>>71838947>>71839364O-oh okay.
I'll continue by adding that Young and Old romances are two sides of the same coin. Both are beliefs and rewards in the idea of a soul mate. Young rewards the innocence of love with eternity.
The appeal of a Young romance is the universal experience. You root for the main couple to get together because you yourself have been in a similar position to some extent. That first timeness has a purity to it that everyone wants to succeed and continue forever. It is the belief that by holding onto that pure initial feeling, you will have your destined partner. Think the all-American high school sweetheart.
Old rewards the faithfulness of love itself with meaningful love. That if you follow the red string you will find your other half. It's the fateful encounter at an otherwise empty bar. The appeal of Old romance is the reassurance that it's never too late for anyone, even (You), to find love. You root for the couple because you want them to finally find the happiness they deserve. That reward gives you hope in a reward of your own or reminds you of your own fortune. It's a universal appeal rather than an experience. Not everyone leaves Middle School or High School with romantic experiences or even feelings but everyone grows old and has a moment where they assess their life and worry.
Middle romance is neither of these things. It's the dirty work of romance that nobody likes to talk about. It's the flings, the ghosting, the long road of going to bars and hitting on women and rarely getting a third date. It's the learning process of both romance and of yourself. How to dress, how to talk the talk and walk the walk. That age range is more about finding yourself and establishing your presence in the world. Hell, your brain doesn't fully finish developing until you’re 25. If you don't know yourself how can you know someone else?
I think why Young and Old are so horseshoed is because of that establishment of self. Old couples know themselves. Young couples don't but think they do. Middle couples know they are not and are still in that process. Thus, the lack of appeal in Middle romance is because of its normalcy. There's no magical moment. You just asked the cute girl in your English 101 course out and 6 years later you're married. It's fine but not compelling. It doesn't speak to a core emotion because it's such a varied process.
A good romance requires limerence, it requires barriers that need to be hurdled. And like I said, I think you can write a Middle romance if you focus on the broader barriers. Trying to find love while navigating a brand new world of being an adult. The feelings of constant self-doubt about everything, the dissonance between feelings and reality, etc. If both characters are working adults, you can make the barriers the feeling of not being prepared or worthy of their love. Or even social barriers, like, falling in love with a world-class idol.
I actually think that Kanokari, before that manga became irredeemable, brought up some of those same ideas.I think my ideal Middle romance would be two people self-actualizing with each other, or two people realizing that their pursuit of being adults is blinding them or leading them astray. It would be the
Middle ground of the two, so to speak.
