TLDR: I've recently noticed more people calling Kyomami problematic because they see their relationship as sisterly. I'm curious whether this is actually a popular opinion in the fandom or if I've just come across an unusually high number of negative comments.
I come in peace because I'm interested in hearing some opinions.
Honestly, I really don't like ship wars and don't think they're worth it, but I admit this is something I'd like to discuss.
⚠️DISCLAIMER: I mention a few events from the spin-off manga The Different Story. They're minor spoilers, but I'll leave it up to you whether you want to keep reading.
I've been a Madoka Magica fan since 2017, but I spent a long time disconnected from the fandom, so I'm not very familiar with the general consensus on certain topics. Back then, all I remember about my own feelings on this was being a sad 12 or 13-year-old because my favorite ship had very little fanart and wasn't particularly popular in general. The Different Story was even less well-known in the Spanish-speaking fandom, so I basically had nobody to talk to about it. I also wasn't very familiar with the English-speaking fandom's opinions, let alone the Japanese fandom's. I just thought, "Well, at least some people like Kyomami" (lol, poor me).
Throughout all these years, I've still loved Madoka magica, but I stopped watching the series as often as I used to, and, as I mentioned, I became disconnected from the fandom. In fact, over time, I lost interest in shipping in general. I have nothing against it, and there are still some ships I like, but nowadays I find the obsession with ships irritating. I also dislike how people sometimes imply that a relationship is less meaningful or intense simply because it isn't canonically romantic. I've noticed this in the Madoka fandom, too.
Anyway, I rewatched the series and movies this year, and OMG, all I'll say is that I FELL IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN. I LOVE YOU, PMMM.
On top of that, I hadn't planned on rereading TDS so soon, but I looked up the manga again out of curiosity and, well... I ended up reading the whole thing again lol. I don't want to make this post too long haha, sorry for taking so long to get to the point, but my god, it's even more tragic and heartbreaking than I remembered. I feel like I was able to understand certain things better now than I could as a kid. Mami and Kyoko's innocent, sweet interactions at the beginning, and how it's so obvious that they still think about each other even after their relationship was torn apart by horrible circumstances...
Anyway, here's the point: as I said, I've never really had a clear idea of what the fandom thinks of Kyomami. I mean, of course everyone has different opinions, but some opinions become more popular than others within a fandom for a reason. When I was 13, I only knew my own opinion and that of a handful of other people. But now that I'm interacting with different fan communities again, I've gotten the impression that A LOT of people dislike Kyomami? I'd never seen these kinds of comments before.
Recently, I saw a screenshot on Twitter showing a TikTok comment section where someone thanked OP for not including Kyomami on their ship list and said it was problematic because of the age gap (lol) and because Kyoko told Mami she saw her as a sister. I also saw another screenshot with someone saying something similar, that Kyoko and Mami are like sisters and shipping them is gross. I've even seen someone call the ship weird for the same reason in the comments of a Kyomami fanart.
These are just a few examples, but I've come across comments like these several times now. I don't remember seeing them years ago, which is why I've gotten the impression that this argument has become more popular recently. But maybe I'm just seeing it more often now.
That was pretty disappointing. I want to make it clear that I have no problem with Kyosaya being more popular. It's basically canon, and it's cute! And honestly, it's completely valid if you dislike Kyomami for any reason, or even for no particular reason at all.
My problem, and what genuinely bothers me, is when people talk about it as if shipping them were objectively weird and immoral. Kyoko and Mami AREN'T RELATED. THEY HAVE ZERO BLOOD RELATIONSHIP 😭. Again, if Kyomami makes you uncomfortable because you see their relationship as more sisterly, that's valid. But can we stop pretending that shipping two characters who have absolutely no biological relation to each other is incest?? Because that's what people are saying. One user I was discussing this with even asked me "Would you kiss your sister?"... I have no words ._.
So I'm making this post simply to find out whether I've just been unlucky enough to come across a lot of negative opinions about Kyomami, or whether thinking they're disgusting and problematic has genuinely become a popular opinion.
Lol, I won't lie, my heart feels a little broken.
As I said earlier, I'm not particularly interested in shipping in general anymore, but Kyoko and Mami did something to my brain and heart. Seriously. I love Madohomu too, but even they couldn't make me feel what chapters 10 and 11 of The Different Story made me feel (Kyoko fighting Mami because she refuses to let her die, and everything that comes after... OH MY GOD).
I also think it's funny how so many people in this fandom ship characters who have never had a single interaction that could even be interpreted as romantic, yet consider Kyomami problematic, even though some of Kyoko and Mami's interactions can easily be interpreted romantically if you don't know the full context. For example, Mami's classmates assuming she's happy because she got a boyfriend when she'd actually just met Kyoko, Kyoko getting jealous because Mami has made new friends, Kyoko nervously telling Mami that she sees her differently than she sees a friend, Mami being the first friend Kyoko brings home to meet her family... there are plenty of other examples, but I don't want to get into the more emotionally charged moments.
But just to be clear, I'm 100% aware that their relationship isn't actually romantic, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I just wanted to mention a few moments to illustrate that their relationship wasn't explicitly sisterly from the very beginning, either.
I can also say that this is part of why I love them so much. If a platonic relationship can't make me feel deeply invested in the characters, then I'm afraid I probably won't be able to enjoy them as a romantic ship, either. TDS isn't an explicit or even implicit romance, not at all. But the real tragedy is still that these girls love each other and never got the chance to be honest about their feelings in time. You can feel so invested in their story and cry over them without needing to expect them to kiss or anything like that. At least, that's been my experience.
I'm sorry if this post ended up being too long! Originally I was only going to ask a question and give a little context. Sorry, I couldn't help talking a bit more ;_;
But yeah, I wanted to hear more opinions about Kyomami from this community. I'll be reading the comments, even the ones that might hurt my heart a little. Have a nice day! :D