AnimeSuki Forum - The point of all that evidence is (lead guy/girl ending up together)

While fans obviously know a lot of the the lead guy and lead guy (this can happen with many anime will have a lot of what can fans may deem as romantic moments, it's also obvious they likely they won't ever actually kiss/get married onscreen (while they might start dating, to me, it's much more romantic to see a kiss/proposal)

In my Aug. '11 Crunchyroll thread called "The point of all that evidence is", chibihime wrote:

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It doesn't have to be listed as "romance" for there to be couples IN IT. Full Metal Alchemist isn't listed as "romance" either but one so-called "fan-girl" pairing not only get together, they get married and have children!

There are two types of romances in anime.

The first type is the in-your-face with confessions and/or dramatic kissing or hugging.

The second type is much more subtle and not so in your face, never a kiss but possibly a hug and words like "we're always gonna be together" or "I'm here for you" or something like that.

If the anime in question does not have romance listed as its gender, it is likely to have "the second type" romance somewhere in it. UNLESS the creator comes out and says, "No, there is no romance in this" like how ONE PIECE's author did.

I think having a lead guy and lead girl is almost like setting yourself up for what's become almost like a literature/fiction rule: The two should either end up together (even if the creators said that there wouldn't be romance between the lead guy/girl).

There are essentially two forms of romance in anime genre speaking: there are those where romance is a main plot or supporting main plot (like in many shoujo series and harem genres) and then when it is a secondary side plot (like Shinji and Asuka's relationship in Evangelion or in various shounen action shows).

I concluded that a way to tell whether romance is a main or side plot is this: Romance in the main plot will emphasize main two characters having a strong and often childhood connection and emphasizes music in the OP/ED (like the 1st OP for Fairy Tail 2014) to display it.

Possible explanations: Milking the series with this that possibly trolls fans in thinking it'll happen. Next, there's doing for it to put in fan works. Then, if it's based off on a manga/LN that hasn't yet reached it's final volume which might mean the anime writers might assume that the manga/LN creators are gearing toward the lead guy/girl getting shipped or potentially troll the fans into thinking that but it doesn't happen.

Why do you think the writers might do a ship tease that the lead guy gets with the lead girl but they actually don't?

For clarification, I'm referring mainly to Lead Girl A which is my preferred ship but Lead Girl B I sometimes ship with the lead guy. An example of Lead Girl A/B would be Xam'd: Lost Memories' Nakiami and Haru, respectively.

Finally, AnimeNation's AskJohn has a June 26, 02 that addresses this type of question.
To prevent this thread from getting much longer, I will place it in these spoiler tags:

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Spoiler:

Ask John: Why Do Lovers in Anime Never Stay Together?
Question:
A friend of mine has this theory, that in the anime world, if two people love each other openly and admit it and can be together, one or both of them is going to die. This is why, she reasons, so many characters cannot be together. Examples of this include Treize Khusrenada and Lady Une, and Heero and Relena in Gundam Wing; Van and Hitomi in Escaflowne; Jubei & Kagero in Ninja Scroll; Kenshin & Tomoe in Rurouni Kenshin. Is this statement partly true, or have we been watching particularly depressing anime?

Answer:
This is a question of context, both literary and cultural. Unhappy romantic conclusions occur frequently in part because of their literary significance to the story, and occur because anime is created for Japanese audiences that seem to have a fascination with tragedy and unhappy endings. It is true that loving couples in anime often suffer; however, it’s far from a constant rule. Conclusions of this sort occur foremost in dramatic and romantic anime- either literally romantic, or “Romantic” in the sense that they deal with larger than life, world altering characters and events predetermined by fate. On the other hand, romantic relationships in comedies or more light-hearted shows often result in positive, affirming endings. The reason for this may be two-fold. Happy endings in dramatic series simply aren’t as interesting or compelling as tragic endings. “Happily ever after” suggests that nothing else of any significance is ever going to occur after the end of the story. Tragic endings linger in the mind and resonate more strongly in the viewer’s psyche. While a happy ending is easily forgettable, a sad ending urges a viewer to analyze and sympathize with a show more deeply and personally. Unhappy endings are simply more affecting than happy endings.

It’s almost a natural instinct for people to be fascinated by love affairs with tragic endings. Just as Western literature is filled with love affairs that end badly, including Orpheus and Eurydice & Romeo and Juliet, Japanese legend also has its Kaguya Hime and Tsuru no On-gaeshi myths that eternally part the lovers in the end. X, the Rurouni Kenshin OAV series, Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Berserk, Orange Road and Angel Sanctuary all conclude with endings that, at the very least, can be considered less than “fairy tale.”

On the other hand, in the case of comedy or lighter themed anime, it’s not at all uncommon for lovers to come to a “happily ever after” conclusion. Maison Ikkoku and Cutey Honey F both end with the lovers marrying and living happily ever after. Urusei Yatsura and Love Hina both end with the couples admitting their mutual love. And Macross, Risky Safety, Ah! My Goddess, the Rurouni Kenshin TV series, Mamotte! Shugogetten, and Steel Angel Kurumi all conclude with couples destined to remain together forever.