This ship has always been niche and rather inactive but... Has anyone ever noticed how Mimura LOOKS at Sugaya?! Especially in the second picture, it's so cute!
I accidentally discovered it and it lives rent free in my head. Mimura jaw is dropped.
Boy each time I see a ‘ship dynamics’ post it makes me want to talk at length about SugaMi
And there are things on the way I interpret/headcanon Mimura’s personality and elements of backstory that I don’t think I’ve shared on tumblr so here I go
I might have mentioned now and then how Sugaya’s art skills are incredible in a kinda unrealistic way, and he probably have spent lot of time practicing to get on that level. But, so did Mimura? Irina described him as someone who can get “obsessive with information”, and one can see that in Korotan D when he do share some intersting trivia, but also... his Roll Book profile says, on the subject of the Koro shaming film, that Mimura have “produced many film products” up until then... Even though he’s 14? And according to Korosensei the start was actually of great quality. There’s also the whole thing about Mimura perceiving the world with a wide field of vision+’having ideas of what can be made using various raw materials’ and one can link that to his plan in the God of Death’s arc; he clearly is spending a lot of time thinking about his passion to the point it shape up his perception of things. All of this makes me think Mimura invested a lot of time into his passion.
And yet... All of this is implied but doesn’t really come up in the main story. Sugaya’s clearly established early in the manga as the disguise guy during the manga-only Maehara story, and he get his own chapter by volume 5 (chapter 37, also manga only).
Combine that to the way Mimura acts, between him playing the middle man between Sugaya and Okajima, him ‘treasuring the peace within class E’, him being classified in the students ‘actively working together for assassination’... He’s clearly more social and worry more about working within a group. To that, add how the’s easily embarrassed (he sure is blushing hard when the air guitar topic come up), and how his reactions to being thanked/praised is either sort of complaining or not knowing how to respond:
To me, Mimura is someone who have been shamed/made embarrassed of his passions in the past, and because he cares so much about how he’s seen by others, have been very careful not to show too much what he actually likes, until later in the year when it became clear Class E was a supportive environment (and even then... it’s hard to remove this kind of habit).
Think about it. Sugaya’s backstory is that he was clearly passionate about art, but have been critiqued for it, and then his drawings on his tests were ignored till someone finally told him “You fooled around so now we will send you to class E”. Can you see some parallel here?
So, I know it’s just extrapolation. But, the way I see it, both Sugaya and Mimura received criticism and negative reactions over their respective hobbies, but they reacted to it in opposite ways. Sugaya stubbornly continued what he liked even if there was a risk of being ostracised ; Mimura choose to blend in and present his passion rather as a mere hobby (he was still in the ‘Film Research Society’ as a school club, so it’s not totally a secret either that he’s interested in it).
Note that this is interesting to compare to their family life: Sugaya have an artisan father and a craft shop manager mother, so he was certainly encouraged at first in his artistic activities, plus his sister being also eccentric. Mimura’s stay-at-home dad brags every day about his days as an unsuccessful celebrity, so I can’t help but think in some way, Mimura have been influenced in thinking he wouldn’t want to end like this, romanticising a career that never worked in the first place, it’s best to give up early even if it’s something you like.
So. They lived a similar thing, and ended in opposite directions. Of course that’s going to play into the way they interact with each other.
Have you never gotten that feeling? Being ashamed of something and hiding it, playing it off as not important, and ending up admiring those who went the other way and live honest to themselves?
I think that, even if Mimura knew it caused trouble for others, he was a bit envious of how carefree Sugaya was about his passion, and admired him for that.
And, the thing is, the opposite is true too. At some point, as they got more friendly, as Mimura tried the waters to see if, maybe, he could openly geek out about his interest, it became clear he was just as passionate on his own domain. And Sugaya... is kind of amazed? This boy that have been going around with him on exhibits, that have a better social circle among their classmates, that is doing way better at studies... Also have invested so much time and energy in an interest? And somehow managed to keep it a secret, despite how draining it is to always be on one’s guard, how easy it would be to blurt out the truth? It’s clearly something he himself wouldn’t be able to do.
So this become a kind of mutual admiration, except they each are baffled that the other seems to admire them; “you’re so great for always standing your ground on your passions, I would never be able to do that!” “What? I’m not great, I had no choice, you’re great for being able to endure this all for the group’s harmony!”
And it’s kinda... uplifting? Knowing someone who went through the same trouble, but the opposite way, acknowledge that the way you reacted was fine, that there wasn’t a wrong and right answer on how to act. Someone you admire and who can understand how much effort it take to have skills on this level, also admire you and support you.
Of course, it’s very important that both Korosensei and the class also support them, but it’s a bit different when it’s from a fellow creator, isn’t it?
And the beauty of this is, you don’t even have to look into it in a romantic light. The whole admiration and respect can be platonic. No matter your shipping opinions, they clearly work well as good friends. Which is how I seems to appreciate my ship best, apparently.
AAAA HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREEN!!! YOU’RE BEEN SUCH AMAZING FRIEND AFTER ALL THOSE (3 OR 2 YEARS KIND?? WOA) I HOPE YOU HAD AN GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD DAY AND THANK U FOR LISTENING ME AND TALKING TO ME STILL TODAY ;A; AAA YOUR PRECIOUS TO ME
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
In which Mimura and Sugaya have the strangest and most wonderful year of their lives, featuring art exhibits, a truly terrible Test of Courage, more art, a class civil war, and the overwhelming sadness of their most beloved teacher's death. Also, art.
Happy birthday, Kouki Mimura! Have some Sugaya/Mimura. :D
That moment at a summer festival where you find out that people that looks good in traditional clothes are your type and wow that yukata sure suits your best friend (Yes that's a Seven Samurai shirt. You can't convince me Mimura isn't an Akira Kurosawa fan)
To close the week! Mimura and Sugaya flirting texting and scheduling to go see an art gallery, you can’t tell me they don’t keep meeting even when they are on different universities.
