Friendship in Key works

Key Discussion
#1

Sunohara and Tomoya
If you couldn’t tell, this topic is based on the similarly named Romance in Key works .
Personally, I feel that friendship is just as important, or should I say “Key”, to Key’s stories as romance is.
After all, romantic feelings can sprout from friendships.
Not to mention, everyone can relate to having a good friend and camaraderie is a staple in the slice of life genre.
Key has had plenty of interesting dynamics over the years, so there’s a lot of ones to pick from.

So, I’d like to ask:

*Which friendships entertained or intrigued you the most?

Is there anyone from a Key work you wish could be your friend irl?

How do you define friendship?
What’s the bottom line to be considered a friend?

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#2

For entertainment, Riki and Masato are the obvious choice. They’re a good comedy duo. Props to the Summer trio from AIR too, Kanna and co were entertaining.

For intrigue, and I’m not sure if this is considered a friendship or something else, but Yukito and Haruko always stood out to me, mainly because their one on one conversations are the most open of any interaction in AIR.
For a second choice, I always thought Kitagawa from Kanon was an interesting dude, with his friendships revolving around sacrificial positivism.

The obvious Taka answer here would be Mai and Sayuri. They’re fun, they’re relaxing, and they care about friendship more than almost anything else. You get good food, you get a bodyguard, what’s not to like? They might be high maintenance at times, but that’s fine.

Yoshino (from Rewrite) is my other initial answer. He’s a real power of friendship guy. Reliable, not too in-your-face, and good to joke around with.

I take a Kanako/Kotarou approach to it. If we’re face to face, and you aren’t already the scum on the bottom of my shoe, we’re friends. I know some people think it’s a more important thing, that friendship is a deep kind of thing, but I’m a casual friendshipper.

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#3

I really like group dynamics. One of the things that make friendship better than romantic love (imo) is that it is not restricted by number. So, while playing Rewrite, the whole Occult Club friendship was the one that struck me the most. Tbh, I think that was the main reason why RW common route was so great. The same can be said for Litbus.

However, if I had to choose a ‘pair’ of friends, then I’d probably go with Rin and Komari, even though, unfortunately, the VN didn’t explore it as much as it should have.

Kotarou would be my top pick. But I guess Kurugaya would make a good friend as well.

I hate the way the meaning of friendship has been lost for most people. Most of the times someone calls a person their friend, they actually mean acquaintance. People call friends individuals who they lie to, deceive and do not trust. Those so-called ‘friends’ usually don’t even really know each other. For me, a friend is a person who is willing to be hurt for your sake, a person who really knows who you are and a person who is not afraid of telling you the truth, even when that means you will get angry at them. If you are thinking about the impression you’ll cause on someone, for me that already means you two are not friends.

The bottom line is the definition itself. If two or more people don’t fit it, it means they’re simply acquaintances/colleagues/whatever.

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#4

I personally liked/could relate to the first Little Busters! group of friends (Riki, Kyosuke, Rin, Masato, Kengo) the most.
I do talk to quite a lot of people at school but I only have a few people I actually consider my friends. And those few friends is still always together with me even though time has passed and I shifted to another school. Most importantly, I also wish that this group of friends will last forever and I felt this is similar to Riki’s wish for the Little Busters’ friendship to last.
Now, I have not completely read Little Busters except for a slight bit of the common route so I can’t tell how that group of friends would change throughout the story but so far, I always felt that it was similar to me and my friends.
Even the funny things that happen occasionally were similar. Two of my friends would always fight for small reasons ( one of them is slightly stupid as well ) and I would always set some weird rules and make the fight interesting and make sure they don’t go for each other’s throats.

Hmm, this one is tough… but if I had to choose one, I would want to be friends with Koutarou from Rewrite in real life because he is the character I could relate to the most in a lot of ways throughout the storyline.

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#5

I think the childhood friends of Little Busters has got the “most entertaining and intriguing friendships” category cinched pretty handly, as its the story with the greatest focus on friendship among Keys visual novels. From their wacky hijinks to the sacrifices they make for each other, the childhood friends easily have the most colorful and emotionally gripping friends dynamic. Their relationship almost feels like it transcends mere friendship.

I’d think if there was any one character I’d definitely wanna be buddies with Masato is it. The guys wingmanning is on a whole 'nother level. He’s a lovable idiot, and he’ll always have your back.

Personally I share the opinion that “friendship” doesn’t explicitly require anything deep. If you express a desire to be friends with me and I don’t have any overt reason to dislike you then I’d consider us friends.

There are, of course, deeper friendships that are beyond that, but for me there’s little distinction between friendly acquaintances and just friends in general.

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#6

You know I can’t talk too much about the different friendships in Key games, but I have some doubts regarding friendship in little busters. At the beginning it is stated that they are childhood friends ok and they have many interactions during the game but it was until refrain that it really is expressed much better. Regarding Masato and Kengo everything was ok they owe a lot to Kyousuke and were willing to put their lifes on the line for Rin and Riki. About Riki, yeah he will always count on them. However the situation with Rin and Kyousuke is were I have doubts, Did Kyousuke look for the 3 guys to be his friends or to help him with his sister, since she was kind of shy. I mean I understand Kyousuke wanted to help each of them but I’m not that sure about why, He really was a good guy but was there something else. Then, Rin I can see a good bond between her and Riki but not with the others.

#7

Man this is gonna be long and I’m not really sure how to organise it…

I really should start with how I perceive friendship to give some context. I tend to hold the standard for what I call friendship higher than most people. If someone else and I perceive each other the same way at all times, chances are pretty good that they’ll start calling me their friend while I’m still calling them an acquaintance. But that’s pretty much my own hang-up and I acknowledge that, so I oftentimes call two people who are on good terms friends just for convenience.

Now to get into Key. Something of a controversial opinion: I wasn’t particularly impressed with how friendship was done in Little Busters. The background, depth, and meaning of the friendships isn’t really explored to be honest. I can believe the friendship between the Natsume siblings and Masato, that made sense to me and I thought it was a beautiful thing. There’s backstory and meaning to their friendship. But what about Riki? He’s really just some kid Kyousuke found in a hospital for whatever reason, among other children, surely. The fact that it was Riki didn’t make any difference, it could have been any child really. Kyousuke bonded with Masato as a unique individual, and that’s what was so moving about it to me. I can also understand Kengo’s case for the same reason. But Riki’s friendship with any of the Busters, really, fells like a constructed thing, not something that came naturally.
Not to mention that on a personal level the way they interact as friends doesn’t really click with my image of a friend. Maybe it’s just because I’m an asshole and all my friends are assholes (and I wouldn’t have it any other way), but it feels fake. Sure, me and my friends would go to hell and back for each other before breakfast, but we don’t act like it. Almost like it’s something they have to convince themselves of.

If I had to pick a perfect friendship from any Key series, it’d be Tomoya and Sunohara hands down. They share my image of an ideal friendship. And we get to see that. We see them fight together and we see them laugh together. I think they probably have the most developed friendship I’ve ever seen in fiction. Which is why I was so pissed off when Sunohara was completely phased out in After Story.

Kotarou and Yoshino are another pair I really like. Their background is a bit ambiguous, though that probably works better in their case, especially considering that their development is shown almost entirely in real time within the story. The way that they bonded over their experiences and their differences means so much more to me than cases where people are just magically friends instantly.

I even kind of liked Kouhei and Sumii from One better than some of the Little Busters pairings. They don’t try to pass what they have off as some great friendship, but really just as the most “homie” relationship ever, which is what it is and is something I really respect. It’s kind of like what would happen if they did Kitagawa well in Kanon.

I didn’t really consider this pair until Takafumi brought it up above, but Haruko and Yukito are kind of like that too. They manage to have interesting and entertaining interactions without any of the restrictions placed by friendship.

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#8

Those are very good points. I never thought about it until you mentioned it, but yeah, friends generally treat their friends like scum. In fact, the general trend I’m seeing (from experience) is that the closer two people are the worse they treat each other – at least in any ordinary circumstance. That’s because only the closest friends know exactly which lines to cross and which to not.

But yet, while I do acknowledge this, I don’t think the friendship in little busters (especially riki and kyousuke, as you mentioned) is any less beautiful. While friends generally behave in the way I described earlier, not all friendships play out that way. I personally know a few people who I consider very close friends, yet I never have and never will banter with them. And that doesn’t make them any less of a friend, at least for me.

Funnily enough, one of these friendships stared when that person met and helped me out during a very dark time in my life. Yeah, It could’ve been any other person he met and helped, but that doesn’t make our bond any less meaningful. And while it did start out as a constructed relationship, overtime this developed into a genuine friendship that I very much cherish. I guess it’s pretty anecdotal, but I personally think that the bond between Riki and Kyousuke is not any less stronger than the friendships forged between Kyousuke and Masato/Kengo. Never underestimate the power of a helping hand.

In the end, I think If Tomoya - Sunohara portrays a realistic kind of friendship, then the busters instead portray an idealistic one. One is not necessarily better than the other, but they’re both very genuine.

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#9

I love the friendships in Little Busters. I would feel right at home with a group of friends like that by my side. Sharing sweets with Komari, exercising with Masato, or following along with Kyousuke’s next mission, life would surely be fun.

Friendship comes in many different forms. With some friends you might be compassionate and enjoy being each others company, or it could be one were you bad-talk each other and have a sort of rivalry. You can have different friendship circle that come with different perks or differ in hobbies and how you interact.

For a bottom-line, I think you are friends with someone if they are someone you’d like to be around rather than not. However, a true friend is someone who you would make sacrifices for, you care about them, and that they are someone who do the same for you.

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#10

I have not finished playing all KEY novels yet, but at the moment I have my top 3 favorite friendships.

No. 3 - Mai and Sayuri: They both have different personalities, but deep down they are good people. The story of the two is interesting and the times when they are together are fun, I liked the friendship between the two.
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No. 2 - Kotarou and Yoshino: Rewrite is my favorite KEY game right now, and those two helped a lot in that, the moments, the experiences … Any scene where those two are together is note 10. Even praising so much, I still feel a distance between them, even if this is part of their personalities and problems. and so I do not consider them my number 1.

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No. 1 - Tomoya and Sunohara: That is friends, I consider these two Kotarou and Yoshino that worked. lol. Any scene with them two together is perfect and guaranteed laughter. It is true that he does not appear much in After Story, but the friendship between the two is unquestionable.
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Now answering the questions:

Which friendships are you entertained or intrigued?

Kotarou and Yoshino, they were the ones who entertained me the most and the ones that intrigued me the most. I sincerely expected more of the two, I do not doubt they are friends, but they themselves have drawn a limit on how much they can depend on each other.

Is there anyone from a Key you wish could be your friend?

It’s difficult to choose, I’m between Kotarou and Sunohara. I and all my friends are like that. That’s why I like them.

How do you define friendship?

Friendship for me is trust for everything, both in serious hours and in fun times. Humans were not meant to be alone, we need a friend.

What’s the bottom line to be considered a friend?

Friendship depends on people. If one of them does not fit into my definition of friendship then it will never work out as true friend.

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#11

Different people define friendship differently. To some, friends are people in their facebook friendslist. To me, friends are people I would die for. But that doesn’t mean I get to point fingers at those who aren’t as dedicated and tell them their friendship is shallow or fake. Similarly, there’s no recipe to becoming friends. Sometimes, a single event just makes you bond and sometimes, you just spend time with each-other and become friends without really noticing. I guess the way you treat your friends on a daily basis just depends on what kind of person you are. Me and my friends tend to exchange some sick burns from time to time, but we’d never cause each-other physical pain to have a giggle, like Tomoya does with Sunohara.

Speaking of those two, isn’t the “being assholes” part pretty one-sided in their relationship? Sunohara is always on the receiving end and I don’t really remember a case of Sunohara trying to prank him in a similar way. Personally, while I do know Tomoya and Sunohara are best friends, it took me more time to acknowledge it.

The friendship of the Little Busters is more obvious, but I wouldn’t say that makes it any less genuine. You can see how much the gang enjoys each-other’s company all day, every day. The important part here is how the people involved feel, not how hard or easy it is for an observer to see.

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#12

My criticism was intended to be directed towards Little Busters the story, not the group of friends called the Little Busters. I did say

but that was just me explaining why I personally couldn’t really relate to them too much, and it wasn’t really intended as criticism.

I by no means am trying to say that I doubt their friendship in any way. But Little Busters as a Visual Novel that tells us the story of this group of friends, I personally feel failed to portray certain elements of their friendship properly or in-depth.

Imagine three scenarios:

  1. Here are two close friends A and B.

  2. Here are two close friends C and D, who became friends because of X.

  3. Here are two close friends E and F, who became friends because of Y, and here’s what they’ve been through to bring them to where they are now: etc, etc…

Which pair do you think you would end up more sympathetic to by the end? Little Busters falls into the second category as far as Riki’s friendships with the others are concerned. And the story would work even with scenario 1 just by showing the strength of their friendship, but I don’t think it would have as much meaning to an observer, which is important because it’s telling a story. What I’m saying is that I wish the story had been more along the lines of scenario 3.

And as far as Sunohara and Tomoya go, it’s not like Sunohara doesn’t try. The two behave the way they do because they’re comfortable with each other no matter what they do, and they know at the end of the day that they’re equals.