let the cells glow

Influenced by the famous Mr and Mrs Smith, people would probably expect the two to be working against each other in secret while falling in love. WISE and the Garden are not direct enemies, and this trope is used for Loid and Yuri instead. We don’t get the “lovers feuding in secret”, but we get the “brothers-in-law from rival factions have to act nice in front of the sister/wife”, which is arguably a refreshing twist on this trope. This also adds to the trope of “concerned brother thinks husband is not good enough for his precious sister” as Yuri is fighting against Loid as both a brother and a SSS officer. Yuri falls into the trope of “younger brother who loves his sister a little too much”, plus he and Yor have the “smart younger kid / klutz older sibling” dynamic. However, Yuri is also shown to be an intelligent man who is dedicated to his SSS work, showing he is not as “dumb” and “Yor-obsessed” as he might seem.

Fiona is similar to Yuri in the sense she also embodies tropes of “cool emotionless character” (rationality as a foil to Yor’s irrationality) “in love with male lead” and “determined love rival”. What makes her refreshing is that by the end of her first appearance, Fiona has acknowledged Yor is superior and has a respect for her, while Yor is completely clueless about it. What could’ve turned into a petty catfight or dramatic love triangle just… never happened. (Or at least it was just one sided rivalry). Fiona knew she had lost and left. Also, Fiona’s passion for Loid is in direct contradiction to how she usually behaves like, which adds a new side of her and is quite funny.

You can also do this with the kids. I really adore Anya's character because she was an abused kid who was experimented on and gained superpowers. One would expect a character like her to be withdrawn and stoic, but she's the opposite of that. Anya is bold, fearless and curious. While Anya is clingy and has abandonment issues, she isn't shy either and isn't afraid to throw temper tantrums (even though that might anger her parents). Anya is simultaneously smart and dumb- she is very witty, has street smarts, and quite perceptive of her surroundings. However, she is shown to be struggling academically (probably because she's learning things 1/2 years above her level) and jumps to unrealistic conclusions (eg. helping Damian would immediately save the world). Lots of other mind-reading children would be tortured by the thoughts of others and end up being really mature and intelligent. Anya, however, acts like her age. She subverts the trope of "abandoned kid finds new family" "experimented child escapes from facility" but also fits right in the trope of "hilariously blunt comic relief child" and "matchmaker kid".

Reader's first impression of Becky (polished, cutesy rich girl with recognisable design) is that she'll either be 1) Anya's best friend or 2) the Mean Girl. Initially, we lean towards the latter. Becky snubbed Anya and Anya didn't care much about her. However, the "Mean Boy" role is very quickly filled in by Damian and co, then Anya punches Damian (in defence of Becky). Becky instantly transforms from "rich girl looking down on commoner girl" to the "best friend who is a huge romantic" trope. Then we receive a glimpse into Becky's backstory of how she struggled to make friends, and how she latched onto Anya. Readers already know Anya just wants to be loved and feels slightly misplaced in the upper-class Eden circle, so she also latches onto Becky. Their friendship may have developed quickly, but it's realistic for 5/6yos. Their friendship is continuously reinforced, with Becky somewhat acting as a "guide" to Eden and the upper class. Becky also supports Anya in her crazy schemes to get Damian's attention.

Damian again is full of tropes. He's the "tsundere bully" "rich, spoiled, smart kid" "second son syndrome / just wants Father to notice him" aka. a mini Draco Malfoy. Compared to everyone else, Damian is possibly one of the most typical characters. He has major daddy / older brother issues. He's spoiled, but he has a crush on Anya, so he alternates between acting like a jerk and being nice. He's in constant denial about his feelings. He is academically talented. He's like a baby version of a typical 2000s shojou manga "rich tsundere boy" love interest. However, what helped to characterise him is that chapter when he and his buddies went on that field trip. There, we see Damian without the context of both his father and Anya (aka. main plot characters). He's just a kid, having fun with his friends, being scared of worms, etc etc. This makes him more likeable.

Another note about Damian and Anya is that Damian embodies the very, very classic trope of "boy has feelings for girl but doesn't know how to deal with them so he bullies her!!". And the boy's crush justifies the bullying somehow. However, that is cleverly dealt with in the manga. Yes, Damian has a crush. No, his mean actions aren't justified. Multiple characters call him out whenever he's being a jerk, from Anya, Becky, teachers, to random classmates (eg. a girl during the arts and crafts chapter was concerned when Damian made Anya cry). Nobody says "boys will be boys" or something. Bullying is not romanticised. In latter chapters, you can see that Damian actually isn't as mean towards Anya, and most of the insults are said by his goons. (Damian doesn't stop them, thus making him a bystander, but also I don't expect much from a literal 6yo spoiled kid) There is some slight and slow character development. However, Damian's character is built on the fact that he switches between "modes" quickly (concerned mode for Anya, spoiled brat mode due to his upbringing, obedient son mode because his father doesn't care), so even though it might appear that he hasn't changed because he is still constantly switching being mean and nice, I personally feel like he has matured slightly. I was very relieved when for ONCE the good ole crush/bullying trope isn't heavily romanticised by the manga and its characters.

As a last point about Anya, I think her mind reading powers acts as an excellent plot device to help readers know more about the thoughts of characters. Usually this is delivered in the form of monologues, but Anya's live reaction/ commentary to said monologues (live Anya reaction anybody?) makes it funnier and more interesting. We can visibly see Anya's shock when character tropes get subverted (eg. Fiona declaring her love for Twilight while putting on an emotionless facade, Damian suddenly being "not a jerk").