You’ve most likely heard of second-male lead syndrome, but what about side-couple syndrome? I’m a sucker for a romantic subplot of any kind, but I’ve known myself to get particularly enticed by the love lives of secondary characters. Anytime I get the tiniest moment between a side couple, it’s as fulfilling as watching the MCs progress. If you’re like me, time and time again you’ll dive into a story, look to the side, and wonder, “Ok, but when do we get to see these two again?”
Side-Couple Syndrome Defined
Side-couple syndrome, also known as second couple syndrome, is a phenomenon where audiences are more invested in the B love story than the A love story. Evidently, it’s something that affects K-Drama and BL fandoms especially.
Personally, I experience this phenomenon in a way that doesn’t deter me from the main couple but rather enhances an overall story for me. The side plot keeps me fed while I await a resolution for the central plot. Even when the main couple has already gotten together, the side couple’s storyline is that loose end I look forward to seeing tie up. Furthermore, if the secondary pair is comprised of the MCs’ rejected love interests, I appreciate that. I’m not one for love triangles, so removing the obstacles by giving them their own happy ending is always a pleasant outcome.
Side-Couple Syndrome Diagnosed
What better way to illustrate side-couple syndrome than by listing some of the pairings that led me to my diagnosis? Here’s a random assortment of side ships who, at one point or another, had me a tad more hooked than the protagonists.
Iino × Ishigami from Kaguya-sama: Love is War
The thesis statement. Welcome to my TED×Talk.
If you’re a diehard shipper, there’s at least one couple you won’t shut up about — this is mine. In Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Kaguya and Shirogane are the main players waging a war of love, and don’t get me wrong, I was on the front line eating up every second of it. However, Iino and Ishigami’s own enemies-to-lovers shenanigans just popped out of the page. From the moment Iino steps into the scene, her animosity towards Ishigami is evident.
They fight like cats and dogs but root for one another on the sidelines. They have history; it’s layered and peppered with motifs. She dreams of the chivalrous stranger who, in her bleak past, left her an anonymous note and flower. He’s well-versed in the language of flowers… Coincidence? I was dying to know! The main thing that makes a side couple so engaging is that their story is told in crumbs, and you can’t wait ‘til the next one; I couldn’t wait to unpack whatever these two had going on.
Keigo × Nemu from Witch Watch
*Screams into the void* “You love each other!!!”
How many of you have felt personally victimized by characters who love each other but don’t know the other loves them back? Imagine how much more painful it is when they’re dealt with on the side. Every time I tune in to a new chapter of Witch Watch, all I can think about is whether Nemu the shapeshifting witch will make any progress with awkward hipster Keigo.
WITCH WATCH, Ch. 123: Keigo and Nemu work together to defeat an earth-shaper witch! Read it FREE from the official source! https://t.co/KoIEBiWJuO pic.twitter.com/eMqkHVdrgD
— Shonen Jump (@shonenjump) September 3, 2023
These two couldn’t be more opposite on paper but are perfectly matched where it counts. She hides behind a perfect and refined visage, while he’s as pretentious as can be. From their very first interaction, they see right through one another. In the words of Nemu herself, “You were far cooler when you stopped trying to act cool, Keigo Magami.” Unfortunately, regardless of how sincere they are with each other in some matters, they aren’t as forthcoming about their feelings. In the meantime, I sit by, waiting for these shy kids to get their moment in the sun.
Ryu × Chizuru from Kimi ni Todoke
Childhood friends to lovers are always wholesome.
As much as I love enemies-to-lovers, I’m also a sucker for childhood friends to lovers. Ryu has held a torch for the tomboy Chizuru ever since they were single digits. He keeps his feelings close to his chest, though, as her sights are set on his much older brother. Like with any good friends-to-lovers arc, the tides shift and Chizuru must decide if she wants to “ruin the friendship” — a risk Ryu is more than willing to take.
It was a treat to watch their romance unfold right as leads Sawako and Kazehaya sailed into the sunset. I loved seeing the wheels finally start to turn in Chizuru’s mind (and heart) as she realized her true love was right there all along.
Dina × Garrett from Superstore
Enemies-to-lovers are always addictive.
There’s enemies-to-lovers, and then there’s this unlikely pair. If you had told me back in season one of Superstore that these two would be a thing, I wouldn’t have known how to digest that. But, surprise! What starts as a one-night stand soon evolves into the cynical Garrett catching feelings for the overbearing Dina. They shouldn’t make sense — like, at all — but chemistry is chemistry, and these two have it.
While I waited with bated breath for Amy and Jonah’s center-stage romance to advance, it was Dina and Garrett’s fling on the side that kept me at the edge of my seat.
Chandler × Monica from Friends
They might be the B plot, but they get an A+.
I realize Friends is an ensemble show and that there isn’t technically a main couple and a side couple, but let’s be real: as far as media attention goes, Ross and Rachel were the romantic leads, and I will never understand that. Not that I have anything against the Lobsters; I rooted for them too, but they don’t hold a candle to Mondler. If I’m honest, as big of a Friends fan as I am, I only really enjoy the seasons where Chandler and Monica’s love story sets in. They’re what keeps the show afloat for me. I especially love the secret dating phase of their courtship.
It’s truly satisfying when a series develops an “unexpected” romance halfway through its run as we get to see the organic evolution of the characters’ union. Chandler and Monica weren’t planned, and yet they’re so well-matched, which makes watching their relationship unfold so rewarding.
April × Jackson from Grey’s Anatomy
They deserved a spin-off.
Speaking of unexpected yet rewarding couplings in a long-running show, no one fits the bill more than Japril. Grey’s Anatomy and I have an on-and-off, casual, and contentious relationship, but Jackson and April were the moment for me — everything else was filler. They’re sort of a take on the popular guy x nerdy girl trope while simultaneously embodying the classic best-friends-to-lovers, which never gets old.
Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams’ chemistry is unmatched, and their performances throughout Japril’s trajectory made them staples in a show that has been running for 100 years now. The fact that, in Grey + Sloan Memorial’s cesspool of failed, tragic, and recycled couples, this pairing has received not one, not two, but three specials dedicated to their relationship shows how, even from the sidelines, they stood out.
B plots might not get as much airtime as their A plot counterparts, but the fact that the little we do see of them is enough to leave us hungry for more further drives home why side couples are the drug that keeps on drugging.
Want some MC couples to obsess over? Click here for nine of the best romance manga couples we can’t get over.
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