RABI/LAVI X SHIROGANE PLEASEEEE!! Read ashen revolution its PEAKK
ShiroRabi
Y’all these ships are killing me with the photos 😭 (Joking)
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So ShiroRabi; Before I became the CEO of IroRabi propoganda, I think this was my second favorite Rabi ship? I think it’s a little vanilla, but to me it didn’t stand out as abhorrently problematic. However, we shall delve into the story to determine if my past self was correct.
In story, I feel like they don’t really explain ShiroRabi’s backstory in its full extent. We as the viewers get to fill in the gaps of their backstory, especially since they don’t directly show flashbacks to how the two of them met. All we know is that they like meeting on the roof and watching the stars together. I definitely suspect this enhanced ShiroRabi’s popularity significantly, because with almost every other dynamic that existed before the story takes place, we are explicitly shown how it developed. I really appreciated this element on re-watch, but y’all aren’t here for the appreciation, you’re here to find out why they’re problematic.
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From Shirogane’s perspective: She clearly idolizes or even worships Rabi, to the point where she’s fully willing to take a bullet for her. Sometimes it makes me wonder if yandere Shirogane would be a probable scenario should Rabi end up with anybody besides her. It’s not all bad though, because Shirogane ends up driving a lot of important forces in Ashen Revolution, such as the Advocates Group. If it weren’t for that advocate group, I really do think Rabi, Asahi, and Sasha would’ve given up on their journey to reform the situation much earlier. I also love how Shirogane trusts Rabi so much that even if she doesn’t understand what Rabi is saying logically, she’s fully willing to go along with it. That said, it is very obvious to the viewer that if something terrible like Rabi dying were to happen, Shirogane would join her. Shirogane can’t live without Rabi, because Rabi doesn’t just mean everything to her, she is the only thing in Rabi’s life with any meaning.
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From Rabi’s perspective: Rabi on the other hand, see’s herself as entirely worthless. She’s resigned to her fate not just as a magical girl, but to her fate in life. She wants so desparately to grasp at the lowest branches of hope, but she’s so short she can’t reach them. Shirogane isn’t just a lifeline to her; she’s the only thing in her life that assures her she’s still human. The unhealthy dynamic continues though, because in my personal opinion, Rabi never really gains a confidence boost from having a personal hype girl around. Instead of Shirogane boosting her condidence, she gives Rabi something to care about, but more importantly, something to lose. It’s good characterization don’t get me wrong, each character SHOULD have a tragic flaw in my opinion, but this makes Shirogane’s fate the ultimate catalyst for Rabi’s descent into despair. When the tragedy happens, she not only loses her last strand of hope that peace could be made amongst magical girls and the eradicators, she loses the one person who’s been supporting her. In just one quick moment, her world turns to ash. (Pun intended.)
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How they are intertwined: Rabi has low self esteem, and despite Shirogane’s best efforts, nothing she does can change that. However, Rabi does sincerely care for her, which is normally a good thing, but unfortunately, because of how the story goes, it ends up catapulting Rabi into the deepest pits of despair. If Rabi had been the one who experienced Shirogane’s fate, it’s undeniably that Shirogane would have joined her; but for Rabi, this isn’t an option, she had to keep living for Shirogane’s sake, and for the sake of fulfilling her goal as a part of Folklore of Zero. It’s a deeply co-dependent and toxic relationship, where both of them are using the other in their own way. (Shirogane is Rabi’s link to normalcy, her one grasp at salvation. Meanwhile, Rabi is Shirogane’s sense of purpose, she fuels almost every action she takes.) Ultimately, they aren’t the most problematic ship in Magia Record, but they are definitely problematic!
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I hope you people enjoyed my analysis of ShiroRabi, stayed tuned for more!
Happy Spooky Season as well! 🎃
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Thank you OP for requesting! I really appreciate it, and don’t worry, I’ve seen most Magia Record events, so I gotchu! :D