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Originally Posted by stray
I think people are reading way too much into Ranka's intentions on this one on both sides of the coin. I do agree with most of your points in principle, Swampstorm, but I don't really think they apply here. I mean, you can read into it that Ranka was afraid to lose Alto, but really, the way she's been presented up until now... I think she just loves him (and I'm not even really talking about romantically) enough and wants him to be safe to the point of risking her own life rocketing across the galaxy to save him (and Sheryl... but regardless). Not to mention Alto bailed on her First Live! to go to Gallia 4, and for all she knew, it was a romantic getaway for the 2 of them.
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Oh, I'm sure that Ranka cares about Alto quite a bit. We know that he's both her closest friend and advisor to her.
But it's hard to tell if she ever wanted anything different in the first place. There are many strong postive relationships that are quite different from love. I'd hope, for example, that she'd be equally willing to save Ozma, or perhaps even Nanase, assuming that they were close enough.
Even if Ranka isn't truly interested in romance, one question that could potentially still worry her is: If Alto falls in love with someone else, will she lose her best friend? That's not an easy thought for anyone to cope with. But it doesn't have to be that way, even outside of a romantic relationship.
I don't need proof that Ranka cares, since I'm confident of that much. What I'd like to know is what she's really looking for in her relationship with Alto, be it love or friendship. But that's not an issue that can be revealed instantaneously, so I guess I'll have to be patient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stray
You could apply alot of that to Sheryl's situation... honestly with more parallels than to Ranka's.
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On a first glance, I would have probably agreed with you. But let me see if I can explain the distinctions.
First, all of the groundwork for the relationship was made purely out of Sheryl's own interest. While her earring initially brought Sheryl into close proximity with Alto, her interest in him as a person lead her in turn to learn more about him.
While most of the fun that Sheryl has with Alto in those early stages comes out as friendly banter, there are also more thoughtful moments where she listens to what he says and observes his responses, while giving him serious replies of her own. This sort of intellectual partnership isn't really necessary for a romantic relationship, but it serves as the basis for how Sheryl understands Alto. This is vital, since romantic love cannot exist without first having understanding.
Another important step is in episode eight, where Sheryl first takes an interest in Alto's school, and then in his passion for flying. When you're in a relationship simply for the thrill of it, the focus is mainly on your
own emotions. But here, Sheryl instead takes the time to try to understand
Alto on an emotional level. Nor is this a frivolous interest, either: Michael notes how hard Sheryl has been trying to excel in her piloting classes in episode eleven.
Perhaps the most significant progress of all comes from episode eleven and twelve, though. At this point, Sheryl does more than simply understanding Alto's feelings; rather, she attends to them as if they were her own. She sees the events in her own life in terms of how they can benefit his, which allows her to come up with her gift. We see Sheryl become happy at the thought of making Alto happy. Sheryl too feels excitement over breaking the news to Alto, even as he himself does. Finally, when she falls sick, Sheryl feels immense sorrow at being unable to help Alto achieve his dream; moreso perhaps than even Alto himself (and without even first stopping to consider how devastating the situation is to herself).
That point right there, where you let another person become so important to you that they become a part of you - that's love.
I only wish that we could see relationships of this caliber more often, in stories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stray
Anyway, I'm not shipping Ranka per se, but her heart is definitely in the right place, IMO, and I can't say the same for Sheryl. There's still a long way to go for that to change, though...
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Well, you have to remember that we've already got a pretty good idea that Ranka is a hero in this story. So no matter
what she does, you can be absolutely sure that she'll be back on the straight and narrow by the very end.
But what of Sheryl? Is she hero, tragic hero, anti-hero, or villain? The role that she has yet to play in this story is probably still the least clear out of the three main characters, so it's only natural for us to be unsure of her. Not to mention the fact that her chief advisor seems to have turned to the dark side.
If I had to go by first impressions, I'd say that her fame, success, and influence are all major strikes against her, as far as our natural tendancies to trust are concerned. But as far as Sheryl's strength of character goes, I'd say that she's easily one of the strongest female leads that I've seen in a romance series since... Madoka from KOR. It's tricky, because I'm torn between my innate skepticism and bias against her 'type' of character and my awe for the character that she's actually become.
So it's a bit tough for me, too, because I also feel the need to second guess Sheryl's actions, even in spite of everything that we've seen. But while I can see plenty of ways that she can still go astray, she hasn't let me down yet (please don't let me down!)
As far as big breated girls with glasses... Matsu (Aya Endo!) >>>>>>>>>>>>> Nanase
Fansubber
I'm not persuaded by that statement, *and* I definitely think it doesn't apply to romantic love, which is the issue in play.
