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- Joined
- Sep 2, 2020
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- 83
Ending a romcom when the couple gets together is very common beyond just shounen and has more to do with the natural arc of stories than anything else. “Will our protagonists overcome the hurdles keeping them apart?” is a simple but highly effective conflict to drive a romance story. Once that is resolved, it forms a natural conclusion. It is possible to continue in a new story direction with a new conflict driving it, but that’s basically renegotiating the terms of the deal with your audience and can be quite tricky. Some have done it very well, but others haven’t done it well, and many don’t even try.Because once the MC scores a girlfriend most shounen readers can't self-identify as him anymore. So that's where the story ends.
My problem is not the “they get together and lived happily ever after” conclusion. It’s basic yet functional storytelling. My confusion and irritation stems from the Japanese tendency to insert a random separation gap between “they get together” and “they lived happily ever after.” There’s no story arc in that gap. They just separate, don’t communicate, and then suddenly reunite. Nothing actually happens. It’s a perfunctory part of the epilogue pattern for no payoff. Yet I’ve seen it many times.
Why that gap? Is there some Japanese cultural meaning they are tapping into? Or is just a cliche brought about by sloppily imitating stories where the protagonists must make a heart-wrenching sacrifice at the climax and then a reunion comes as a genuine cathartic surprise? It vexes me so.