It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these – real life plus generally busy has been getting in the way of being on the boards in general, and whilst I have been watching a fair few of the new series on Crunchyroll, I never feel that I have enough to say that hasn’t already been said in general discussion.
That said, I’m still reviewing anime for the site, and still have a backlog of stuff to do and watch. It was when I was watching BakaTest Season 2 that I thought of this list. With the absurdity of the show in general, I realised that Yuuji and Akihisa, despite all their fighting and stupidity, actually make a rather good team and work together quite well. In fact, they actually gel a lot better as a partnership than with the girls interested in them…you can insert your own yaoi joke here.
The point is that I was wondering what other ‘pairs’ in anime really work the best? Which gel the strongest, whether from an immediate viewing or through character development? And after quite a long list which I cut down to 44 good ones and then finally had to cut 4 more, I am doing a top 40 list of my favourite pairs.
The rules for this are simple – the pair in question have to be in an existing relationship. It doesn’t have to be romantic – friends, family, work colleagues, schoolmates, anything like that. They don’t even need to like either other initially, character development can make an antagonist pair into easily the most interesting dynamic in the whole show. Of course, romantic pairs are also included in this list, mainly the theme is that these pairs must basically ‘complete’ each other. You feel that without one, the dynamic of the character will be changed (and in some cases, they do as you’ll see) and you wonder what would happen without them.
Some funny, some sad, some tragic, some heartwarming – here are the first 10 of my top 40 pairs in anime.
#40 LUPIN/JIGEN (LUPIN III)
We start with the classic pair – Lupin and Jigen are one of those mysteries that you know that no matter what scheme Lupin is doing, Jigen will be there, calling him ‘boss’ despite being his senior. There are various interpretations of how they got together, from the original manga, movies, series and even the new Fujiko Mine series. The main interest between the two is the respect that they have for each other, even though some of their philosophies are quite different. Lupin is a womaniser, whilst Jigen is fairly straight laced though fancies a drink and a cigarette – yet the two work together really well. They are quite low mainly because Lupin as a rule, doesn’t actually need to be associated with Jigen because…well…he’s friggin Lupin III. However, most of the time, they are together and it shows the trust they have in each other. It’s hard to really call it a friendship as well, more like a respected rivalry that won’t ever be settled, so both threw in their cards and decided to team up. And let’s face it, it’s one of the first pairs in anime that most people may have watched back in the 1970s. Lupin’s relationship with his other main gang (Fujiko, Goemon and even Zenigita) are also unique, but it’s the one with Jigen that stays true through and through.
#39 YUMI/MOMOKO (SAKI)
Like Akihisa and Yuuji (who were #41 when I did this list, hence why I needed to mention them in the introduction), Yumi and Momoko are a pair in almost a comedy like series(Saki having a lot more serious moments later) – where there are a lot of choice pairs that work together (Saki/Nodoka being the obvious one). The reason why I picked this pair above the others in Saki is rather simple. Out of all the pairs, these two NEED each other. In fact, Yumi even mentions it when she first meets Momo properly. Now, that doesn’t mean any of the other pairings in Saki are any less meaningful, not at all. I just feel these two really have the best dynamic of trust, love and adoration for each other that if they ‘broke up’ there would be devastation on one or both parties. Momo in particular has had a really sad background, due to her natural invisibility that all she really wanted was one special friend. And due to her mahjong skills getting noticed with a sad message saying ‘they couldn’t find her anyway’, Yumi makes it her mission to find her. And once she does, the two are practically inseparable. It may not be as deep as any of the higher related relationships and granted they are barely in the series at times, but for me, it is one of the most sweetest pairs out there and deserving to be mentioned on this list.
#38 ANY OF THE PAIRS FROM HIDAMARI SKETCH
O.K, I’m kinda cheating here, but to be honest, I felt bad just picking one as all the pairs from this series have a unique dynamic which is endearing and lovable. So this is a simple one – each of the Hidamari-sou resident pairs can be mingled with each other of course, but just for the core three…
Sae/Hiro – they are husband and wife. O.K, not officially but they might as well be. Sae pretending to be a responsible sempai for her younger friends, but with Hiro she can relax (with coffee, cream and 3 sugars) – she pretty much admits attracted to Hiro when she first saw her, and since then, they’ve been inseperable, Hiro is the mother of the duo, taking care of Sae as well as the younger girls, but also they both treat their friends as equals, not to mention Sae’s awkwardness over Chika and Hiro, so when they actually have an argument, you can see just how bad it is if the two did ‘separate’. Of course, cue heartwarming…
Yuno/Miyako: A very different dynamic, but just as loving – Miyako is happy and carefree, whilst Yuno is innocent and reserved. The fact Miyako within seconds of meeting Yuno practically wants to share food and later hop in the bathtub with her is a combination of her bubbly nature and naivety, but that’s part of what makes Miyako so lovable. As for Yuno, the two become closer and closer and whilst Yuno definitely has good interactions with the rest of the cast, it’s her closeness with Miyako which makes her the most embarrassed, but Miyako also helps Yuno get out of her shell (as Yuno develops wondering if she can be a good sempai for the below pair) and develops as a character.
Nazuna/Nori: The youngest pair, they really hit it off rather quickly despite a similar opposite dynamic that Yuno/Miyako have – Nori being the confident one, Nazuna the shy one – the difference is Nazuna is perhaps even more reserved, and unlike the common ground Yuno has with the others (art), Nazuna doesn’t have that. Nori fortunately is very straight-forward and doesn’t care about any of that – their dynamic is very fun, like Nori helping Nazuna despite being in different education, or the two calling Yuno ‘cute’ when she’s trying to be a good sempai.
These ‘pairs’ are all based on grounds of near instant friendship, and watching them all grow despite the show being a primary comedy series, is a delight.
#37 ICHINO/AKARI (BATTLE ATHLETES VICTORY)
If only Ichino was in the series more, then this duo would be much higher. However, the moments the two are together in the first half of the series still make them more than eligible. Whilst the Kris and Akari dynamic grows well in the second half, Ichino and Akari’s is a bit more complex and more understanding. What I enjoy is that we know they are friends when the show starts, as it suggests they maybe the only two Japanese girls at the academy. And whilst there is no real flashback to say how they became friends, you get the feeling the two joined together due to common goals and nationality. The most interesting thing is that Ichino at the start was super confident, the best runner in Osaka, yet coming to the Academy and seeing people better than her means she is focused on getting better. Now, this does suggest that maybe Ichino saw Akari as either someone she could work with because she was worse, or someone she could help train as a good friend. The jury is out there, especially as you see a hint of jealousy when Akari DOES improve and catches up with her. And yes, the race between the two is quite tragic for both characters. However, that spark of love in their hearts was never diminished (Akari has a serious breakdown when Ichino leaves at first, blaming herself) and throughout the series initially (sharing their room, Ichino heading to Hokkaido to find her after Akari’s loss to Jessie) their care and compassion is evident, especially after Akari’s big qualifying race where she is there to greet her at the finishing line, crutches and all. They need each other, both to improve, but also to keep a steady hand on each others shoulders.
And of course, the jealous rivalry when Kris meets Ichino.
#36 SAGA/SUGAR (TINY SNOW FAIRY SUGAR)
This one is one of the more unique pairings in the list, because…well…it is between a human and a fairy. This makes it unique immediately due to the supernatural, but also because Saga is the only person who can see Sugar (and the other Season Fairies). What also makes this interesting is that this relationship is not exactly sugar and spice and all things nice at first. It’s the first pairing (but not the last) on the list where it is borderline antagonistic at first, mainly due to Sugar basically screwing up Saga’s well organised lifestyle to near chaos levels. And she is quite annoyed about it to say the least. However, fortunately due to the power of character development this does change gradually – there are moments that Saga’s patience does wear thin (like when Sugar writes on Saga’s mothers music, but then is told she was writing an apology note) – and Saga’s nature later in the series causes her to neglect Sugar (when her mother’s piano gets sold to Greta), however the strength of this series is Saga learns from this. She realises what she is doing, and just how much of a positive influence Sugar has been in her life, as she becomes more fluid, happier, and accepts the strangeness into her life. It is such a shame of course, that whilst we are aware that Sugar could indeed leave if she ‘graduates’ to become a Snow Fairy, it doesn’t make it any less tragic, and poor Sugar desperately trying to make sure her bed doesn’t bloom just so she can spend just another minute with Saga, it is truly heartbreaking (TSFS in my top 10 tearjerking anime for a reason) on both sides. This is why I enjoy this pair – the way they grow and learn to become friends, in an environment that only belongs to Saga and how she adjusts, and because of this, she becomes better as a person – Sugar was the cause of that, and despite her quirks, she becomes a wonderful friend to Saga.
