Ahhh shipping. The blight of any fandom, but we all have our
pairings that we like or have a soft spot for. So, here are my OTPs (One True
Pairings) from Sentai.
First one, Gorou/Karen from JAKQ.
The first canon ship in Sentai. Yeah, I know Red/Pink tends
to be a popular ship, but I have a reason to liking this pairing. It all
started in the episode where Gorou got amnesia and, after it seems nothing was
working, Karen decides to recreate the accident that cost her both her ARM and
her FATHER to try and get his memory back. That's not just cool, that's what I
call love. Plus, over the course of the series, I liked how we got they would
switch around who would be the damsel in distress of that particular episode.
Meaning there were moments where Karen was in trouble and Gorou would save her,
but there were also moments where Gorou was in trouble and Karen would save
him.
Second, Jou/Gou from Liveman
Seriously, these are just sooooo easy to slash. Plus, there
the whole angst thing and how tragic it all is (Though they do get a happy
ending... sorta). But what I really like about this ship is how their
friendship isn't just something that mention once and never again (Like
Yuusuke's crush on Rui) but is mention almost every time Gou comes back. Only
downside to this pairing is that they scream classic Uke/Seme. Seriously, take
a picture of the two together and add some blush on Gou's cheeks and you'll
see.
Third, Takeru/Kotoha from Shinkenger
Now, I'm not a huge fan of Shinkenger, but I do feel this
pairing is a little overlook by a lot of fans. It seems like there's some kind
of unspoken rule that if you are in Shinkenger fandom, then you have to ship
Takeru/Mako, Chiaki/Kotoha, and Genta/Karou. I know Takeru/Mako is
unquestionably the most popular ship in Shinkenger and a lot of people actually
thought the show was actually pointing towards it, but to me, if the show was
setting up anybody with anybody, it's Takeru and Kotoha. Takeru has expressed
personal concern for her and only her out of the vassal Rangers (Genta aside).
They've shared an episode with pretty explicit romantic tension (Which annoys me how people try to write off that episode as just showing they are just Brother and Sister) and since then
they've always gone out of their way to show Kotoha worried about Takeru's
feelings in Takeru-centric episodes.
Both Takeru and Kotoha spent most of the series feeling like they were just nothing but a stand-in for the real deals and both feel more at home on the battle field than doing normal things, so I can see those two bonding over those things.
And that there's my ships.
Jou and Gou are a pretty slashable couple. It was in the late 1990s and early 2000s when you start to question: are the writers purposely doing this?
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see someone else who likes Takeru and Kotoha. I agree, the series was definitely hinting towards them. Hell, the narrator even acknowledged it! I'm a Shinkenger fan, and I ship Takeru and Kotoha together for all of the reasons you stated, especially the fact that they are both stand-ins and dealing with that. I also think they are both the only ones truly comfortable with being Samurais. They have no normal lives outside of this. Takeru was raised to be a stand-in at a young age, and Kotoha had to grow up and train fast. The others had normal lives that they sacrificed: Ryuu was in kabuki (although he is fully committed to being a Samurai), Mako really wants a normal life as well as Chiaki. With Takeru and Kotoha, the only lives they know and feel comfortable with are being samurais. And it would be fun to see them try to adjust to life after the final battle.