The Stable Primary Couple

Otomen is another where the main characters'

practicality and stability allow for all

the other characters' eccentricities.

In a previous post, I discuss when the secondary couple of a series is more stable than the primary couple. This is mostly true of television shows.

Many romance books and manga series, on the other hand, start with one couple, then expand beyond that couple to include others.

The first or primary couple become the "parents" of the series. That is, their relationship is not only the least fraught with problems and hand-wringing, their inherent stability creates a home-base for all the other couples. The primary couple know everyone else and about everyone else.

In Eden Finley's Fake Boyfriend series, Maddox and Damon become the main couple. Once they get over their individual hang-ups, they settle into happy coupledom. Because Damon is a sports agent, he then provides a home-base for a number of other characters who are struggling with sports and romance.

Survivor--manga style. Yoshida, Sato, and Hosaku

enjoy themselves.

Manga series often operate on the same principle. Rather than the primary couple providing all the drama, that couple become a center around which all the other characters revolve. They often act as a united front to solve problems within the group.

So in Hana-Kimi, although Mizuki's hidden identity runs the series--and she spends most of her time trying to help Sano--they will often work together to help fellow students (and a dog). Likewise, Yoshida and Sato of His Favorite form a fairly united front around which craziness swirls.

It's the reason Monica and Chandler become the primary couple rather than Rachel and Ross--because the center has to hold.