Best Couples in Tsuredzure Children
あれ??? Are you not watching Tsuredzure Children?
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One of the funniest shows this season is the half-length series Tsuredzure Children. Telling stories of high school crushes and love through short vignettes, but cycling through a group of pairs so that the stories all advance, this show’s quite a bit different from the usual romance show. So for something a little bit different now, I’ll give my rankings on the couples in the show! |
#1 Kana and Chiaki
Come and get me, baka Chiaki!
Things just don’t work out, tho
These two shot up to the top, way out ahead of everyone else, with their aborted attempts at actually getting physical, only to be interrupted by Chiaki’s mom, who was actually trying to get them to keep going. But it’s not just this bit that keeps them at the top for me. It’s their misunderstanding each other while completely understanding each other that really makes them fun. In fact, Kana thought they had been dating for a year without so much as holding hands or a kiss… only to find out that Chiaki wanted to ask her out but didn’t think they were actually a couple. And while these near misses are frustrating for them, they’re funny for us, as well as their frequent slipping into characters to try to deflect their embarrassment.
Even with help from mom…
#2 Ryouko and Akagi
Ryouko never understands how much Akagi likes her
Easily Misunderstood Poses
A relationship that started when Student Council President Masafumi Akagi caught Ryouko Kaji, a yankee girl with a short temper and not a lot of friends, smoking out behind the school building. But in this relationship, Akagi’s always 3 or 4 steps ahead of Ryouko who, despite her playing at being worldly wise, is really fairly naive about the ins and outs of a relationship. This pairing is actually a little troublesome for me, because Akagi is so far ahead of Ryouko that it could easily slip into an abusive relationship. And sometimes it seems to be going there, with Akagi on the verge of taking advantage of Ryouko, but so far he has not done so, instead using these situations to help Ryouko move closer to him in their relationship – something she wants to do, but has a hard time getting past her embarrassment and attitude.
#3 Gouda and Kamine
With butterfly for added atmosphere
Pretty much the classic “steady couple” in the show, except that Gouda thinks almost too much about them being a ‘normal couple’. He wants Kamine to be happy with him, but Kamine is worried about being too clingy. So she holds back on things like holding hands, snuggling against him, and even asking him to say he likes her. But Gouda is Mr. Straightforward. He thought at first that Kamine didn’t like him, because she couldn’t look at him (because actually she liked him so much). And his earnestness and kindness always frustrate Kamine enough that she breaks through her embarrassment and actually says what she wants.
But too much can be embarrassing
#4 Takano and Sugawara
Takano just doesn’t cooperate with Sugawara
First of the “not really a couple yet” couples, these two haven’t managed to make the connection yet because Takano is convinced that nobody would want to be with her, and that there would have to be something wrong with anyone who confessed to her. When Sugawara even confessed to her, she thought it was just because he was trying to cheer her up. But more recently, she’s been feeling the pangs of love, even if she doesn’t quite understand what that tightness in her chest and flushing in her cheeks means. But she might need to hurry, because maybe there are some other girls interested in Sugawara.
#5 Furuya and Minagawa
One of these days, Minagawa will get an answer
These two aren’t up this high on the strength of their story, but solely on the star power of Minagawa. She’s probably the best character in the show, and if Akagi is way out in front of Ryouko, Minagawa is miles ahead of Furuya, who still hasn’t given her an answer about whether he’ll go out with her. On top of that, he’s got his one-year-younger sister Hotaru trying to keep Minagawa away from her onii-chan, and Minagawa is light years ahead of her, toying with her like getting a cat to chase a feather on a stick.
#6 Yamane and Kurihara
Get some confidence, Yamane!
The unlikely couple, with Yamane being a nearly hopeless and friendless nerd, but having Kurihara, who he already had a crush on, fall in love with him partly because he stepped in and stopped a pervert on the bus from groping her. But this relationship seems to be a little more even than a lot of the others in the show, even if Yamane is absolutely convinced that he is lower than mold and that noone would ever want to go out with him. They even found the perfect word to describe their relationship in Crunchyroll’s subs: Love is Derpy. And it works because it really seems that Kurihara is happy to take the lead as necessary, and put up with Yamane’s worries about his own uselessness.
#7 Kanda and Takase
Takase has poor judgment
and Kanda can’t pull it together
Another not-really-a-couple-yet couple, these two like each other, but have had a huge misunderstanding with actually confessing to each other, with both trying to figure out if they should confess by text message, or if that is a sign of no class. Ultimately they each decided on a position and cross-texted each other, with her confessing at the same time that he said it was terrible to confess by text. So now they need to clear that up if they’re going to have a chance at being a couple. But Takase’s recently gotten a push in the right direction from…
Honorable Mention: Katori-senpai
Kazuko, no!
あれ? You didn’t think perhaps there was a Love Master in this show, did you? Katori-senpai is certainly no love master, the gods might punish him for thinking that. No, he’s just helping people out by telling stories about himself, things that should embarrass him, but always gets people on the right track. And you definitely shouldn’t fall in love with him, Kazuko Hosokawa, because he’ll just break your heart like he’s done to all the other kittens. But I do think it’s funny that the only girl who actually likes Katori-senpai is Kazuko.
A show that follows this many characters can really get confusing, but the way that it separates what the different characters are doing, and keeps their pairings thematically consistent and fairly simple helps the viewer to keep everyone straight. This show really is a lot of fun, and you should watch it! And feel free to put your own rankings in the comments.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 46 comments
Tsuredzure Children really is an excellent romcom! KanaxChiaki is my favorite couple. Those two will get there one day. One day…
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 26 comments
I pretty much agree with this. I just wish Toda/Sunagawa were in it. Chiba/Kirihara is a very fine material too, albeit played out in anime a bit too much.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
#2 Ryouko and Akagi
Are perhaps my favorite of the pairs, I can’t quite say exactly why. But, as you say, the potential for an abusive relationship is present, however the tone of the show doesn’t jive with that. I think Akagi is foreward with her because he things that what American’s are used to? He likes her, wants to respond in kind? That sort of thing. But overall I like the push me pull you between them, it rings true for younger couples…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
It’s also interesting that that potential for abuse is one of the reasons that Akagi says that he’s approached Ryouko, when she archly asks “You think I’m just gonna do it with you?” and he seriously responds “Yes, that’s exactly what I think”, but then goes on to explain that he thinks she would with whoever came up to her, hinting that she’s that starved for attention. So even he recognizes that kind of potential in her, and at least so far has been sincere with her (yes, teasing can be sincere).