thoughts on Kannavi’s writing?
It still amazes me that Kannavi joined the series relatively late and still managed to make such an impact as a character. I think he is generally well-liked in the fandom.
Now, what I like about his writing is that he doesn't get swallowed in the title of being "Orca's best friend" completely. He IS that, of course, but that's not ALL that he is. I think it has to do with the fact that adult Kannavi and Orca don't actually have that many scenes together, in fact, most of their relationship dynamic is told to us in retrospect, but it still works so well together and seems natural, so it's not hard for the reader to believe that they are very close to one another. What is done well when it comes to his writing is that he can act and show interest outside of just Orca. He has smaller scenes or one-liners that, while intended as comedic relief, still add a surprising amount of characterisation. Furthermore, I believe his friendship with Itia, of which most of it's growth we don't see live, but also in how they treat one another during the Gerakí arc and the final arc, also adds substance to his character. Him and Itia also work well together. They are similar in ways that makes them seem closer, but different in ways that are also important and distinguishes them . Kannavi seems to admire Itia, which we can see in the multiple scenes where he calls her strong, for example, which gives him another person to be attached to aside from Orca and seem more well-rounded as a result of that.
He's also given other charming character traits and interests like his fixation on his hair or the fact that he hates the cold.
Is he a character like Ouni that has a full character arc and many analysable aspects? No.
But that doesn't have to be a bad thing!
Kannavi is a character that works well within a dynamic and enriches relationship between characters, which, in my opinion, gives him his own kind of substance, especially since I find group dynamics to be a bit lacking when it comes to other relationships in the series which is ironic considering the importance of community on the Mud Whale.
