Tsukuyo x Tsukasa pleaseeeee I need this
First of all, allow me to thank you please, it’s hard for me to believe somebody would say they need to hear my thoughts on this stuff. I originally started this page half satirically, but I’m glad it became more of me analyzing ships and how toxic they are in depth. (Not that being toxic means they’re inherently bad, moreso that exploring toxicity in every ship, even the ones we love, can be a healthy way to remind people to disengage from witch hunts against people who are “pro-shippers.”)
Anyways, sorry about that, I’m just in a good mood, let’s get into the depth of their relationship and debut a new format!
Tsukuyo & Tsukasa, much like Mikoto Sena, were conceived by one parent of the East, and another of the West. As a result of their parents conflicting views on how to raise their children, they agreed to split full time custody, effectively turning them into only children. After reconnecting one fateful night at Mizuna Shrine, the two connect with one another for the first time. After the initial shock of finding out you have an identical twin you’ve never met sets in, they begin to get to know each other, and as they do, they realize that they are virtually incompatible.
I’m not gonna pick sides (at least, as of now), but I remember being genuinely shocked upon watching their magical girl stories. I’m sure anyone who went from main story to their magical girl stories felt the same, after all, they are incredibly close there, and they’re volatiliy fighting the next. Their complaints of each other can basically be summarized as:
Tsukuyo - Feels like Tsukasa is uncouth, that she lacks the most basic of etiquette, that her attitude needs ‘correcting.’
Tsukasa - Feels Tsukuyo’s upbringing has turned her into a priss, that she focuses too much on her looks (both physical and how she appears to others) and considers those who don’t inferior.
After their argument, they decide they never want to speak again. Despite their identical appearances and matching names, an obscene plot contrivance occurs, with the two somehow come to the conclusion that they could never be twin sisters because they are “too different.” They then go their separate ways, vowing to never speak to the other again.
Without the relief of a sister to lie on, both girls fall into a deep depression and end end up in the hospital, where they re-connect and agree to start over. Still afraid they may end up hurting each other even more if they can’t set aside their differences, they make their wish; to never hate one another.
So, why do people ship it?
Just as a disclaimer: This is a category intended to establish the ship, not me saying I dislike it and or that it shouldn’t exist.
These two being twins pretty much sealed their fate from the start, but let’s elaborate for the people who, like me, might see this pair and go, “Incest? Eugh!”
By now, we’ve all seen a million examples of the “hidden twin who grew up separated,” trope, but Magia Record’s interpretation of it, while still incredibly cliché at points, made it their owns in my opinion. (They added a special ingredient, aka ‘angst.’)
In the aftermath of their wish, they’re extremely co-dependent on one another, to the point where their doppels need the other half to function. That, combined with their frequent and drawn-out confessions of love, has caused many to label them as canonically in love. Which, though I was hesitant to add it to the ‘canon adjacent’ list, I am quite baffled by the fact that during the first A La Carté Valentines event, they both baked each other Honmei Choco, a type of chocolate exclusively gifted to someone the gifter is romantically interested in, or already in a relationship with. I guess I should’ve learned from Magical Girl Site, but these series know twins being in a relationship is something many people like to see, and that’s why they drop it in light ways, while skirting around confirming it, as not to draw away people on the other end of the spectrum.
With all of that said, it’s time to move onto the meat and potatoes:
(This category will also almost always contain reasons why I believe they are problematic.)
Well, as pointed out before, I’m personally not a fan of incest ships, like, even slightly. It’s weird, because when I was eleven, I was a staunch defender of them, but now that I’m a little bit older, I can’t see myself finding genuine enjoyment from a ship like this (though I much prefer this to Iroha x Ui, most likely because I have a brother 4 years younger than I, and I also am incredibly affectionate towards and would go to the end of the Earth for, so seeing some of the people use to justify why the ship is canon or implied can be… 😬.) That said, as you know, I hold no judgement or ill will towards any individual for their shipping preferences! It’s much more tame on this side than on the “pro-shippers are PDF’s, let’s hunt them” side anyways.
My personal bias aside, in this case, I might actually be able to make an exception, under ONE condition; the ship burst full throttle into its most problematic and messy aspects. I mean, with their wish being to never hate one another, there’s 100% a chance that it caused some sorr of co-dependence as a result. That is SUCH an interesting concept, and their doppel description also touches on this: “This Doppel shuts out all physical and magical phenomena, allowing its master to perfectly protect herself and her twin. Though doing so causes their memories of anyone but each other to fade away.” That is SO utterly and vastly problematic; it is also incredibly intriguing and gripping. If one were to follow this premise, the possibilities for angst-filled stories are utterly endless. Say they actually are in a relationshjp, would they ever officialize it? Would it be one of those things that’s unspoken but both parties know to be true? I feel like a relationship that draws them even closer to each other is hard to imagine, but if it did get that far, would they get so jealous that even the sight of the other hanging out with someone causes them to seethe with jealousy? If yes, would they act upon it? We know they can never hate one another, so they’d have to take any anger like that on the other party involved, but to what lengths would they take to ensure the other is all theirs? If the other did go through with that, because they can never hate one another, the other twin would have the take the one who went yandere back, and she wouldn’t be able to hate her for it, they’d still love each other.
I think by now you get that the possibilities that can branch off of this are ENDLESS, and more importantly, endlessly riveting. So for once, I could actually see myself enjoying several fan-fictions sprouting from these two’s relationship being explored. It’s too bad most of them barely even acknowledge the complexity and angles that could be explored in such a co-dependent bond.
So, what’s your consensus?
I, of ‘yourmagiarecordshipisproblematic,’ henceforth dub the Amane’s one of the most problematic ships in the game. Not just for their familial ties, but for their extremely co-dependent relationship brought upon by an irreversible magic contract signed at the cost of their souls. Though I’m aware the scenario’s I presented will never occur in canon, the fact that following the canon’s logic, they could plausibly occur, mixed with the evidence provided that the writer’s may be ship teasing, lead me to dub this one of the most problematic popular pairings in the game.
I give it a B+, (Mid Above Average) on the scale of ship problematicness.
*Takes a bow*
Thank you all for reading, and op, I hope it was worth it, even if it took me months to get back on here 😓🥲 My apologies once again.
