This is NOT an anti-stamp
But my interpretation of Yuugi's and Anzu's relationship and I why prefer them as friends. I would like to explain
why I only see them as friends and why I think that their relationship would not work out. The reason is not that this ship interferes with my shipping(s). Otherwise I would have created a stamp for other ships as well. I have tons of platonic ships in YGO and Yuugi/Anzu is one of them.
For example, I do not support Replayshipping myself
but I fully understand and agree with people who say that they like Rebecca and Yuugi. I can see their reasons and what makes them like it. They do have a lot in common. Someone as shy as Yuugi needs someone open by his side who makes him come out of his shell
and enjoys the same hobbies as he does. We all know how important games are for Yuugi and from what I get from the anime, Rebecca loves games too and has a lot of potential. She would probably even support him with his dream to become a game creator and that is something that I find important when shipping. So it's not like that I dislike all ships involving Yuugi per se, but that there are certain ships I don't see work out. Peachshipping being one of them.
Rabid shippers give sane shippers a bad name
So, whenever there is a big fandom, there will be shippers. Kinda like a rule of nature. The more obvious/impossibe a ship, the more people feel interested. Similar to a herd. Unfortuntaley, there is always that 1% that stands out of the masses and don't know how to behave themselves. Especially if this 1% truly believes that their ship is canon and refuse to accept other shippings next to their own. That 1% that tries to ruin the whole fandom for everyone whilst flaming, insulting others for not sharing their preferences. This is a common phenomenon in all fandoms.
In YGO, we have Atem/Yuugi fans hating on Anzu. And when Yuugi/Anzu became popular, there was a minority of people who would comment other people's artworks and try to ship-shame them. This behavior got to a point, where two camps started to raise. Shipping wars exist in all fandoms and are not exclusive to YGO, so we all know what it means if someone is too obsessed with their shipping. Every time I discussed about this ship with others, I had the feeling that people did not see the whole picture but merely concentrated on those few scenes that put a good light on their ship, fully ignoring the meaning and context.
I had my fair share of bad experiences with psychotic and over-obsessive fans which is why made this stamp. I don't hate Yuugi/Anzu, but I personally don't care for their romantic portrayal and prefer them as friends.
First things first, I prefer the manga
I like the Japanese anime of YuGiOh! but I adore the manga. I am more a fan of the manga than of the anime, simply because the characters act completely different. Each and every character has a much more meaningful background story and get an actual characterization. We get to see how the main characters get to know each other and most importantly, we see that Yuugi has confidence issues. Not only that he is a really shy person who does not have the guts to tell other people his honest opinion, but he also talks himself down. It's obvious that Yuugi is a person who does not accept himself and feels often troubled. There are so many panels in the manga where we can see that Yuugi truly lacks confidence and that he blames himself once something does not go the way he wants it to.
From the very beginning to the end we see Yuugi struggling. We see a young teenage boy who is on a journey to accept himself and find his place in the world.
Simply because I am more into the manga, my interpretations will differ from yours. To say it bluntly, we are talking about two different versions of YGO. But I will
solely refer to the manga. This is an
interpretation.
The strong bond that never was
We see Yuugi sitting alone in their lunchbreak. No one even cares enough for him to stay with him or ask him why he does not want to play basketball with them. Yuugi simply states that his team would lose anyway which means in other words that he does think that he can't be helpful. After a while Anzu comes back to him to tell him that she felt annoyed with the guys because they only wanted to look under the girl's skirts once they jump. Yuugi blushes and dreams about a pantyshot. Does that mean that he loves her? I don't think that. The fact is that she only came to look after him because she had nothing better to do. Spending time with Yuugi was her
second choice, she left the others because she was annoyed. Let that sink in. We can highly assume that Yuugi usually would spend his lunchbreaks all alone.
Anzu and Yuugi did not have the bond that many people want them to have. I know people who say that they have been childhood friends and that they've spend so much time together, simply because Yuugi brought her a game once. They have played in Kindergarten together. Anzu got mad at the game and smashed it. The other day Yuugi brought a new game to her, one she was better at. And that is what people tend to use in order to back up their ship. Fully ignoring that lots of years have passed. Years where both of them changed. Years where they obviously lived apart from each other. And now I will explain to you why I think that they were not that close.
Once Yuugi mentions that the puzzle is a heirloom of his grandfather, Anzu frowns because she thinks that Yuugi has lost an important person in his life. She feels guilty and thinks that his grandfather is the reason that Yuugi would bring the puzzle with him. Anzu did not even know a thing about Yuugi's family situation. They did not spend time with each other. Why else would she be surprised and assume that his grandfather was dead? She rarely visited him. Or rather, they lived apart from each other. After school she decides to spend a little more time with Yuugi, because she feels sorry that he has lost someone important in his life, not because she truly cared for him. She needed a reason to spend time with him. If she had cared that much for Yuugi, why didn't she visit him more often or talk to him? I assume that she had no other reason to do, because she also had other things in her life she cared for, e.g.: her job as class' representative, her marks, her other friends, her dance courses and probably looking for a part-time job in order to earn money for her studies abroad.
Sugorokou says that it has been a while since she last came to visit. He only knew Anzu as a child which is why he points even out her breast size. He had no idea how much Anzu had grown, because she never (or rarely) came over. They simply had almost no contact to each other. They only saw each other in school. That was all the interaction they had -- for years.
On the next day, Anzu comes to pick up Yuugi and goes to school with him. The reason is obvious. She feels guilty for having neglected him all the time. She knows that she should have shown more interest in him especially because they knew each other for such a long time. This is only about her selfish desire to excuse herself and feel less guilty for not being there for him. Yuugi is surprised to see her and even mentions again that it has been such a long time since they last went together to school which means that they almost had no interaction during middle school. They're in highschool already!
It is obvious that they have lived apart from each other and that they need to build up that bond first. The bond that so many people assume they already had due to one panel where Anzu reminices about the past, remembering the game Yuugi brought to her once. There must be a reason for Yuugi to wish for friends. He wishes for friends who would not betray him. Friends he would never betray.
I think that those words might also be directed at Anzu who betrayed him. He had high hopes for her and was disappointed. He does not blame or hate her for that, but it made him realize that he desires friends who would be there for him and show interest in him and the things he likes. He even takes so many games to school, because he hopes that his classmates would play with him. It's obvious: Yuugi loves games. If Anzu and Yuugi had always been such good friends like many people say - why would Yuugi desperatedly wish for friends? In the beginning they had almost no contact to each other and the childhood friends means little to nothing at this point. So, we need to see that they need to build a friendship first.
The anime even hints that Anzu has been living in America for quite a while due to her father's job. It's just my interpretation, but since the manga takes places around the 80's/90's they didn't have Internet and if we assume that Anzu has spent several years in America, it would explain a lot about her and why they haven't had contact all those years. It would also explain why she is determined to study dancing in America. Does it have to be America? Why are her English skills so good? This was mentioned during Duelist Kingdom -- Anzu speaks English fluently. It's just a head-canon and we don't know whether this is true, but if Anzu has lived several years in America it would explain why Yuugi felt betrayed.
The cool Yuugi she rather wanted to see
Anzu is well aware that Yuugi is anything but strong. She fights off bullies for him and protects him, because she knows that Yuugi is not strong. Once she realizes that there is another Yuugi within him, she tries to change him. Something that a good friend would never do. Wanting to change someone because you think that they are not good enough the way they are, shows that you have no respect for them. I just think that Anzu showed no respect towards Yuugi. She even puts herself in danger only to see the cool Yuugi and she becomes all flushy and nervous when thinking about the cool guy.
And that is okay at this point, since we know that their relationship will develop and improve. We know that Anzu won't always be this hormone-driven schoolgirl and that she will mature in her personality. And that is why I really have grown to like her as a character, too. She's not that typicial heroine who only drools over the protagonist and simply fulfills a role as a love interest. She was really unlikeable in the beginning, because she didn't think but acted really emotional, but she changes. It's her development as a person that makes me like her, because nowadays most characters in anime/manga merely fulfill certain clichés in order to address as many people as possible.
The most important plot-arc is Death-T. Death-T is the most important arc for all the main characters. Yuugi tells his friends that he thinks that there is someone else inside him and that he blacks out now and then without memory what happened. Anzu realizes that Yuugi has been suffering. We see the true Yuugi. His fears. His hatred for himself. His desperate being who obviously has no confidence in his own person. He blames himself and we see how desperate he is. This is Yuugi. It is the first time he openly speaks about his issues and shows how he truly feels; and Anzu realizes that she hurt him. All this time. Her behavior and her desire to change him made his issues even stronger and Anzu finally changes her attitude. From this point on, she supports him. She stops being selfish and reflects on her actions and her way of thinking.
It's one of the reasons why Anzu is one of my favorite characters. She used to superficial and selfish, but she changes over time. She has some real character development and becomes more supportive of Yuugi, despite of having different interests. She accepts him as who he is and goes so far to even anaylze him, leading to the conclusion that Yuugi is like a clumsy little brother to her while the other Yuugi is more reliabable and strong. Now we can see that she cares for him and wants to protect him.
There is one scene in the manga where Mai helps Anzu to speak with Yuugi alone. Without anyone interfering. During their conversation, Yuugi says that he can try to bring the Other Yuugi out, because he knows that Anzu is not interested in him. This is not a romantic scene between them. Anzu tells him that either Yuugi is fine because she likes both. She makes sure to make him realize that it doesn't matter who is with her. She says that because she hurt him before. She was the reason to make him miserable and she understands that Yuugi does not consider himself good enough to even normally talk to her. She doesn't want him to feel this way. This is a natural emotion. This is how a person should react. If a friend of yours feels that he is not good enough and wants to change for you, you should be alarmed. And she showed that she was worried, because her expression changes and she wants him to stop and tries to make him realize that he is okay the way he is.
When Anzu touches his hand, both blush.
Yes, you can interpret this as hint. But it really isn't. Esepcially considering the context and the former chapters. At this moment, Anzu believes that Other Yuugi and Yuugi are two sides of the same soul. The story is not at its end yet. The story of Yuugiou has not been finished after ten volumes and it is obvious that Anzu finally respects Yuugi as a person. The only thing that people focus here on is that Anzu said that "
it doesn't matter which Yuugi", but they refuse to see the whole picture. She didn't want to make him feel even more miserable.
They finally reached a point where Anzu shows true respect towards a friend. Something she didn't show before. I really like that development. She was anything but a good friend, but she changed and started to think different.
It does matter to her
After Duelist Kingdom, we as readers already know that there must be two different persons inside Yuugi. Anzu and Jounouchi have reached this conclusion as well. In volume 17, Anzu understands that Mou hitorou no Yuugi (Other Yuugi) and the Omote Yuugi (small Yuugi) are different persons. Now we know for fact that it
does matter to her which Yuugi is at her side. But this doesn't mean that she doesn't care for Yuugi. He is a friend. Someone she cares for and wishes to be safe. Someone she wants to be happy. This is how much she changed. She cares for her friends and wants them to be happy. All the interactions and their experiences in previous chapters have lead to development that simply was left out of the anime. Development that is important in order to even understand the characters and their relationships.
From here on out, it's obvious that Anzu has romantic feelings for the man inside the puzzle -- not for Yuugi. So, it makes me sad that so many people twist the plot and interpret them in a wrong way, although there is nothing to discuss or even unclear. It is obvious. It is served on a silver plate to us. There is absolutely nothing that could make us think: Hey, Anzu is actually more interested in the small Yuugi and her feelings for the Other Yuugi are only platonic, because it is shown to us so clearly how she feels. We have interactions, reactions and expressions that only allow one conclusion. Yes, it's up to interpretation that Yuugi has a crush on her, but his feelings for her are so unimportant that it is only mentioned and later on not even thematised. It's up for interpretation whether he truly loves her this way, but from my point of view, Yuugi knows that he has no chance with her and that she doesn't feel attracted to him which is why Yuugi's feelings aren't thematised anymore. She already friendzoned him. He probably realized that he has no chance and his feelings became weaker or at least, he didn't approach her anymore.
There is also one moment that even makes all the more clear that Anzu likes Other Yuugi during the Memory arc. Honda, Jounouchi, Ryou, Anzu and Yuugi go to the museum in order to disclose the secret of the Pharaoh's memories. When Other Yuugi raises his hand and holds the Sangenshin (Three Gods) towards the ancient stone table, a light engulfs them all and something happens that will have major importance for the plot. Other Yuugi has gone. He has vanished. Yuugi falls on his knees. Jounouchi is shocked that Yuugi is on his knees. He shows that he cares more for his well-being than for the Other Yuugi right now. They only see Yuugi falling. Yuugi cries and doesn't say anything and the only one who shows his worry is Jounouchi, while the other simply look at Yuugi with confusion.
And then Yuugi explains that Mou hitoru no boku (Other me) has vanished. Anzu shows reaction to the Other Yuugi being gone but didn't show that much reaction on Yuugi being on his knees. We even get a full panel dedicated to make us readers understand that at this moment she is only thinking about the Other Yuugi being gone. She can't say a word. Can't move right now. The shock makes her breathless and it's obvious that she cares for the Other Yuugi and that her feelings for him are more than platonic. Bitter romance, anyone? Here, take it since it's served to you with a sauce of melancholy.
Anzu is struggling to tell Atem how she feels and we see that really likes him and wishes he could stay, but she knows that he cannot. She is torn between her emotions. But, and that is important to acknowledge, she doesn't say that he should stay but that she cannot understand why it has to be like that because that going into that light only means losing him for them
← she says that, because she is not ready to lose him. I don't know how much clearer her feelings could get and it makes me facepalm, when I read people say that Anzu wanted Atem to lose because she was always more interested in Yuugi. I just don't get where those fans get those ideas...?
Her reactions and her facial expressions show that she likes him. So, in other words, there is no confusion from her side. Her romantic feelings were always directed at Atem.
Manga and Anime Divergence
The anime's purpose is to establish a franchise. How do you sell cards to little kids and teens? Have characters play them that they can relate to. We have so much fanservice for Peachshipping that never happened in manga and would have never happened. Duel Monsters leaves out over 100 chapters of the manga, not only their development as characters out, but also changing background stories and relationships. Jounouchi is reduced to the main character's sidekick, although his background story is enough to make him a main character. There is so much to his personality that simply has been changed in the anime and only mentioned between the lines. He appears to be the goofy and funny guy who takes his mouth full and is big talk only, not even able to fight back and would get his ass beaten. When in the manga, he was a fighter and has many serious sides. Not only he was changed, but also Anzu, Kaiba and Honda. The anime pretty much ignores that Ryou has been an important friend for Yuugi and has been around ever since he first appeared.
We see Anzu getting angry at Yuugi for talking to other girls, although he looks anything but comfortable. This is not Anzu. I don't know why they have all the characters act this much out of character, but the anime changes a lot, especially relationship-wise. We have so much fan service for Polarshipping, Revolutionshipping and Peachshipping that really made me cherish the manga, where shippings in general are second and plot and characterization first.
My favorite scenes in the manga never even happened in the anime. We have so many amazing moments that were simply left out for the sake of fan service. Thus, I can't even take the ships in the anime serious. Most of the ships I truly cherish are based on the manga and the interaction in it. The development. Their characterization.
How a relationship between them would ruin them both
I support Peachshipping in a friendship-wise
not romantically. I don't think that they mesh well personality-wise and I hardly can imagine them having a future together as they have different interests and dreams.
After all Anzu wants to become a dancer and saves money in order to be able to study dance in America so she will leave Japan and her friends behind fulfilling her own dreams and wishes. Personally I believe that Yuugi will stay at home and inherit the Kame Game Shop from his grandfather. I always thought that he would love to work with games, maybe even creating them. And as DSOD has proven that he also wishes to create his own games and we know for fact that he will reach his dream. (Just love how my head-canon became canon. ♥) We have an illustration of a possible future where Kaiba and Yuugi play >Spherium< -- a game that Yuugi has created and is supposed to be just as apopular as Duel Monsters -- and enjoy their battle.
Even their life styles are way too different from each other as if they would ever like to stay together in a long term.
Anzu needs freedom and action, she just loves to hang around with lots of people and wants to experience as much as she can. We even see the Liberty Statue in her soul and her ballet shoes which could be interpreted that she wants to conquer America and become famous there, but also the longing for freedom and being able to break out. A sun that symbolizes her hopes for the future and her strong belief that she will reach her goals. She is an open person who likes to meet new people and we can see in the manga that the people in her class are fond of her. They like her so much that they would choose her as their class' representative which shows that she is considered a trust-worthy person who doesn't fear to stand up and say her opinion.
Yuugi's soul room is full of toys and games. Games are his life.
Yuugi is rather shy. He doesn't like people looking at him. Both manga and anime show us that he feels uncomfortable being in the center of attention. He blushes, lowering his eyes and making a facial expression that shows us that he is feels uncertain. Yuugi is the typical nerd. Yuugi rather stays at home playing video games or hanging around with his most precious friends. We even have an illustrations of the author where we can see that Yuugi cares more for Jounouchi and playing games with him than listening to what Anzu has to say. Even Honda points at his smartphone, that Yuugi doesn't even notice anymore. Anzu is angry at him. Nothing we need to discuss here. And this is exactly how their relationship would look like.
Anzu nagging and complaining. Yuugi feeling guilty for neglecting her, although he only does something that means the world to him. Yuugi loves games. Heck, even his name means game! He has always been playing them and we can say without a doubt that he is a nerd. And many YuGiOh! fans are nerdy and also gamers -- which is the exact reason why so many people love the series. And if you're a gamer (or otaku, someone who enjoys anime/manga) ask yourself if you would be happy with a partner who can't understand your hobbies.
Anzu does not share the same interest in games than he does. I am not saying that she does not enjoy games at all, but it's obvious that she has different interests. She likes to hang around with other people, going shopping, listening and dancing to music and talking about life style, fashion and all kind of things. She has always been portrayed as a cheerleader and she only played Duel Monsters two times. In the beginning, playing against Jounouchi and defeating him and against Mai in order to show her and Yuugi how important it is to have friends by your side and never give up. She has been around for a very long time and has seen many duels. So how is it that after 38 volumes (or 224 episodes) she seems to know nothing about the game?
She still asks questions and needs explanations for cards that have been shown to us a few episodes/chapters before. No wonder that even fans make fun of "Pot of Greed", because we have people watching the duel who simply don't understand the card game. I always felt like that Kaiba, Atem and Jounouchi weren't explaining their turns to their opponents but to the watchers -- in other words to Honda, Anzu and Shizuka. Honda and Anzu both need Jounouchi to assure them that everything will be fine, because they can't judge a duel and/or foretell what might happen. Something that you should be able to do if you have been watching several duels. Just look at Anzu's and Honda's reactions during those duels! Both Honda and Anzu show that they do not care as much for Duel Monsters than Jounouchi, Yuugi, Atem or Kaiba do which is exactly why they need to ask questions or have a turn explained to them.
And don't give me that "Yuugi brought a game to her once and she played it" argument, because this happened once in the past and was only mentioned by Anzu during a flashback. She did play games or had a tamagotchi, simply because it was hyped at this moment. Everyone had a tamagotchi or a love foreteller, so it was something that she ought to have in order to be part of their class society. But she never shows signs that she cares for games just as much as Yuugi would. And both of them need someone on their side they can share their passion with. Especially Yuugi who already has issues.
Having to change your whole being for your "true love"
For Peachshipping to work out on a long term they both need to change. Something that never happened during the manga and thus is very unlikely. The purpose of YuGiOh! was to make the reader understand that there is nothing wrong in being yourself and that you don't need to change for others, but that interaction with other people will have a positive effect on you and can make you reflect your own thoughts and become a new person. No one should change for the sake of others. But only to feel happy and content with yourself.
Jounouchi used to be a brutal thug and let his anger out on others. He really hated himself and it was Yuugi who made him like himself. So, he starts accepting himself and becomes a new person. Someone he can be proud of.
Anzu used to be superficial and selfish, caring more for herself than for Yuugi, but realized that her way of thinking was wrong and became a new person. She has become someone people can trust and depend on. Not only because it was a role, but because she wanted to be someone reliable.
Atem used to be a lone king who underestimated his enemies and even made fun of them, but became someone who learned to see his opponent from eye to eye and take them serious.
Kaiba was obsessed with being the strongest and wanting to be the best in everything, but had to face an opponent he couldn't beat, but who changed him over time, and revived his soul, showing more emotion and realizing that Mokuba has always been the most important person to him. Honestly, Kaiba didn't mind killing his own brother in Death-T, but later on would even risk his own life in order to save him. The traumatized Kaiba became a person who realized that in order to become a true duelist, he needs to defeat the hatred within him. Many characters change. Not for the sake of others. But for themself. They change over time and become better people.
But Peachshipping means changing them, in order to make their relationship work.
I don't see them having any common interests. I don't see Yuugi accompanying her on her journey through America or learning to dance. I don't see Yuugi as the kind of person who would enjoy going to partys and dance in the center of the dancefloor and have other people admire his skills -- because he never was portrayed like that. I see many people drawing fanart where Yuugi suddenly becomes a dancer, but in canon this wouldn't happen and we even have evidences in form of illustrations where we can see that Yuugi will follow his dream and never give up on games. It's likely for him to travel the world not to see Anzu dancing/or dance with her on stage, but for interviews about his game(s) and taking part in tournaments.
Takahashi even mentions that Kaiba and Yuugi are working together which makes me think that they are business partners and that they might even invent games together. Yuugi's skills and his ideas are important to Kaiba, so they might develop RPGs based on Duel Monsters/Spherium.
He wouldn't want to change for her and she wouldn't feel comfortable forcing him to come along when she goes out to partys. In the future I see them phoning, talking over webcams and having e-mail contact to each other, but nothing romantically. Yuugi liked her. She was his first crush, but he accepted the fact that she didn't like him the way he did and following both the original Japanese anime and the manga closely you can see that they don't have that relationship to each other as some people want them to have.
For me they are simply friends and I can't imagine them falling in love with each other, especially because they never felt anything for each other all those years. They know each other since their childhood. Personally I find it pretty unlikely for Anzu to suddenly fall for him when she was in love with the Pharaoh. Yuugi would be only a replacement for the one person she loved but never was able to have the closure with she wanted to.
In all honesty, both would end up annoyed with each other in a long term. The older you get, the more you'll understand how important it is to have people around you and your partner fully supporting you and showing interest in you and your interests. Yuugi never even cared enough for her interests to ask actively about her dancing. Not once he considered to accompany her to her dance classes and see her dancing for herself. At least not in the canon-verse. Yes, you can write fanfictions about those interactions, but they're still not canon. Takahashi never took the time to devote a chapter to their relationship and show us that they feel interested in each other. It's always about Jounouchi being in high spirits for Yuugi's passion, feeling just as excited as Yuugi once they find a new game. We have so many chapters where we see Jounouchi and Yuugi interact. They spend almost every day with each other. Jou cares for Yuugi's passion and more importantly develops the same passion. Neither Anzu nor Honda were shown to us during that time.
We don't have chapters where Anzu and Yuugi talk about dancing or partys. All their interactions are bound to their school activities and linked to the Pharaoh. They simply don't have much interaction outside the plot, which makes me think that they simply don't have much in common to even talk about.
Did Anzu ever ask Yuugi to play Duel Monsters with her? Or any other game? Did Yuugi ever take the time to learn dancing for her? Was this shown to the reader? Not once during the entire manga or anime. Of course he supports her and she would do anything to help, too, but Yuugi wouldn't take the time to learn dancing only to please her. If he wanted to change for her, he would have done that during the time that was shown to us. Thus, it's unlikely for them to change.
DSOD - Looking for the future
Of course, we see Yuugi looking after her plane. But supporting a friend and wishing for them to be able to achieve their goals should be normal and not meant as mere romantic hint. I find the closure of the series, Yuugi, Jounouchi, Bakura, Honda and Otogi looking after her plane as perfect. They are all looking at her plane. But Yuugi is shown to us in the middle, because they mirror the end of the manga, where Yuugi says that now his own journey begins. He even mentions in the manga that the story never was about a king and that his story is now about to begin. Something you'll only know when you've read the manga and saw the last panels of it. This is the ending people wanted to see. He faces his own future with confidence. Confidence he lacked all the time! Yuugi has become stronger and now is able to fulfill his own goals without the help of his friends. This is how I see the end. How I interpret it.
Besides, Ryou is way more excited than Yuugi... so we could say that Ryou has been in love with Anzu the whole time, simply due to his reaction here. He seems to care a lot about her. Neither the manga nor the anime were ever about romance, thus nothing is canon, so please stop insulting people who don't see your evidences and/or interpret your precious hints in another way.
I see Peachshipping only platonic. As friends. As people who support each other. Adding romance to what they needed to work so hard for to achieve, means ruining their friendship, because we know for fact that it took Anzu a long time to fully support and respect Yuugi. We know that they have different goals in their life and that their ways will seperate them.
But you obviously ship friendxfriend ships!! Your a hypocrite!11!
Some people might call me a hypocrite because I love Jounouchi/Yuugi and obviously dislike Yuugi/Anzu.
Like, you can't ship them, because you're against the friends-into-lovers-troupe. I'm not against it. But I judge the interactions between characters and their relationship and you cannot compare one relationship to another.
First off, the development between Jounouchi and Yuugi is completely different than between Yuugi and Anzu. Jounouchi bullied Yuugi. More or less, we only see Jounouchi making fun of Yuugi once, so it's up for interpretation how he acted towards him before. Highschool has just started. And we don't know whether Honda and Jounouchi were on the same middle school as Yuugi and Anzu. It's never explained, thus doesn't really matter. Yes, he was a jerk. But he explains why he did that in Death-T. Jounouchi hated himself and he let his anger out on others and Yuugi -- who never fought back and acted more like a girl -- annoyed him. Jounouchi was forced to be strong due to his family circumstances and the gang he was in. He never was allowed to show weaknesses, so of course someone like Yuugi who would hate violence and rather get hurt than hurting others, would be a thorn in his eye.
But after seeing what an amazing person Yuugi is, he changes completely and protects Yuugi. Jounouchi cares more for Yuugi and his well-being than for himself. Going so far to risk his life and be badly injured only to prove Yuugi that he cares more for him than for anyone else. Their interaction cannot be compared to Yuugi and Anzu. Above that, after accepting Yuugi, Jounouchi fully respects and loves Yuugi from the bottom of his heart for what he is. Jounouchi never doubted Yuugi's strength. He didn't want to change him. He stands fully supporting behind him and he openly shows that he prefers Yuugi over Other Yuugi. Other Yuugi is more like a role model to him. Anzu did not show the same respect than Jounouchi did. She always supported Yuugi, yes, but she was also interested in Other Yuugi. She obviously prefered Other Yuugi over Yuugi. And no, there is nothing to discuss here, because it's shown to the reader and fully explained both obvious and subtle that Anzu prefers Atem over Yuugi. Just read the manga.
During the Ceremonial Duel, the last arc, we see Jounouchi and Yuugi talk on the ship. They're on their way to the place where the ritual is going to be. Jounouchi not once doubted Yuugi and he makes sure to make Yuugi understand that he thinks that Yuugi is just as strong as Atem, NO, Jounouchi thinks that Yuugi is even stronger than Atem. Jounouchi is the only person during the Ceremonial Duel (and the entire series) who is sure that Yuugi will win and who openly cares more for Yuugi than for Atem. I know that many countries got a really strange translation, where Jounouchi says that he cannot tell for sure who'll win, but Japanese manga states that Jounouchi is standing behind Yuugi. He knows for fact that Yuugi will win. He always supported him and never wanted him to change.
There is a difference if you want your partner/best friend to change for you, getting even angry at them for showing interest in something you don't care for and being fully supportive and happy with them as who they are, showing so much interest in them that you would become a new person of your own will.
Anzu openly shows a lack of interest/understanding when Yuugi is playing games with Jounouchi or others. If she liked him the way he was, she would have leaned towards him and listened to their conversation, rather than getting mad and wanting them to stop to play Duel Monsters. THIS should have been her reaction, instead shegets angry at him.
It bothers me how people tell me that I should dislike Jounouchi/Yuugi; simply because Yuugi/Anzu and Jounouchi/Yuugi would be the same because those people never understood the characters, their development and their relationship. Each and every character has a unique relationship. The way Anzu acts towards Atem is different than with Yuugi, Honda, Bakura or Jounouchi. The manga explains pretty well why and it's not up to debate that Yuugi's bond to Jounouchi is much deeper, stronger and even clearer than to Anzu or anyone else. We have so many chapters entirely devoted to them.
Moreover I am well aware of the fact that my OTP isn't canon and I don't bother other people all the time or comment their profiles, fanworks or journals why they must like it. I don't leave comments like "Oh, your picture is nice! But I like Jounouchi/Yuugi better", "How dare you having a negative opinion on my ship???", like many other people do here on dA and probably other websites too. I don't start debates and arguments on other people's fanworks only to insult them for not liking my ships.
I don't force it down other people's throats why I see my OTP happen and why I believe that it is canon -- when it really isn't. You can hate me, but it's not going to make my arguments less valid, especially because I source the manga, refer to illustrations and explain my views based on actual manga footage.
I don't mind if other people or my friends like Peachshipping!
IF...
...you're a sane fan who simply enjoys Peachshipping without picking fights and provoking other fans, I don't have a problem with you.
...you just add your fanworks here, using the correct tags and putting them to the right groups in order to reach those people who want to see it, that's totally fine. I will even support you and put your work to other groups so that other people can see it and hopefully help you to reach more fans and find people to talk to.
...you make memes (either positive or negative ones) simply to voice out your opinion and explaining your thoughts in detail, we might even have an interesting conversation like adults. We might discuss our different standings and learn/see things we didn't before.
...you submit stamps to support the ships you like, I will look up to you and consider you a fan who cares not only for themself but also for other people in their fanbase. There are still many other things we might have in common and could talk about, so there's no need to focus on something we disagree.
So, I don't have a problem with Peachshipping -- but I really dislike people who try to convert me to their shipping and insult me for not sharing their preferences. Just be kind and have respect. A little kindness goes a long way.
