Again, see the Monster example I gave awhile back. I did kind of want the characters in question to end up together, but the inconclusive ending bothered me more than it would have if they'd clearly just been platonic friends.
Thinking back about this, I couldn't help to wonder if, at the very least for this specific case, you are the one doing the "torture" yourself. I see no real base in the whole story to expect a romance between those two. When Nina said that she was waiting at the end I remember being surprised, but then I reasoned that it was kind of natural for her to be infatuated with him at least a bit, but I definitely don't think it would ever be more than one sided: Remember that Tenma met her when she was a little kid, and I doubt that his feelings for her ever changed to other than pseudo-filial.
Mr. Hat'n'Clogs (post: 1499319) wrote:Yeah, I guess everyone else already said it for me but the difference between 5 Centimeters per Second and the thing I have the problem with is that there is a clear relationship in the former, while I am specifically annoyed with the fact that most anime and manga refuse to write actual romantic relationships, saving them for getting paired off at the end.
Yeah I guess you are right on that. Only exceptionally few non-romance anime do that. -I guess that's one of the reasons why Bakemonogatari is so especial- Though to be fair to anime, Western animation is even worse at that, especially given the episodic nature of most of them. How many western animation series teased us with possible relationships, only to get cancelled after certain time with no resolution whatsoever!
Romance oriented anime obviously deals with the issue in question much better, anyway.
Also, it's not the idea that Sakura has a childish crush on Sasuke that bothers me (though even that is infuriating. I know hormones and all but when someone tries to kill you I think any rational being would draw the line), it's actually calling it love that really annoys me. I get tired of it getting called love because it is not love, just like how there is no such thing as love at first sight(though Kemonozume gets away with it because it's special).
Also:I lol'd.
Well, actually that's the kind of thing I had in my mind when I posted that: I've seen with my own eyes very unhealthy infatuations (I'm with you in not wanting to call them "love",) which will stand even physical and/or verbal abuse and look for justifications for it. I'm not even sure that the series shows Sakura's feelings for Sasuke under a positive light. Only until recently, when she was made to see how much they were affecting Naruto and others, she was forced to realize how irrational they are, but still how little she could do to change them (and she tried.) The only, sad, way out she could think out of her dilemma was to kill Sasuke herself or more likely, die trying.
O lookit that... we couldn't help it
KuroganexTomoyo (Tsubasa Chronicles. DESPITE what rabid fangirls may say)
Wait, what? I always saw his feelings for her as simple and pure devotion, as such one would felt for an earthly goddess that granted one compassion and mercy. Also, while I know Tomoyo is ageless, still looks wrong. I prefer much more to dwell in the back and forth moirailallegiance-kismesissitude double reach around between him and Fai. (Seriously, troll romance can be used to explain a lot of things!)