Dory
Long ago, I got into a manga called ‘Love Hina’. This is what one would call a ‘harem story’ where the male protagonist is eventually desired by all of the female ones. That has nothing to do with this post. Sort of. So, why did I bring it up?
The male lead is driven to get into a prestigious university because he made a childhood promise with a girl that they would reunite there. He’s not very bright, so he keeps failing the entrance exam. Yet, he refuses to give up. The issue is that he does not remember what the girl looks like. Oops.
I began thinking about ‘Love Hina’ when I watched ‘Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple’ and a childhood promise turned up again. Kenichi had forgotten about the girl and the promise entirely. He still had a keepsake from it. This plot point didn’t show up until way into the second season when the main villain appeared. Childhood friend turned enemy because of the mysterious promise. For some reason, I think there were two promises or the bad guy misremembered stuff. Either way, I was again facing a story where the main character forgets a childhood promise.
What is with this plot hook?
I can’t really figure out why this happens so much, especially in anime and manga. I took a look and this tends to fall under ‘forgotten first meeting’ tropes. This is a revelation later in a series where you find that characters have already met. It’s usually rather strange because you’re led to believe they have never interacted prior to the story. Explanations for this range from mindwiping, memories fading over time, a long separation, not recognizing each other, or simply ignoring the timeline issue. This is why many readers can perceive this as a plot hole and why authors might add a childhood promise to the scenario. At least the promise connects it to the plot.
There was always an issue that I had with this forgotten promise trope. Using ‘Love Hina’ as an example, I think it was that you could only have the issue go on for so long. The male lead had this promise quest from the beginning, which got old at one point. Once you realized the truth, it got fairly frustrating that he wasn’t figuring it out. He did figure it out before the end of the 14 volumes, but then you had the extra issue of the main mystery being solved. So, things dragged a bit regardless of the comedy, character development, and action. As soon as the promise was revealed and kept, a story kind of putters along in search of a conclusion.
Maybe I’m too harsh and critical of this plot twist. I did used to enjoy it, but I guess it doesn’t work now that I’m older. Still, it definitely has some interest for short-term plot points. That’s only if the audience already knows the answer. It can certainly work better for a long series if there aren’t any blatant clues as to who the childhood friend was or the promise isn’t known. You have a mystery on your hand, which older readers might be able to connect with. We all have memories that are faded and some of them have ghostly images of forgotten friends. So, that’s something you can go along with if you want to write this story and get a lot of mileage out of it.
What do you think of stories with forgotten childhood promises?
Legends of Windemere 
I wish they’d get to the point more quickly. At least it’s not a really common trope.
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If it’s the key plot point then they have to draw it out. Once the promise is remembered, the tension is gone. So, it’s definitely a double-edged sword.
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You’re right!
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A friend and I watched a Korean drama that dragged on for years. The plot needle only moved maybe every five or six episodes or so. 😊😊
As for the forgotten promise, I can’t help recalling what a friend who used to live in Japan said about the importance of saving face and keeping your word. Making a promise and not keeping it was a huge deal. So this plotline makes sense.
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I’ve heard that Korean dramas can last a long time. Not like America can talk given our soap operas. Interesting cultural aspect of this plot.
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You are the first one to expose me to forgotten child promises. I think, as you have hinted, this trope could get old fast. It’s like those old romance movies where the couple keep missing each other, and then both think the other didn’t honor the agreement to meet. It is very frustrating to watch and I imagine frustrating to read.
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These types of stories can definitely be a headache for a reader. We know the truth, so we know what should be done. The characters don’t have that advantage, so it comes off as a parade of ‘bad’ decisions.
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I don’t mind them, but I think I is as long as it is not the central point of plot, and more like a side-plot that does not drag on for ages. Someone else mentioned the cultural aspect in the comments, and it does make me think that perhaps we are mentally less tolerable of this plot nowadays, cause keeping promises, globally and culturally, lost its societal meaning and value.
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It probably depends on the culture. I know America doesn’t take promises as seriously as it once did.
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Anime has a thing about childhood and friendship that comes up in a lot of different ways. I’ve heard Japanese rarely gain new friends after they finish their schooling, because the work environment is perceived as so competitive. So those early bonds have a special meaning in their culture.
There may also be a general folkloric belief in the power of promises, that we don’t really have in America. Since Americans don’t have that mythic underpinning, it wouldn’t be something that shows up in our stories.
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Another comment mentioned that Japanese culture takes promises very seriously. So, that could be the reason why this plot point is so common in anime and even accepted when stretched out. Americans would simply give up and figure the forgotten promise wasn’t that important.
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