#juneli

I posted this as a reblog but this could also be useful as a post so here goes some rambling.

The whole Junjie×Eli issue created cracks in this already minuscule fandom and it's so unnecessary. I myself disappeared from around here because it basically became a two-factioned cult and I absolutely hate petty conflict, but now that the issue re-emerged I wanted to say something.

Slugterra fits very well in the Shounen type of animes, despite being a Western production. It borrows from that basically every aspect, with the peculiarity of worldbuilding and its specific lore, but the rest is the same in practice.

Shonen is a type of anime meant for male teenagers, with protagonists of the same age range more or less, who face countless obstacles thanks to teamwork and hard work, despite starting from a disadvantaged position. Many examples to be made, you can look them up if you like. There is plenty of action and success happens thanks to friendship, which is actually the main theme of shows like these (Shane Gang, check). Male to male friendships are very intense and meant for mutual improvement, replacement for absent/background families, mentorship, overcoming obstacles, helping navigate through the protagonist's emotions, even rivalry through parallels (Twist anyone?).

These male-to-male relationships are not meant to be romantic, but it's easy to see why they could be seen as such since since they're kind of intense, non-casual bonds.

Now, bear with me, because I swear, this comes from analyzing the objective structure of the genre, NOT from homophobia. When and if there's a hint of romance in shonen, it's male-female, slow burn, and a side element if present. There is a relationship like that in slugterra, with which they tried to milk the slugterra-cash-cow with Ascension, and if you ask me, it's the only canon one.

Now, shipping doesn't have to be strictly canonical. It's something imaginative and related to your preferences and the lenses through which YOU see any media, be it your experience, your personality, your attitude. But Junjie and Eli were most likely never meant to be viewed like that, from a production standpoint, and that's my bottom line. That's probably (also) why the writers accepted leaving Junjie's age unknown: it's not relevant.

Because sure, as many have said, you could argue that Junjie's body and mind stayed young; or you could be more conservative and say that, no matter what, he aged. It was never meant to matter though, because what's important is friendship with Eli. Not even mentorship, because, as someone else has written ages ago around here, that's not how you write a mentorship relationship. Eli and Junjie mutually teach each other things, they both help each other grow (also, Eli calling Junjie "dude"...would you say it to your mentor?). So if they're not mentor and student, but they still are so close, how is it possible they aren't meant to be "shipped" together? My answer is, friendship exists (again, as the main topic of shows like slugterra) and we often forget that as soon as we see more-intense-than-usual interactions in a show where, admittedly, they were mostly superficial.

I understand that by now I must be looking either like an old white rich man with a top hat or like an anime-savant. I am neither, but I am someone who hates unnecessary conflict, especially when it destroys a fandom which is already basically non-existent to begin with.

TLDR: (but actually read if you're interested because it's more nuanced than this) If you decide to ship any pairing that's because it resonates with you personally, and that can never be taken away from someone, especially since we don't know the age one of the characters in question. But it's also true that that number stayed unknown, most likely, precisely (also) because it wasn't important for the sake of romance, so it's all a purely hypothetical scenario in a media genre where romantic relationships, when present, are will-they-won't-they and heterosexual (under the assumption that slugterra is basically a Western shonen anime). So, why all the hustle and bustle? It's a divisive issue, and it's saddening to see arguments and people leaving the fandom because of it, especially since it's ultimately not the focus of the show. That's my 2 cents, I really hope I didn't offend anyone since it wasn't and never will be my intention.

I have never shipped Eli with Trixie...I ship(ped) him with Junjie