Kekkaishi is an anime series based on the manga of the same name by Yellow Tanabe. Its first episode premiered in October 2006 and during the series’ broadcast, it was often included among the top ten rated anime shows.
The plot follows the lives of teenagers Yoshimori and Tokine who are the heirs to rival families of kekkai users. Kekkai refers to ‘barrier magic’. Their duty is to protect their school from spirits and demons drawn to the powerful energy of the land on which the school was built.
This anime series is one of the best out there that deals with a fantastic storyline and gives you good entertainment, all within a short span of 52 episodes! Let’s take a brief look at the relationship between the two protagonists.
At first, Tokine Does Not View Yoshimori Romantically
The build-up of romance between the two is slow, as is usual with most shounen anime shows. The focus for most of the show is on their journey with fighting off evil forces, while their development is portrayed secondarily.
It’s quite clear from the start that Yoshimori is infatuated with the older girl. He regularly tries to impress her with his cake-making skills and his magic abilities during their night time responsibilities at the school. He goes to great lengths to protect her, even though sometimes his approach can be immature.
Tokine, however, is depicted as a mature, hard working and responsible girl who sees Yoshimori more as a sensitive younger boy. In their flashback scenes from childhood too, Tokine is seen to be very protective of Yoshimori.
She greatly cares for him but at the start of the series, he is more of a childhood friend and crybaby to her.
From Allies to Romantic Interests
When Yoshimori returns from Kokuburo, he meets an angry Tokine who slaps him so hard he passes out. In this scene, you can see that Tokine is so stressed out because she has been worried sick over his safety. She tells him that she would never forgive him for going alone and being so reckless. It is after she tells him this that she hugs him and he passes out.
She later apologizes for hitting him so hard. This very scene is important because it is from this point onward that we begin to see Tokine start looking at Yoshimori as a romantic interest. Although she tries to hide it, her feelings for him become more apparent.
Conclusion
Their romance is well received and encouraged by most fans in the fandom. Yoshimori used to be not bothered about his job as a kekkaishi but his attitude changes drastically when Tokine gets seriously hurt trying to protect him during a fight.
It is heartwarming how his desire for Tokine’s safety leads him to change and seriously become dedicated to improving himself. He deeply admires and cares for Tokine. He gets jealous when he notices other boys getting friendly with Tokine. Although most of his approach is quite childish, his intentions are very genuine and that’s what makes fans root for their romance.
And although Tokine is not very expressive and even tries to hide it, the audience gradually starts seeing her extremely apparent feelings for Yoshimori. So this is a great romance many people can get behind and support!
