I do not ship Pantalone and Dottore. I would like to explain why I think this, I want to hear your guys' opinions aswell!
No, I don’t ship them in a romantic sense. The closest comparison I can think of is Veil (the manga) They are more than friends, but not lovers either. They understand each other on such a deep level that normal labels don't really fit them.
I understand why people would interpret their dynamic as queer-coded, but I personally wouldn’t describe it that way. Calling it romantic even ambiguously romantic simplifies something that is much more complex. Romance usually implies emotional vulnerability, tenderness, or love in some form, and I don’t think either Il Dottore or Pantalone are written to experience each other through that lens. Their relationship is built on mutual understanding of one another rather than affection.
What makes them compelling is that they mirror each other. They recognize parts of themselves in the other that nobody else could possibly understand. Trying to categorize that dynamic strictly as friendship or romance misses what makes it interesting in the first place. Their connection transcends the social framework those labels are built on.
In fact, I think to view it as such would be watering down the entire purpose of this bond altogether.
Anyways, please let me know what you guys think. It would be nice to know that not the only one that thinks this. Lolol