First, Happy Single Awareness Day, er, Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re gonna talk about my love (and hate) for love triangles! But mostly love! You ask: Is that even possible since you love the three people in the love triangle? Of course! I don’t hide the fact that I love the drama brought by love triangles. I know A LOT of people are put off by this romantic device. But not me! This rare breed is actually like the drama it elicits in the story! Although I must say that I rarely get invested in the two male leads simultaneously (in many instances, I root for the second lead). It’s always either I ship hard or I ship harder! It’s very unusual even for me to like both rivals in the love triangle!

So today I’m going to highlight the unusual! The ones that defy the norm—even for me! What makes a good love triangle to me? When both rivals are on equal footing or they actually have decent interactions outside the context of the story’s romance. Personally, when I’m actually conflicted about whom to root for because they both have scorching chemistry with the heroine (or vice versa, though I have yet to encounter such…) So there’s the dilemma—a delicious one at that!

1. Domyouji Tsukasa, Makino, Tsukushi, Hanazawa, Rui (Hana Yori Dango)

This won’t be complete without the poster trio! I loved Tsukasa and Rui so much! Because of Tsukasa and Makino’s roller coaster ride, sometimes I treasure those tiny Makino + Rui moments! But I can’t help still rooting for mah boi Tsukasa after their hardships! Ah, a love triangle indeed! >.<

2. Jae Ha; Yona; Son Hak (Akatsuki no Yona)

– So-Won? Nope, I’m a Jaeha fan! The beautiful green beast who is secretly harboring affections and trying to dismiss them as the dragon’s calling is my other boy! But who actually believes that? Not me! I loved Hak; he’s admirable and selfless, but those little Jaeha and Yona moments did tug at my heart! Perhaps it’s one-sided love for my beautiful green dragon, but those moments are forever etched.

3. Matsuoka, Masamune; Tachibana, Hotaru; Midori, Nagamasa (Aoharu x Kikanjuu)

— Let me get this out of my chest first: this is SHONEN not shoujo! Shonen is a demographic, not a genre! Get it! Ok, let’s continue. I know that Midori likes to tease Tachibana, and Mattsun, who ironically works as a host blushes like a high school boy in front of Tachibana, are my ultimate 0T3 in this series! I know the romance is so freaking minimal, but chapters like onsen happen once in a while, and I can’t stop saying kyaa~ whenever it happens! Based Naoe-sensei!

4. Mizutani, Azusa, Okitsu, Rise, Akamaru, Omi (Gakuen Ouji)

I usually go for the childhood friend and the caring one, AKA Akamaru but I can’t help being sad when Mizutani was sad. Gakuen Ouji had quite an ensemble, but obviously these three are ‘THE’ trinity! I just cheer for whoever happens to be on the scene, LOL! That was how conflicted I was!

5. Naitou, Arou, Ootsuka, Kanade, Namiki, Masahiro (Mekakushi no Kuni)

— the healthiest love triangle ever. Even though Arou + Kanade were a couple in the earlier chapters, Namiki didn’t lose the spotlight! He was still there, supporting, sometimes teasing (in some cases too hard-core ahaha), but overall, an unfailingly solid friendship had been born between the three! Who says a love triangle is always dramatic? These three will prove you wrong!

6. Takemoto, Yuuta, Hanamoto, Hagumi, Morita, Shinobu (Hachimitsu to Clover)

Even though it was unrequited on Takemoto’s part, I can’t help loving these three! I root for Morita and Hagu the same way I cheered for Takemoto and his one-sided affection! Seriously, every single relationship (or whatever you may call it) in this series, though complicated, was depicted as humanly & positively as it could be!

7. Tsubaki, Haru, Naedoko, Kanoko, Yabuki, You (Koi Dano Ai Dano)

– You already know how much I loved this series, and I equally love other aspects of it! This includes the romance! I really liked how different Tsubaki and Yabuki and yet, when they have moments with Nadeoko the chemistry is undeniable. I loved both boys, although I leaned a teeny bit more toward Tsubaki (because he was there much longer!) but I can’t lie that I was swooning over those Yabuki + Nadeoko scenes, too!

8. Tsukishiro Nina, Roy, Gilles (Abigaile no Kemono-tachi)

At first, I was swooning over the kind, affectionate Gilles! But when some secrets were laid out, I moved on to the hard-headed bad boy Roy in a snap! But Gilles was actually kind, so I get gaga again, but Roy is softening bit by bit, and it tugs at my fragile heart! Gaaah, it swings so quickly, and I love it! These boys! Nina, you lucky girl!

9. Tsuruga Ren, Mogami, Kyouko, Fuwa Shou (Skip Beat!)

I know when I was listing this the first one that came to mind were these three! I know, I know Ren has the upper hand now, and Sho’s too late because of his douchiness in the beginning, but no one can convince me that there’s no chemistry between Sho + Kyouko! Because they’re still there, and the three of them featured in a panel are a solid proof that a triangle is a perfect shape—they consist of these perfect people!

10. Yoshida, Haru, Mizutani, Shizuku, Yamaguchi, Kenji (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun)

– I’ve only seen the series, but!I loved YamaKen! I also liked Haru, and he & Shizuku looked good together! So even small shippy moments with YamaKen gave my heart a tiny summersault! Gaaah, these kids!

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And that’s it! That’s my top 10 (in no particular order!) favorite love triangles. Since this is my blog’s MO, I’m turning the mic to you now! Yes, you—do you have a favorite love triangle, or OT3? What made it so hard to choose? Leave me some lovin’ by sharing your thoughts or liking this post! Huzzah!