>>149196568In addition to Bryke actively encouraging shippers past a certain point, I think one of the reasons shipping for Avatar took off is precisely BECAUSE the canon romance stuff is so shit. I always say that the romance in Avatar doesn't "feel" romantic. It gets plenty of development, to be sure; Kataang in particular starts getting developed from the very first episode, and it's not surprising the show ends with Aang and Katara kissing. But for all the effort the show puts into its pairings, I never "feel" the romance between any of the couples. The closest I get is between Sokka and Suki, but even then it's not much.
I don't think I'm crazy. Does anyone else agree with me? None of the actual pairings in ATLA "feel" romantic. There's no spark, there's no vibe, of genuine romantic feeling. I never see or hear any of the paired characters and feel like, "Oh, these two are really in love."