I usually stick to only Japanese fandom, but it's sometimes fun to see what the Western fandom is like. I'm baffled every time. I don't know why it's like this, but even the most prominent Eruri artists in the Japanese fandom are fully aware it's not canon and was never intended to be romantic. They just like it. Which is so much more healthy than the misinformation and lies that are always spread in the English-speaking fandom.
Ha, and as a Westerner, I can doubly confirm this. For some weird reason, a lot of the shipping fans over here believe that Erwin/Levi were a thing. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why they say this scene in particular
is…. “full of sexual tension?”
I’ve seen people say that so much and I’m so baffled 😂
It’s literally just a fight scene.
But I do think that’s a very Western thing. Especially in American culture actually, because American TV and film is very sexual and they will sometimes use scenes like this to build up tension. Hence why I don’t watch it and why I like Levihan. Relationships built off of strong communication and a healthy history of mutual care is my jam. (Just FYI though, I’m a bit of an ace. The way a lot of people depict sexuality in art of any kind is often confusing or uninteresting to me. Not everyone has to agree with my takes on this or dislike the more carnal relationships on screen. That’s not my point, of course.)
Anyway yeah, I don’t know what it is. I guess a lot of people also think Erwin and Levi look good together? But when they start diving into the manga and anime trying to use the Erwin/Levi scenes as proof for a canon romance, I am kind of shocked. There’s just no actual evidence. I mean, if you like their story and relationship, that’s fine! But I can’t support the idea that Isayama ever wanted to write them to be romantically involved.
I believe you about Japan too. They seem to get that EruRi is a Yaoi crackship. Very popular yes, but not actually canon. It’s no different that EreRi. If the Western shippers were cool with that, I think we’d have a lot less toxicity.
