Talk:Hideyoshi Nagachika/@comment-80.56.112.70-20171107213011

First things first, I am only reading this manga because I'm genuinely interested to find out how everything unfolds. I have favorite characters here and there, but I don't go out of my way to ship them (because I tend to like characters that die (soon)). I don't follow any of the activities of shippers and I'm not up to date with how bad the relations between shippers are. But what I did see was people try to alter choices made by the author.

Personally I don't understand how anyone could interpret Hide's "Because I love him"-message as anything but a confession that the guy actually does have that interest in Kaneki. I have seen a few people try to perversely redirect what seems to be the authors decision in such a way that it aligns with what they themselves want (which is for Hide to not be gay or bi). I understand it if you ship Kaneki with Touka, Hinami, Tsukiyama, anyone other than Hide, but what I don't understand is where people get the audacity from to take Ishida's place and tell everyone else what is true and what is not.

In the Japanese version it's not up for debate either. What he's saying (in both versions, but also especially in the Japanese version) isn't something a guy would normally (in a straight male to male relationship) would say to each other, other than in a jokingly context. But there was no such context; as can also be read from Amon's reaction. And really, everything Hide has done so far goes far beyond "he's my bro, gotta protect him". He goes out of his way for Kaneki, puts himself in severe danger and even offered his life for him.

Besides, if it was a joke, he'd not have been given an entire page with a close up of his face, in which the author made sure to pay huge detail to the "confession". It's hard to tell with the mask covering his face - and especially because he is speaking through a device, but Hide is smiling when he's telling them that he loves Kaneki, you need to pay attention to his eyes (which kind of shrink, like our eyes do when we smile). And furthermore, if it was a joke, the wording would have been chosen far more precisely, in both the Japanese and translated versions.

What I do feel honestly bad about, and I have this feeling ever since I read the last chapter, is that Ishida is going to put Hide in even more pain. I don't think it's that likely that Kaneki has the same romantic interest in him, as he actually is with Touka (canon). So Hide, after all of that struggling and suffering will suffer some more due to being in love with a guy who is not going to be available. I wouldn't put it past Ishida to make Hide suffer even more.

Anyway, not trying to speak ill about the fanbase. I just think some people need to not be so audacious when it comes to wanting to change a character/manga that's not yours to change.