NaLu analysis: Natural relationship plus physical intimacy
This analysis makes me feel a little tiny bit like NuxTaku… in a good way (jk)
Whenever people talk about some particular relationships in manga/anime they tend to use terms such as ‘feeling natural,’ ‘one he’ll of a chemistry,’ and how the characters involved would likely 'steal touches from one another.’
Some NaLu shippers may use those very same terms… but not for Lucy’s relationship with Natsu.
We already had several analyses showing how the chemistry between Lucy and Natsu surpasses the shallow perception of several shippers. It’s just like one perceptive reader said once: 'the best other premises have to offer, it’s what NaLu casually accomplishes’
Right now, we’re going to back up that statement using a couple of arguments shallow fans typically use. Chemistry has its own series, so I’ll save it for another post.
For now, we’ll focus on 'feeling natural’ and 'stealing touches.’ According to fans these elememts give some of Lucy’s relationships with other guys an noticeable edge over NL
First, what does “natural” mean in this particular context?
If we go to the word itself, some synonyms could be “genuine” and “spontaneous.” However, the closest definition seems to be “innately felt to be right; based on instinctive moral feeling.” So, in other words, shippers are implying NaLu is not something genuine, and it doesn’t feel right…
While the last bit seems incredibly subjective, we can draw an objective conclusion by examining the characters involved and their moments. We’re not going through every single NaLu moment, we’re just going to use some as examples:
For starters, let us recall that moment seen during one special chapter…
…something we already analyzed in under the “NaLu and chemistry” tag, Lucy expressing she’s not willing to go on a mission without Natsu because she feels attached to him. Was Lucy being “genuine” about it? Character-wise, we can say Lucy didn’t like the idea of going without Natsu because teaming up with him “felt right” to her. Isn’t that what the word “natural” means?
But, one could argue that’s just Lucy, and claim Natsu’s behavior doesn’t feel natural. So, we now ask, does Natsu’s reactions towards Lucy come out as “natural”?
…in other words, as something “genuine” or “spontaneous”?
All it takes is one look at the manga to answer those questions. However, some shippers may say those are “individual” moments, and that interaction-wise NaLu is lacking chemistry or that natural feel to it. Well, let us check other NaLu moments:
Several FT fans probably saw this particular scene in its animated version…
…when Lucy finds herself overwhelmed by sadness, her first impulse is to seek comfort in Natsu. Is this OOC for them? Not at all, it is, in fact, the logical result of actual development between the characters. Natsu already showed his willingness to go out of his way to provide Lucy with comfort and relief, as attested by several of pretty significant moments…
…thus cementing Lucy’s emotional attachment to Natsu. His earnest response is to offer Lucy the strength and support she needs, and in turn, she’s able to calm down and eventually feel better as a result of this sincere gesture
And this is not just a one-time thing. We can find moments like these…
…but that would make this analysis way longer than it needs to be
Something else we could highlight is how they still respone in a “natural” manner to one another…
…even when facing danger
Given we’ve been covering chemistry, and we know NaLu feels “natural” to the characters involved. What else is left to consider? The implication of “stealing touches” from one another being something that NaLu lacks…
Focusing entirely on Mashima’s work, we can see how this argument easily falls apart. Do you guys remember the aftermath of Lucy Vs. Flare? Natsu offering Lucy the support and comfort she needs…
…and then Lucy “stealing touches” from Natsu during the night of that very same day…
Natsu even did something similar…
In fact, the author himself often portrays them being pretty “touchy” with each other in several covers…
…it doesn’t even matter if it is a group shot…
A lot of times, it’s even blatant support for this side of their relationship
If their bond feel natural to both Natsu and Lucy, and they’re not lacking in physical contact, why people imply there’s no chemistry in NaLu?
Could it be the lack of “reacting the same way” to some situations? That’s not what chemistry is about, and even if it is, Natsu and Lucy already had some panels depicting such reactions:
Is it a lack of rescue scenes? We already proved that’s not the case in other posts.
The real issue is the fact several of their interactions get overshadowed by comedy…
…even when the story gives us a great setup for potential drama, the author defuse it by relying on comedy. And even if that weren’t the case, Natsu being a quirky trouble-maker makes it hard for some shippers to take NaLu moments seriously. It’s far easier to hype moments that involve a more serious, better-looking, calm, and collected character to the point of implying other premises have better “chemistry” than NaLu.
But, when we take a look at their moments without letting character’s quirks or appeal to get in the way…
…we can still see that NaLu has one heck of a chemistry, a relationship that feels natural for both characters, physical intimacy, and enough closeness for their bond to keep growing until becoming something far stronger than many people would give it credit for.
