Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-36009152-20181025173232/@comment-36009152-20181026154127

I presume it’s helpful for the person who asked the question, here's a good two cents. Agree with the above that Shinoa’s an accomplished leader and person in her own right. Won’t outrule Shikama trying to pigeon hole this relationship for his end though. Obviously it's fine for Shinoa to become smitten with Yu, though if her good traits are 'diminished' I'd put it down to the insidious effects of the demon within rather than anything else.

The reply for the original post: it was a good question, of course everyone’s pairings are sound, it’s excellent that people can pay attention to the details. But since you appear to like Mika and Yu, good news there’s plenty of evidence and in this corner we can also systematically make a great case against Yu and anyone else!

Sure there will always be posts floating around but take them all with a grain of salt and trust your own judgement with what you can observe. Let’s see how these posts about Shinoa’s feelings in the latest chapters really stack up, one fact is worth more than all the posts of speculation.

First, good news for you, Yu and Shinoa have great dynamics, camaraderie, Shinoa is a great friend for Yu, but feel free to assert that is as far as it goes. Right from the start, it is very clear Yu, uh honestly isn’t remotely interested in Shinoa that way (or anyone not called Mika for that matter) and simply regards Shinoa as a friend/squad mate and family. A good one at that, when you have lost everything like Yu has, good people like Shinoa around would be the best thing in the world, that's what can be commended.

Relationship wise especially in latest chapters, the key point is Shinoa developing ever-greater feelings for Yu, but notably not vice versa. Remarkably, even now Yu remains ever indifferent. It says a lot when Shinoa is drawing closer (with Shikama’s prodding that is) to Yu who seems firmly fixed on thinking about Mika. On him, Yu also likes to touch Mika rather a lot, more so than what close friends typically do come to think of it. Yes, they are unusually close for mere friends.

With your point about the possibility of the author missing out on Yu and Mika, on one hand I guess so long as Yu ends up with someone he loves and likewise (people are free to beam their thoughts “so long as it’s Mika”) then we’d support that. Ultimately we want Yu and everyone to be happy with whomever they want, so if Yu does end up with Shinoa, great so long as they’re happy. With that clarified we can now dismiss it; your observation that they lack chemistry and overall development is spot on. Sure they have family, close friend type of chemistry. Yu and Shinoa are good together, they support one another and there’s definitely trust between them. But those fine commendable qualities are inferior to the very distinct something more that we have vividly on display with Yu and Mika. Yu and Shinoa’s bond is different, it’s not really something to compare, Yu and Mika are a different beast entirely.

Also correct, Yu and Shinoa lack overall development in terms of romance, simply because Yu doesn’t appear to even feel that way about girls/non Mika’s. I mean if they ever did date I could just imagine Yu looking at Shinoa and saying like “you’re not Mika, where’s Mika? Shinoa thank goodness you’re here, help me find Mika!” This is in addition to the whole Mika is the most important person ever for him, at all stages of Yu’s life. Here’s some heavy weapons for you, if Yu and Shinoa ended up together it would only be because it’s “boy and girl in a story therefore have to end up with one another.” It would be frankly absurd to follow that cliché, nonsense “happily ever after just because” more so in light that there’s little romance between them, even more so with Yu and Mika hogging every last spotlight imaginable on the pair of them.

Thankfully, the author has provided Seraph of the End, which has it’s own rulebook in terms of being an outstanding series in every way. Based on the very overt focus on Yu and Mika, you can wager the author won’t pull a lazy stunt like “Yu and Shinoa fall madly in love out the blue because they’re a boy in a girl and that’s how it’s always been, that’s the way it is because I don’t even know why, can’t imagine anything else”. Cannot see that happening, the Seraph of the End author knows exactly what they are doing.

The best way to describe it is this Attack on Titan post. Though like here people are fixed on the male and female characters, this is a very persuasive account that a superficial reading of it is failing to see a possible deeper story between Eren and Armin. With looks, feelings you have to simply observe through a different perspective to maybe get a glimpse of what is really trying to be shown right in front of us here with Seraph of the End. It’s like being able to see animal body language, or having the mind of an insect but still able to tell that a plant isn’t a plant, rather another insect disguised as a plant. Same here, possessing the necessary vision to see exactly what something is, though it is much more potent with Seraph of the End so it’s easier to see what is really going on here with Yu and Mika, and that this Shinoa coming closer into the picture may be a ruse. Thankfully too, could have been a very real possibility that Yu and Mika’s feelings were glossed over entirely and missed. That Seraph of the End could tap into that is a part of what makes it special. Also note with the stakes so high (the whole end of the world, all consuming demons, horribly overpowered vampires and schizoid crazy Seraphs running about, to name but a few) even though it’s a shonen series, rather than Yu and Shinoa, the author is still pushing Yu and Mika together one very tender thought and physical touch at a time. Can all the suns of the universe actually stop this glacier advancing ever forward? With Mika being on Yu’s mind a lot (Asuramaru taking his form, honestly literally everything!) Your concerns can be alleviated since this author can be counted on to be ahead of the curve, and not drop anything artificial or unconvincing into Seraph of the End. Action series and all, it may not come to pass that anyone pairs up, though based on the connection Yu and Mika already have, it isn’t even required. An official Mika and Yu love one another would be more of a needless formality at this stage. Seraph of the End is better than masterful so far and I certainly trust the direction the author takes, we’ve not been let down so far that’s for sure.

By all means people can see things between Yu and Shinoa, Yu and Mitsuba, anyone, that’s great! Yu and Shinoa are both accomplished individuals, they have their unique features that make them special, but a relationship? Privately and between us I think it’s very clear which pairing is to be banked on, and it starts with Mika, and ends with Yu.

And that’s the answer to your question!