(Dys)functional Relationships in Manga: Coyote

When social disapproval isn't enough, send in the werewolves! 

Star-crossed lovers (and the reference to Romeo & Juliet is intended) are a common trope of romances. Even in contemporary settings, it can be effective although the reasons for the social disapproval may require more careful set-up. 

We mustn't date because we are both male or both female is a separate conflict.

We mustn't date because you bullied me in high school is also a separate conflict.

Romeo & Juliet is specifically about lovers being challenged by an external conflict between their families. The reason for the conflict doesn't have to be political. It can be socio-economic, historical, religious, regional.

Establishing such boundaries can become difficult when the social background isn't a given for readers. Shakespeare's audience may not have known (or cared) much about rival Italian families, but they certainly understood rival English families. Even thirty years ago, most of my peers would have understood the unease of a Catholic marrying a Mormon. 

Not so much now. 

So what do writers do when the context for family rivalry and social disapproval is no longer instantly understood? 

Bring in the werewolves! 

Werewolf fiction automatically carries with it clans (packs) and the accompanying behavior of clans (packs). Coyote by Ranmaru Zariya sets a non-werewolf family, who nevertheless knows about werewolves, against a protective werewolf clan in a city where most people are oblivious to the war between the two. The star-crossed lovers, Marleen and Coyote, have to overcome a feud, common Romeo/Juliet-Romeo/Romeo fare, alongside an automatic assumption that they will be faithful to their tribes, Coyote more than Marleen.   

The biology of canines becomes a "given" that helps good storytelling. And couched in fantasy terms, it is not only understood by readers but accepted.