>>54263547Most Jap media doesn't have romance, especially kiddie media. That doesn't mean romance isn't implied, but the romantic side of the story isn't something that draws focus away from the rest of the narrative. Romance in Japanese movies is usually just the male and female leads smiling at each other and dropping hints to leave the rest up to the audience's imagination. Physical intimacy like kissing is relatively taboo in Japanese media. The idea of two ten-year-olds kissing in anime would be unheard of in Japan unless it was an obvious gag in Crayon Shin-chan or something like that. An implied mutual crush between Ash and Misty was fine, but it was never going to be confirmed onscreen in a big way. The MPM episode where Misty wrapped her fishing line around Ash's hand is the biggest confirmation we'll ever get unless they bring back Ash and Misty in a theatrically-released feature film where they're allowed to get away with more than they could on network television.
