I dislike Harry/Ginny to a huge extent. (This is a huge shocker, I know.) I think it was shoehorned in and I hated that the changes in Ginny's character felt like they were done entirely to explain Harry's sudden interest in her (and far more so that we were told about them, rather than seeing them develop over time). On the other hand, I think Zuko/Mai is rather sweet - I just think it was handled in an extremely poor fashion, particularly at the start of season three. If they had animated their "date" in the comic book, I doubt there would have been as vehement reaction against the pairing. It was (again) the randomness of it that drove watchers crazy, especially when they felt so awkward together. I think that comes too close to reality for some viewers. They want to live vicariously through these characters, not watch and remember all of their own teenage awkwardness and angst.
Personally, I like Zuko/Mai in huge part because of that. I think they're refreshing, and as others have mentioned, the pairing feels very honest and realistic, especially after the initial 'when did that happen?' sensation passed. Then again, I don't view romantic couplings as a way to view myself with either character; I don't put myself into Mai's role, nor do I think that Zuko is sex incarnate. Like with most of my favorite characters, I'd rather sit the boy down and give him tea and a hot meal and tell him he needs to cut his hair rather than make out with him. This might be why I can enjoy their awkwardness, rather than be repelled by it.
I've the same issues with Katara and Aang as I do Harry and Ginny. It's partially that the girl is being viewed as a prize whose love is guaranteed following the major victory (as someone else pointed out above), but also that I see very few hints that Katara is in love with Aang before they get together. I see a lot made of their dance in the Footloose episode, but that seemed far more like girls that I knew who would flirt with their friends' little brothers because they were safe targets to practice on. I see far more hints that she's uncomfortable with the situation, especially in season three, after she finally realizes that Aang has feelings for her. She goes from literally pushing him away and being angry that he kisses her to embracing him in the moonlight, with no resolution of her internal conflict and concerns. It's taking short-cuts in the storytelling, and that just cheapens the experience.
(Please, btw, don't take my opinion as that of a jilted Katara/Zuko shipper. I do like them together and think that there's a valid basis for the couple in canon, but I also like Zuko/Mai a lot and I hate it when people dismiss Mai as a serious romantic interest. Her relationship with Zuko feels significantly more real to me than Katara's with Aang, which is why I can happily read fic with K/Z or M/Z but find that K/A leaves me cold.)
The long and short of it is that I've issues with any characterization that is driven by the plot, rather than the other way around, and I tie romance into this just as much as I do character growth and action. It's sloppy writing, and it's annoying because the actions of the characters just ring false. It's not just that two characters are attracted to each other and want to make out (I've no issues with that), it's that there's no build up to make me suspect that they are attracted to each other. For that matter, if it were just a teenage romance presented to me, I'd be all for it - even Harry/Ginny. But it's not presented as casual, or even a melodramatic teenage love affair; it's True Love and Soulmates and OTPs and all the rest, and to me, if you want to write such a serious relationship, you need serious development to back it up.
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Personally, I like Zuko/Mai in huge part because of that. I think they're refreshing, and as others have mentioned, the pairing feels very honest and realistic, especially after the initial 'when did that happen?' sensation passed. Then again, I don't view romantic couplings as a way to view myself with either character; I don't put myself into Mai's role, nor do I think that Zuko is sex incarnate. Like with most of my favorite characters, I'd rather sit the boy down and give him tea and a hot meal and tell him he needs to cut his hair rather than make out with him. This might be why I can enjoy their awkwardness, rather than be repelled by it.
I've the same issues with Katara and Aang as I do Harry and Ginny. It's partially that the girl is being viewed as a prize whose love is guaranteed following the major victory (as someone else pointed out above), but also that I see very few hints that Katara is in love with Aang before they get together. I see a lot made of their dance in the Footloose episode, but that seemed far more like girls that I knew who would flirt with their friends' little brothers because they were safe targets to practice on. I see far more hints that she's uncomfortable with the situation, especially in season three, after she finally realizes that Aang has feelings for her. She goes from literally pushing him away and being angry that he kisses her to embracing him in the moonlight, with no resolution of her internal conflict and concerns. It's taking short-cuts in the storytelling, and that just cheapens the experience.
(Please, btw, don't take my opinion as that of a jilted Katara/Zuko shipper. I do like them together and think that there's a valid basis for the couple in canon, but I also like Zuko/Mai a lot and I hate it when people dismiss Mai as a serious romantic interest. Her relationship with Zuko feels significantly more real to me than Katara's with Aang, which is why I can happily read fic with K/Z or M/Z but find that K/A leaves me cold.)
The long and short of it is that I've issues with any characterization that is driven by the plot, rather than the other way around, and I tie romance into this just as much as I do character growth and action. It's sloppy writing, and it's annoying because the actions of the characters just ring false. It's not just that two characters are attracted to each other and want to make out (I've no issues with that), it's that there's no build up to make me suspect that they are attracted to each other. For that matter, if it were just a teenage romance presented to me, I'd be all for it - even Harry/Ginny. But it's not presented as casual, or even a melodramatic teenage love affair; it's True Love and Soulmates and OTPs and all the rest, and to me, if you want to write such a serious relationship, you need serious development to back it up.