>>29488914This. I relate to this so much. And it's something that goes for any Ash/main-girl ship (except maybe Negai).
It kinda makes me think... why do people get so invested in shipping in Pokemon? I mean, Ash is dense as a log and is mostly concerned with Pokemon, and his characterization is all over the place. It's never been a show that focuses on romance. Is it because of how the girls are written? That's certainly part of it, for me at least; reading between the lines with Misty, I felt a lot of depth of feeling there, and it really spoke to me. I feel like it's something similar with you guys. I mean, Serena's crush was pretty overt, but when it came to the development of her feelings, that was more subtle (not saying it wasn't there, just that the clues weren't as obvious; it was something that had to be felt rather than known).
But that's not the only reason. Each generation's anime lasts for a few years, and watching it that long, yeah, you get attached to the characters and involved in their relationships. And since this is a kids' show, the focus is on the friendship, how they get to know each other, help each other out, and encourage each other. Don't get me wrong, there are some excellent high school romances out there that really do build up a good relationship between the characters. But here... like I said, those stories typically don't go on for as long. And they usually get closure, too.