Harry Potter - HarryxHermione
The last month I decided trying and finding out what was the big deal with HP (you can call me latecomer), and I read the first book. I YET don't see what the big deal was, but I found it entertaining. I purchased the third and fourth volume (unfortunately the second book was not available in the moment), and the third book was fine, but the fourth... It was not bad, but I found it worse than the earlier books. There were many things that bothered me... I know exactly what some of them are, but there was something else... something I can not put the finger on... Anyway I enjoyed it way less, it got plainly tiresome sometimes, the repetitiveness of some situations was annoying, and I have heard from several sources that after the first books the quality takes a dip, so I think I won't keep reading. It is strange becoming so apathetic right when the plot is apparently heating up -if you have read the end of the fourth book, you know what I am talking about; if you have not, then I won't spoil it-, but...
Regardless, I know what the canon pairings are. RonxHermione are the canon pairing, I know that (and from that I heard, Rowling went through great lengths to wipe out any chance of HxH becoming canon).
But I don't think that I like very much RonxHermione.
Maybe the trouble is that I have missed the second volume, and some people tell that it was blatantly obvious in that book... But you'll see, I read the first and third volumes and I never saw one scene that I might consider romantic or leading at a romantic relationship (mind you that I was not actively searching them out... but I was not determined to pretend to not see them either). It was not until I was HALFWAY the FOURTH book that I saw a scene that hinted that there was something between Ron and Hermione.
Up to then, it was all scenes of friendship between the three of them. So to me, ship HxH or RxH depended on what relationship you liked the most, since the moments that usually sell me on a canon pairing (scenes that usually hint love is springing and growing between two persons) were absent.
And honestly I think I liked the relationship between Harry and Hermione more. They actually get along WELL! On the other hand, when Ron and Hermione are together, they spend the whole time yelling at each other and arguing. And often Ron was excessively and innecessarily cruel to her (I remember one scene where Harry called him on it, telling that Hermione had cried cause his words, and Ron nonchalantly replied "So what? She should know for now that nobody likes her". I know, it was in the first volume before the three of them became friends, but it bugged me greatly) and Hermione was innecessarily snappy (in the fourth volume she was constantly snapping at anything that Ron told, invariably taking it the wrong way and putting words on his mouth).
The only instances of them being civil with each other that I can remember consisted of them working together to ensure Harry's wellfare and survival, and of them thinking about how much hated someone was picking on Harry (Draco, Snape) or valued someone was supporting Harry (Hagrid, Dumbledore, Lupin... you have the idea).
"But several pairings that you ship spend most of time yelling at each other and fighting!"
Yes, I know that (it is bound to happen when you have no trouble shipping the Idiiot Hero with the Tsundere). I realized it and I pondered why it did not work for me in this instance. I think that I found the answer: in all other instances there were softer and more tender moments early on that hinted love was developing between them.
Sayaka/Kouji (Mazinger-Z/Tranzor-Z)? In one chapter, Kouji completely freaked out when he thought that Sayaka was in danger (he was so freaked out that he stole a bike without realizing. Don't ask), and when he found her lying on the ground uncoscious he huged her. Misty/Ash (Pokemon)? In episode THREE you have Ash earnestly entrusting one of his Pokemon to Misty, and Misty smiling fondly after his victory, thinking she haad never met someone like him. Ranma/Akane (Ranma 1/2)? You found hints of love developing between them in volume ONE (someone remembers that scene where Ranma can't walk and Akane carries him on her back? Or that scene where Ranma is constantly gazing at Akane during a softball match?).
I did not see that between Ron and Hermione up to the fourth volume.
"But they were eleven when the series began! What did you expect between them?"
Like I said, something -ANYTHING!- that hinted a positive relationship was developing between them BEFORE the HALF-POINT of the BLOODY series.
That is the trouble that I have with Ron/Hermione that I have not with Ranma/Akane, Ash/Misty, Kouji/Sayaka, Asuka/Shinji, Kaori/Ryo (City Hunter), etcetera. All of those couples argued, indeed, but in the early chapters there was scenes hinted they cared for each other in more ways than friendship.
Lately I have been watching Galient (a mecha show). The two main characters are twelve, but you can see they greatly cared for each other, and some character teases them about it.
Ron/Hermione? First hint is Ron getting jealous halfway in the fourth -FOURTH!- book of a seven-book-long series. Very shortly before he realized Hermione was a girl, hence she could take to the dance either of them (either of them. His words), so at east one of them did not look pitifully lonely.
"So you think than Rowling is not good writing romance?"
Well... It is a personal opinion. But I do not think -I stress the word- that she is. She does not seem care much for "Show, don't tell", that is a very important rule when writing fiction.
"What do you mean?"
In the fourth book we are told that Harry has a crush on Cho. That Harry likes Cho. That Harry is IN LOVE with Cho. We are told that repeatedly. And Harry often thinks about his feelings towards Cho. He repeatedly thinks how much he likes her.
And every time it happened I thought of the same thing: WHY?
If I am not mistaken, she showed up in the third book during a quidditch match. That was her only appearance in that book, and Harry and she did not really talk. And in the whole fourth book Harry and she only interacted once: when he asked her going to the dance with him, and she turned him down.
Do you see? There was no interaction, no development, no anything. We were told that Harry liked Cho, but we were not shown WHY or HOW. It was simply expected we simply accepted it.
Was it only a crush? then why giving it attention and space instead of developing the main plot?
And if I am not mistaken, Harry ended up with Ginny, right? Then what was the point of beating us over the head with his love towards Cho? Giving him a heart-break in order to milk the angst for all what it was worth? And since we have mentioned Ginny, I know that in the second book he saved her life... and in the beginning of the third it is mentioned that she has a crush on him. However I have barely seen them interacting during four -thick- books. Given the trend, I am afraid that in the next books they will get together with almost no "on screen" development.
And talking about beating readers over their heads with something... As I read the fourth book I had the feeling of we were being beaten over the head with this message: "Harry and Hermione are only friends. Harry regards the possibility of she being his girlfriend like something ridiculous and absurd. It is something so stupid that it is tabloid-worthy, only a slanderist journalist would come up with it, and only a blithering idiot like the Slytherin students would believe it". Surely I am wrong, but I felt that message was being repeated over and again through the book ("No, idiot, Harry and Hermione are not a couple, get over it"), and it was the way of Rowling of explicitly telling HxH supporters that pairing was not canon, would never be canon, and they were silly for ever considering it. I am sure I am wrong, but Rowling publicly stating whoever did not see RonxHermione coming needed a reality check (or something alongside those lines) does not help matters.
So I had the feeling (I repeat: the feeling) of Rowling was being innecessarily blunt and insistent to the point of rudeness with a bunch of her readers. A position that I find unbecoming of a professional creative (you disagree with your work's fans, but you are not rude to them and you do not engage in fights with them) and contributed to sour me on RonXHermione.
So, in this point, it is HarryxHermione to me.
Surprisingly, since I usually have no troubles accepting or shipping canon pairings.
It has only happened to me once before: when I started reading Urusei Yatsura I shipped Ataru/Shinobu. However Ataru/Lum became the kind of official couple several volumes later. However they never clicked together to me for some reason. In fact, i thought that Ataru/Shinobu were becoming the official couple...
And THEN I found that Ataru/Shinobu WAS meant to be the official couple, but Takahashi's editor forced her to change it. Then I understood why Ataru/Lum felt wrong to me.
Am I insinuating that Rowling did not intend pairing up Ron and Hermione and she is only pretending that she did? Not at all. I doubt not that was always her intent. I am only telling she did not make -TO ME- a good work on developing their relationship and she never won me over. And I am EASY to win over regarding this stuff.
Talking about pairings with little build-up, before creating Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama created another popular -at least back then- manga: Dr. Slump. Many couples in Dr. Slump happened all of sudden, and often got together off panel. In the afterword of the final volumes, toriyama explained that he does not like writing romance, but his -then- editor liked reading romance, so forced him to include it... So Toriyama made pairings with so little build-up as possible to get it out of the way. That explains many things about Dragon Ball, does not it?
(Talking about DB, Toriyama also mentioned in those Afterwords said that his editor was pressing him to pair up two characters of his newest work that he had just began publishing, but he did not want because was sick of being pressed about the issue. Those two characters were -you guessed it- Son Goku and Bulma)
I reckon that some of you will be thinking of several arguments to counterweight my opinions about RxH, or suggesting me reading the second book... If so, I suggest you don't bother yourselves with it. I am not interested in arguing about it -the issue is not worth of it- and my interest in Harry Potter has waned nearly so quick as it began (for reasons have nothing to do with pairings. After all, I knew what pairings were canon before reading the first book).
It is something has happened to me constantly with manga/anime (Naruto, Bleach, Saint Seiya...), comic-books (Spider-Man, Superman, X-Men...) all kind of books and movies and even video games (Super Mario Bros, the Legend of Zelda, Sonic, Mega Man, final Fantasy...). I find something new -or new to me- that raises my interest and even my passion... but that franchise leaves its beginnings behind, and my passion fades as time passes and more and more things that I dislike or don't care for are added.
IMO, the trouble is when a fan starts reading/watching something and he/she likes that stuff, that fan sees endless and thrilling possibilities spreading in front of him/her, and gets thrilled about the future, speculating about what marvels he/she will -or would like to- see and looking forward to it. But he/she does not realize that sooner or later, the creators or people in control will have to choose one of those possibilities and discard the rest... and maybe he/she does not like the chosen possibility. Or how it is being handled. Or he/she likes the chosen option and how it is being handled, but then it is wiped out and replaced.
I guess the best option is realizing we are no in control, taking things rationally and knowing when letting go.
I am sorry for the long post.
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