>>35254276>Serena's imagination of Ash as this perfect prince was never challengedPic related disproves that, not counting tones even earlier when she had to snap at him for reckless or greedy behavior. He'll, the end of XY7 has him ignoring her words to eat cookies. It's pretty established that she knows he's not perfect.
>le banter memeI think you'll find, upon rewatching the series, that Ash's relationships with Misty/May/Dawn/Iris are all pretty static, too. Misty has the illusion of change but she actually regresses in Johto because the show changes from a cheesy 90's anime to the much tamer, more predictable version we see currently. May and Dawn really only banter with Ash in early and designated "Ash and Girl argue" episodes (much like Late Misty, natch). Iris is really the only modern example of the bantering and you left her out of your post precisely because it undermines your point of "Ash and Girl relationships were better before Serena".
The reason that Amour is a good ship is actually the reverse of what you said: it's because it happens in those gaps of boring shit that everything else is going on in. Serena's character is kept consistent, and you see her worrying for Ash constantly. She's always vying for his attention. What makes it good is that it's a big part of Serena's character and so it never feels tacked on, unlike episodes with other Ash/Girl pairs where the romantic subtext is forgotten next week.
