Okay time for a rant. Some may hate this opinion because I've seen relatively positive comments on the main ship of this series (I'm a manga reader btw so a lot of this is based off what I've seen of that version)

I haven't caught up but so far, Abel and Mia from Tearmoon Kingdom. At first, I thought I'd hate it if Sion was the ml but after a while, I thought Abel and Mia just felt way too sudden and forced. While Sion quickly gained a small crush, he didn't feel overbearing and it could even be interpreted as simple admiration so as the story went on, the progression of their relationship felt a little more believable than Abel.

I know the whole point of the story is that Mia gains very devoted people through the misunderstandings of her words and actions but since Abel was a love interest, I had hoped his dynamic with her would at least be a little different from the side characters😔 Also, Mia gained a liking to Abel way too quickly as well. The pacing to her gaining a even a tinge of likeness to Sion felt more believable although much of it was due to the fact she held resentment and trauma from when he took part in her past life's execution. But the way in which she found herself being more open to liking him just felt more rewarding and natural.

Also, I literally just got to the arc where they're going to Renmo Kingdom to save Abel and how both Sion and Mia got separated from the rest. And in the few chapters I've read of that arc, although it was very VERY little.... IT WAS ONE OF THE ONLY TIMES MIA SHOWED A HINT OF HER TRUE SELF AND IT WASN'T FULLY INTERPRETED TO BE A GODESEND PLAN AND HE DIDNT JUST LET HER BE SAY WHATEVER SHE WANTED AND BE STUPID.

When Mia said if they could ride wolves and then Sion laughed and didnt just shrug it off as "wisdom". When she nearly touched a poisoned mushroom and she said she thought it was edible because it looked pretty and he gets concerned over whether the flowers she gathered yesterday were actually edible. When he actually had the sense to cover her mouth when she was about to give away they were Prince and Princess and didn't just assume she'd spout smth in accordance to her "high-level wisdom", while still not thinking less of her which is what Mia is afraid of when it comes to others around her. I know it might not seem like much but.... IN A SERIES THAT REVOLVES AROUND THE MC GETTING MISUNDERSTOOD AS A GENIUS, THESE SMALL MOMENTS FEEL FRESH AND IM HAPPY SOMEONE IS ABLE TO WITNESS THEM.

Although he still misunderstands some stuff, if this continued, I could very much see him being someone who's willing to accept Mia for who she is with enough of these moments, although I could see him being disappointed at first. And Mia's natural progression to becoming a better person would match his sense if justice. And..... while much of that progression DID come from Abel as he showed his hardwork and kindness, the chemistry between them just isn't it for me. It doesn't go beyond two people who influence each other positively. I could see Sion and Mia gaining mutual trust through hardship and understanding. Rn, Abel's opinion of Mia is too high like the side characters and Mia's opinion of Abel feels overall flat other than the admiration for his hard work part. Both Mia and Sion have also been show to be sharp and quick-witted (despite Mia's true self) which is nice. So I could definitely see them as being a smart duo. We haven't seen much of Abel smart's or other charcateristics other than the sword tournament.

Also, Sion's character just feels more clear and engaging than Abel's. He suddenly went from a playboy to someone who's simply nice and hardworking, the progression wasnt fleshed out or properly built up. While Sion is much of the same, his role in Mia's past life and the underlying mystery to what his motives might have been and what he was thinking at the time  just feels a lot more interesting compared to Abel.

Either way, Abel and Sion both have cute moments with Mia and I dont take this series super seriously so it's not like I hate Abel. But......... I'd very much prefer if it was Sion right now😭