I'll give an example. Maison Ikkoku takes over 80 episodes for the main couple to get together through misunderstandings that are just downright aggravatingly stupid and the series ends soon after. There's some good stuff there, but it ends up being very boring in the end. Anime like Sailor Moon (Crystal or the manga) or Fushugi Yuugi where the couple get together early (or were already together in the first place) are sooo much more interesting because the characters get to deal with the "nitty-gritty" aspects of a relationship instead of artificial obstacles keeping them apart.
Some readers appreciate the tension that builds up throughout the stories. It made the "getting together" ending a satisfying climax, and automatically justified the whole thing. It creates a better happy ending because you essentially quit at the top.
I agree with the OP. Stories where the couple are kept apart with a series of stupid reasons get boring after a while and I stop watching them.
This is basically every sitcom built on the unresolved sexual tension of the main characters, everything from Moonlighting to Friends. The generally accepted axiom is that if you finally do get them together, all the tension of the show is gone. The only way to bring it back is to have them break up, or bring a baby in. Either way by that point the show is pretty much done.
It's hard to be a couple, and there's plenty of drama/comedy that can be drawn from that. There's never a need to keep people apart just to maintain the tension.
I don't know. I'm into edging. I'll even get into stories where a relationship is only ever teased endlessly and there is never satisfaction just endless anticipation. "The suspense is terrible... I hope it will last." -Willy Wonka
Seems to me the issue here is one of pacing rather than the actual “getting together” plot. Any plot or subplot will become annoying if the author has to keep coming up with contrived reasons for it to continue instead of resolving.
