History Main / AnchoredShip

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Touma Kamijou and Misaki Shokuhou were friends would occasionally meet up with each out across Academy City until one day a gang of espers attempted to attack Misaki, leading Touma to defend her with his own body and causing Misaki to fall in love with him. Unfortunately, the injuries Touma sustained nearly caused Touma to die, forcing Misaki to use her powers to save his life and leaving him unable to remember her. Misaki hopes that Touma can regain his ability to remember her so she can confess her feelings for him.

* Jellal and Erza from ''Manga/FairyTail''. Though they've finally both confessed to one another that they like each other, Jellal feels undeserving of Erza, and is pretending he has a fiancee as an excuse not to act on his feelings. Erza knows he's lying, but is sensitive to his issues and has decided not to call him out on it.

** And Zuko/Mai had been completely open for a long time as well. It was entirely unclear if their childhood crush would develop to anything when they first met again after years and when things seemed to get resolved after The Beach, everything was out in the open again up to and during the volcano prison. Only when she attacks Azula to save him does she commit to accepting his decision to join the Avatar. But then she vanishes again until the finale.

* In ''Manga/MyHero Academia'', Izuku and Ochako both have strong admiration towards each other. However, when Ochako realizes her feelings, she chooses to suppress them so a potential romance won't interfere with their goals (Izuku to be the next Symbol of Piece, Ochako to make enough money to help her parents).

* [[{{Film/Casablanca}} Rick and Ilsa famously]] [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy don't get back together]].

* ''Series/TheMentalist'': It is strongly implied that this is the situation with Jane and Lisbon. They clearly care about each other, and considering the fact that the last man Lisbon loved was another co-worker, it's unlikely to be the rules keeping them apart; but Jane is still very much married, though his wife has been dead at least three years, and he seems incapable of moving on until he has had his revenge.
** [[spoiler:Of course, long after he's had his revenge, he finally admits that he loves her.]]

* In ''Series/TheMarvelousMrsMaisel'' Lenny Bruce (a real life comedian who died of an overdose in 1966) and leading lady Midge Maisel (the Mrs. Maisel of the title) have a WillTheyOrWontThey romance teased throughout the show. However as the show seems to be sticking to historical reality (minus some generic timeline fudging)this ship is very unlikely to be leaving harbor.

** During "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers The Ember Island Players]]," the final episode before the finale, Aang and Katara are forced to assess their relationship. When Aang expresses his desire to "be together" with Katara, she claims to be confused about her feelings and does not wish to be involved with Aang if she's unsure. This may be one of the most briefly anchored ships out here, because at the end of "Sozin's Comet," less then five episodes apart from "Ember Island Players," Katara is finally willing to [[RelationshipUpgrade enter the relationship and be with Aang.]]

Compare CannotSpitItOut, in which one of the people in the relationship merely cannot work up the nerve to confess to the other; in many {{Anchored Ship}}s, the other partner is aware to some degree of how the person with the problems feels. See TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest, ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies and IDontWantToRuinOurFriendship for some of the reasons why this happens. ShipSinking is the permanent variation of this.

* Rito and Lala are in a state of this in ''Manga/ToLoveRu Darkness''. Lala has long ago confessed her love to Rito, and Rito has recently done the same. However, Rito's feelings for his first love Haruna haven't changed, and Rito can't bring himself to go forward with Lala until his feelings for Haruna are resolved. On the other hand, Lala is all for Rito and Haruna getting together, because she believes that ''MarryThemAll'' is the best solution and that that way they can all live together happily.

* Rito and Lala are in a state of this in ''Manga/ToLoveRuDarkness''. Lala has long ago confessed her love to Rito, and Rito has recently done the same. However, Rito's feelings for his first love Haruna haven't changed, and Rito can't bring himself to go forward with Lala until his feelings for Haruna are resolved. On the other hand, Lala is all for Rito and Haruna getting together, because she believes that ''MarryThemAll'' is the best solution and that that way they can all live together happily.

->''"Rogue and Iceman totally want to make out but they can't! This, by the way, is the central conflict of Rogue's character that played out over the course of '''''thirty actual years'''''. Except that in the comics, there was a truly awful Cajun accent involved, ''chere.''"''

* ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret'': Sakurada has some strong feelings toward his homeroom teacher, and when he confesses, it turns out that she reciprocates... but due to the ethical issues with a StudenTeacherRomance they agree to put the whole thing on the back burner until he graduates.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Picard and Crusher have the shadow of Crusher's dead husband Jack, who was also one of Picard's close friends. At some point in the GrandFinale's alternate future they got married, but eventually divorced and went their separate ways again.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Happened more than one episode for Janeway and Chakotay, though given that the question kept coming up, [[RelationshipWritingFumble you'd be forgiven for expecting they'd hook up eventually]].

** [[spoiler: Ling and Lan Fan]]. While the exact nature of their relationship was [[ShipTease heavily hinted]] to be more than platonic, there is little progression in it by the time the story ends.

* ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'': [[NiceGuy Keiichi]]/[[MagicalGirlfriend Belldandy]] is an interesting case. Between the {{manga}}'s "Lord of Terror" and "Mystery Child" arcs, both Keii and Bell had their reasons for not pushing their relationship beyond its [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments sweet, innocent, and gentle]] early stages, even though both seemed to want to. [[JumpingTheShark Unfortunately, later in the series]], the two were {{Flanderized}} to exaggerate Keiichi's CannotSpitItOut tendencies, and Belldandy's naïvete, throwing away what could have been an interesting case of UnresolvedSexualTension.

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[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''{{Series/Chuck}}'': Chuck and Sarah, due to the complexities of spy life. [[spoiler:It gets resolved midway through season 3.]]

** In the penultimate episode, Act Your Age, where we see the characters as young adults (ten years after the main series takes place), we see that Vanessa has been in a relationship with Ferb for a while now, so the ship sailed.

* ''{{Jeffrey}}'': The title character, though very attracted to Steve, is unwilling to have a relationship with him because of his fears about AIDS (Steve is HIV positive). In the end he decides love is worth the risk.

* ''Film/TheLoveOfSiam''. Tong and Mew never really got into the relationship/dating phase despite both characters love each other.

** Also, in a short story written by Creator/JimButcher, with Murphy as the protagonist, set 40 minutes after the events of ''Changes'', shows she has definite interest in him.

* ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'': [[NiceGuy Keiichi]]/[[MagicalGirlfriend Belldandy]] is an interesting case. Between the {{manga}}'s "Lord of Terror" and "Mystery Child" arcs, both Keii and Bell had their reasons for not pushing their relationship beyond its [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming sweet, innocent, and gentle]] early stages, even though both seemed to want to. [[JumpingTheShark Unfortunately, later in the series]], the two were {{Flanderized}} to exaggerate Keiichi's CannotSpitItOut tendencies, and Belldandy's naïvete, throwing away what could have been an interesting case of UnresolvedSexualTension.

** After acting like a couple in all but name for several episodes, a number of misunderstandings and the Eleventh Doctor's centuries-long stay on Trenzalore (during which he saw generations of humans live and die) led him to break off his relationship with Clara. After his regeneration into the older-looking Twelfth Doctor, he further attempts to anchor the ship by claiming that he had been mistaken in thinking of himself as her boyfriend. Clara tries to be mature about it, denies any interest she might have had, and asks out a co-worker whom she eventually becomes involved with. But throughout Series 8, it becomes quite apparent (and was confirmed by actors and writers) that despite their occasional fallouts, mutual attraction is still very much there, resulting in a ship-lifting anchor in "Mummy on the Orient Express" and creating a somewhat unusual LoveTriangle scenario. In Series 9 (by which time Clara's boyfriend in Series 8 is [[spoiler: deceased]]) it is clear, if never ''explicit'', that the ship between the Twelfth Doctor and Clara is no longer anchored, with both lead actors and the producer speaking openly in promotional interviews about the two being "crazy for each other" (Peter Capaldi's words) and Clara being "totally in love" with the Doctor (Jenna Coleman's words). Due to TheILoveYouStigma long held by this show, they express this through looks and other subtleties. Ultimately, the Series 9 finale "Hell Bent" ''forces'' the ship to be anchored, perhaps permanently. [[spoiler: Clara '''died''' two episodes prior, but the driven-mad Doctor '''risks all of time and space''' to bring her back. Realizing the relationship is now dangerous, they not only part but the Doctor loses his memories of her -- he reconstructs the adventures they had together, but the things that made him love her (her appearance, personality, etc.) are gone]]. But there's always hope for a miracle...