[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Spoiler for Major True Tears Spoilers:

Noe played an absolutely huge role in Shinichiro overcoming his personal issue here. It's kind of like a Key route gender-flipped, really. When it comes to helping one's romantic interest achieve an important dream, Noe is to Shinichiro what Tomoya is to Nagisa (1st season of Clannad).

Hiromi's role in Shinichiro successfully overcoming his artistic struggles was pretty minor by comparison, and even then it was pretty much indirect.

For this reason, Shinichiro/Noe seemed to me like a more natural romantic route for True Tears to go with than what Shinichiro/Hiromi did.


But in fairness, Hiromi did have "First Girl" status on her side (i.e. she was the first girl that the male lead showed any romantic interest in), so it wasn't shocking that Shinichiro/Hiromi was how it ended.

Spoiler for True Tears ending:

It's not about romantic anime stereotypes and which trope will win out. It's about resolving all the plot points the way they were set-up. I'm not necessarily saying that there wasn't enough going on during the first viewing that you may have been mislead to see things a certain way (because if it weren't misleading and subject to interpretation, it wouldn't be as engaging). And it also isn't about who any of us might think would make the better couple, or who has the most developed chemistry or the most in common. But, if you look back in retrospect and watch the series from beginning to end now, knowing where everything is leading, you can trace out all the plot points and the way they all connect to each other right back to the start. Shinichirou has to dry Hiromi's tears. Noe has to get her tears back. Shinichirou has to find his way in life. And the whole story is really the developing story about how these three points come together.

Anyway, I'd just encourage everyone to watch the show again knowing the direction things are headed and watch for the signs that we all couldn't see clearly the first time. It probably won't change at all who you preferred, nor should it. It's just about the way plot points tie together.