[MikoKagome]

Okay! I was just thinking about this, and I have my own arguments about this, but I want to know what other people think. Who do you think fell in love with Amu first? Amu has so many suitors in this story that it was just too good to avoid asking. Could it be Tadase? Ikuto? Maybe even Kairi? What do you think?

Please, NO BASHING!

I'll put my opinion in a spoiler

I think it was Ikuto that fell in love with Amu first. There is plenty of evidence of this in both the anime and the manga, but a few stuck out to me the most. For one, Ikuto has protected Amu from the start, minus the first time he tried to steal her eggs during thier first encounter. Even then, you could just tell by his face as he saw her reach out for her eggs over that tall construction sight and fall to the ground that he was totally winded with awe at her. After that, it seems like all he did was look out for her. When she dropped her tart for Tadase, Ikuto came back to her with cookies to make up for it. When Utau blew away her icecream, he came back with more ice cream. When Amu is in trouble, he is there to help her, like the time she got caught up in the cage at the park, or the time Nikaido sensei stole her eggs. Ikuto has shielded her from many dangers, and regardless of his status with Easter, he still went out of his way to give her info on Easter or help her in fights with Easter. I think the one thing that did it for me though, that solidifies my idea that he fell in love with her first, is when Utau showed up in front of Amu with Dia. Utau was mad at Ikuto and Amu because she claimed that Ikuto has never been intrigued by someone before like he did with Amu, and not once did Ikuto deny it, or stutter, or flush about it. He just told Utau to stop acting up and be quite. I think at that point, Ikuto had already accepted the fact that he liked her enough to know he was in love with her. Tadase, on the other hand, was still in "love" with Amulet Heart at that point. Sure, Tadase has been there for Amu too, but I think when it comes to his feelings for her he just felt obligated to protect the people when it came to her, and it wasn't until much later when he realized "OH! Amu and amulet heart are THE SAME PERSON!!"

[LilyGinnyBlack]

I agree with you on the fact that Ikuto was the first one to fall in love with Amu, but...I say that because Ikuto is the only one who has fallen in love with Amu. Amu hasn't even fallen in love with Ikuto yet, she's too young. Kairi is too young and Tadase is too young too. I know you can't be too young to love someone but you can be too young to fall in love with someone.

Right now, Kairi admires Amu, Tadase fancies Amu, and Amu fancies Tadase, but has conflicting feelings about Ikuto. In Amu's mind, that wonderful feeling of liking someone (Tadase) is what being in love is, or so she thinks, but that's simply a crush. Amu can never seem to see any of Tadase's bad sides, to her, he is always perfect, a prince, even when she knows that he is wrong about something (like calling Ikuto a "black cat who brings nothing but bad luck.") She is a young girl who is still in that stage of major crushes, she doesn't understand the complexity of loving someone, and she has yet to say, "I love you, " to Tadase. She may have said, "Suki desu," or something to that affect, but really, that means, "I like you." A crush. I like you. The same can be said about Tadase liking Amu.

Yet, when it comes to Ikuto she sometimes enjoys his company and at other times she hates it, because they've both crossed that comfort line, they've both ventured into areas that they've never let another person enter before. Amu has let Ikuto see her true self, while Ikuto has opened up and told Amu things he's never told anyone else before (about his past and even about his thoughts), Ikuto smiles for her. He shows her both his good side and his bad side, and she does the same for him. They get on each others nerves, but they always find a way to make up without even really apologizing. And sometimes, Amu gets so angry at Ikuto because he does things that she doesn't understand. He does things that protect her, even though she doesn't know it, and he does things out of love for her, even though she doesn't know it or understand it. These confused feelings are what makes me believe that is Amu falling, but isn't quite, in love with Ikuto yet.

She probably won't realize for a while.

But Ikuto is beyond the stage of crushes. He knows what he is feeling and he knows what he is doing, though he sometimes makes mistakes without meaning to, or shows too much affection without meaning to, because love is complicated like that. So, in my opinion, Ikuto was the first one to be in love with Amu, and the only one in love with her. Everyone else still has a little growing up to do.

I'll believe that Amu is in love with someone when I hear (or more like read) her saying, "Aishiteru." "I love you."

[Fortune of Fantasy]

I'm not going to quote it because it's so long, but I agree with LilyGinnyBlack's post. I hadn't even thought of it like that before. I'm afraid theres nothing I can add. ^^'

[skipbeatforever]

Ikuto was actually the first one who fell in love with Amu! That's because in Episode 4, when Ikuto gave her snacks, it was obvious that he was falling in love with her. And for the people who's saying it's Tadase, I may say it's not smart of you to say that. Didn't you know? Tadase only love Amulet Heart in the first place and not Amu's true self! But Ikuto really loved her from the first place. And his love is better than Tadase! You know why? If you read the manga and watch episodes, Ikuto is the one who saves her the most. Even though Amu doesn't know that Ikuto is beside her, Ikuto is actually there for her and protecting her.

[MikoKagome]

Originally Posted by LilyGinnyBlack

I agree with you on the fact that Ikuto was the first one to fall in love with Amu, but...I say that because Ikuto is the only one who has fallen in love with Amu. Amu hasn't even fallen in love with Ikuto yet, she's too young. Kairi is too young and Tadase is too young too. I know you can't be too young to love someone but you can be too young to fall in love with someone.

Right now, Kairi admires Amu, Tadase fancies Amu, and Amu fancies Tadase, but has conflicting feelings about Ikuto. In Amu's mind, that wonderful feeling of liking someone (Tadase) is what being in love is, or so she thinks, but that's simply a crush. Amu can never seem to see any of Tadase's bad sides, to her, he is always perfect, a prince, even when she knows that he is wrong about something (like calling Ikuto a "black cat who brings nothing but bad luck.") She is a young girl who is still in that stage of major crushes, she doesn't understand the complexity of loving someone, and she has yet to say, "I love you, " to Tadase. She may have said, "Suki desu," or something to that affect, but really, that means, "I like you." A crush. I like you. The same can be said about Tadase liking Amu.

Yet, when it comes to Ikuto she sometimes enjoys his company and at other times she hates it, because they've both crossed that comfort line, they've both ventured into areas that they've never let another person enter before. Amu has let Ikuto see her true self, while Ikuto has opened up and told Amu things he's never told anyone else before (about his past and even about his thoughts), Ikuto smiles for her. He shows her both his good side and his bad side, and she does the same for him. They get on each others nerves, but they always find a way to make up without even really apologizing. And sometimes, Amu gets so angry at Ikuto because he does things that she doesn't understand. He does things that protect her, even though she doesn't know it, and he does things out of love for her, even though she doesn't know it or understand it. These confused feelings are what makes me believe that is Amu falling, but isn't quite, in love with Ikuto yet.

She probably won't realize for a while.

But Ikuto is beyond the stage of crushes. He knows what he is feeling and he knows what he is doing, though he sometimes makes mistakes without meaning to, or shows too much affection without meaning to, because love is complicated like that. So, in my opinion, Ikuto was the first one to be in love with Amu, and the only one in love with her. Everyone else still has a little growing up to do.

I'll believe that Amu is in love with someone when I hear (or more like read) her saying, "Aishiteru." "I love you."

I understand where you are coming from, but I very much disagree with your thoughts on love and crushes. You did answer my thread though with your own opinions, so I thank you for that, but I have to ask, what brought on the idea that Tadase, Kairi, and Amu are all to young to understand the complexity of falling in love with somone?

I have to say that what you claim is very...contradictive? I'm not sure if that is the right term, but perhaps I should explain a bit. Why is it that you think they aren't too young to love someone, but are too young to actually fall in love? Do you mean love someone as a young girl would love her mother? Or do you mean the love one person carries for the person they care for the most? If you mean the latter, then what you just said doesn't make a lot of sense. In order to love someone in that way, wouldn't you have to fall in love first, then truly declare that you love that person? You probably meant the first one, but I just wanted some clarifications.

Also, I don't know how far you are in either the anime or the manga, but it has been clearly stated from both Tadase, Ikuto, and Kairi, that they all are in love with Amu. Kairi said it to Amu himself, and states it to himself multiple times as well. Tadase, now aware of his feelings a bit more, states it a lot too. Ikuto has said it only once, but with Ikuto all he needs is to say it once to get his message conveyed to the readers. I highly doubt that any of the feelings they give out are merely crushes. Age does not determine the foundation of understanding love, nor does age hold the boundaries distinguishing between who can fall in love and who can't.

Amu, on the other hand, we cannot hold any set in stone assumptions on. Her feelings have always been a mystery, even to herself. Amu does not understand her own feelings, which brings in one of the major motifs of the story, that Amu does not know her true self, or what she truly wishes. Whether or not she is crushing, or in love, nobody can determine and say that what they determine is absolute.

[__ShiroNekoKawaii__]

Well.....I think Ikuto is the first one who fall in love with her, remember when Utau kissed Ikuto? She explained that tere has never been a girl that Ikuto cared like this the most (or is it interested?). Ikuto has always protect her, he was there for her and I think for the best is Ikuto already realized his true feelings for Amu when the 3rd or 4th time they saw each other, which is on her balcony, he bought her stuffs and sometimes he smiles when he saw her. He confessed to her on the exact same day as Tadase does, but sadly Amu doesn't believe him, but she does feel something beside her love for Tadase and she sometimes admit it that it's for Ikuto or something like that! I'm finishing here

[SweetyBastard]

Originally Posted by Fortune of Fantasy

I'm not going to quote it because it's so long, but I agree with LilyGinnyBlack's post. I hadn't even thought of it like that before. I'm afraid theres nothing I can add. ^^'

Agreed. (with both Fortune of Fantasy and LilyGinnyBlack) well there's nothing more to say than I agree I guess.

[ChibiBlackKat]

I think Ikuto fell in love with Amu first.

Tadase, at first liked Amulet Heart. But he did begin to relize he loves Amu.

Ikuto on the other hand, began to fall in love with Amu at episode 3.

[Secret.Wings]

-Personally- I didn't sense any 'feelings of love' from Ikuto, really. >_>;; And no, I didn't watch any of the new episodes, read any of the new chapters, but I'm quite sure he didn't really take Amu seriously anyway. ._.

I disagree with Lily there. It's absolutely possible for small kiddos to fall in love. The only thing is, they never really know if it's love. >_> I was once told by someone that I had no experience on love. Back then I thought she qas quite right, though now I'm reading this stuff on being too young... pfft, that's just weird. I'm quite sure she'll laugh when she reads this.

Anyway, I don't exactly know who fell for her first, nor does it really interest me anyway =/ But I just want to give my piece of thought on that I don't quite believe it was Ikuto who fell in love with her. It wouldn't be the first time that fans confuse their own wants with the reality (or the fiction).

[LilyGinnyBlack]

Ah, sorry if I wasn't all too clear on my post before! m(_ _)m What I was trying to say was like what Secret.Wings said, little kids can fall in love, but they don't realize that they are in love. That's what I was trying to get across with the whole, kids call love, but they can't fall in love bit. They love something or someone, but they may not know why, which is where I make the distinction of loving and falling in love.

Ah, and I've watched all of the recent episodes (even that horrendous filler last week) and have read up to the current scans, and while it's been said that Kairi and Tadase like Amu (though the translation is love), I see them both as being in the admiring/liking stage. Simply because of how they handle their feelings towards Amu. It's more of a personal opinion, really. Kairi, to me, appears to admire Amu. When she decides on a path she sticks with it, her loyalty is truly like that of a Samurai, which Kairi (of course) wants to be (or more, he wants to follow the way of the Samurai, Bushido, I think.) And, Tadase, he never sees the bad side of Amu, he never gets annoyed with her and he has yet to realize that she falters too, since she is still a child as well.

So, both Kairi and Tadase like Amu, but they like everything about her, but they still don't even really know her. That's why I say that they "love" Amu, but aren't in love with her. There's many parts of her that they both still don't know, many parts that Ikuto does. But, that's beside the point.

To conclude, the best example I can think of to try and explain kids loving but not being in love, is a child with their mother. When a child is young they love their mother. Why? They don't really know, they love their mother because that is what you are supposed to do. As they get slightly older they start to realize why they love their mother, because she is kind, because she does so much for them, and so and so forth. But, a child never realizes the true extent that a mother goes to for them, until they are older and then they can truly realize and appreciate all that a mother does for them. It's a slow process of understanding and, I think, it goes even further with a man and woman who fall in love, because one doesn't fall in love with their mother (unless they have some issues...).

I don't know if I explained that any better, I may have just made it more confusing, but I tried. And, it doesn't really matter all that much if some people disagree over this. After all, we have (so far) all agreed that Ikuto was the one to fall in love first (right?). ^^