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everythingsinred · 1 year

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Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Mikan (pt. 6)

Part 5 was posted very late and it took me so long to do and tired me out, so I was debating whether or not I should post today or leave it for tomorrow until I remembered that it's VALENTINE'S DAY! I'd be writing about them today anyway, so why not just post? Y'all just have more reading material for later.

Anyway, we just went over the Reo Arc! We know from Natsume's essay that his feelings have done a complete 180 and he's now very into her, but she's not privy to that information. Instead, we'll focus on her side of things and her newfound fondness for him.

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Chapter Seventeen

This last arc was a major turning point for both Natsume and Mikan. The difference is that Natsume has caught feelings (intensely romantic in nature), and Mikan has just started to think of him as a new friend. Just like Natsume doesn’t realize that Mikan has started to understand him better, Mikan is and will continue to be entirely oblivious to his romantic feelings for her.

Mikan begins her day in a great mood: she’s a single star now and has an immediate promotion in accommodations. She’s made a few more friends and she’s helped rescue somebody. She’s proud of herself. It’s not hard to make Mikan happy. She’s only a single star now, but her increased allowance, nicer room, and tastier food are all a huge step up from her no-star status, so she’s over the moon. By the time she finally gets to class for the first time in a week since the incident, everybody has heard rumors about what happened and is demanding details. Mikan, always eager to be liked and bask under the scope of positive attention, is happy to comply. She and Sumire fight under the spotlight for just a moment until Ruka and Natsume enter the classroom.

Sumire is Mikan’s friend now. She will always be difficult in some ways, but Mikan gets her now. Mikan doesn’t need people to be perfect to like them. She just needs to see that side of goodness, to understand how they work, in order to properly appreciate them. This is why I don’t think she’s a masochist. She’s just more patient than a normal person might be. She is willing to tolerate a certain level of bad behavior if she can see the goodness now and then. She’s always felt that way about Hotaru, and now she can feel that way about Natsume and Sumire. She was able to figure Sumire out, so now they can be friends, in their own special way, even if she isn’t as nice or sweet as one might expect.

NatsuMikan is able to function solely because Mikan is willing to put in effort. Natsume might love her now but her persistence is what allows them to have any kind of relationship.

Mikan wants that to be the case with Natsume. After all, she learned so much about him during that kidnapping incident. She sees him in an increasingly better light. That must mean she gets him now, that she’s figured him out the same way she’s figured Sumire out. So she smiles at him. That’s what friends do--smile at each other! “Good morning,” she begins to say, but he’s already turned around, intent on ignoring her.

The thing is, Mikan hasn’t figured Natsume out. She’s only gotten more clues to unlocking the bigger picture, but she still has a while to go before she can finally understand him. She might want to be friends with him now, but he’s giving off no indication that he feels the same.

But Ruka is. He smiles at her and greets her.

That’s good enough for now. After all, Mikan understands Natsume well enough now to accept that he won’t all of a sudden act like a best friend. She understands Sumire, and she’s starting to figure out Natsume. That’s a good start, and she’s still pleased with it.

These days everyone is working on the culture fest. Mikan gets little previews of what the other classes are working on, but one by one, all her classmates are summoned away by their ability class teachers. And although Mikan is excited to continue her work on the special ability class’s event, she can’t help but be jealous that her class doesn’t seem to have a teacher.

She's so insecure she's even jealous of the DA Class for having a teacher. Ridiculous. Trust me, Mikan--you don't want him.

She again feels like a reject, like a loser. Mikan compares herself to others often, creating expectations for herself and her circumstances that wouldn’t exist otherwise. She loves the SA class. It’s a place where she can feel accepted and at home. But other classes work a certain way, so she feels like her class lacking those particular features means that there’s somehow something wrong with her.

Lucky for her, the SA class does have a teacher, a time-tripper named Nodacchi who is frequently absent because of his chaotic alice. Mikan is very happy with her new teacher. He is just what she wanted from an ability teacher. He’s also intent on helping her train her alice. After all, her alice will be central in making sure their festival event goes smoothly.

Before they begin their training, he gives a tutorial on alice shapes. There are four shapes, and Nodacchi tells her that figuring out which shape her alice has will be important in the future (yes, it will). Mikan is struck with the new realization that an alice can disappear, that her classmates could leave, that she might have to leave. After all, each alice has its own unique lifespan.

Except, as Misaki points out, the fourth type is a little different. With the fourth type, the alice use (which is limitless--to an extent) affects the user’s lifespan. It’s not a matter of leaving the school earlier than planned; it’s a matter of life or death.

Mikan instantly thinks of Natsume.

She figures this out so fast. Don't be fooled by her trying to dispel the "bad thoughts"--she'll always keep this concept in mind.

A genius Alice with an enormous amount of power, who sometimes becomes so weak and exhausted he’s hospitalized? Natsume fits the bill pretty well…

But Mikan is horrified that she randomly thought of Natsume for no good reason and shakes herself.

Mikan is incredibly intuitive. She gets feelings about things and is quick to connect dots. She knows very little about Natsume but is already on the verge of figuring out his alice shape. The thing is that Mikan is ten years old, a little stupid, and her relationship with Natsume is complicated. She’s not consciously evaluating and investigating Natsume. He’s just a bothersome classmate who is a little less bothersome than he was before. If he comes to mind during a lecture, her first instinct isn’t to look closer at why that might be--it’s to shake herself free of those weird unwelcome thoughts and move on. So instead of wondering why she thought of Natsume in relation to conversation about the fourth alice shape, she’s wondering why she thought of Natsume at all. And so she moves it from her mind.

(It’s also worth noting that Mikan has this lesson with Noda after the Reo incident in the manga, whereas in the anime, she has it before. In the anime, it seems more random, thinking of Natsume like that. She has no real reason to assume he’s sickly, but as the anime continues she sees more evidence proving which shape he has. In the manga, she has already seen that he can get ill, and she’ll only see further evidence in the future. Additionally, her refusal to think about it will cease to be about her being naive and begin to be about the fact that she doesn’t want it to be true so she refuses to think about it.)

Now it’s time to start training Mikan’s alice. She’s going to stop Nodacchi from time-tripping, a much more straight-forward approach than she had been anticipating. But she has no time to linger on it, because he’s already starting to disappear. Freaked out and overwhelmed, she tackles him, her alice successfully keeping him grounded.

Nodacchi is repentant that he used such a scary tactic, but he was sure it would work to unleash her potential. He tells her there was once a person who had the same nullification alice as her. That person used their alice best when they were protecting people. And like father, like daughter, that’s the way it works for Mikan as well. Yes, she can use her alice to protect herself from time to time, but for the most part, her alice is at its best when she’s protecting somebody.

Another connection to her parents!

We can see yet another connection between Mikan and a mysterious other person. First that woman and now her dad; Mikan only gets little references and suggestions of people who have things in common with her. It’s easy to assume that just because Mikan doesn’t linger on this that she dismisses the information, but we know that’s not true. Mikan feels a connection with her father, as evidenced by the omake we discussed at the beginning of this essay. This does not go above her head, as we’ll see in a chapter or two after the Christmas Ball. I’ll discuss it more later, but it’s still worth it to keep it in mind as we read ahead.

Mikan has already demonstrated that her alice works best protecting others a few times, particularly just now in the Reo Arc, when she was able to stop Natsume from killing himself with her alice. Again, the protective potential of her alice is so incredible that it’s sad she constantly feels insecure about it. As I said, Mikan compares herself with others too much, and when she sees what other alices can do, she starts feeling like there’s something wrong with her when she can’t do the same thing.

But she is happy to hear that her alice can protect others. She has been concerned since she first discovered her alice that it might be a selfish power. Hearing Nodacchi tell her that somebody with the very same alice focused his power on protecting others and not just himself makes her feel a lot better about her nullification. She can protect people because someone like her was able to do it.

So she excitedly gets ready to continue the training--only for the nullification not to work the next time.

Chapter Eighteen

It’s time for the Alice Culture Festival!

Mikan is running late for the opening ceremony because she accidentally went to the wrong place on account of being very tired. She’s been doing a lot of alice training, so it’s exhausting for her.

Especially because her alice training is with Natsume.

Because Nodacchi disappeared, Mikan is low on options. She has to train with someone who has an offensive alice, something she can counter, so Hotaru and most of her SA classmates are out of the question. She nullifies pheromones without any effort, so asking Narumi would be no good. Asking Koko would probably be a good idea because she continues to be weak to his alice throughout the manga, but instead she approaches Natsume, who certainly has an offensive alice. He’s her partner too, so he might have extra reason to help her, maybe?

"This is bullying!" "This is humor!" Blah blah. Sure, but it's also an act of love.

I think it’s telling that she approached him. Whether or not he’s nice to her yet is irrelevant. She fully contemplates this later during the Z Arc (and me mentioning this arc so often is maybe foreshadowing that there will be lots to read when those chapters come around) but for now it might be a less conscious thought: so far in the story, her big uses of her alice have involved Natsume’s alice. She’s been most successful with him, so asking him is only natural.

She pleads with him, desperate to train her alice, and is surprised when he easily agrees. But he’s a sadist, and obviously only agreed so that he could torture her! It was a hard few days, she recalls, but ultimately her alice did get better.

So Mikan and Natsume spent time together. Seeing as Nodacchi gave her the primary goal of refining her alice, Mikan must have spent most of the time she was meant to be working on the culture fest with Natsume. He’s not doing anything anyway, so she can practice with him--and suffer--for most of the time leading up to the beginning of the festival. The details of all this time spent together isn’t shown, but it’s fun to imagine how it went.

(Again you must forgive me for only offering Mikan’s perspective here. This is her essay after all. If you still haven’t read Natsume’s part, feel free to read his parts as they’re more outwardly romantic and for longer.)

As she’s musing on this moment, she trips and falls, leading her to meet the Principal students. They are elegant and kind and Mikan is impressed by them, so much so that she immediately spills about it to Hotaru and Yuu when she finally meets up with them again. Since Sakurano is on stage at that very moment, Yuu gives her a little introduction and tells her that there are Principal students and trainees (like him and Hotaru), and that each ability class has a representative (where is the SA class rep? We shall see).

That boy is just everywhere. Truly unavoidable.

He goes through the line-up and points them out on stage until he reaches Natsume--presumably the dangerous ability class representative. But not even Yuu knows much about Natsume’s situation or why exactly he’s on stage. Natsume is a mystery to all, and yet everyone seems to know him. The Principal students, just like everyone else, immediately recognize her as Natsume’s partner. According to the school gossip, Mikan cannot be brought up without her relation to Natsume. Natsume, being a special star in addition to the prize of the DA class, being paired up with a random new student is still bizarre, and Narumi caused quite a stir with that decision. Now everybody assumes that there’s something special about Mikan too, and there is, though she doesn’t quite understand it yet.

In any case, the festival has finally started. All preparation has paid off because everything looks wonderful--the sets, the costumes, and all the kinks are worked out. The only problem is that despite their initial enthusiasm, nobody’s coming. The SA attraction is out of the way compared to everybody else, and even if it wasn’t, they still have a reputation for being lame. When they finally find some people walking by, they rush to greet them, only to have their class and attraction torn apart before it’s even tried out.

Mikan is crushed by this encounter. They don’t need to see it to know that it's bad. The SA class is full of misfits, and while being in the class itself is a blast, not worrying about what others think, the fact of the matter is that other people judge them and look down on them. In a school-wide festival, that kind of prejudice is felt. It feels like all of her insecurities are being laid out--the class is full of useless leftovers, not even worth checking out.

I was always so jealous of Mikan for having an older brother-figure who looked after her like this. They have such a wholesome dynamic.

But Tsubasa cheers her up instantly, reminding her that they’re at the bottom, so they can only go up. If people are prejudiced, then they need to change their minds. They expect garbage, so they’ll be easy to impress. Mikan is instantly back in high spirits, because it’s usually not hard to cheer her up for those who put in the effort.

Just like I talked about Natsume’s weird bond with Tsubasa in his essay, I’ll touch on Mikan’s relationship with him in this one. Tsubasa is like an older brother to Mikan. They’re obviously much closer than just classmates. Though she loves everyone in the SA class, Tsubasa is special to her and their bond is deeper than the ones she shares with the other students. Tsubasa is the first person in the school who understood her and comforted her. He’s just like her in a lot of ways, looked down on and treated like trash for not being a star student. They’re labeled as troublemakers and rejects, but Tsubasa was the first person who didn’t argue with that label, and instead embraced it. It was his words that finally gave Mikan a place to feel like she belonged. Now, he’s able to see when something bothers her and is quickly able to remedy it. Tsubasa is one of Mikan’s healthiest relationships because he looks out for her without creating unfair demands. He wants to cheer her up, but instead of just telling her to smile, he gives her a reason to.

Sumire, Ruka, and Narumi stop by just in time to see the SA class excited again. Though Sumire insists that they’re only there because they have nothing else to do, they are clearly there to give some support and to be the first customers to try the SA attraction. Mikan compliments their cute Alice in Wonderland themed outfits, and then requests reciprocity, asking if they like her outfit too. She is still the shallow girl she was in the beginning, and seeing as she’s in a cool new outfit of her own for the festival, she wants to be complimented (very cute of her). Narumi is quick to flatter, Sumire is quick to insult, and Ruka doesn’t say much of anything, which is super weird to Mikan.

They start playing and all of them are crushed by the game in a different way. It’s a tough game, and Mikan is the hardest level, the big boss at the end. It’s a clever and engaging game, and in no time at all, it’s a big hit.

Chapter Nineteen

The second Mikan hears word that Natsume of all people has stopped by at her attraction, she abandons her post to go see him.

I can only imagine how that went down--that Mikan heard Natsume was there and then jumped down from her carpet, reasoning that most people don’t reach the end anyway. She doesn’t wait to see him, in any case. Natsume is here!

She's so excited to see him! He's given her no reason to be excited to see him but she still is!

She’s excited to share her accomplishments with him now, whether it’s the SA event or getting a star rank upgrade. Though she wants validation from everyone, it seems so specific to want attention from somebody so unlikely to give any.

She is very excited to see him, her partner, her new friend, the guy helping her train her alice. He wasn’t aware of it, but he also helped her get pumped for the festival which allowed her to come up with the idea. Mikan is proud of the RPG. She wants to show it off to as many people as she can, and that includes Natsume. Mikan is insecure about a lot of things and she requires a feeling of validation. Having her friends come see her attraction makes her feel proud of herself. Natsume is a tough critic, but he’s here, and she’s so excited to impress him with the game she helped come up with that she wastes no time before she goes to see him.

Just like with the somatic class visitors, Mikan asks his opinion on her outfit, but for some reason Natsume can’t allow a moment to be nice. He has to ruin everything by being a jerk, and so he pulls her top out and then comments on her flat chest. Mikan’s mood is instantly ruined. That’s just what happens when she gives him a chance to be nice.

But Tsubasa shows up--reliable and kind Tsubasa--so she has someone to rush to for comfort.

Natsume is rubbing salt in the wound--insulting the RPG and everyone who is playing it, wondering why anyone would get addicted to such a lame game.

What Mikan wants is validation and positive attention, like anybody else would want when they’ve created something they’re proud of. For some reason, whenever Natsume is around, he’s just rude, and for seemingly no reason. She wants to think that they could get along, or be friends, but he only ever manages to be unpleasant. And right now, especially hurtful, because this RPG was something she and her class worked on for a long time.

Somehow, Tsubasa manages to convince Natsume to participate.

Mikan is located at the very end of the maze. Most people don’t get that far, and definitely not very quickly. She figures Natsume, despite his rude arrogance, is no exception. So she bides her time and eats a banana, unconcerned.

He must have cheated somehow.

Until Natsume does show up, and rather quickly too. He just wants to get the last test over with, and Mikan doesn’t mind that either, explaining curtly that he has to get her off her carpet in thirty seconds without touching her. She is very proud of the fact that all their training means that she can nullify his alice easily, so he shouldn’t even bother.

Nobody has managed to pass Mikan. Her task is nearly impossible. She is certain Natsume won’t pass either. She is unmoved by his cockroach attempt and even seems annoyed when he slowly slumps down the wall. He’s been nothing but rude all day so she won’t give him the satisfaction of winning the game, no matter how quickly he got to her level. She’s not going to waste her time worrying about a jerk like that. She tells him flat out that acting sick won’t work, but he’s sweating and breathing heavily, not responding to her. It all feels a little too real, and she calls to him, concerned. Then, she remembers Nodacchi’s lecture and his description of the fourth alice shape. She’d thought of Natsume then, and she thinks of him now. What if he is ill?

Because she was there during the kidnapping. She saw how weak and sick he was, how much he was struggling. What if this is just like that? What if he’s really sick and he needs help? Mikan thought of Natsume before but quickly dismissed it. We can see now that maybe her dismissal wasn’t entirely due to naivete. She just didn’t want to think about somebody she considers a friend having a shape like that (I’ll talk about this more during the--you guessed it--Z Arc).

Bizarre that he wins this maze purely because she cares about him.

Mikan is so distracted by her worry that she forgets about the RPG for a second (another example of her prioritizing others so much that she can't consider or ponder any other action). Helping Natsume is most important, so she calls out to him again and then jumps off the carpet so she can help him--

Just to be yanked down and pulled into a mocking embrace. And then, to seal the deal: he calls her a moron.

Mikan has been tricked. Bamboozled. Made a fool of.

Natsume is the first person to pass the game and Mikan is ashamed of herself for falling for his dirty tricks. He took advantage of her worry and concern and then called her an idiot for caring. Such a jerk. Her anger over being tricked quickly overrides her concern about the fourth alice shape. It's important to note that while this never fully vacates her thoughts, it's something she's more than willing to push aside and not linger on. Any excuse will do and Natsume does a great job in providing them.

She’s upset yet again, clinging to Tsubasa, her only solace in a world of shame and anger, as Natsume picks his prize: one of the SA class members’ lamps.

Natsume is so lucky that she's not paying attention to Koko.

But instead of picking Tsubasa’s, he picks hers! Koko says something about reading Natsume’s mind to see which one to pick, but Mikan isn’t really listening. All she cares about is that Natsume has ruined her day and is now about to ruin her whole week! How is she supposed to have a fun festival if she has to spend it granting Natsume’s stupid wishes? There’s no way they would be kind or fun wishes, either--probably just another excuse to tease or torment her.

Conclusion

Mikan is put in the unbearable situation of liking Natsume for reasons that are very easy to forget once he opens his mouth. He seems to relish being a jerk, in fact, almost as if to spite her for daring to want to be friends with him. He will continue to challenge her for the rest of the arc.

We have just begun the culture fest! It will maybe take me another two posts to wrap it up, so please bear with me. Tumblr recently raised their image limit so it's way more than ten (I believe it's 30 now) and I thought that meant my Mikan essays could afford to be longer when I post them, that I could include more chapters per post. But no. Absolutely not. Yesterday's entire Reo Arc post took a LOT out of me. Formatting them is very tiresome and exhausting so even though these posts are fun, I don't like spending 3-4 hours on editing each post when my Natsume ones took half that amount. So it'll be more pictures, same amount of text. Probably. Thank you for your patience :)

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#gakuen alice #alice academy #ga #sakura mikan #mikan sakura #natsume hyuuga #hyuuga natsume #my meta #ga meta #ga meta: nm #ga meta: manga #ga meta: manga nm #let's talk about natsumikan #let's talk about natsumikan: mikan #it might not be valentines day for u but it is for me! and thats all that matters #im hesitant to include a song rec bc this was only three chapters but ill do my best #what once was by her's #i think the lyrics work when it comes to mikans pov abt natsumes alice shape. idk dont quote me on that #these should be easier to format

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twistedtummies2 · 1 year

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Top 15 Disney Love Songs

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody! I sadly don’t have a story ready for the occasion, but I still wanted to do something in the holiday’s honor. At first, I considered making a countdown or list of some kind of my favorite fandom ships, but I think I need more time to figure out such a concept. Thankfully, I then remembered this is the Centennial of Disney itself! So...how about we look at something romantic related to Disney for the occasion? And when I think “Disney” and “Romance,” the first thing I think of are Disney Love Songs. Yes, for as often as we like to make fun of them and call them cheesy, sappy, and so on and so forth, some of the most famous love ballads in our universal musical roster have come from the Happiest Place on Earth. Whether they tell the tales of princes and princesses, talking animals, or something else entirely, you’d be hard-pressed to find a popular Disney movie that DOESN’T involve some romantic subplot, and a heartfelt, crooning piece of music to accompany it. So, since I’m not COMPLETELY opposed to l’amour, I have prepared this lovely list of lovely songs to put your iPods (or cell phones, or…whatever you prefer to listen to music with) into a romantic, starry-eyed mood. Now, keep in mind that I’m only counting ROMANTIC songs here, so tunes like “When She Loved Me” or “You’ll Be in My Heart,” while truly spectacular songs in their own right, will not be counted here. Also, keep in mind that there are TONS of these songs, and I can’t include all of them; one EXTREMELY popular song that you WON’T find on this list is “Love is an Open Door.” If your opinions differ from mine, I will neither be surprised nor upset, and I ask that you all extend the same courtesy with your own feelings; please don’t hate me for liking some songs more than others. Also, I will provide links to each song featured, so you can check them out yourselves. ;) With that said, I hope you’ve practiced your best waltz, because it’s time to take a peek at My Top 15 Favorite Disney Love Songs.

15. I’m Wishing/One Song, from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.

This was the original Disney Love Ballad...or, if you prefer, THESE WERE the original love BALLADS, since it’s technically two songs. But they basically come back to back and are connected to each other, so I really do count them as one sequence. The song begins with the fair Snow White singing into a wishing well, daydreaming about how nice it would be to fall in love with someone. Right on cue, the Prince - who hears her singing - interrupts the scene, and while Snow White is spooked and shy, the two - in typical fairy-tale fashion - fall in love at first sight. Yeah, the logic of the scene makes no sense, and “love at first sight” is a concept we often love to mock, but the moment is still a classic, in my mind.

14. Candle on the Water, from Pete’s Dragon.

One of the lesser-known Disney songs, and the only live-action film to make it on the list. “Candle on the Water” is performed by the film’s female lead, Nora (played by Helen Reddy), who has long been awaiting the return of her fiance, Paul. For some time now, Paul has been away overseas, and many believe he’s never coming back - lost to the ocean blue - but Nora believes it’s only a matter of time till he returns. Reminiscing about her beloved, she sings this song - a sort of cross between a prayer and a promise - as she stands on the balcony of the lighthouse where she and her father work. The song was actually quite popular in its day, and in fact, the song is entirely to blame for why Pete’s Dragon is the way it is: initially, the song was going to be the ONLY song in the movie, but it was received so well, they decided to make the film a musical. This was probably for the best, since just the one random song would have been particularly weird in an already VERY weird movie...but I digress.

13. Katrina, from The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad.

Okay, so, in a way, this song is not really a love song, but an ANTI-love song. This makes since, since the titular character of the tune, Katrina Van Tassel, is essentially an anti-Disney Princess, so to speak. For those unfamiliar with the tale of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Katrina Van Tassel is the daughter of the richest farmer in the county, Baltus Van Tassel, and is considered to be the most beautiful young lady in Sleepy Hollow. The problem is that she KNOWS that. Katrina, as the song points out, is a coquette; she loves to toy with men and play with their emotions, gaining suitors and then dropping them again every chance she gets. Why does she do this? Just for laughs. She, very frankly, is not a nice person. Extra frankly, NOBODY in the story of Sleepy Hollow is really a nice person, when you think about it, which is perhaps why Disney’s version is so admirable. It sticks VERY closely to the story, and doesn’t shy away from how freaking TERRIBLE these people are – from the money-grubbing Ichabod to the bullying Brom Bones – but I digress. The song here is short and sweet – a simple little character theme for Katrina – and it is instrumentally reprised several times throughout the Sleepy Hollow segment of this movie. I still find myself humming it from time to time, without even realizing it…but what really makes the song work is that it is performed by BING. FREAKING. CROSBY. Yeah; when The Crooner himself is at the helm, you really can’t go wrong!

12. Ma Belle Evangeline, from Princess & the Frog.

This is essentially a double love song, so to speak. The piece is performed by Ray the Firefly, as he sings of his love for “Evangeline”: the brightest star in the sky, whom he believes to be the most beautiful and elusive firefly in the world. But though he cannot touch her, the love he feels for his Evangeline is pure and neverending. The song is already touching and, as you’d imagine, a little funny…but what I think makes it work all the more is the presentation. You see, while Ray is singing this song, the two leading characters – Tiana and Naveen – are starting to fall in love as well. And, during the instrumental interlude in this tune, the pair dance together for the first time. This is why I call it a “double love song,” since we’re not only getting Ray’s heartfelt ballad of impossible love that remains steadfast, but also getting a peek into the blossoming relationship of our primary protagonists, and their own romantic explorations. It’s pretty clever, in my opinion, and definitely deserves a spot on this list.

11. Kiss the Girl, from The Little Mermaid.

Oh, how could I not include this song? It would be criminal of me not to! Having lost her voice in a deal with the Sea Witch, Ursula, Ariel – our titular character – has to get her beloved Prince Eric to give her the Kiss of True Love before three days end. One night, the two are out boating, and Eric tries to learn more about the mute Ariel. Since Ariel can’t speak, her friend Sebastian decides to take up the vocal reins, and sings a quiet, crooning calypso tune to apparently try and get Eric to subliminally prepare himself, in the hopes of secretly manipulating him into admitting his love for Ariel…and sealing it with a kiss. It is desperate, hypnotic, and beyond beautiful in every way. Many people have covered this song over the years, but no one – and I DO mean NO ONE – has been able to top the original. The sumptuous visuals may be part of it, of course…but in my opinion, it’s the singer in question, Samuel Wright, who gives it so much of its power and presence. Once you hear the original Sebastian sing it, you can never hear it the same way again.

10. Heaven’s Light, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Though very short, Quasimodo's soulful, prayer-like musings on his feelings for Esmeralda are still incredibly powerful, and the gently rising orchestrals leading up to the ringing of the bells for the midnight mass just make it all the more so. I actually really like the stage version, as sung by Michael Arden, too...almost more so, in fact, since the notes he sings rise with the music, going from a quiet, thoughtful piece to a strong, powerful belt. Whichever way your prefer it, though, it's still a very nice, simple, but sweet and touching song...it's only sin is that it is IMMEDIATELY followed by the contrasting number "Hellfire," infamously sung by Judge Claude Frollo. In a way, though, that's ALSO a strength; what better way to follow up a song of loving devotion than one of damnation and madness? Ultimately, the only reason this doesn’t get higher in the ranks simply IS that it’s quite short, and ultimately serves as a contrast and prelude to a much bigger song.

9. Dos Oruguitas, from Encanto.

The reason this song doesn’t get any higher is simply because it’s one that I think works best when you see it accompanied by the film’s visuals. Which is not to say this song is bad at all: FAR from it. It’s absolutely beautiful, and the sentiment describe in its Spanish lyrics are equally so. But without the accompanying visuals, I think the song loses some of its punch. On that note: this song plays in the background to a flashback sequence in a pivotal moment of the film. It’s the scene where we learn the backstory of how the Madrigal Family got their magic, and explains the motivations of the up-till-now slightly villainous matriarch of the family, Abuelita Alma. It’s also the moment where Alma and her granddaughter - the main protagonist, Mirabel - finally make amends, and thus are able to start working to help their family and community in a new way. The song itself - which lyrically tells a fairy-tale about two butterflies - is an analogy for both the love shared between Mirabel and her grandmother, and also the love shared between Alma and her long-gone husband. The tragic yet beautiful tale of their romance is the crux of this song’s storytelling. The song is lovely on its own, but once you see what goes along with it, it becomes truly breathtaking.

8. I See the Light, from Tangled.

I may not have “Frozen’s” big hit on here (…well…actually, aside from two songs no one even remembers, I think ALL of that film’s songs are big hits, in terms of popularity, but that’s beside the point), but that doesn’t mean THIS song won’t get a spot. At this point in the story, Rapunzel and her companion, Flynn Rider, have made it all the way from the depths of the forest back to the capital of the kingdom, in time for the Ceremony of the Floating Lights. During this time, hundreds of floating paper lanterns are released from the docks of the kingdom into the sky, in the hopes of the king and queen’s long-lost daughter seeing them and returning home. (Spoiler Alert: the long-lost daughter is Rapunzel…but she doesn’t know that yet.) All her life, Rapunzel has seen the lights from miles and miles away, from her lonely tower…but now, with Flynn’s help, she gets to see the ceremony up-close. Over the course of their journey, the two have also developed a love for each other, and as they marvel at the light show around them, they reflect on how each has changed the other’s life, and admit how much they care for one another. The result is arguably the best song in the movie. (pauses) Yes, even more than “Mother Knows Best;” coming from a villain-loving nutcase and mild cynic like yours truly, THAT is quite a compliment.

7. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from The Lion King.

I actually don’t want to go too into detail about this one, for personal reasons. Suffice to say, I actually have some very personal memories related to this particular song, and as a result, it holds a very special place in my heart. That’s really all it takes for it to get as high as it does. Whether you listen to the Elton John version, the one from the film, or even some rendition from the stage show, it’s hard to go wrong with this classic. ‘Nuff said.

6. Bella Notte, from Lady and the Tramp.

“Lady and the Tramp” is sort of an odd Disney film, in that it’s somehow both a classic and a VERY underrated picture at the same time. Which is to say, I don’t know anybody who dislikes this film, and it’s one I see referenced and spoken of quite a bit...but I don’t know ANYBODY who would call it one of their absolute favorite Disney films, myself included. However, I think we can all agree that this scene and this song are iconic and beloved for a reason. A classic, operetta-esque accordion tune sung by a pair of stereotypical Italian chefs while a pair of awkward pooches eat and accidentally kiss via overly long spaghetti noodle…doesn’t seem like the most romantic of songs at first glance, does it? I suppose it’s adorable and classical enough to worm its way through our heartstrings, though, since you’d be hard pressed to find a single person who doesn’t at least know about this song and this scene; it’s one of the most famous moments from any Disney film, and even people who have never seen the movie know about it. Much like “Heaven’s Light,” it’s not very long, but it’s solid gold. “Bella Notte’s” old-timey style and sheer iconography gain it more points than anything else, but that still means it gets a lot of points…just not QUITE enough to make it into the top five.

5. I Won’t Say I’m In Love, from Hercules.

If there’s one thing I like more than a love song, it’s a “resistance to love” song. You know the sort: songs by people who don’t want to fall in love with someone, for one reason or another, perhaps even several, but who just can’t bloody help themselves. This song – arguably the best from “Hercules” – is such a song. It’s sung by Megara (Meg for short), a snarky, smarmy lady who has had some bad fortune with men in the past; when the man she thought was her true love was dying, she sold her soul to Hades himself to save his life…only for said man to cheat on her and leave her for another woman. (It’s implied, though not openly stated, that Hades MIGHT have had a hand in this happening…the unspeakable cad. How I love him. But I digress!) As a result, she now serves Hades as a spy, using her good lucks and her wit to gain recruits for his evil army, and information on his enemies…particularly Hercules. In this song, as Meg falls harder and harder for the big lug who’s everyone’s hero – the man she’s supposed to be helping Hades destroy, no less – she tries to scold herself and stop herself, reminding herself of what happened the last time she felt for a man to help reinforce the point…but no matter what she tries, she can’t deny it. The Muses singing backup and taunting her, urging her Sebastian-style, probably don’t help, either. Bua ha ha.

4. A Whole New World, from Aladdin.

When people talk about the greatest Disney songs of all time, you can be darn sure that this song is going to be somewhere near the top of the list. I think that, in some ways, this is the song that helps define what makes Aladdin and Jasmine’s relationship so good; the song is great on its own, but, once again, the context makes it all the more stunning. Before the song, Aladdin has been trying to play the “stereotypical prince,” as he imagines them…and this does nothing but INFURIATE Jasmine, who is tired of people seeing her as a prize to be won, and has had quite enough of the pompous attitude her other suitors have presented. So, Aladdin finally gives in and decides to be himself…and, with this, realizes what Jasmine really wants: forget riches or fancy words, she just wants to see things she’s never seen before! So, he takes the princess on a ride upon his Magic Carpet, flying miles and miles above the Earth, roller-coasting through the clouds, past Egyptian pyramids, and through Chinese New Year festivals. (Perhaps they’ll get a chance to say hello to Mulan while there.) But all the while, as Aladdin tries to charm Jasmine, Jasmine – though taken in, undeniably – studies the young man she knows as “Prince Ali” closely, noting how certain gestures, words, and so forth seem to remind her of another young man she met in a marketplace. With stunning visuals, contextual subtext, and the power to just stand on its own as a truly beautiful, appropriately soaring and swelling song, I once again declare that no one – and I mean NO ONE – has been able to top the original version, for all these reasons AND for its singers, Lea Salonga as Jasmine and Brad Kane as Aladdin. But, to be fair, no matter who sings it, it’s hard to ruin a song like this.

3. Sally’s Song, from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Not all love songs are happy songs, even in the land of Disney. “Sally’s Song” is not your traditional love ballad in any way; most love songs are affirmative, so to speak. Whether you are convincing yourself you don’t need to love somebody, trying to persuade someone to do something with words of love, or just declaring to your partner and/or the world just how much in love you really are, there’s almost always a sense of going-forward with them, a sense of grandeur, and a sense of certainty or urgency. This song is completely the opposite; it is quiet, plaintive, decidedly uncertain, and downright heartbreaking. As Sally, the shy Frankenstein-Monster-esque ragdoll being who serves as the secondary protagonist of the film, watches her love – Jack Skellington – fly away, she goes somewhere private to sing and to worry. Throughout the film, Sally is a determined character, it must be noted; she’s a go-getter who isn’t afraid to risk life and limb to help people she cares about and take care of what she wants…except when it comes to directly confronting Jack. She can deal with her creator, Dr. Finklestein, and she has no problem with trying to save Santa Claus from the gruesome Oogie Boogie, but she just can’t bring up the courage to talk to Jack…and when she DOES find the courage, he’s far too enthused with Christmas to listen! The two manage to find a way to work things out by the end of the movie (singing a more upbeat reprise of this same song, no less, when they do)…but at this point, Sally – concerned for Jack’s well-being and wondering what she really means to him – can’t help but pine and sigh. It’s a touching and subtle song that truly goes into the mind of a character who will do anything to help the one she loves…but isn’t sure she’s getting the love she so craves and deserves in return. Eponine, eat your heart out.

2. Once Upon a Dream, from Sleeping Beauty.

Not only is this song popular, but it is also the song that changed Sleeping Beauty…or, at least, changed its soundtrack. You see, the sequence in which this song appears was one of the first scenes made for the film, and, at the time, the intention was to create wholly original tunes and songs in a style not unlike that of Snow White. HOWEVER, when Disney saw how this sequence was going, and heard the Tchaikovsky underscoring for this song, he decided to change things totally: from that point on, it was decided that the film would use the Tchaikovsky score as its soundtrack, with most of its songs based around pieces from the ballet composition. This was the only one of those early, original songs to remain, as a result, and it is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best and most well-known song from Sleeping Beauty. (Also, if there is ONE good thing that “Maleficent” gave us, it was the “creepy-style” cover of this that accompanied the movie and its trailers…but that’s another story. And a very bad one.) The lyrics are admittedly rather simple, some may even argue TOO simple, but in my opinion, that’s a big part of its charm. As far as old fashioned love duets go, this one is definitely among the greats.

1. Beauty and the Beast, from...well...Beauty and the Beast.

Oh, dear Lord. What can I say about this song that hasn’t been said before? This song is a love letter (no pun intended) to unlikely romance. It works in context, of course, essentially recapping what has happened leading up to Belle and the Beast’s magnificent, iconic ballroom dance. But even out of context, it’s the anthem so many lovers can sympathize with. Because, in a way, it tells the tale of love itself; a tale as old as time. Most cases of true love do start off rocky, in some way, shape, or form, and not all matches are made in heaven. Opposites can attract. As a result, this becomes perhaps not just A love song, but THE love song; it not only fits the story and characters of the film, but just about anybody who has been or is in love can relate to it. It is lush and grandiose, yet has a simple sort of element as well...and, once again, the original version SELLS it. Many fine actresses and singers have covered it, and between stage productions and the recent live-action remake, the imagery has been imitated...but the end result in both cases has never been duplicated. Angela Lansbury’s grandmotherly yet soaring voice and the glorious animation create a scene that, like the song itself, and the themes that it adheres to, is truly timeless. It is for all these reasons and more that I can shamelessly call “Beauty & the Beast” My Favorite Disney Love Song.

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