What Could Happen by KS-99 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Always gotta appreciate those hardcore fans that are NOT into shipping AT ALL. Personally they are quite rare in the fandom. Typically when you delve deep into the Bleach series you can see stuff the average viewer doesn't notice, especially in terms of the symbolism and other fancy subtleties. Debates and discussions on the forums - the good intelligent types - are also entertaining.

Bleach is not a shoujo, yet it's hard to have a long story about friendship and the will to protect without tackling some romantic elements. So inevitably you will get some shippers, apart from the crazy fangirls, many of which barely even know something about the manga or the setting. They always irk me a little. Personally, I feel like shipping a fiction pairing based on looks alone is childish and vain. That's why I can't stand crack couples, because they tend to be based on little canon proof, sometimes between characters that haven't even met in the original storyline!

I don't hate romance though, nor am I against shipping, despite my critical view. I sometimes enjoy well-done romance that tends to break the boundaries and exists beyond simple sappiness and smut. Romance is also a good motivation for a character's development, especially when in Japan unrequited love is such a big theme. For better or for worse, I just hope Kubo will keep writing what it is he desires to, because that's the essence of being a writer. Creativity and self-gratification.