she's actually a nuanced character that puts a lot of thought into her relationship with Adachi.
Agreed but I'd add that...
she's actually a nuanced character that puts a lot of thought into [ nearly every aspect of her life ].
She's one of the most thoughtful MCs I've read and not over simple topics either. Very introspective and questioning. She really wants to define herself at every opportunity and feels uncomfortable when she can't do so. That makes her "slow" because she takes time to think things through first or to wonder about her experiences. That's largely why she gets misunderstood at times.
I do agree and for me that's the biggest selling point of AdaShima. But to be fair, being that thoughtful is not healthy. Instead of living in the present, it almost feels like she is an external character to the story, analysing what is happening. But this is what makes the character unique and what makes me want to see her evolve past that. The spontaneity of Adachi is certainly helping her in that regard.
I don't think there's anything unhealthy about it and she has no real issues in her life that would necessitate a change. Maybe we just use the word "unhealthy" differently. But I agree: her and Adachi definitely do balance each other out for sure.
Unhealthy was a poor choice of word indeed. But to be in a proper relationship she needs to learn to be more spontaneous and to be more in phase with her/other people's feelings. At the current time, she often Cannot react to Adachi's actions because she needs to process them first. Which in a way is good, but it kills the spontaneity and the magic a bit.
I give her some grace anyway because she's dealing with Adachi, to be fair. Adachi isn't the typical person and her reactions would be off putting for anyone else but Shima. The average person would not put up with much of what Adachi does.
I think if Shima were responding to anyone else she'd be fine: a lot of Adachi's actions are ones that require a pause and some thought, especially with how anxious Adachi is. Often Shima's tendency to think about Adachi is her showing her affection for Adachi. But I see what you mean.
They're both made for each other but I feel like Adachi benefits the most simply because I don't know how anyone else but Shima would have handled her. On the other hand, I could imagine Shima living her life with her other friend just fine (though not as happily as she'd be with Adachi!).
last edited at Aug 2, 2024 11:47AM