2. Ray and Florian (Gorgeous Carat)
3. Taki and Goh (Yellow)
4. Yuri and Wolfram (God Save Our King)
5. Will and Davy (Ransom)
6. Ban and Ginji (Get Backers)
8. Randy and Sharona (Monk)
9. Laguna and Raine (Final Fantasy VIII)
11. Peter and Mary Jane (Spiderman)
12. Sora and Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)
14. Vash and Wolfwood (Trigun)
1. Why do you dislike #11 so much? (Peter & Mary Jane)
Words cannot describe how much I loathe Peter and Mary Jane as a couple. I absolutely cannot stand Mary Jane and since I like Peter's character, it is impossible for me to see them as a couple. Mary Jane really should have been named Mary Sue, because that is basically what she is. There was no reason for so many people to fall in love with her and it was crazy that she was that successful right out of high school when Peter was in such bad shape. This girl was beyond selfish (it doesn't get any worse than leaving your groom at the alter to run stupidly through the streets in your wedding dress) and I just cannot imagine why Peter would want her. If he has to save her even one more time, I am never watching another Spider-man movie again.
2. Who is someone you know that ships #13? (Soubi & Ritsuka)
I don't know anyone personally, but there is a lot of love for this couple on the various message boards I frequent.
3. What would be your ideal scenario for couple #3? (Taki & Goh)
Well, they were already a couple by the end of the manga and the Yellow extra story that took place afterwards showed them as still together and relatively happy. My ideal scenario would be for them to just grow old together and love each other a lot.
4. Which is your favorite episode for #1? Try to pick just one. (Yuki & Shuichi)
I guess my favorite episode of Gravitation is the one where Shuichi moves in with Yuki and goes on the Quiz and Pop game show. It isn't heavy on the romance, but Yuki does kiss him and waits up for him to return home, and it was cute how Shuichi shouted out Yuki's name as the answer on the show.
5. How long have you been following couple #6? (Ban & Ginji)
Not that long, I can't remember when I first watched Get Backers... Maybe about a year? A little less than that, maybe?
6. What's the story with #8? What made you stop liking them/caring? (Randy & Sharona)
I still like them in the old episodes, but I can't bring myself to get invested in a relationship that has no chance. Since she was written out as remarrying her ex-husband when the actress left the show, there were no more cute scenes or any hope of a possible romance. It was a complete waste of potential, but I don't follow "Monk" anymore anyway, so who cares.
7. Which ship do you prefer - #2 or #4? (Ray & Florian or Yuri & Wolfram)
As much as I love Yuri and Wolfram, I have to go with Ray and Florian. Their relationship seems much less one-sided and I just love, love, love the characters. I want to see Ray and Florian get together so much (and there is a chance should the writer continue the series ever), and with Yuri and Wolfram, although I love them to bits, I have pretty much accepted they are never going to have more than what they have already had so far on the show.
8. You have the power to make one ship non existent. Choose from #10 or #12. (Cloud & Tifa or Sora & Kairi)
This is so easy - Cloud and Tifa without a doubt. I dislike Tifa so much, and being a huge Final Fantasy VII fan, I can't avoid seeing her. I am not into Kingdom Hearts, so the only time Kairi and Sora bug me is when we play the game, which is not often at all. Tifa and Cloud just do not have any chemistry and it seems awfully one sided. It seems that Tifa doesn't even love Cloud for who he is, just her idea of him, so if I could make one non existent, I would choose them.
9. What interests you about #14? (Vash & Wolfwood)
Well, I'm a Vash/Meryl fan, but there is something that intrigues me about Vash and Wolfwood. I'm not quite sure what it is, I guess I just like the chemistry that they had. When they first met on the show, they were completely on the same wavelength, and they just made a really interesting pair. Vash also had so much crap going on that, if he was to be in a relationship, it might be good to have such a strong character like Wolfwood to depend on. I doubt I'll ever really ship this couple, but they interest me nonetheless.
10. When did you stop liking #7? (Sinbad & Maeve)
Ooh, am I going to have some people hate me for this one or what? I shipped Sinbad and Maeve for so long, that I just eventually got absolutely sick and tired of everything about the show and the characters. It also didn't help that I became a fan of other couples who actually had romantic stuff on-screen for me to see, which made it harder to ship a pairing that really didn't have all that much. Sometimes it's nice to watch a couple fall in love, get together, and you know, actually have a conversation or something. It gets boring to only have a few longing gazes or that one kiss to sustain your interest. I still like them as a couple, but since the show has been over for ten years, I just moved on to other pairings that interest me more.
11. Did your waning interest in #9 kill your interest in the show? (Laguna & Raine)
It was a video game, but no, Laguna and Raine were like the only thing that was interesting to me about this game at all. I used to really like them, but same as the question above, you really need a little more than they had to remain a huge fan of a pairing.
12. What's a song that reminds you of #5? (Will & Davy)
After reading the second novel, I think the song that describes them perfectly is Josh Groban's "Awake". This song mirrors their situation so exactly; there is even a line in the song that goes "If I could make these moments endless / If I could stop the winds of change". I mean, the title of the novel was even in the lyrics! The song is about knowing you are going to have to part with the one you love, and wanting to basically stay awake for the moments that you do have together. This songs reminds me of the scenes Will and Davy spent together at Kit's home before Will had to resume his military duties.
13. Which of these ships do you love the most?
Yuki and Shuichi, Ray and Florian, and Taki and Goh, without a doubt. I love these three pairings and they each are at a different stage in their relationship, which I think is kind of interesting. Yuki and Shuichi are in a long term relationship that they have to constantly work at to stay together, Ray and Florian are in that wonderful 'unresolved sexual tension' stage that most couples stay in forever (and it is what keeps people tuning in), with the hope of more in the future, and Taki and Goh are new lovers that have just gotten together. Oops, reading the question again, I think I was only supposed to pick one... I'll go with Yuki and Shuichi.
14. Which do you dislike the most?
Tough choice! As much as I hate Peter and Mary Jane, I think I have to go with Cloud and Tifa.
15. If you could have any of these two pairings double date, who would it be?
Taki and Goh and Will and Davy. I chose them because Will and Davy lived in a time where they had to keep their love a secret or risk death by hanging. It would be nice for them to meet Taki and Goh who lived when there was no reason to hide their relationship, so they could see that there was no reason to be ashamed or have to live in fear.
16. Have #2 kissed yet? Elaborate if you'd like. (Ray & Florian)
Yes and it was so good! I went in to Gorgeous Carat not expecting Ray and Florian to have anything more than subtext, so imagine my surprise when they kissed near the end of book 4! God, these two are so adorable. Please, please, please let the creator continue this series!
17. Did #4 have a happy ending? If the show hasn't ended yet, do you think a happy ending is likely? (Yuri & Wolfram)
I have not seen the end yet... but I sure hope they will have a happy ending! Realistically, though, I am pretty sure that they will go no further then they have gone so far. Although they are engaged and Yuri, Greta (Yuri's daughter), and Wolfram all refer to Wolfram as Greta's other dad, I don't know if they will ever actually marry. Yuri seems to really like Wolfram a lot, but I don't know if what he feels is love.
18. What would make you start shipping #14? (Vash & Wolfwood)
Probably if I started reading the manga. I've read that they practically already are a couple in the manga, and since I really only read yaoi manga, I would probably just ship them without even thinking about it.
19. If only one could happen, which would you prefer - #2 or #6? (Ray & Florian or Ban & Ginji)
Ray and Florian!
20. You have the power to decide the fate of #10. What happens to them? (Cloud & Tifa)
Cloud would turn off his cell phone, leave wherever it is he was staying with Marlene, Tifa, and Denzel and go off to find a place for himself in the world. Tifa would get over Cloud, get a boyfriend (maybe Reno or Rude or Reeve) and leave Cloud the heck alone already. She could get married and live a happy life and Cloud could also find happiness for himself. It doesn't matter where, but as long as he is away from Tifa, they would both be better off.
- Liz