#syh

but lately i've thought about it again and it occurs to me that because of this characterisation, ritsuka is one of the less well written personality in given. the fact that he's oppositely arrogant and very kind makes him very interesting already. but that's all. he doesn't really care about other people's relationship and he's always the last one to notice people's feelings (at the contrary of mafuyu, who is really aware of his surroundings). his only struggles are related to mafuyu. music isn't the exception, because the reason why he kept wanting to do music is mafuyu. the excitement he found back in his passion is openly due to mafuyu's presence. would he still want to be pro if mafuyu wasn't in the band ? would he still find it interesting ? if he accepts playing for syh, it's also for mafuyu's song. if he keeps composing for given, it's for mafuyu to sing on his ideas. he wants to hear mafuyu, he wants mafuyu to hear him.

what about the others ?

now, you can't say that about hiiragi because he's the same type as ristuka, but he's got his grieving bound to his character. the fact that he's really attached to yuki and mafuyu adds to his personality, even though he is crazy about shizu. his talent is overly stated, he's reminded as dazzling and shining multiple times and that's what builds his character. you can't say that about haruki, even though he's the one thinking he is the less talented and not a genius. just these facts prove his struggles involve his self confidence about everything, not only about his love interest. you can't say that for ugetsu, because even though his characterisation was built around akihiko, he was set free after their breakup and started a genuine friendship with mafuyu. again, his genius side makes him relevant to the plot, interesting (and is helpful for mafuyu's development). you obviously can't say that for akihiko, who's got a deep background due to his shameful actions because of the lack of money, and who's got a strong personality which lead him to general relationship hooks, not only with ugetsu but also with other people.

and about the jokes ?

even the main running gag with ritsuka is that he's crazy about mafuyu. it's repeated over and over that all he drags about is mafuyu's behaviour, mafuyu's voice, mafuyu's face, mafuyu this, mafuyu that... it's an insane amount of bonuses we have about him with mafuyu (even in the 10th mix). meanwhile in the other way around, mafuyu's bonuses are about his childhood friends, about kedama, about ugetsu. this is important to me.

i get that we need that simple character to let the others shine, this may be the reason why he doesn't have a heavy background nor big trust/self-confidence/personal issues. and he's the egotistical type, of course he doesn't pay attention to other people's struggles if it's not about his lover. the only moment he felt inferior about shizu and hiiragi, he immediately put himself together and the issue lasted two pages. i'm pissed about that. i needed kizu to ruin his composure and make him doubt as hell about the future. but all what he wanted again was mafuyu to hear his song and mafuyu to become pro with him... it's all for mafuyu.

he's in love and we love that.

i also get that no one complains about this because let's be honest : this is really romantic. the way he sincerely loves mafuyu and would do anything for him is insane and makes us dream. but this doesn't explain why he wouldn't get any other interest in his life, because the other characters do. they have strong bonds with other characters and they have real struggles other than just love.

shizu is not better, though.

i admit that he's not the "worse" character, because shizu exists (i love him as well i swear). the surprise effect kizu played with shizu almost made me forgot about his weird characterisation. by "surprise effect", i mean that he was supposed to be that side sidish siding character with no relevance, but he suddenly got mad and revealed his grudges, his desires, his (wild) thoughts. that shocked us and that's what made his character interesting. but for real, he's worse than ritsuka in terms of "all i care about is my lover" actions. all his anger is for hiiragi, all his jealousy is for hiiragi, his passion is for hiiragi, his decisions, the way he plays, the way he behaves... it's all for hiiragi as well. even the fact he loves acting in the 10th mix is for hiiragi, seriously ?

conclusion

now that you let me sounded like i am a ritsuka and shizu hater, i wish to remind you that i love them because they're madly in love with their respective partner and both super hot- (i care a lot about looks). more importantly : just because i think ritsuka is surprisingly less well written than the others, it doesn't mean that he's a bad character. he is still very relatable and deep, worthy to look into ; the others of given are just better.