History Main / RomanticPlotTumor

* In some people's opinion {{Naruto}} has reached this point.

* ''HarryPotter'', of course.
** Specifically in [[HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Book 6]]. Draco's task, the Half-Blood Prince mystery, and Voldy Friggin' War II were all overshadowed by [[YourMilageMayVary trite]] teen romances and chest monsters.
** TruthInTelevision. Most teenagers tend to obsess over romantic relationships and put everything else second. Having Harry do this [[ShownTheirWork makes him seem like an actual teenager that someone might know.]]
** Except that most teenagers aren't dealing with Voldemort, who is essentially ''Hitler with magical powers''. If they were merely teens attending Magic School and nothing larger was going on, one could take the emphasis on romance seriously.
*** No magical powers involved, but Anne Frank was ''hiding from actual Nazis'' in abysmal conditions and still took time out to gush about the boys she liked. Teens are sometimes impractical--if anything, maybe Harry focuses on the "trite" trivial events around him to help keep him sane.
**** I think this is more representative of the movie version then the book. All the books had bits of adolescent social drama as subplots. I don't remember them taking up less space then that of book 6. When the whole thing was translated to film it too up way too much screen time.

* The Jack/Kate/Sawyer love-triangle in the TV series ''{{Lost}}''. Especially grating as the series has committed to a definite endpoint, and every second spend on this is one less second that could have been used clearing up the show's numerous mysteries and dangling plot-threads. Also because the writers have proven that they can write relationship arcs that are well done and popular among the fans (see: Desmond & Penny)...yet suddenly they can't do the same with the ''main one''.

* Pretty much every romantic relationship with {{Buffy}} ends up with like this. I think the worst is when they castrated Spike just so he could be her dark knight in shining armor.

** It doesn't help Inami's [[DoesNotLikeMen personal story]] is somewhat of a PlotTumor itself, either (Or at least it's given more screentime than anyone else's). And since Takanashi's the lead, the two end having more focus than everyone else combined.

* Quite a few fans of ''[[{{Ptitleqxnl7vpv}} Working!!]]'' resent that the developing relationship between Inami and Otonashi has more and more taken center stage, considering how the series is filled to the brim with other interesting characters.

*** Well, to be fair to the writers: if they had that out, the show would probably be half its length.

** MichaelBay [[WordOfGod has claimed]] that this was a result of ExecutiveMeddling; they wanted the movie to be ''{{Titanic}'' [[AC:[[RecycledINSPACE at Pearl Harbor!]]]]

* SecretWars briefly diverts from the main plot to show a burgeoning romance between Magneto and the Wasp, of all people.

** ItGotWorse in ''Revenge of the Fallen''. What would have been an [[YourMileageMayVary otherwise decent]] 90 minute movie ended up as 150.

* While the romance between Emil and Marta in ''TalesOfSymphonia 2'' is not ''nearly'' as poorly written as many of the other examples on this list, it is ultimately inconsequential to the main plot except as a source of {{Foreshadowing}}. Plus, if Marta tried any harder to win Emil, she'd be a StalkerWithACrush, and that's just creepy.
** Many fans of ''TalesOfDestiny 2'' would agree that the romance between Kyle and Reala was also badly executed. Truth is, they never really interacted much, except when they "go out on a date on Phandaria"... three times. Whenever they are in Phandaria, you can expect Reala to get Kyle to a park and tell him about her fears and MarySue-ness and insecurities and so on. Other than that, not much. Most people agree that [[BetaCouple Loni and Nanaly]] worked a lot better, even though getting a less lot of screetime.

**Except for Matt's, which are generally quite amusing