Kenji x Darius was set up from the beginning and no one can change my mind
They were the first two that immediately had a character dynamic, and their dynamic changed over time throughout the show, going from hating eachother to being best friends
Kenji getting adopted by the Bowmans was shoehorned in at the last second, literally last 5 minutes of the episode, it's a "surprise!!! Theyre actually brothers now!" And I'm convinced the executives got involved so there wouldn't be another canon gay ship
And before anyone comes at my throat about their age gap, Darius is BARELY younger than Brooklynn but all of you ship her and Kenji so shush
Anyway yeah I ship it, I ship Benrius more but still ship it
Tbf not all of them ship kenji and brooklynn, plenty of people had an issue with that age gap too
Anon, this is such a weird and gross take (and itâs so much worse if youâre actually right. I highly doubt it, but still).
This being true means Kenji was originally characterized as a full blown sexual predator who is attracted to, and bullies/harasses, the youngest, most vulnerable members of the group instead of an asshole who was acting like a creep because he kept trying to impress a famous girl. (Still a massive issue, but not to the degree of this âheadcanonâ).
> Kenji x Darius was set up from the beginning and no one can change my mind
Darius was 12. Kenji was 15. And Kenji constantly pointed out how much younger he was than him in a way that was supposed to demean him.
Here are some actual quotes from Kenji in s1 that are about or to Darius;
âHe was sneaking out, but I set him straight. Look, I try to look out for the younger kids. It's who I am.â - To Brooklynn.
âQuiet, junior! The grown-ups are talking.â - To Darius, about himself and Brooklynn.
âGirls love a grand gesture, junior. You'll understand when you're older.â - To Darius, about Brooklynn.
âI... I was saving the poor, confused little kid.â - To Roxie and Dave.
âWhat's important is that I'll keep looking out for the kid, here.â - To Roxie and Dave.
âLast time I try to do something nice for a dumb kid.â - To Darius.
Making a 15 year old say all of that to a 12 year in a childrenâs show with the intent of pairing them up while theyâre still young is repulsive
Like this isnât even a headcanon, itâs an accusation. If youâre right, there are computers that need to be checked because that is not okay.
> They were the first two that immediately had a character dynamic, and their dynamic changed over time throughout the show, going from hating eachother to being best friends
That doesnât automatically mean they were going to end up together, Sammyâs first character dynamic was with Brooklynn and yet Yasammy was intended from the start.
Also, almost all the dynamics changed, Yaz was cold to everyone, especially Brooklynn, at first, and now sheâs close to them.
Brooklynn and Sammy went from star & fan to intense enemies to sort of friends to incredibly close, if not best, friends. And honestly, thatâs the best set up for a ship in the show imo.
> Kenji getting adopted by the Bowmans was shoehorned in at the last second, literally last 5 minutes of the episode, it's a "surprise!!! Theyre actually brothers now!"
Or it was planned from the start, especially considering that his dad was clearly set up to be a main villain. Like, realistically, who else would he go with? He couldnât move in Brooklynn because it wouldnât be healthy at their age, and heâs not close to the others in the same way as he is with Darius.
It was literally either go with one of the Nublar Six or go to a foster home, so itâs not a stretch that heâd move in with his best friend.
And even if it wasnât, even if they were going to be together, this being shoehorned in at the last second just means someone copped on that it would be a wildly inappropriate pairing.
> And I'm convinced the executives got involved so there wouldn't be another canon gay ship
Or they just didnât want a 15 year old boy being paired with the much younger boy who he picked on over his age in their kids show. It couldâve just been that.
> And before anyone comes at my throat about their age gap, Darius is BARELY younger than Brooklynn but all of you ship her and Kenji so shush
Does anyone actually? And regardless, that wouldnât make it okay???
Either way, at the start of the show, which takes place in the middle of December, 2015, we have Darius being 12 years and 5-10 months old, Kenji being 15 years and 0-4 months old, and Brooklynn being 13 years and 0-11 months old.
They were stranded for 6-7 months, and from what I remember in season 5 Dariusâ brother said he was 13 in season 5. His birthday was most likely in the 5-6 month time-skip between s2 and s3. So itâs from February to July.
And for Kenji, heâs 15, brought up that he failed algebra that year (so heâs in 9th grade) and after being reunited with his dad a missed 16th birthday was never mentioned. All of that puts his birthday from September to December.
And we get no other solid information on Brooklynn other than sheâs 13, at least none Iâm aware of, but with the way Kenji talks to her about Darius and about Darius to her, sheâs clearly an older 13 year old. (But Iâll still put 0-11 months down for the sake of the timeline.)
So Kenji is at least, at least, 2 years and 2 months older than Darius. For a 12 year old and a 15 year old, that age gap is massive. For the average kids, the maturity, the freedoms, the responsibilities, the social standing, the authority, the education (even the sexual education), etc vastly different and it all skews towards the 15 year old, making them the one with all the power in a relationship. It can never be equal, or even close to it.
With Brooklynn and Kenji, a 13 and a 15 year old, you could at least argue that the months apart could make it okay. The age gap could be okay; year and a month, but it might not be; two years and two months. (And itâs possible for her to be could be closer to Kenjiâs age than Dariusâ.)
