Dragging the rest of this over here because I'm going to spend a good chunk of time off the Ep 20 topic
Quote:
Originally Posted by HirouKeimou
This is because her interaction with Hayate is so limited and his interest in her is nil compared to Freyja so if he chooses her, it'd be because his options with Freyja are doused (she dies and/or chooses singing over him). Otherwise, his decision will be because of bad writing (seriously, where is the romance even implied in their relationship like it is with Freyja?).
We're not undermining her character; a number of us on here wish to see her develop outside of simply being in love with Hayate. Her character arc is where, really? Even Ranka had one in Frontier where she confronted her past (even if brainwashed in the end). Point is: Mirage's character has things to overcome in her family; and she is doing nothing for overcoming living in her grandparents' shadows or become an ace pilot or even becoming a social person; she's always pulled along for the ride by Hayate (and Freyja), and besides questionably falling in love with Hayate (and recognizing his feelings for Freyja), she has done no real growth in herself. She can admit her faults all she wants, but if she does nothing to overcome them like Hayate and Freyja have overcome theirs (his issues with his dad: choosing to discover the truth; her fears of singing on a battlefield and being considered a traitor to her home world and Wright is behind the bombing on her home world: continue on regardless if only for the sake of ending this war so she can save her people (and others from Var) and sing happy songs like she originally wished to do with Walkure), all her character will be is underdeveloped. Until she develops beyond her "living in shadow" phase, she will forever be an underdeveloped character. Her role right now is in the love triangle and it's all she really has because we've gone beyond a point where she'll receive proper growth as an individual character.
And yes, you could say it's all "bad writing," no one minds because I believe we can all admit areas of Delta are full of "bad writing." I'm choosing to hang in here for the ride because I still have hope it'll all come together in the end. If not, at least I'll have watched it unlike disliking it (or an ending) for silly reasons.  |
To be fair, Ranka sorted her backstory out pretty late in the game too? Yet at the time people's frustrations wasn't so much oh, Ranka exists to like Alto but rather Ranka only ever thinks about Alto and it's destructive.
Also if you actually...rewatch the show, she interacts with Hayate pretty often (i had to go through Episode 2 just now cus...you know) it's just that a lot of the initial interactions was her getting kind of argumentative/snappy while the rest of the time she was stuck at neutral. By the time she moved on to pro-Hayate she was already a little bit late and given how much she is moping about it's pretty clearly intentional.
Cont. >>
There's actually a lot of changes Mirage goes through that- honestly is probably why a lot of people looking for a strong pilot girl lead was a bit disappointed about. Mirage actually starts the show talking about the battlefield a lot. It's not just about Hayate, but during the auditions she also wonders if the girls looking to become WALKURES understand they'll be in the midst of battle. To her, the fact that Hayate thought so lightly about things really irritated her but it had little to do with Hayate specifically but more the kind of order she was use to.
Even when Freyja moves into the restaurant house for the first time, Mirage lists out a buncha house rules and fully expects them to be followed. Mirage had an exceptionally unrelenting personality, but that actually changes a bit when Messer tells her she flies too by the book and less instinctually, making her far too easy to read. Since then she's been trying to figure out Hayate's "It" factor but grew insecure over it instead. She was also plagued by her family name and the disappointed voices over the fact she wasn't good enough. Eventually she declares she'd be Hayate's rival and gets promoted, but that isn't exactly working either. When the Delta Platoon goes to fight the Windermeres and as much as Hayate tries to cover Mirage to "fly as she wants" she tells him that's "Easier said than done", yet the moment she turned to save/cover for Hayate + Catch Freyja she's completely in her element. So some degree I think the instinct that motivates Mirage is actually that of protection seeing as she could fly so close to an explosion and still save Hayate and come out with her machine in full working order.
Since then Mirage had voiced often to herself (usually indirectly, using other people's problems as a platform) that she chose to be a pilot irregardless of her family name, that they weren't the reason she was flying. She also mentions to both Freyja and Hayate that Ragna changed her and that it made her feel like there was more she can do now. She's also notices on occasions that Freyja was what's causing Hayate to super power, and since saving Freyja she's actually had less angst about her ability to fly. I'm guessing it's likely because she thinks she's found Hayate's "It" Factor, but as she's begun to like Hayate by this point, finding out Freyja is why Hayate is able to fly so easily causes her a great deal of angst instead.
Which brings us out to Episode 20...
Mirage knowing better than either of them that Hayate needs Freyja to fly, and Freyja couldn't sing after ruining Hayate is an admittance that she knows how the relationship between the two works. For a character who started off the show with pressures to perform as a Jenius Elite pilot, I sort of see it as Mirage purposely choosing
not to compete with either rivals and instead protect their ability/relationship because "this isn't the time" for her to squabble about such things. This is inevitably resulting in more heartache but ehhh 6 episodes (?) left to go.
Like her content IS there...I think it's just not being portrayed with enough impact or parts of it is just badly emphasized making the story difficult to take notice of if you're too preoccupied with how easily Freyja and Hayate hang out together when they're happy.
As for his interest with Mirage mmm...I have said on multiple occasions that I do think Hayate definitely likes Freyja more, especially at the beginning. I don't disagree with that. I think though to some degree Hayate is a really big dunce hat when it comes to girls liking him (I mean Freyja has so many emotional markers helping her that it's ridiculous that he hasn't figured her feelings out...yet apparently he hasn't) so it's actually quite possible that he simply hasn't thought about the possibility existing. There's also the issue of instinct...Hayate often acts upon instincts which was how he figured flying out in the first place- and out of everyone the only person he hugged was Mirage (I mean....Freyja sky dived for him but I don't think he hugged her either?) so like....ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh;;;
I have no eggs in the relationship race honestly. I like genuinely don't care who wins the triangle.