Due to how Nakatani constructed the characters and narrative I can't really hold any character's flaws against them. Sure, all central characters have flaws that they could and should overcome, but we're shown exactly why these flaws are there, how they came to be.
Yes, Touko was being very selfish in her "love" initially, because that was what she felt she needed, because she felt that it was all she deserved. To me, her self-loathing was her major flaw, and she could not have overcome that one by herself. She needed someone like Yuu, who got to know her hidden side and accepted that. She would never have shown this side to someone who she honestly thought cared enough to pass judgement over her. Her self-esteem is still rather low, I'd say, considering her factual abilities and competence.
The side she showed the world was not, however, lovable by itself. Likeable, sure, but I don't think you can earnestly love someone who seems flawless. You can have a crush on someone like that, sure, but loving means knowing full-well a person's flaws, and then embracing the flaws you can and then negotiating those you can't.
Having a crush is not love. Love begins when the crush is over. Yuu never had a crush on Touko, but over time got to love her. Touko had a crush on Yuu, for rather awkward reasons, but got over that, too, and eventually embraced all of her.
last edited at Sep 1, 2019 3:26PM