AnimeSuki Forums

SoulDrinker · 2004-03-19, 23:55

why are they so commonly used in a lot of animes?
example(full metal panic,inu yasha,love hina,onegai twins, etc etc)
i see more of them in mangas,i just think its being over used.

Za Paper · 2004-03-20, 00:26

Its an easy way to create drama. Its not exclusive to anime. Watch any tv show, some movies, books, etc.

chickenfeather · 2004-03-20, 00:49

I think it not only generates drama, but also that the producers like to divide the fans into warring factions on which couples would be the best... That way fans can all go to forums like this one to voice their thoughts on what they think should happen

Devin · 2004-03-20, 01:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickenfeather

I think it not only generates drama, but also that the producers like to divide the fans into warring factions on which couples would be the best... That way fans can all go to forums like this one to voice their thoughts on what they think should happen

Only problem is whoever the winner of the love triangle is, will satisfy one faction, and disappoint the other. Unless of course there's multiple endings available. :P

Saouri · 2004-03-20, 10:22

They use love triangles for make a serie more dramatic.
I think one of the famous love trinagle in anime is: Misa-Hikaru-Minmei in Macross.

HoboGod · 2004-03-20, 10:45

there are more shapes than just triangles, look at love hina, i'm not even sure what kind of shape that would make... but it would be the most fucked up polygon EVER

Kyuven · 2004-03-20, 13:34

"What started as a love triangle is now a septagon by my count.."--Ruri Hoshino, Nadesico
i think Ranma has one of the most infamous love "webs"
producers seem to be leaning towards "How many different couple variations can we put in!?"
this, of course, leads to a sprig of fanfics and doujin with "what if..."s ranging from the runner-up to the just plain bizarre (you DON'T want to know...at my school we call em "yaoi pairings")

babbito2k · 2004-03-20, 14:31

Shows like Love Hina and Onegai Twins are about love triangles/polygons. All other things being equal, I can't see why you would complain about those two series. Action stories can be told without any romantic subplots at all, of course.

Most shows through subtle and broad hinting let you know who will end up with who, so it's not like there is much suspense involved.

One purpose of love subplots in many series is to develop character. Love between two people is the most intimate situation. A character expressing any form of love can be more fully revealed. Even the "loser" in a love triangle can be a well-crafted character.

7thMethuselah · 2004-03-20, 15:10

The reason why people create love triangle's (or even worse) is that it immediately creates a very dramatic situtation in which every viewer always is forced to choose a favorite character he or she prefers. It's a perfect way to draw people into a story since it's a very recognisable situation. I'm sure anyone has been in such a situation and can understand how "heavy" this can get...

These kinda things almost force you to think about what you are watching instead of mindlessly absorbig the events unfolding.

In my opinion the best romance shows place this classic love triangle into a background situation which is rather tense in itself thus creating a very thrilling series, not much may happen in it but you can't help but imagine several things that could happen thus truly drawing you into the show.
For example I watched da Capo in 2 days because I had to continue watching, I wanted, needed to know what would happen next...

***relentlessflame*** · 2004-03-20, 18:43

Well, any good drama has to have conflict. As others have said, it's what keeps the viewers interested and hooked. In a show with a romantic theme, the easiest form of conflict to identify with is between people, hence the concept of the love triangle (or polygon, as the case may be). Love can generate perhaps some of the most intense emotions, so it is a natural source of drama; that's why it can be seen in so many shows.

My vote for most intense love triangle has got to be Haruka-Takayuki-Mitsuki from KGNE (the fan wars for that show are legendary). My favorite love triangle, though, is Karen-Maiku-Miina from Onegai Twins; it's not nearly as intense, but it's much cuter and more fun.

The "harem" type shows have a variation of the love triangle: what other people in this thread have dubbed the love polygon. Often times, as babbito2k said, there's one main romance (you basically know how it's going to end up), but there's a whole lot of other relationships that basically run interference for the whole show. This can play out in a bunch of different ways, but is almost always played up for comedic purposes. Sometimes, though, I find it can be a little annoying when they add characters to a story for seemingly no other reason *other* than to run interference (Love Hina Again is a prime example of that, but Ai Yori Aoshi is also guilty to a certain extent).

7thMethuselah mentioned Da Capo; I liked the approach they took in that show, as it was a bit different. They spent the first half of the show introducing all the characters and the possible romances, and then in the second half they picked one romance and dealt with all the consequences. I guess that partly reflects the ero-game roots of the show; I thought it was very well done.

Anyway, I like shows with love triangles and polygons - it keeps you hooked, and increases your emotional involvement in the show as you cheer for one person or another. That being said, though, it has been done a lot in anime, so it definitely can have a tendency to become cliché.

Sakura Haruno · 2004-03-21, 16:11

Theres also the Sasuke,Naruto,Sakura one.. That`s probley a more in depth triangle I guess.. But what would Naruto be without a triangle? same goes foer Inuyasha

Kamui4356 · 2004-03-21, 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sakura Haruno

Theres also the Sasuke,Naruto,Sakura one.. That`s probley a more in depth triangle I guess..

There's also Hinata, Lee, and Ino involved, which would make it a hexagon.

HoboGod · 2004-03-21, 18:01

why can't everything be one-sided like ramen girl and kakashi? that was a hullarious special. ^_^

Bun-kun · 2004-03-21, 20:09

I like Sanji, Nami, and Luffy, and Zoro.

Kyuven · 2004-03-22, 00:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

My vote for most intense love triangle has got to be Haruka-Takayuki-Mitsuki from KGNE

better make than Haruka-Takayuki-Mitsuki-Akane

yeah, KGNE had a REALLY intense love triangle (or square actually)

kj1980 · 2004-03-22, 02:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoboGod

why can't everything be one-sided like ramen girl and kakashi? that was a hullarious special. ^_^

"If everything was a 'simple one-sided' story, then all you have is a Hollywood movie"

quote from a Japanese live-action director

Kamui4356 · 2004-03-22, 02:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by kj1980

"If everything was a 'simple one-sided' story, then all you have is a Hollywood movie"

quote from a Japanese live-action director

Since when do hollywood movies have any story at all?

Must be something new they're trying since the movies with endless strings of explosions and the occasional one liner aren't bringing in the money they used to...

kj1980 · 2004-03-22, 02:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

Since when do hollywood movies have any story at all?

Must be something new they're trying since the movies with endless strings of explosions and the occasional one liner aren't bringing in the money they used to...

Well, I loved Hollywood action movies back when they were still "action movies." For example, "Die Hard," "Terminator," "Aliens." Back when they would spend millions of dollars destroying a building or spending months to make a miniature model only to blow it all up in less than two seconds. Back when they would use real explosions than cheap explosions that you can tell it was done by CG (how awful was the ice-surfing scene in "Die Another Day").

HoboGod · 2004-03-22, 05:44

hmmmm, good point, even those damn hollywood love dramas piss me off... why doesn't everybody shut up about thier opinions and just randomly destroy things for my entertainment? the random destruction is why i started watching anime in the first place. ^_^

Sakura Haruno · 2004-03-22, 09:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoboGod

why can't everything be one-sided like ramen girl and kakashi? that was a hullarious special. ^_^

Oh yea! I forgot about them!

2004-03-19, 23:55	Link #1
SoulDrinker wandering soul Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: toronto,ont Age: 36	Love triangles why are they so commonly used in a lot of animes? example(full metal panic,inu yasha,love hina,onegai twins, etc etc) i see more of them in mangas,i just think its being over used.

2004-03-20, 00:26	Link #2
Za Paper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004	Its an easy way to create drama. Its not exclusive to anime. Watch any tv show, some movies, books, etc.

2004-03-20, 00:49	Link #3
chickenfeather Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2004	I think it not only generates drama, but also that the producers like to divide the fans into warring factions on which couples would be the best... That way fans can all go to forums like this one to voice their thoughts on what they think should happen

2004-03-20, 10:22	Link #5
Saouri Megami-sama Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Venezuela Age: 44	They use love triangles for make a serie more dramatic. I think one of the famous love trinagle in anime is: Misa-Hikaru-Minmei in Macross.

2004-03-20, 10:45	Link #6
HoboGod Necromancer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Cardboard Box Age: 38	there are more shapes than just triangles, look at love hina, i'm not even sure what kind of shape that would make... but it would be the most fucked up polygon EVER

2004-03-20, 13:34	Link #7
Kyuven Bishoujo Goodness Galore! Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Stuck Between Reality and Fantasy	"What started as a love triangle is now a septagon by my count.."--Ruri Hoshino, Nadesico i think Ranma has one of the most infamous love "webs" producers seem to be leaning towards "How many different couple variations can we put in!?" this, of course, leads to a sprig of fanfics and doujin with "what if..."s ranging from the runner-up to the just plain bizarre (you DON'T want to know...at my school we call em "yaoi pairings")

2004-03-20, 14:31	Link #8
babbito2k annoying white bat Join Date: Jan 2004	Shows like Love Hina and Onegai Twins are about love triangles/polygons. All other things being equal, I can't see why you would complain about those two series. Action stories can be told without any romantic subplots at all, of course. Most shows through subtle and broad hinting let you know who will end up with who, so it's not like there is much suspense involved. One purpose of love subplots in many series is to develop character. Love between two people is the most intimate situation. A character expressing any form of love can be more fully revealed. Even the "loser" in a love triangle can be a well-crafted character.

2004-03-20, 15:10	Link #9
7thMethuselah Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Antwerp area, Belgium, Europa Age: 48	The reason why people create love triangle's (or even worse) is that it immediately creates a very dramatic situtation in which every viewer always is forced to choose a favorite character he or she prefers. It's a perfect way to draw people into a story since it's a very recognisable situation. I'm sure anyone has been in such a situation and can understand how "heavy" this can get... These kinda things almost force you to think about what you are watching instead of mindlessly absorbig the events unfolding. In my opinion the best romance shows place this classic love triangle into a background situation which is rather tense in itself thus creating a very thrilling series, not much may happen in it but you can't help but imagine several things that could happen thus truly drawing you into the show. For example I watched da Capo in 2 days because I had to continue watching, I wanted, needed to know what would happen next...

2004-03-20, 18:43	Link #10
*relentlessflame* 　 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2003 Age: 41	Well, any good drama has to have conflict. As others have said, it's what keeps the viewers interested and hooked. In a show with a romantic theme, the easiest form of conflict to identify with is between people, hence the concept of the love triangle (or polygon, as the case may be). Love can generate perhaps some of the most intense emotions, so it is a natural source of drama; that's why it can be seen in so many shows. My vote for most intense love triangle has got to be Haruka-Takayuki-Mitsuki from KGNE (the fan wars for that show are legendary). My favorite love triangle, though, is Karen-Maiku-Miina from Onegai Twins; it's not nearly as intense, but it's much cuter and more fun. The "harem" type shows have a variation of the love triangle: what other people in this thread have dubbed the love polygon. Often times, as babbito2k said, there's one main romance (you basically know how it's going to end up), but there's a whole lot of other relationships that basically run interference for the whole show. This can play out in a bunch of different ways, but is almost always played up for comedic purposes. Sometimes, though, I find it can be a little annoying when they add characters to a story for seemingly no other reason other than to run interference (Love Hina Again is a prime example of that, but Ai Yori Aoshi is also guilty to a certain extent). 7thMethuselah mentioned Da Capo; I liked the approach they took in that show, as it was a bit different. They spent the first half of the show introducing all the characters and the possible romances, and then in the second half they picked one romance and dealt with all the consequences. I guess that partly reflects the ero-game roots of the show; I thought it was very well done. Anyway, I like shows with love triangles and polygons - it keeps you hooked, and increases your emotional involvement in the show as you cheer for one person or another. That being said, though, it has been done a lot in anime, so it definitely can have a tendency to become cliché.

2004-03-21, 16:11	Link #11
Sakura Haruno Beauty and Grace Join Date: Mar 2004 Age: 34	Theres also the Sasuke,Naruto,Sakura one.. That`s probley a more in depth triangle I guess.. But what would Naruto be without a triangle? same goes foer Inuyasha

2004-03-21, 18:01	Link #13
HoboGod Necromancer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Cardboard Box Age: 38	why can't everything be one-sided like ramen girl and kakashi? that was a hullarious special. ^_^

2004-03-21, 20:09	Link #14
Bun-kun Liberal Screamer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Age: 41	I like Sanji, Nami, and Luffy, and Zoro.

2004-03-22, 05:44	Link #19
HoboGod Necromancer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Cardboard Box Age: 38	hmmmm, good point, even those damn hollywood love dramas piss me off... why doesn't everybody shut up about thier opinions and just randomly destroy things for my entertainment? the random destruction is why i started watching anime in the first place. ^_^