!” kills me every time!
There are actually quite a lot of romance shoujo manga that have the childhood trope where the childhood friend is the male lead. It became quite popular recently imo.
I think love triangles wouldn't be so hated if they didn't often serve as lil more than speed bump in the relationship. Like when they appear we never really see the characters actually go for the second lead, and if they do it's usually portrayed as a mistake. I think more people would be able to bare with them if it felt like there was an honest chance for a true change up in the relationship. And I think that might be part of why futari de koi works so well, Misono is essentially the second ml at the beginning, and in any other manga he would have probably lost out
The ULTIMATE kabedon 😤😤 I like that you approach both the good and bad sides of love triangles so there's a good balance and understanding of both sides here. Also, I agree with how a lot of 2nd female love interests are treated by fans compared to 2nd male love interests isn't fair. I LOVE it when 2nd FLs end up becoming best friends who are super close with the main FL, or rivals who have reached a mutual understanding and respect for one another later on. We love to see friendship blossoming between girls!! Most of the time I don't really mind 2nd MLs unless they don't add anything to the story, like you said. Or if I personally just find them really annoying and/or not my type LOL. Sometimes I do find myself rooting for a 2nd ML if he's much kinder or more interesting than the main ML, though. Just depends on the dynamics. Another great video!! I hope we can see more skits from you in the future 👀😁
Yeah, approaching it from both sides just felt right because honestly.... I'm so in the middle! Like I said at the end, it really is all up to how the writer handles it. Some can, some can't. So it's like you have to know the mangaka prior to starting a love triangle series to know if you even like their writing style anyways.
I'm very much the same as you. I only care about 2nd MLs if they add something towards the story other than being the homewrecker lol or if they are kinder and have better dynamics with the FL.
I’m absolutely late to the party but I have spent the last three days screaming over Futaride dlkfjfhdhshshshshsh thank you SO MUCH for the rec, your taste remains god-tier and impeccable 😭😭😭😭
I hate love triangles in basically everything, especially when the person ends up with the wrong person 😡😄 I didn't mind it in Blue Spring Ride tho, because i felt like it made sense. Kou felt obligated to stay with Narumi because of how she helped him through a tough time and couldn't say no. Futaba just wanted to forget Kou and jumped into the next best relationship in hope to move on.
I just finished ao haru ride manga (after watching the anime) and I was crying sm bcs of all the steps back that futaba and kou relationship had😭 i don't think it was that necessary all the pain that it caused me, and at the end idk if i'm happy that they end up together bcs I just wanted kou to get therapy, sooo thank u smmm for this video I am going to read strobidge bcs of your really good points on how well the love triangle is executed🥺💖
100% agree with everything you said and you actually made me think "yeah i guess not ALL of them are bad" because i usually hate it a lot jsjdjskd but a especial shout out for what you pointed out with swwtrh i feel like the majority focus on obi so much they ignore shirayuki
I think Daytime Shooting Star has a really good love triangle (even if I'm not a fan of this kind of story).Till the end you can't understand who the boy that "win" susumi love's. Now I don't trust the "he does have chance" anymore XD
My favourite love poligone (it has too many angles to count) is the one in Ao no flag. There's a reason for all the attraction and is developed during the story, maybe is not love but admiration? I love her but I know she doesn't love me the same way, why he sacrifice everything for someone as worthless as me?, are some of the examples of dilemmas in this story. But not only focuses on love, also in gender and dreams. Is a beautiful story that I 100% recommend. PS: if you don't understand the ending, read it again and focus on how the narrator is talking.
I totally agree. “Ao no Flag” is an awesome manga overall. All the triangles made sense cause characters were so greatly written, they felt like real human beings.
I really hate when the outcome of a love triangle is obvious (it'll be the first male lead in almost every case!), yet the narrative acts as if there's any actual uncertainty. I don't mind love triangles where one side is very obviously hopelessly one-sided, so long as the mangaka isn't trying to pretend otherwise to manufacture tension where there really isn't any. Love triangles, like any trope, can be done well and they can be done poorly. I REALLY adore them when they're done well though, so it's sad to see people with so much hate for them without even knowing the context of one.
I'm just now dipping my toe into shojo and have watched Yona and Snow White. I have (and read) the first 4 volumes in snow white, so I haven't gotten past the where the anime finished yet. BUT As someone who doesn't care for love triangles (for all the reasons you mentioned) I really liked the love triangle in Snow White with the red hair. While I think Shiryuki and Zen are meant to be and end game, I like how Obi supports them even though he has feels for Shiriyuki. He loves and respects both of them to keep his feelings to himself. And I just really appreciate it. They could have easily made the type that keeps persisting the girl that just make her uncomfortable and ultimately hurts all 3 of them. Too many times (especially in shonen as I haven't read much shojo) a guy that is persistent is often seen as manly and brave. It's not. It's coercion. I adore Obi and hope he gets a happy ending also! And while the moments he has with Shiriyuki are cute, I don't want them to be together. (maybe in a world where she never met Zen, but Zen is great also and him and Shiriyuki deserve each other!)
Second leads definitely need personal growth in a story. Because if they don't, then it just makes them look like tools for the author to stir drama 😕 I love when second male leads actually fall in love with someone else and move on, then I feel like it's an actual good love story. (Like in A Sign of Affection, where the second female lead slowly starts to fall in love with her best friend. It was nice to see that she wasn't treated like an evil witch by everyone)
yes futari de koi is the only time reading a highschool romance that made me think i don't mind love triangles! and i also agree on the slice of life vibes. i finished the manga this year and i really think it explores the aspects of first love, heartbreak, the fear of falling in love again, rejecting someone after knowing how it feels to get rejected and finding an unconditional love - just beautifully and very realistically. someone please license it bc it's such a gem among shoujo mangas 😭
Two love triangles I really appreciated despite hating them in general were in Daytime Shooting Star and Shortcake Cake and for totally different reasons. SPOILERS AHEAD (kinda), LOOK AWAY (if u want). The first had a very long drawn out love triangle that didn't resolve itself until the very end and the way it ended up was just so satisfying and a huge relief. The latter has a short-lived love triangle (all shoujo things considered) and it was so great bc romance is too easy of a drama starting point in this genre when we can have messy family relationships and trauma to overcome instead. Also, very cute when the second male lead is even more in love with the actual male lead than our female lead. So yes, love Shortcake Cake's approach to the love triangle as well. EDIT: Just want to add that my boy Misono doesn't get enough official art love.... it hurts
I remember liking Strobe Edge, now that you remind me of it, I dont really like these kinds of love triangles but I need to re-read this now for sure ^.^
i am actually a huge fan of love triangles. the will they won’t they brings me life. the setting and style of events keeps the trope strong for me because no author does it the same. that being said, i do also hate the misunderstandings that simply don’t need to be there and only exist to pad out the story. but i would take it over the series that already have the couples together because i havent seen one of those done well yet. they’re usually underwhelming with nothing happening because all the story happened off screen before they were together also, every time i watch your videos i leave with a billion new series to check out. thank you very much. i have lots of reading to do ♥️
same heree. its like a sports match oh shit i wonder who's gonna win & i hope the guy/pair i like wins lol its also fun to argue that ur ship is better cuz they actually hv chemistry XD ex: damon x elena, kyo x tohru, tsukushi x tsukasa
I got recommended your videos back when you were maybe at 1k subs. I never comment much but I genuinely really like your content. You know a fuck ton about shoujo manga and anime, these videos are fun to watch.
I love what you said at the end “don’t hate the troupe, hate the writers who can’t handle three characters simultaneously” it sums up how I feel about love triangles perfectly. They are great when done right. And not so great when done wrong.
I agree, Hakamada is used 100% of the time to give spice to the relationship, and it goes on a loop, they should have cut it wayy sooner. Ao Haru Ride had such a loop of a emotions that as a unstable teen reading it I had a session with my therapist bc of my anxiety 💀
i really really dislike love triangles, even if they’re well written cause i tend to get attached to everyone so i end up miserable too. also im a sucker for bff to lovers trope and the best friend always lose.
I'm okay with love triangles if it feels like either of the love interests could be a possibility. Like I don't need to feel the one choosing has no idea who they want, I just need moments that make me doubt it. Just... keep some sort of stakes! Why would I read 10+ manga tomes about a pairing I knew from the berry beginning how would end?
I always loved the way fruits basket handled it. like, Yuki looked like a contender, but as things came around it seems like he came to understand that what he felt for Tohru was more along the lines of something he would've felt for his mother if she'd been less... well, whatever the hell she was (checked out? content to take the money and run so she didn't have to acknowledge how she'd failed her children?). the fact that Kyo (in my interpretation) never looked to tohru for the kind of marental guidance we see several of the other characters veer towards her for is a big contributor to why they ended up being one of the strongest relationships. the footing between them was always more even than it was between tohru and yuki
It so refreshing to see other people who hated the love triangle in ao haru I like your videos a lot and do you have any comments on the love triangle of hirunaka no ryuusei!
Absolutely love your channel!! I binge read Drowning Love when you recommended it in a past video. I read so much shoujo growing up and missed that grittier more emotional type of shoujo storytelling. I did experience some intense second lead syndrome though lol. Kou was soooo emotionally manipulative and volatile towards Natsume, and I was so relieved when she started a relationship with the 2nd lead. He gave her much needed space and understanding to process her trauma and never pushed her or purposely hurt her like Kou did. I was sooooo mad at hoe the story concluded. For a manga with such a heavy focus on relationships, I felt like her healthier one was sidelined for the more dramatic one. In many shoujo especially older ones, it's frustrating that the first male lead can exhibit extremely toxic traits and yet still get the girl with some final hour character growth, compared to some second make leads who are kind. Just my 2 cents!!
Personally I'm very fond of the love triangle in Mizutama Honey Boy. Although it adds nothing to the story, the 2nd male lead is such a fun character. He's just annoyingly there causing chaos and it's hilarious. Plus he's the only character I can think of which "dated" his love rival. Another series I think that handled the love triangle well is Ookami Shounen wa Kyou mo Uso o Kasaneru, this one's a shounen not a shoujo though. Both the FL's are given some closure whether it be romantic or character wise, and the drama resulting in the love triangle is handled fairly well. And without giving away the ending all I can say is best girl wins in the end.
I can agree with this video 100%, its mostly due to the writing on why a love triangle can very much suck. I might have to venture deeper into good love triangles, give me good development for the cast and the chemistries and you have won me over. I am a simple woman after all :)
Same. I don't like love triangles that much but I love it when it's done right. Like it's soooo satisfying to see the progress, dynamics and the development of the leads because of it. But most of the love triangles are poorly written. That's for sure.
Another wonderful video Colleen 👍. I absolutely agree with all of your points there. Love triangles aren't really my favorite but when it's done right it's sooo good imo. The ones that I like are Orange and Daytime Shooting Star. There are more but I can't remember. So so agree on second female leads. People judge them too quickly even though they did nothing. I like sfl when they have character growth and becomes friends with the MC.
you just put in a vid all my feelings over why i can't love trainlges and harems more often that note. also , i've become such a big fan of your vids! i've redicovered my love odf shoujo with your channel, can't wait for your next vid!
mannn ao haru ride was SUCH a pain to get through! when futaba and kou were single and interested in each other it was pretty good but then futaba dated the other guy and ugh! i am interested in strobe edge, but i'm a little wary just because i didn't like the two other sakisaka works i read (ao haru and love me love me not)
I think if you're not a fan of Io Sakisaka's works then you probably won't be a fan of Strobe Edge either. However I do think that many of her series after have been slightly watered down versions of what SE was in both character designs and story. So do with that info what you will lmao
Did anyone forget to mention the most disastrous love of all time : The great vampire knight, seriously the most disastrous love triangle i ever read. One manga which made hate this love triangle troupe , usually i have the second lead syndrome but after this nahh... I was like why do author's even write Love triangles , just why?
Good to know about Cheeky Brat, I've read three volumes and been on the fence about dropping it but now I know about the annoying triangle I think I'll drop it for sure, fortunately I don't own the series but reading it from the library. I did wonder how it could be 23 volumes....
a love triangle i really liked was the one in a condition called love. they didnt do it for cheap drama, everyone involved was a fleshed out character with a purpose and it was resolved very realistically
Amazing video as always!!!! I love this so much and I agree with all ur points(specially the second male lead syndrome) ANSNSNKS will real the ones you said were made flawlessly, maybe my hatred towards love triangles will fade away at least a bit! + fuck namaikizakari, as much as i love the manga i also hate it for making me go through the same miscommunications-> fight -> apologize -> make our cycle😫😫
Same here, like I don't HATE Namaikizakari as a series (or Ao Haru Ride for that matter) but the love triangle made it so middle of the road to borderline hard to read at times.
When they're done well, love triangles are great. One of my favorite things to explore in fictional romances. I loved how complicated the relationships in Toradora were (although ideally it could have just had a poly ending where Ryuji, Taiga, and Minori ALL get together since those girls clearly love each other as much as they love him!), I loved the reveal in Fruits Basket of the love triangle... actually NOT being a true love triangle. On the other hand, when done poorly, there are few things that frustrate me MORE in fictional romances. I was a big fan of Vampire Knight for years, even continuing to enjoy it when many others lost interest, but the ending really bothered me. Matsuri Hino just couldn't commit to a side. She tried to please both camps and in doing so pleased NEITHER. All the development was there for Yuki to just be happy with Zero and leave Kaname to end as a tragic villain, but NO. Let's have Yuki go back to Kaname for one last intimate moment. Which has ~consequences~. Let's have Yuki walk back the choice SHE made to join Zero in opposing Kaname and make it unclear again who she'd actually be with if she had to choose. UGH. At least in shoujo manga the shipping wars and debate aren't nearly as heated as many more "popular" examples. Being a fan of Final Fantasy 7 is exhausting by comparison.
omg u mentioned and perfectly describe my frustration with namaikizakari fkebdndbdndhdbddb every chapter i go "JUST FUCKING REJECT HIM AND BACK OFF DUDE AAAAAAA"
This might be a hot take for some but I personally don't understand why Ao Haru Ride became so popular. Yes the art style is indeed great (both anime and manga) as well as the animation overall, but as someone who has followed the series for years until its last chapters, I couldn't wait for the drama to be over and bam last few chapters. For some reason Sakisaka is too loyal to the love-square trope, it was really something that annoyed me, even in Strobe Edge (and in Love me love me not too although a bit less presisstant) especially for how long it lasted in AHR until it was resolved, iirc until chapter 46 or so. It was honestly too forced and she should have tackled Kou's response a bit better and this I think was the reason that I started avoiding anime/manga in general with love triangles
Having the two love interests have an interesting dynamic with (at the very least) the protagonist is essential. I love the love triangle with the Given movie, because both of the legs of the love triangle prompted the one on the middle to change and grow. It was obvious who the endgame was, but the emotional weight was such that every moment was amazing.
Colleen, I have to say that this is one of the best videos you have made. I agree so much on the points you make! I wish it was longer lol. You keep mentioning Chihayafuru and it's obvious how much you love that manga, I need to start reading it asap!
i think futaba did have some development in the end though, she was scared to date kou after breaking up with touma because of what other people would think. but after talking to her friends and realizing her feelings, she realized how she can’t always keep caring about what others think and she should do what makes her truly happy.
maybe i will try again strobe edge cuz I dropped it some years ago u.u I'm more into drama series so I remembered it has some of that :") good video, I've really enjoyed it ^^
If you do try it again would love to know what you think! I re-read it almost every year around fall time and maybe I just have too much nostalgia for the series or something but easily one of my favorite shoujo romance manga.
This is the second video that I watch and it was interesting. I'm going to share my thoughts to each point of the videos about this trope with examples .This will be a long comment,but anyway. In a summary,love triangles are hated and at the same time loved,it's 50/50. You have people who love this trop because of the drama spicing up the story and you have people who hate it because of what you said,Colleen. It can be overused,unnecessary and tiring. But,me,I feel both ways when it comes to love triangles depending how they are done in media that I consume. First thing first,I skipped the part you talk about Cheeky love because I am currently reading the manga and I am at the volume 5. But,I'm at the moment that Shizuka confessed to have admiration towards Yuki because he thinks she changes Shou's perspective. Yuki,in the contrary thinks that Shizuka changed him by motivating him in basketball and she asked if he can still be his rival in basketball. Im not too far in the manga,so I cannot really give my thoughts about the rest. I dont know the other manga,so I will stay silent about it. I will devide my comment for each point to give my opinions so let's start with the second lead syndrome : - I feel the same way when you said that there's people who love the second lead because how sorry they are for them,but you are right,sometimes ending up with the second lead is pointless because he or she will be only used as a second option and only be with the lead when everything goes wrong with the main lead. For example, we have Lindsey,the second female lead, Lucas,the male lead and Peyton,the main female lead. When Peyton and Lucas broke up,he didn't even manage to stay single,he met Lindsey even having feelings for Peyton still. His love story was pointless with Lindsey because she was just a second option for Lucas until she realizes it herself by calling off the engagement with him. Then few episodes later,he came back together with Peyton. At this instant, I thought to myself that if it was about him to still have feelings for Peyton,then why he used Lindsey as the second option? He should had stayed single and this would had been better for him to grow more as a character and focus solely on himself. - Also, I do agree with the point when you said that the main lead should go with the second main lead just to let go of the main lead to be better. When fans say this,it pisse me off because they are invalidating the lead's feelings for the main lead (unrequited or not) and turns around by worshipping the second lead by reducing him or her as the nice person to be a rebound. For them the second lead should still persue the lead even if the feelings are unrequited and apparently, they know what it's the best for the lead. It's always the case with love triangles who involves 2 guys and 1 girl. The female lead is developing a crush for the main male lead . Then,the main male lead either reciprocate her crush or dont. You have the second male lead having also a crush on her ,but it is clearly one-sided from his side because the female lead love someone else. I did not see this in a romance media (either manga,anime,movie or TV show,but I am going to pick a battle anime witch is Naruto.) Naruto is know to be a shounen anime/manga witch is targeting to a mostly male audience wich involve action,battle and adventures. Canonly, Naruto at first had feelings for Sakura,but Sakura viewed him as a brother and had a crush on Sasuke who will be reciprocate later on the series,witch is like a love triangle (poorly written at that because Kishimoto sucks as writing any kind of relationships.) Let's rewrite this scenario,but instead if they were in a shoujo,witch involves often romance, anime/manga instead. We have Sakura Haruno as the female lead who is in love with Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha is the main main lead and we dont particularly knows his feelings for Sakura. Then,we have Naruto Uzumaki,the second male lead who is in love with Sakura Haruno,but the feelings arent mutual. I remember being an avid SasuSaku shipper when I was young because of the normal girl x popular guy trope,but later on growing up,I realized how was unhealthy and toxic this relationship was,but I though she would change her mind about Naruto and give him a chance (I turned around to ship NaruSaku),but it was bad what I have done. Now,I have no ships in this series. But,let's get in the point that alot of fans said that Sakura's crush on Sasuke was not feminist,made her weak,was silly,unhealthy,unrealistic,obsession and it was lust. For them,she didn't really loved him and dont deserve him. But,in the other side,they hated her in this spectrum for not reciprocating Naruto's feelings,and they kept saying that she should let go of her feelings for Sasuke and date him for her to grow past her crush and as a character because she's wasted potential and act differently when she's with him. According to them,Naruto makes her stronger and they know what's best for her. For them, Naruto who have the same character traits,but it's apparently different because he's in love should continue to persue her. First,they dont know what's best for Sakura because,the best for her should outside of her romances. Also,I avoid these type of fans at all cost because this point if view is very misogynistic and invalidating for women because it's pointing out that our feelings are seen as lesser than men and therefore not taken seriously. And that's what they are doing, supporting Naruto's feelings by making him a nice guy out of character and invalidating Sakura's feelings. I know it's not the perfect example,but it's literally them with this kind of scenario. - Also,special love triangles can be interesting because it involves less ship wars. For exemple we have Ben,Ryn and Maddy from the TV show Siren. Maddy and Ben are together,but they met Ryn,the main character. At first, people are shipping Ryn with Ben or Ben with Maddy. But,not anymore since the series will go forward and they will become an OT3 or polyamorous relationship because we will learn a bit about Maddy's bisexuality and Ryn's pansexuality when she will have human feelings because normally mermaids have no emotions. Then,Maddy,Ryn and Ben will be polyamory and more people will ship this OT3. Personally,I loved this OT3 and I dont have any who come into my mind. - I agree,Colleen. The treatment of second lead is different when it comes to gender. The second FEMALE lead will not be treated well by the fanbase compared to the second MALE lead. We know that romance is a genre who target girls and 90% of romance enjoyers are non-men. There's alot of internalized misogyny in women targeted media spaces,for them the second female lead is just seen as a competition because she will be a threat to their favorite ship or get in the way,even if it's not her intention at first. The second male lead will be cherished because he's less intimidating and not really causing any harm to their favorite ship. An example is All American with Spencer,Layla and Olivia. Even though Spencer and Olivia got together, fans still dispised Layla just for minding her business because she still get in the way of Spelivia when she moved on. I feel that she deserved better than the fandom,but I do love Spelivia,though. - I dont know the mangas you quoted with the well-written love triangles,but I will give my opinions on some love triangles I really enjoyed. Here they are below who I think that were done right in my opinion : - Jacob, Bella and Edward from Twilight. I loved the drama,it spiced up things between them and created tension. I was young at that time. -Damon,Katherine and Stefan. I love how both chase over her and try to impress her. - Damon,Stefan and Elena. I did really loved it and how Elena realized her feelings when she choose. -Klaus,Caroline and Kamille. I loved when Klaus felt sexual tension with Caroline (low-key why their ship was popular.) But,I shipped Kamille and Klaus because she could turned him nice and showed him what true love was. -Naho,Suwa and Kakeru from Orange. Alot of people hated it,mostly second male lead stans. I personally enjoyed it because it shows how nice and accepting that Suwa is even if it's hurt not being choosen. He might still had feelings for Naho,but he understood that the feelings will never be mutual and their friendship remained the same and his love for Naho didn't let his friendship with Kakeru die either. I rarely seen this in any romance manga,but I love how the mangaka put an alternative ending for both of the male leads. - Yuki,Tooru and Sakura for HoriMiya. The same thought for the second love triangle. This is the good about love triangles and I see why some may like this trope. Now,here's the one's who I absolutely dislike : - Emily,Michelle and Eldon from The next step. Both girls were in a competition for Eldon and he fumbled them both. I hate when love triangles consist of two people being in a competition or fight for the same person. This make me roll my eyes until this mess stops. - Troy,Leilaina and Micheal from Reality bites. Leilaina played with both guys feelings until she ends up with Troy. This movie was solely about her dating and cheating on bith of them, it make me dislike this movie because of that stupid love triangle. - All the love triangles from Elite. I'm sorry,but they were unecessary and they were just there.They did nothing for the characters and only had one trait,being love triangles. Plus,none of them contributed in the story. Those are the bad and the ugly of love triangles and I see why fans hate this trope.
To end my comment, I also look forward for love triangles that are crucial for the characters and their arcs,plus their development in the future. In conclusion,I agree that this trope is not bad as people think it is,it's just how it's done in the plot. But,I will always have this position when it comes to this trope.
Agree - so tired of love triangles in print and onscreen. However Perfect World by Rie Aruga had an illuminating love triangle that was essential to the plot.
Hearing someone talk about Strobe Edge (and talking good things about it!) felt so strange to me, I thought it's one of those series that literally no one knows about!
Another good video. It's weird how much I can relate to the stuff you say even though our tastes in manga are different. I was gonna type out a lot about love triangles here but it would just be the same thing you said but using male targeted romances and yuri as my examples.
Would love to hear it from the yuri angle since I've only read a handful and the only one that had a "love triangle" was Run Away With Me Girl (great manga too)
@@ColleensMangaRecs the yuri example I was going to give is Fuuka from Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon. Maybe I enjoy her inclusion because I have been in situations similar to hers where I have pursued a relationship with an old friend too late and had to give up for their happiness. She acts as a great catalyst to the romance though as her presence makes the main characters realize more about themselves. That right there is what separates a good love triangle from a bad one in my mind. Also I feel like they work better in shorter series. That might just be my preference for shorter romances though. I don't really read too many longer romances that aren't male targeted. When I have they've been dragged down by something including triangles that go on for too long and don't feel like they contribute to the growth of the main characters. Just my 2 cents.
Disproportionate hatred for the second _female_ lead but sympathy and sometimes preference for the second _male_ lead definitely involves a lot of internalized misogyny from the straight female audience. They see the second male lead as another option but the second female lead as competition and a threat -- a b*tch trying to ruin the ship.
I think it's the same as when straight female fans of male Vtubers love seeing them interact with other male Vtubers, but send death threats when they interact with a female Vtuber.
That's not internalized misogyny that's just girls being girls. Female readers often identifies themselves with the female lead, so having a rival of the same sex for the love of one person is definitely gonna spark that gate keeping urges that is already innate within men and women.
It's like being jealous that some hoe is making a move on your man.
@@kimilsungthefirst6840 FR she acts like the same shit doesn't happen with naruto vs sasuke, one piece vs other shonen , best girl vs best girl
No offense but the some times some female lead just sucks. 😑.
This is really true. It's also worth mentioning that this isn't just an audience's skewed perception, but an author's as well. As, in these love-triangle stories, the second male romantic interest is oftentimes presented as far more sympathetic then a second female romantic interest. The narrative is fit around it to convey that the woman is a "threat" to the relationship from the beginning, there are few stories that show the actual self-awareness on the protagonists' side or a sympathetic view for the "second woman".
Perhaps this is because, oftentimes, in love-triangle stories we're presented with a female perspective. The second male love interest is an option, why the second female love interest is competition for the male love interest. Why, if this were written in a male perspective, perhaps we would see more hatred towards the second male love interest.
Either way, the sexism is STRONG in this trope.
Fruits Basket was the manga/anime in which I first thought that the love triangle between Yuki and Kyo was going to be the focus.
Turns out, the triangle was the least I ever thought about after finishing and I loved that.
Pls i was SO worried about that when I first started watching Furuba so i was sort of preemptively rolling my eyes. Turns out it was barely a triangle at all and my feels were completed demolished by the end of it lol
Fruit basket is greatness
@@sweetlittlenothing7696 u see i love fruba w all my heart . It got me into animes nd gave me PAD for like 2 weeks . Its great but only like ick i have w it is . How tohru got interested in kyo all so suddenly at the end . Ik she hadbeen blushing fr kyo all throughout the series but same thing can be said fr yuki also . I dont like how all of sudden her will to save kyo nd yuki changed into saving only kyo . Whereas i really felt bad fr yukis back story then kyos . Nd it broke me where she let go of her mother fr kyo . Aghhhhh why . I loved how she always remebered her mothers words nd tried to better herself nd suddenly she let go of her So loving (nd badass) mother for kyo! Whom i didnt forgive fr her mothers dying literally it was so selfish of him ! . Md lastly why didnt they show cute moments of kyo nd tohru . Ahh i wanted more. All of these waiting nd we only got like two intimate moments ?!(myb its a me pblm) nahhh i wanted more . So fr me except the last two eps it was THE Best Anime fr me . Nd i miss it so much
@@tabassumsaraah those are all valid points,tho I'd argue Tohru didn't really stop loving her mother or anything for Kyo,I think it was more so meant to represent her allowing herself to live in the future and love someone _besides_ her mom without feeling like she was being unfair for it,not loving Kyo _instead_ of her mom. I think it was just her realising her mom would just have wanted her to be happy even when she was no longer there with her,you get what I mean? At least that's how I'm personally reading it lol. Also i agree! I wanted more cute moments!!! Maybe there were more in the manga and got cut for time who knows lol :P
@@sweetlittlenothing7696 your take on it is quite good . Ill also try to think it that way , uk to cool down my hurt heart 😪hehe anyway you got some cool anime or manga recs ? It soo painful to find a good manga ,
100% agree. Long running love triangles that don't have character growth are what put me off of romance series for a long time. I'm glad to see more fleshed out ones coming up and being mentioned because the trope itself isn't bad it's just the way it's used by many authors is just so tired and blah.
I agree 100%! When romance is the center theme of a story it gets like 60-80 tops. It gets boring really quick when they drag it out. If it has romance as a side but is a still thing then it better be developed with in 100 chapters.
Chihayafuru doesn't have a love triangle, it's a square.
Taichi loves Chihaya
Arata loves Chihaya
Chihaya loves Karuta
Pffft 🤣
Someone unfamiliar may think karuta is another bishounen rival😛
Upvooooooooooooote
Can someone spoil me on who Chihaya ends up with? I loved the anime to pieces but waiting very impatiently for an English release of the manga in physical volumes to read it to completion. I just want to know if my ship sails of sinks.
@@ilvanime01 Literally don’t know yet. If it happens, it’s a last chapter thing. And you might just yesterday be able to find raws to know, but Team Iroha hasn’t translated yet.
You can search for my comments elsewhere in these video comments if you want my full perspective on it. ;-)
But the long and short is “it kinda doesn’t matter.”
Being a major fan of villainess type series (I've read so many I could probably write my own) I feel like that genre very much stemmed from wanting to give the second female lead a chance at happiness. My main gripe with villainess stories is that love triangles turn into full blown reverse harem and I can only take so many harem themes before my brain implodes
I've never read a villainess series but I've heard that same sentiment how it's basically for the second female leads. What would your #1 fave villainess series be? I might need to check one out.
@@ColleensMangaRecs Hmmm that's hard to say but I think the one I'd recommend the most is Jishou Akuyaku Reijou na Konyakusha no Kansatsu Kiroku. I don't think it's been serialized in English yet but it's already completed and it has a really sweet ending!
@@ColleensMangaRecs If you’re into manhwa, The Villainness Reverses the Hourglass is a pretty classic Villainess plot that’s mostly completed (currently in the ending side stories phase).
@@ColleensMangaRecs sorry to chime in but I have to recommend Tearmoon Empire too, it's a great read and there aren't a lot of chapters out, it's so good I even went to read the light novel after first catching up with it
@@ColleensMangaRecs I feel like this was a much, much bigger trend in manhwa than manga. Unfortunately, even outside of the more comedic stories I feel like the writers just use regression/isekai/etc to have the former villainess character become just another cookie cutter female lead (earnest, super sweet, focused on nurturing the male lead's feelings, oblivious). If you'd like one where the villainess retains an edge I can't recommend Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess/Villains Are Destined to Die enough. The series maintains a sense of tension and danger that's amazing. I don't want to give spoilers, but I love how she interacts with the "love interests" from such an analytical survival focused perspective. She's not indecisive, she's hedging her bets just to live.
I usually suffer from second male syndrome, but it isn't because I feel bad for the guy if I prefer the male lead then I prefer the male lead, but I am usually a fan of the extroverted friend type over most other archetypes, but that usually is the second male lead (it also doesn't help that I am not a fan of stoic characters who are usually the main love interests)
and to be fair that also applies to second female leads, there is a reason people say the childhood friend never wins
my final thoughts on love tringles, if they are done well then it exponentially increases my enjoyment of the story, but if they are done badly it exponentially decreases my enjoyment of the story
Omg same with the extroverted guys! Do you have any recs with that type of guys?
@@denizkaragullu6239 Sure! I am always happy to help fellow fans with exquisite taste ;)
one I am reading currently is *"Something About Us"* , (it's a solid college drama with fun characters, with an engaging friends-to-lovers trope where the extroverted guy is a keeper and end game! it's a truly great read, but it's manhwa)
and if you're not in the mood for reading a manhwa there is still some great anime like *"Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You"* (which is a classic love story between a shy girl and an extroverted gut) or *"Aishiteruze Baby★★"* (where an extroverted guy and a quiet girl have to do their best to take care of a kid together), there is also *"Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun"* (a love story between a reserved studious girl and a delinquent boy who was actually quite sweet and cheerful but just wanted friends)
but if you're in the mood for reading some good and old reliable manga then I also got you covered, with quality series like *"Taiyou no Ie"* where the female lead goes to live with her old-time extroverted friend and starts developing feelings for him, or *"Koko ni Iru yo!"* where the female lead tries to get out of her shell while the two most popular boys of school try to support her since unbenounced to her they are actually her internet friends, and last but not least there is *"Last Game"* where an extroverted guy tries to make his long time quite friend fall in love with him, which is quite hard considering she is super dense
I hope this was helpful, if you end up enjoying at least one of them then this comment was worth it :)
@@yurineri2227 dude/girl you are the best I am so happy 😭😭😭 I've read "something about us" and watched "Kimi ni Todoke" but I will definitely check the other ones. I will comment my thoughts for sure! Thanks again and againnnn
@@denizkaragullu6239 I am super glad you liked it 😊, and yes, please don't forget to update me with your thoughts :)
main issue with SLY for me is when they clearly have better chemistry.
In the worst case I've seen, the main girl didn't even talk much to the main guy. 😭
Fruits basket until this day is my only love triangle approved story.
Where it turns the tables on the 2nd male lead syndrome and reveals that that there are different types of love and what they see in others that make that love different to another
Well because it is not even a love triangle
We were tricked it was going to be like that but it is not.
I can't help but roll my eyes whenever there's a love triangle in romance anime just because of how poorly most of them are done. I'm actually guilty of 2nd male lead syndrome but I actually got it from watching so many kdramas where the 2nd option is so much better than the male lead because of how unlikable they always make them. Not gonna lie I was totally in love with Touma in aoi haru ride but I think I just really did not like Kou during the later half that made me want Futaba to be with Touma instead...
I never noticed till you mentioned it but wow, I really cannot remember a love triangle with a female 2nd lady that didn't write them to be super antagonistic and bitchy. Also I really hated the love triangle in Orange I feel so bad for Suwa.
I 100% feel this for kdrama/manhwa second male leads. To the point where I consider Strong Woman Do Bong Soon an example of a second male lead (in tropes and personality) getting to be the male lead (in being endgame) and that's 90% of my love for the show.
only manga to have done love triangle right in my opinion is No longer Heroine
u are so real for this😭
Yessss, I definitely noticed female 2nd leads getting scrutinized a TON! Kurimi from Kimi ni Todoke is a perfect example of this, especially when she had feelings for Kazehaya. On the other hand someone like Kairi from Peach Girl was seen as the perfect guy for Momo…
Kurumi is exactly who I was talking about for that part 😭
yes omg i always see 2nd female leads get shit on even if they're actually nice 😭😭
Ironically enough I actually liked Kurumi in Kimi ni Todoke especially because of her immense growth as a character. On the contrary Kairi worked on my last nerves in Peach girl. While initially I preferred him over Toji-I feel like in the end they were both equally bad.
LITERALLY
Not even a female 2nd lead. If just another female period would appear in the manga chapter in the end, all of the comments would already be sharpening their pitchforks and lighting their torches, already suspecting this new character of whorous witchery
Say I Love You is my favorite manga series for numerous reasons. One thing I’ve noticed that I absolutely love about it is that, although it uses love triangle dynamics several time ms throughout the series, each one is for a different reason which gets explained. Aiko starts out jealous of Mei because she’s dating Yamato. she likes him bc he doesn’t judge based on looks and she has body image issues. She’s aggressive toward Mei and even bullies her, but Mei responds in an understanding and even supportive way. Flash forward later in the series and they’re best friends. Megumi likes yamato bc he’s “princely” which stems from her deep-seated need from her childhood to be given attention- if she’s with him, this popular good-looking guy, all eyes are on her too by association. This is one of the first times Mei has to deal with jealousy and it is done very well and very maturely, the characters clearly communicate their feelings and after that meg kind of does her own thing focusing on her career as a model (not to mention the growth she has as an individual, which is supported by her frenemy type relationship to Kai). Later on there are the twins. the brother has a crush on mei. After the other times where mei and Yamato have dealt with jealousy and grown together, they have learned they have a deep enough bond now that there’s little risk of one of them leaving the other. So although yamato gets jealous momentarily, it subsides quickly because he knows by now that mei won’t leave for just anybody. Their trust grows as a result of all these little instances, and not only that but mei who started out with only asami as her friend develops close friendships with many of the same people who were threatening her relationship early on like kai and aiko. Even the twin bro’s crush on her doesn’t stop them from being friendly and staying in contact as acquaintances while mei finds her footing as a volunteer. I love this series so much, but all of these little ways the author creates interest while focusing closely on character development and strengthening their bonds makes me love it all the more.
I agree, love triangles are unfortunatly a bit overused but if they are done right they can be very rewording as well.
And thank you for recomending new shojo manga again. I love your videos
I have some recommendations! Do u like incest romance? xS
Although I'm not a fan of love triangles, what you said about Snow White with the Red Hair is sooooo true. I LOVE Obi!! He wouldn't be the same character if he wanted Shirayuki all for himself, his attraction to Shirayuki is directly related to how she conducts herself while being in love with Zen. There aren't many characters like that and I find it so charming.
Yeah, with Obi I get less "waiting in the wings for HIS DAY TO SWOOP IN" and more "the sweet tang of something lovely out of reach". You can both move on from someone while still always having that soft spot for them that makes you smile. The manga captures that feeling well.
Coming from someone who often falls for the second leads and jokingly identifies as having "Second-Lead Syndrome", I do agree with the point that if the main female were to end up with them, it would stray away from the focus/development of the already established bond with the first male lead. And I can get why that'd frustrate a lot of people, especially if you're coming into the story solely for the main female & male lead to get together.
In my experience (and personal opinion ofc!), I just find myself more invested in the second-leads bc they act as a good stress-relief away from the chaos/drama that sometimes goes down between the main couple. So when I see them interact with the female lead and they're vibing with little-to-no problems, I can't help but consider them as an option I'd personally prefer~
Or sometimes the manga ends up giving them more internal monolgues/insights that make me understand their character so much more than the main lead (though that varies case-to-case, depending on the writer)
That or sometimes, I just like personality of them much more and I want their happiness to be fulfilled. So ultimately, the bias-ness on our side ends up choosing what they desire vs what the female lead would desire.
Just a list of reasons from my perspective! I do like how you mentioned how second female leads get mistreated compared to their male counterparts and I always found that annoying as well. Great video btw!!
I jokingly talk a lot about having "Second Male Lead Syndrome" and I agree with all of this! re: male vs female seconds it is really rough how the "competing" women are written. I wonder if it's an outcropping of obsessively making the female leads "average" and "relatable". Once a female audience has related to the female lead they probably don't want a female competitor to make them feel... idk... insufficient?
Totally agree! For me, most of the stories I read/watch, the 2 lead often is more open to his own feelings and more open up to the protagonist, mean while, the real lead is causing some jealousy ou deattacthments problems. I 'm honestly tired of leads whos acts "cold" kkk.
But when is a female 2 lead, often she is write as a mastermind bully b*tch... So... Totally unfare writings kkk
I feel like the best love triangle I’ve ever seen
is probably in fruit basket between tohuro,kyo and yuki
At first I thought it was going to end ugly but it actually helped develop the characters into better people and it was only for season 1!!!
So ya that’s my favorite but I definitely enjoyed your picks :)👍
Sorry to barge in here, but do you think their situation can seriously be compared to other love triangle though, when despite trying Yuki ended up seeing her as mother. Most other love polygons , people see each other as romantic love interests. Personally I felt some of yuki-tohru interactions were a bait from author. Kyo-Tohru romantic tension felt more natural.
This was the comment I was looking for! I personally loved Yuki over Kyo but I thought they did the love triangle really well and I’m glad it ended up the way it did :)
I was going to comment that, I know it's not a traditional love triangle but the reader don't know that till the ending chapters. I find their dynamic refreshing and couldn't choose a side till the end, I spend most time curious about what's going to happen
@@nushrathumaira2257 it wasnt a "bait". Remember yuki said when he realized that his feelings for tohru were non romantic he played up the princely character. Cuz he freaked out and thought it was weird for a boy his age to be seeing tohru as a mum
@@mono8476 to be fair, most romance manga use this sort of bait to spice up and spark peoples curiosity/shipping war, where characters are sort of flirting or thrown together every chance. So yes here the author used it too, readers fell for it otherwise why would they think yuki- tohru may happen. At least for Yuki, he had a reason and he was doing this to test himself so that’s good( imagine irl someone do this test and mislead the other to fall for them, that would be so bad). Me personally , 9 out of 10 times didn’t see any attraction between those two( yuki - tohru) and thought yuki was doing it to provoke kyo. For me , the thing I cared about was everything related to kyo and tohru, everything else I criticize very hard about.
Long-running love triangles are one of those things that usually don't work for me unless the author is really careful with it (what you said about characterization being a potential plus is very true) or the concept itself is somewhat played with or subverted. But at the same time I've never been super caught up in shipping in general, so even love triangle's worst outcomes are just detrimental to my enjoyment of the story than feeling like a personal stab of betrayal haha
Also appreciate the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend shout-out - that show is such a gem!
CXG is such a good show! All those songs really get stuck in your head. Ever since editing this video I've been singing the math of love triangles song nonstop.
Yeah like honestly for Koi wo Shiranai Bokutachi wa (which I briefly showed in the video) I wasn't happy with the endgame couple but I was just kinda meh about it more than hating the series because it did make sense lol.
My first ever Shoujo manga was Kitchen Princess. I was a kiddo so it was also the first time I read something with a love triangle and boy was I not ready with how that manga ended their love triangle.
I was a teenager when I first read Kitchen Princess, and how the love triangle ended messed me up for a whole week. My friends and I were in disbelief! Can't even imagine how you must have felt reading it as a kid!!
omg same! i felt like the love triangle had much more potential but they just had to kill off that certain character 😭
Oh gosh that shocked me so much, still can't believe that happened-
I feel so seen and heard when you mentioned Strobe Edge being better than AHR. The triangle absolutely helped the characters grow and propel the story. I use to get a lot of hate online for even saying it lol
Strobe edge had such good character writing
YES! THANK GOODNESS YOU ADDRESSED ZOBIYUKI - I personally love obi - and have rooted for him since the beginning - but I also recognize how much love Zen and Shirayuki have for each other. Being an Obi supporter really does make you feel like Obi himself just cuz I also feel like I have an undying loyalty to Zen and Shirayuki even though I know in the forefront of my mind that I am simultaneously an Obi supporter. I didn't even think of possibility or even desire for Zen and Shirayuki not to end up together cuz I mean hmm that defeats the whole purpose of the series and the only alternative I could ever see happening is zobiyuki haha the mangaka really has a way of creating character chemistry cuz I also love the trio mitsuhide, kiki, and hisame too
Omw same. You've described my feeligs towards this perfectly 😭
YES THANK YOU the urge to commit unforgivable crime whenever i see people say shirayuki needs to leave zen for obi✋✋
I am *VERY* picky with love triangles. As a Shoujo mangaka I ensure I do this carefully! I prefer ones when the second male lead also becomes happy but with a well-built and developed relatable, rather than being depressed from rejection or getting a last minute relationship for “happy ending” sake. I think love triangles help to enhance the quality of the story but it has to be done right and I usually like “bad boys” but with genuinely justifiable backstories rather than them being abusive or dismissive for no good reason. I like healthy relationships so present it in my work.
I also think Narumi was essential for Kou's growth but it took waaaay too many chapters that it became so annoying.
I'm a second lead stan for bad boy Colleen
Great analysis of the love triangle and the ways it can go wrong or go right. A lot of it comes down to how much of a real character the author makes the "rival". I particularly like your point, when using Snow White with the Red Hair as an example, that the resolution has to make sense within the context of the story being told.
Futari de Koi sounds like really interesting and looks gorgeous, I'll check that out!
bad boy Colleen stealing female leads AND hearts😤
1:09 these cutscenes made me laugh so hard 🤣
Yet another banger by Colleen 👏
When a love triangle is an actual "who will they choose?" I can really enjoy the inner conflict of sorting out one's feelings and seeing how the two competing love interests will react to the idea of having a rival and the person they care about not feel the same arduous, certain devotion they do. It's interesting when it's very much a mystery how things will turn out and generally requires some good character building + relationship development, which I like. There's so many interesting situations you can put characters in that can allow a love triangle to form and be executed with excellent results, so it's super sad that it's often poorly used.
If I can INSTANTLY recognize who the MC will choose, it's almost always terribly contrived and irritating, because it's going to not have much bearing on the characters, their relationships, or the plot in the long term. Plus, it's even more frustrating when the MC always seems to choose the lead who is broody, mean, condescending, etc. over one who is cheerful, kind, mature, etc. It's always so strange that it's almost always the same conflict without much variety and the broody character is almost never written in the kinds of ways that would make them sympathetic or endearing or have worthwhile internal growth.
I definitely agree with you. To your first paragraph, one of the reasons I think triangles were so popular in YA is because, in all honesty, most love triangle behavior is only tolerable in teenagers. They're inexperienced and tend to make complete messes of their interpersonal relationships as part of growing up. A good triangle "who will they choose?" can really make a "who do they want to be?" pop. ((And yes - if we know who's end game day 1 it's no fun as a triangle))
I’m complete opposite, I find it incredibly unromantic when the female or the person that has to choose between two people just cannot decide, there are some things in life that is hard to decide who to choose, but if it’s about a person you love, that is so fcking unromatic and messed up, flip that table and have a male lead being split between two girls, and you wouldn’t like it, the idea of being desirable to a point you can’t choose between two people makes it so shallow to me, imagine your husband falling for someone and suddenly he can’t choose between his mistress or you? lol I doubt you would still find this romantic
@@aoharu_jwell your analogy doesn't really accurate in this topic, if your spouse hesitate in choosing between their marriage partner or their mistress then it's adultery, a betrayal, not love triangle. Love triangle's real purpose is to push the feelings of FL and ML so their relationship could progress further or to stir drama intended for the character growth of all intended party involved. If the 2nd ML at this point chasing just after FL and ML already in relationship then it's not longer love triangle but rather unnecessary nuisance. Sadly not all manga/comics understand it and just making the 2nd ML a sad boy who hard simping FL and can't move on, homewrecker in totally fine relationship, or a villain.
However I understand your opinion, you have different perspective and I respect it. For example I personally don't really like the love triangle in fruit basket between yuki, kyo and tohru and not everyone thinks the same and it's totally okay.
I was really enjoying Ao Haru Ride in the beginning but it really gets frustrating further on...
I've loved Futari de koi and all other Hiro Chihiro's works until now!
Thank you for this video, I might think again next time before avoiding a love triangle manga :D
Shunkan Gradation from Chihiro Hiro is a great series too and for any anti-love triangle people, it's literally got none lol!
@@ColleensMangaRecs haha yes! I specially connected with the theme of trying to find something you love to do and devoting yourself to it :)
I think my favorite type of Love triangles are the ones where the main couple is pretty much established, but the other party wouldn't also be a bad choice.
A good example would be "Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun" where Shizuku and Haru have established that they like each other and then we have Ooshima-san who also likes Haru, but knows that she doesn't have a chance and also Yamaken who likes Shizuku, but doesn't know it it's only because Haru likes her. That series also has another subtle love triangle between Natsume, Micchan and Sasayan and it's also pretty much without artificial drama.
As someone who knows a person in a love triangle, I would appreciate the second lead to be more calm, collective, and respectful in expressing their love. In real life, love triangle dynamics will only cause more harm than good: not only you will have a bad fight against the main couple, it can also stain your reputation in the eyes of the people around you.
Is your PFP from Special A?
@@thelovelybunny9012 yes lol
The editing on this flawless omg 🙏🏾
thank you so much!!!
I hope with all my heart that some random publisher sees how many of us miss good Shoujo through your great videos :)
I remember reading Peach Girl when I was young (it‘s been 84years xD) really enjoying the triangle and the characters
Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of love triangles on my bookshelf… however…. And it’s been a long time since I read it but… have you read “Honey & Clover”? I don’t remember how prominent the love triangle in that was but it’s a story that I felt did a good job of weaving the different character arcs through their artistic journeys and love lives. But you’re right that the problem isn’t the triangle, but how well the author juggles multiple character arcs.
Honey and Clover is a series where I started the anime and then kinda fell off. It wasn't even because I disliked it, I just forgot to keep watching. Maybe I'll try the manga instead.
@@ColleensMangaRecs It’s been so long since I watched the anime and I don’t recall it leaving a big impression on me the way the manga did. 🤔 Definitely give the manga a try though! There are a lot of meaningful panels & pages that I still think about 10+ years later. It’s really well done!
Fellow diehard h&c fan here. That story shaped my life in many ways🥰
And here I was thinking about hachimitsu to clover while watching the video. Gotta be one series that really makes my heart ache for the ML.
You don't always get the girl but that's okay. Just revel in the pain and melancholy.
I didn’t think I’d finally find the positive review for Strobe Edge I’ve been yearning for all these years! The only reason I tried sticking with Ao Haru Ride was because I absolutely loved how Strobe Edge handled the love triangle. I didn’t find myself hating or loving the second lead, and he definitely wasn’t some prop to make the ml jealous, which I think is what most mangaka take that assignment to be. I still haven’t finished Ao Haru Ride, but I guess I finally will one day since it’s part of the Viz subscription. Thanks for the Strobe Edge support, I was practically yelling in agreement at all your points!
oh my god your Obi take was supreme. i 100% agree
i really hate the obvious bias of readers when other female/male 2nd leads/ rivals get introduced in the story even without a single line. if it's a guy, stans are like "kyaa 2nd male lead syndrome is so strong" and if it's a girl she gets called a wh-re even if she did nothing (yet)😭😭
Your editing remains undefeated
😭😭😭 thank you!!! brb gonna go let my college film teacher know that I didn't fail him lol
I feel bad because I’m a huge 2nd lead male fan, I don’t feel bad for them or go for them if they’re problematic or anything though. I just love childhood friend types which are really common. Any romance that involves destiny or knowing each other for a long time just gets my heart in a chokehold. That moment of “Oh my god, is that you? I’ve always had feelings for you!” kills me every time!
There are actually quite a lot of romance shoujo manga that have the childhood trope where the childhood friend is the male lead. It became quite popular recently imo.
@@mayzzz429 nice ;v;
I think love triangles wouldn't be so hated if they didn't often serve as lil more than speed bump in the relationship. Like when they appear we never really see the characters actually go for the second lead, and if they do it's usually portrayed as a mistake. I think more people would be able to bare with them if it felt like there was an honest chance for a true change up in the relationship.
And I think that might be part of why futari de koi works so well, Misono is essentially the second ml at the beginning, and in any other manga he would have probably lost out
The ULTIMATE kabedon 😤😤
I like that you approach both the good and bad sides of love triangles so there's a good balance and understanding of both sides here. Also, I agree with how a lot of 2nd female love interests are treated by fans compared to 2nd male love interests isn't fair. I LOVE it when 2nd FLs end up becoming best friends who are super close with the main FL, or rivals who have reached a mutual understanding and respect for one another later on. We love to see friendship blossoming between girls!!
Most of the time I don't really mind 2nd MLs unless they don't add anything to the story, like you said. Or if I personally just find them really annoying and/or not my type LOL. Sometimes I do find myself rooting for a 2nd ML if he's much kinder or more interesting than the main ML, though. Just depends on the dynamics.
Another great video!! I hope we can see more skits from you in the future 👀😁
Yeah, approaching it from both sides just felt right because honestly.... I'm so in the middle! Like I said at the end, it really is all up to how the writer handles it. Some can, some can't. So it's like you have to know the mangaka prior to starting a love triangle series to know if you even like their writing style anyways.
@@ColleensMangaRecs Very true!!
I'm very much the same as you. I only care about 2nd MLs if they add something towards the story other than being the homewrecker lol or if they are kinder and have better dynamics with the FL.
@@mayzzz429 Sometimes the 2nd ML just work better 😤
Yeah Colleen uploaded, let's go!!!!
Hellz yeah!!!
I’m absolutely late to the party but I have spent the last three days screaming over Futaride dlkfjfhdhshshshshsh thank you SO MUCH for the rec, your taste remains god-tier and impeccable 😭😭😭😭
I laughed so much at your skit where you play all three corners of the triangle!!
I hate love triangles in basically everything, especially when the person ends up with the wrong person 😡😄 I didn't mind it in Blue Spring Ride tho, because i felt like it made sense. Kou felt obligated to stay with Narumi because of how she helped him through a tough time and couldn't say no. Futaba just wanted to forget Kou and jumped into the next best relationship in hope to move on.
I just finished ao haru ride manga (after watching the anime) and I was crying sm bcs of all the steps back that futaba and kou relationship had😭 i don't think it was that necessary all the pain that it caused me, and at the end idk if i'm happy that they end up together bcs I just wanted kou to get therapy, sooo thank u smmm for this video I am going to read strobidge bcs of your really good points on how well the love triangle is executed🥺💖
ahr is one of my fav shojos so the ao haru ride love square kills me when i think ab the manga 😞
100% agree with everything you said and you actually made me think "yeah i guess not ALL of them are bad" because i usually hate it a lot jsjdjskd but a especial shout out for what you pointed out with swwtrh i feel like the majority focus on obi so much they ignore shirayuki
Omg I’m just caught up with Snow White with the Red hair and was thinking the exact same thing. Thank you for saying it.
Also personally Shirayuki and Zen are a perfectly written romance that I can’t see anything else
I think Daytime Shooting Star has a really good love triangle (even if I'm not a fan of this kind of story).Till the end you can't understand who the boy that "win" susumi love's. Now I don't trust the "he does have chance" anymore XD
colleen never misses😮💨🙏
You forgot about the most triangle of all love triangles BERSERK.
My favourite love poligone (it has too many angles to count) is the one in Ao no flag. There's a reason for all the attraction and is developed during the story, maybe is not love but admiration? I love her but I know she doesn't love me the same way, why he sacrifice everything for someone as worthless as me?, are some of the examples of dilemmas in this story. But not only focuses on love, also in gender and dreams. Is a beautiful story that I 100% recommend.
PS: if you don't understand the ending, read it again and focus on how the narrator is talking.
I totally agree. “Ao no Flag” is an awesome manga overall. All the triangles made sense cause characters were so greatly written, they felt like real human beings.
I really hate when the outcome of a love triangle is obvious (it'll be the first male lead in almost every case!), yet the narrative acts as if there's any actual uncertainty. I don't mind love triangles where one side is very obviously hopelessly one-sided, so long as the mangaka isn't trying to pretend otherwise to manufacture tension where there really isn't any.
Love triangles, like any trope, can be done well and they can be done poorly. I REALLY adore them when they're done well though, so it's sad to see people with so much hate for them without even knowing the context of one.
Please, do your own shoujo live action, you are so theatrical, i loved it :) thanks for another amazing shoujo essay
I'm just now dipping my toe into shojo and have watched Yona and Snow White. I have (and read) the first 4 volumes in snow white, so I haven't gotten past the where the anime finished yet.
BUT
As someone who doesn't care for love triangles (for all the reasons you mentioned) I really liked the love triangle in Snow White with the red hair.
While I think Shiryuki and Zen are meant to be and end game, I like how Obi supports them even though he has feels for Shiriyuki. He loves and respects both of them to keep his feelings to himself. And I just really appreciate it. They could have easily made the type that keeps persisting the girl that just make her uncomfortable and ultimately hurts all 3 of them. Too many times (especially in shonen as I haven't read much shojo) a guy that is persistent is often seen as manly and brave. It's not. It's coercion.
I adore Obi and hope he gets a happy ending also! And while the moments he has with Shiriyuki are cute, I don't want them to be together. (maybe in a world where she never met Zen, but Zen is great also and him and Shiriyuki deserve each other!)
Second leads definitely need personal growth in a story. Because if they don't, then it just makes them look like tools for the author to stir drama 😕
I love when second male leads actually fall in love with someone else and move on, then I feel like it's an actual good love story.
(Like in A Sign of Affection, where the second female lead slowly starts to fall in love with her best friend. It was nice to see that she wasn't treated like an evil witch by everyone)
yes futari de koi is the only time reading a highschool romance that made me think i don't mind love triangles! and i also agree on the slice of life vibes. i finished the manga this year and i really think it explores the aspects of first love, heartbreak, the fear of falling in love again, rejecting someone after knowing how it feels to get rejected and finding an unconditional love - just beautifully and very realistically. someone please license it bc it's such a gem among shoujo mangas 😭
Two love triangles I really appreciated despite hating them in general were in Daytime Shooting Star and Shortcake Cake and for totally different reasons. SPOILERS AHEAD (kinda), LOOK AWAY (if u want). The first had a very long drawn out love triangle that didn't resolve itself until the very end and the way it ended up was just so satisfying and a huge relief. The latter has a short-lived love triangle (all shoujo things considered) and it was so great bc romance is too easy of a drama starting point in this genre when we can have messy family relationships and trauma to overcome instead. Also, very cute when the second male lead is even more in love with the actual male lead than our female lead. So yes, love Shortcake Cake's approach to the love triangle as well.
EDIT: Just want to add that my boy Misono doesn't get enough official art love.... it hurts
I really liked what they did in day time shooting star too
i adore ao haru ride but yeah i agree lol so much could have been avoided if they would have just communicated
I remember liking Strobe Edge, now that you remind me of it, I dont really like these kinds of love triangles but I need to re-read this now for sure ^.^
Mickey or Raphael... gonna be honest, there was only one fandom that came to mind, and I'm really hoping this doesn't refer to the TMNT
Lmaooooo no I was talking about the TV show Jane the Virgin 🤣🤣🤣 but now I'm just picturing ship wars over two humanoid turtles
Same
lol love the skit at the 0:58 mark, gave me Community Channel vibes. Great video!
i am actually a huge fan of love triangles. the will they won’t they brings me life. the setting and style of events keeps the trope strong for me because no author does it the same. that being said, i do also hate the misunderstandings that simply don’t need to be there and only exist to pad out the story. but i would take it over the series that already have the couples together because i havent seen one of those done well yet. they’re usually underwhelming with nothing happening because all the story happened off screen before they were together
also, every time i watch your videos i leave with a billion new series to check out. thank you very much. i have lots of reading to do ♥️
same heree. its like a sports match
oh shit i wonder who's gonna win & i hope the guy/pair i like wins lol
its also fun to argue that ur ship is better cuz they actually hv chemistry XD
ex: damon x elena, kyo x tohru, tsukushi x tsukasa
The hand in the wall!!😂 Good video!
I adore your skits- they make me laugh! 🤣 Another fantastic video, with great references and points! 🥰
Thank you so muchhhh!!!!
I got recommended your videos back when you were maybe at 1k subs. I never comment much but I genuinely really like your content. You know a fuck ton about shoujo manga and anime, these videos are fun to watch.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!! And also the fact that you were here basically right at the start.
I love what you said at the end “don’t hate the troupe, hate the writers who can’t handle three characters simultaneously” it sums up how I feel about love triangles perfectly. They are great when done right. And not so great when done wrong.
I agree, Hakamada is used 100% of the time to give spice to the relationship, and it goes on a loop, they should have cut it wayy sooner.
Ao Haru Ride had such a loop of a emotions that as a unstable teen reading it I had a session with my therapist bc of my anxiety 💀
i really really dislike love triangles, even if they’re well written cause i tend to get attached to everyone so i end up miserable too. also im a sucker for bff to lovers trope and the best friend always lose.
This isn't directly related to the video, but I've found your videos really calming when I'm dealing with my anxiety lately. Thanks for creating!
I'm okay with love triangles if it feels like either of the love interests could be a possibility. Like I don't need to feel the one choosing has no idea who they want, I just need moments that make me doubt it. Just... keep some sort of stakes! Why would I read 10+ manga tomes about a pairing I knew from the berry beginning how would end?
I always loved the way fruits basket handled it. like, Yuki looked like a contender, but as things came around it seems like he came to understand that what he felt for Tohru was more along the lines of something he would've felt for his mother if she'd been less... well, whatever the hell she was (checked out? content to take the money and run so she didn't have to acknowledge how she'd failed her children?). the fact that Kyo (in my interpretation) never looked to tohru for the kind of marental guidance we see several of the other characters veer towards her for is a big contributor to why they ended up being one of the strongest relationships. the footing between them was always more even than it was between tohru and yuki
It so refreshing to see other people who hated the love triangle in ao haru
I like your videos a lot and do you have any comments on the love triangle of hirunaka no ryuusei!
Amazing video thanks so much for sharing and explaining about the different Love Triangle Mangas. 😁
Absolutely love your channel!! I binge read Drowning Love when you recommended it in a past video. I read so much shoujo growing up and missed that grittier more emotional type of shoujo storytelling.
I did experience some intense second lead syndrome though lol. Kou was soooo emotionally manipulative and volatile towards Natsume, and I was so relieved when she started a relationship with the 2nd lead. He gave her much needed space and understanding to process her trauma and never pushed her or purposely hurt her like Kou did. I was sooooo mad at hoe the story concluded. For a manga with such a heavy focus on relationships, I felt like her healthier one was sidelined for the more dramatic one.
In many shoujo especially older ones, it's frustrating that the first male lead can exhibit extremely toxic traits and yet still get the girl with some final hour character growth, compared to some second make leads who are kind. Just my 2 cents!!
Personally I'm very fond of the love triangle in Mizutama Honey Boy. Although it adds nothing to the story, the 2nd male lead is such a fun character. He's just annoyingly there causing chaos and it's hilarious. Plus he's the only character I can think of which "dated" his love rival.
Another series I think that handled the love triangle well is Ookami Shounen wa Kyou mo Uso o Kasaneru, this one's a shounen not a shoujo though. Both the FL's are given some closure whether it be romantic or character wise, and the drama resulting in the love triangle is handled fairly well. And without giving away the ending all I can say is best girl wins in the end.
Omg the love triangle in Mizutama Honey Boy is just pure adulterated chaos. I was so there for it.
This is the first video I’ve ever watched on this channel, and I did not see that love triangle reinactment coming 🤣
the lil kabedon scene..... flawless 🤌
we love to see some strobe edge appreciation
I can agree with this video 100%, its mostly due to the writing on why a love triangle can very much suck. I might have to venture deeper into good love triangles, give me good development for the cast and the chemistries and you have won me over. I am a simple woman after all :)
Same. I don't like love triangles that much but I love it when it's done right. Like it's soooo satisfying to see the progress, dynamics and the development of the leads because of it. But most of the love triangles are poorly written. That's for sure.
Another wonderful video Colleen 👍. I absolutely agree with all of your points there. Love triangles aren't really my favorite but when it's done right it's sooo good imo. The ones that I like are Orange and Daytime Shooting Star. There are more but I can't remember. So so agree on second female leads. People judge them too quickly even though they did nothing. I like sfl when they have character growth and becomes friends with the MC.
you just put in a vid all my feelings over why i can't love trainlges and harems more often that note.
also , i've become such a big fan of your vids! i've redicovered my love odf shoujo with your channel, can't wait for your next vid!
mannn ao haru ride was SUCH a pain to get through! when futaba and kou were single and interested in each other it was pretty good but then futaba dated the other guy and ugh! i am interested in strobe edge, but i'm a little wary just because i didn't like the two other sakisaka works i read (ao haru and love me love me not)
I think if you're not a fan of Io Sakisaka's works then you probably won't be a fan of Strobe Edge either. However I do think that many of her series after have been slightly watered down versions of what SE was in both character designs and story. So do with that info what you will lmao
Did anyone forget to mention the most disastrous love of all time : The great vampire knight, seriously the most disastrous love triangle i ever read. One manga which made hate this love triangle troupe , usually i have the second lead syndrome but after this nahh... I was like why do author's even write Love triangles , just why?
Good to know about Cheeky Brat, I've read three volumes and been on the fence about dropping it but now I know about the annoying triangle I think I'll drop it for sure, fortunately I don't own the series but reading it from the library. I did wonder how it could be 23 volumes....
a love triangle i really liked was the one in a condition called love. they didnt do it for cheap drama, everyone involved was a fleshed out character with a purpose and it was resolved very realistically
Amazing video as always!!!! I love this so much and I agree with all ur points(specially the second male lead syndrome) ANSNSNKS will real the ones you said were made flawlessly, maybe my hatred towards love triangles will fade away at least a bit! + fuck namaikizakari, as much as i love the manga i also hate it for making me go through the same miscommunications-> fight -> apologize -> make our cycle😫😫
Same here, like I don't HATE Namaikizakari as a series (or Ao Haru Ride for that matter) but the love triangle made it so middle of the road to borderline hard to read at times.
@@ColleensMangaRecs it’s a hard journey, but when everything is good i feel comfort reading so i always stick around 🤦🏼♀️
When they're done well, love triangles are great. One of my favorite things to explore in fictional romances. I loved how complicated the relationships in Toradora were (although ideally it could have just had a poly ending where Ryuji, Taiga, and Minori ALL get together since those girls clearly love each other as much as they love him!), I loved the reveal in Fruits Basket of the love triangle... actually NOT being a true love triangle.
On the other hand, when done poorly, there are few things that frustrate me MORE in fictional romances. I was a big fan of Vampire Knight for years, even continuing to enjoy it when many others lost interest, but the ending really bothered me. Matsuri Hino just couldn't commit to a side. She tried to please both camps and in doing so pleased NEITHER. All the development was there for Yuki to just be happy with Zero and leave Kaname to end as a tragic villain, but NO. Let's have Yuki go back to Kaname for one last intimate moment. Which has ~consequences~. Let's have Yuki walk back the choice SHE made to join Zero in opposing Kaname and make it unclear again who she'd actually be with if she had to choose. UGH.
At least in shoujo manga the shipping wars and debate aren't nearly as heated as many more "popular" examples. Being a fan of Final Fantasy 7 is exhausting by comparison.
omg u mentioned and perfectly describe my frustration with namaikizakari fkebdndbdndhdbddb every chapter i go "JUST FUCKING REJECT HIM AND BACK OFF DUDE AAAAAAA"
This might be a hot take for some but I personally don't understand why Ao Haru Ride became so popular. Yes the art style is indeed great (both anime and manga) as well as the animation overall, but as someone who has followed the series for years until its last chapters, I couldn't wait for the drama to be over and bam last few chapters. For some reason Sakisaka is too loyal to the love-square trope, it was really something that annoyed me, even in Strobe Edge (and in Love me love me not too although a bit less presisstant) especially for how long it lasted in AHR until it was resolved, iirc until chapter 46 or so. It was honestly too forced and she should have tackled Kou's response a bit better and this I think was the reason that I started avoiding anime/manga in general with love triangles
Having the two love interests have an interesting dynamic with (at the very least) the protagonist is essential. I love the love triangle with the Given movie, because both of the legs of the love triangle prompted the one on the middle to change and grow. It was obvious who the endgame was, but the emotional weight was such that every moment was amazing.
i think my fave love triangles in shoujo are in waiting for spring, daytime shooting star, and orange!
More than a love triangle is a love angle , only that part that frustrates me
Colleen, I have to say that this is one of the best videos you have made. I agree so much on the points you make! I wish it was longer lol. You keep mentioning Chihayafuru and it's obvious how much you love that manga, I need to start reading it asap!
i think futaba did have some development in the end though, she was scared to date kou after breaking up with touma because of what other people would think. but after talking to her friends and realizing her feelings, she realized how she can’t always keep caring about what others think and she should do what makes her truly happy.
YAYAYA IVE BEEN WAITING 😫😫💗💗
AHHH I LOVED STROBE EDGE'S LOVE TRIANGLE. I LOVED THE MANGA. Never have i ever been so heartbroken to see 2ML rejected.
Such a good video!!
maybe i will try again strobe edge cuz I dropped it some years ago u.u
I'm more into drama series so I remembered it has some of that :")
good video, I've really enjoyed it ^^
If you do try it again would love to know what you think! I re-read it almost every year around fall time and maybe I just have too much nostalgia for the series or something but easily one of my favorite shoujo romance manga.
@@ColleensMangaRecs I will read it as soon as possible :3
I can't wait to start!! ^^
This is the second video that I watch and it was interesting. I'm going to share my thoughts to each point of the videos about this trope with examples .This will be a long comment,but anyway. In a summary,love triangles are hated and at the same time loved,it's 50/50. You have people who love this trop because of the drama spicing up the story and you have people who hate it because of what you said,Colleen. It can be overused,unnecessary and tiring. But,me,I feel both ways when it comes to love triangles depending how they are done in media that I consume. First thing first,I skipped the part you talk about Cheeky love because I am currently reading the manga and I am at the volume 5. But,I'm at the moment that Shizuka confessed to have admiration towards Yuki because he thinks she changes Shou's perspective. Yuki,in the contrary thinks that Shizuka changed him by motivating him in basketball and she asked if he can still be his rival in basketball. Im not too far in the manga,so I cannot really give my thoughts about the rest. I dont know the other manga,so I will stay silent about it. I will devide my comment for each point to give my opinions so let's start with the second lead syndrome :
- I feel the same way when you said that there's people who love the second lead because how sorry they are for them,but you are right,sometimes ending up with the second lead is pointless because he or she will be only used as a second option and only be with the lead when everything goes wrong with the main lead. For example, we have Lindsey,the second female lead, Lucas,the male lead and Peyton,the main female lead. When Peyton and Lucas broke up,he didn't even manage to stay single,he met Lindsey even having feelings for Peyton still. His love story was pointless with Lindsey because she was just a second option for Lucas until she realizes it herself by calling off the engagement with him. Then few episodes later,he came back together with Peyton. At this instant, I thought to myself that if it was about him to still have feelings for Peyton,then why he used Lindsey as the second option? He should had stayed single and this would had been better for him to grow more as a character and focus solely on himself.
- Also, I do agree with the point when you said that the main lead should go with the second main lead just to let go of the main lead to be better. When fans say this,it pisse me off because they are invalidating the lead's feelings for the main lead (unrequited or not) and turns around by worshipping the second lead by reducing him or her as the nice person to be a rebound. For them the second lead should still persue the lead even if the feelings are unrequited and apparently, they know what it's the best for the lead. It's always the case with love triangles who involves 2 guys and 1 girl. The female lead is developing a crush for the main male lead . Then,the main male lead either reciprocate her crush or dont. You have the second male lead having also a crush on her ,but it is clearly one-sided from his side because the female lead love someone else. I did not see this in a romance media (either manga,anime,movie or TV show,but I am going to pick a battle anime witch is Naruto.) Naruto is know to be a shounen anime/manga witch is targeting to a mostly male audience wich involve action,battle and adventures. Canonly, Naruto at first had feelings for Sakura,but Sakura viewed him as a brother and had a crush on Sasuke who will be reciprocate later on the series,witch is like a love triangle (poorly written at that because Kishimoto sucks as writing any kind of relationships.) Let's rewrite this scenario,but instead if they were in a shoujo,witch involves often romance, anime/manga instead. We have Sakura Haruno as the female lead who is in love with Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha is the main main lead and we dont particularly knows his feelings for Sakura. Then,we have Naruto Uzumaki,the second male lead who is in love with Sakura Haruno,but the feelings arent mutual. I remember being an avid SasuSaku shipper when I was young because of the normal girl x popular guy trope,but later on growing up,I realized how was unhealthy and toxic this relationship was,but I though she would change her mind about Naruto and give him a chance (I turned around to ship NaruSaku),but it was bad what I have done. Now,I have no ships in this series. But,let's get in the point that alot of fans said that Sakura's crush on Sasuke was not feminist,made her weak,was silly,unhealthy,unrealistic,obsession and it was lust. For them,she didn't really loved him and dont deserve him. But,in the other side,they hated her in this spectrum for not reciprocating Naruto's feelings,and they kept saying that she should let go of her feelings for Sasuke and date him for her to grow past her crush and as a character because she's wasted potential and act differently when she's with him. According to them,Naruto makes her stronger and they know what's best for her. For them, Naruto who have the same character traits,but it's apparently different because he's in love should continue to persue her. First,they dont know what's best for Sakura because,the best for her should outside of her romances. Also,I avoid these type of fans at all cost because this point if view is very misogynistic and invalidating for women because it's pointing out that our feelings are seen as lesser than men and therefore not taken seriously. And that's what they are doing, supporting Naruto's feelings by making him a nice guy out of character and invalidating Sakura's feelings. I know it's not the perfect example,but it's literally them with this kind of scenario.
- Also,special love triangles can be interesting because it involves less ship wars. For exemple we have Ben,Ryn and Maddy from the TV show Siren. Maddy and Ben are together,but they met Ryn,the main character. At first, people are shipping Ryn with Ben or Ben with Maddy. But,not anymore since the series will go forward and they will become an OT3 or polyamorous relationship because we will learn a bit about Maddy's bisexuality and Ryn's pansexuality when she will have human feelings because normally mermaids have no emotions. Then,Maddy,Ryn and Ben will be polyamory and more people will ship this OT3. Personally,I loved this OT3 and I dont have any who come into my mind.
- I agree,Colleen. The treatment of second lead is different when it comes to gender. The second FEMALE lead will not be treated well by the fanbase compared to the second MALE lead. We know that romance is a genre who target girls and 90% of romance enjoyers are non-men. There's alot of internalized misogyny in women targeted media spaces,for them the second female lead is just seen as a competition because she will be a threat to their favorite ship or get in the way,even if it's not her intention at first. The second male lead will be cherished because he's less intimidating and not really causing any harm to their favorite ship. An example is All American with Spencer,Layla and Olivia. Even though Spencer and Olivia got together, fans still dispised Layla just for minding her business because she still get in the way of Spelivia when she moved on. I feel that she deserved better than the fandom,but I do love Spelivia,though.
- I dont know the mangas you quoted with the well-written love triangles,but I will give my opinions on some love triangles I really enjoyed. Here they are below who I think that were done right in my opinion :
- Jacob, Bella and Edward from Twilight. I loved the drama,it spiced up things between them and created tension. I was young at that time.
-Damon,Katherine and Stefan. I love how both chase over her and try to impress her.
- Damon,Stefan and Elena. I did really loved it and how Elena realized her feelings when she choose.
-Klaus,Caroline and Kamille. I loved when Klaus felt sexual tension with Caroline (low-key why their ship was popular.) But,I shipped Kamille and Klaus because she could turned him nice and showed him what true love was.
-Naho,Suwa and Kakeru from Orange. Alot of people hated it,mostly second male lead stans. I personally enjoyed it because it shows how nice and accepting that Suwa is even if it's hurt not being choosen. He might still had feelings for Naho,but he understood that the feelings will never be mutual and their friendship remained the same and his love for Naho didn't let his friendship with Kakeru die either. I rarely seen this in any romance manga,but I love how the mangaka put an alternative ending for both of the male leads.
- Yuki,Tooru and Sakura for HoriMiya. The same thought for the second love triangle. This is the good about love triangles and I see why some may like this trope.
Now,here's the one's who I absolutely dislike :
- Emily,Michelle and Eldon from The next step. Both girls were in a competition for Eldon and he fumbled them both. I hate when love triangles consist of two people being in a competition or fight for the same person. This make me roll my eyes until this mess stops.
- Troy,Leilaina and Micheal from Reality bites. Leilaina played with both guys feelings until she ends up with Troy. This movie was solely about her dating and cheating on bith of them, it make me dislike this movie because of that stupid love triangle.
- All the love triangles from Elite. I'm sorry,but they were unecessary and they were just there.They did nothing for the characters and only had one trait,being love triangles. Plus,none of them contributed in the story. Those are the bad and the ugly of love triangles and I see why fans hate this trope.
To end my comment, I also look forward for love triangles that are crucial for the characters and their arcs,plus their development in the future. In conclusion,I agree that this trope is not bad as people think it is,it's just how it's done in the plot. But,I will always have this position when it comes to this trope.
*edit*
I at volume 7 of Cheeky love and yes,there's alot of miscommunication from Yuki and Naruse's part and this is frustrating.
Agree - so tired of love triangles in print and onscreen. However Perfect World by Rie Aruga had an illuminating love triangle that was essential to the plot.
Hearing someone talk about Strobe Edge (and talking good things about it!) felt so strange to me, I thought it's one of those series that literally no one knows about!
i also like “secret second ML” but it also hurts my heart. Like with obi and shirayuki, how he likes her but will never say it because of zen
i dont want him with her at all though
Another good video. It's weird how much I can relate to the stuff you say even though our tastes in manga are different.
I was gonna type out a lot about love triangles here but it would just be the same thing you said but using male targeted romances and yuri as my examples.
Would love to hear it from the yuri angle since I've only read a handful and the only one that had a "love triangle" was Run Away With Me Girl (great manga too)
@@ColleensMangaRecs the yuri example I was going to give is Fuuka from Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon. Maybe I enjoy her inclusion because I have been in situations similar to hers where I have pursued a relationship with an old friend too late and had to give up for their happiness.
She acts as a great catalyst to the romance though as her presence makes the main characters realize more about themselves. That right there is what separates a good love triangle from a bad one in my mind.
Also I feel like they work better in shorter series. That might just be my preference for shorter romances though. I don't really read too many longer romances that aren't male targeted. When I have they've been dragged down by something including triangles that go on for too long and don't feel like they contribute to the growth of the main characters.
Just my 2 cents.