You might want a source for that latter part.
As others have said, it's pretty doubtful the show gets there (this season, anyway).
Essay below
Haha, no worries, I think that's just normal subtext though.
I will say, what would be considered "normal subtext" nowadays wasn't quite so back in '09. Certainly this is at least part of the reason the K-On! yuri fanbase was/is so huge.
But, yeah, I hope you get the gist of it. Might or might not be bait to you. Wow, I just realized I totally went off-track form the original forum topic. Sorry for that as well.
Everyone has their own opinion about what is and isn't bait, and that's okay. Thank you very much for giving me examples and explanations! You're cool. I do think it's a bit unfair to hold K-On! and Free! against the studio given that they're adapting someone's work with a fair amount of accuracy, but that and their choice(s) of source material do play into your feelings (for lack of a better word).
Personally, I look at what the studio has done since K-On! and that gives me hope for the future. A gay character was treated with respect in Tamako Market - even if she "lost," her love for another girl was treated about as well as any such character in anime. They created an original character in Chuunibyo that is the epitome of homosexuality (yes, that's a joke), and expanded upon this in season 2. And now this??
Maybe they won't get together. Maybe there are dudes at the end. Maybe someone at KyoAni is sitting there writing up as many ways to troll that fanbase as possible for next season and all the seasons beyond because this is how they get off. I don't really believe that though. My optimistic viewpoint leads me to believe people at the studio care about and enjoy same-sex romance. Whether it's this season or the one after or even a year or two down the line, I don't think a canon same-sex pair is very far off.
You can just feel the huge set-up to disappointment I'm giving myself with this post, can't you? Even with the above post in mind, even with the supposed novel baiting in mind, I will hold the line.
last edited at May 27, 2015 11:14AM