Ah, it is, once again, that time of year. Love is in the air; romance songs play on the radio, rom-com binge fests are at an all-time high, and as infuriating as it is, many couples show their appreciation for their significant other online. Whether we’re spending this Valentine’s with our S/O, friends, or cozied up at home alone, there is no denying the cultural chokehold of romance in February.
With this in mind, us, at Echo, can’t help but wonder..
“Which couple, across all forms of media, defines couple goals?”
“Which romance film deserves the title spot of the genre?”
“Which romance song stands out among the millions (if not billions!) heard worldwide?”
Let’s see what our members had to say!
QUESTION 1: WHICH COUPLE, ACROSS ALL FORMS OF MEDIA, DESERVES THE TOP SPOT FOR BEST COUPLE?
| FLYNN RIDER AND RAPUNZEL – TANGLED (2010) Flynn and Rapunzel’s relationship isn’t based on love at first sight like many other Disney couples before them, but rather on growth and trust. Rapunzel learns to put her trust in Flynn, and as he gets to know her, he puts her safety, happiness and well-being before himself. He helped her live her dream, and well, she became his (he said so himself!). Additionally, Flynn’s transformation, from a thief who steals and flees to a man who stays and loves, isn’t changed by Rapunzel through force; she changes him by being herself. In choosing her, Flynn chooses a life of stability, love and honesty. You can’t tell me a transformation like that doesn’t deserve the top spot! – Ashley Anne Danker (Media & Journalism) |
| ELIZABETH BENNET AND MR DARCY – PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005) THE. HAND. FLEX. SCENE. Do I really need to say more? The origin of the enemies-to-lovers trope. They are both such perfect mirrors of each other’s characters that they fit so well together. They are both willing to accept their faults and change for one another. No one wants to read or watch something where the characters are perfect. We want the story. The GROVELLING. And that is exactly what we get. (P.S. Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton come a VERY close second) – Anjitha (Media & Journalism) |
| LOID AND YOR FORGER – SPY X FAMILY (2022) Even though they started out as a make-believe family, each with their own reasons to conceal their true identity and avoid unnecessary spotlight by living a seemingly normal life, as time progresses they have more trust in each other and unknowingly embrace the identity of being a true family. Loid treats Yor with such gentleness not just to maintain peace in the family, but due to the fact that Yor is able to provide solace on days where his missions drain him out. In the same way, Yor treats Loid the same way as she is naturally kind, but also realises that she has been developing feelings for him. Their unintentional moments of affection that blend naturally into the disguise of the pseudo family makes their relationship evermore so complex yet enchanting. – Jia Yu (Media & Journalism) |
| NICK AND JUDY – ZOOTOPIA (2016), ZOOTOPIA 2 (2025) I like Nick and Judy’s dynamic because they’re not actually outright “I LOVE YOU”, but they’re more deep and show how they care for one another through their actions rather than words, especially in Zootopia 2. Nick, in the beginning, lacks trust for people and Judy was more innocent, clumsy and passionate. It felt nice to see how their characteristics have developed and how they ultimately became partners in “crime”. – Hanna (Design) |
| CONRAD AND BELLY – THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (2022) Here’s the truth, I hated Conrad in Season 1. I hated how distant he was, how he pushed Belly away, how impossible he made it to love him. (Also yes, I liked his brother more, obviously.) But here’s the thing: Conrad loves the way people with avoidant attachment do. It’s quiet, it’s messy and often it’s in silence. He feels everything too deeply and says too little. He carries his love like it’s something fragile. But what makes Conrad and Belly special isn’t just because of their chemistry (even though their chemistry is painfully beautiful), but it’s because of the yearning. The way Conrad works on himself not because he was asked to, but because loving her makes him want to be a better man. He notices her eating habits and he remembers details no one else does, because the loudest love isn’t always the most meaningful one. Sometimes it’s the quiet attention that breaks you. And years pass, people change, summers end. Yet for Conrad, it’s always her, always Belly, always has been. And honestly, some loves don’t need to be chosen to be real, they just need to be felt. – Goh Ee Shuen (Creative Writing) |
QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE GREATEST ROMANCE FILM OF ALL TIME?
| ME BEFORE YOU (2016) It’s a real tearjerker of a movie, but this film stands out because it treats love as something transformative rather than permanent. Lou and Will don’t fall in love in a dramatic, swept-away way; their chemistry was built on honesty, humor, and genuinely seeing each other for who they really are. Their relationship was deeply tender and they changed each other’s lives in ways that last far beyond the relationship itself. Them not having a traditional happy ending was absolutely devastating, but proves how love doesn’t always mean staying, but sometimes means letting go. – Kaashveena (Creative Writing) Okay, okay, before you say “It’s Overrated”, hear me out. This movie has my whole heart. I’m someone whose love language is acts of service, and `Me Before You’ understands that kind of love perfectly. There’s this moment that lives absolutely rent free in my mind; it’s when Louisa mentions once, that she loves bumblebee tights. Just once. And somehow, William remembers it and guess what? He got them for her! That single gesture says everything to me. Because love isn’t always about dramatic gestures or big expensive gifts; it’s about paying attention. It’s remembering the small, almost unnoticeable details that mean something to someone else. `Me Before You’ shows that romance isn’t about how loudly you love someone, but how closely you listen. And honestly, that’s the kind of love that i yearn for. – Goh Ee Shuen (Creative Writing) |
Lou and Will in ‘Me Before You’
| 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999) Yes, it’s cliche. But watch it, and you will fall in love (it IS Heath Ledger after all). This movie does it all. The jokes are actually funny, the dialogue is entertaining, and it’s a perfect depiction of what people imagine high school life to be. The movie is unapologetic, and the script doesn’t try to please anyone. Patrick is shown as the ‘typical bad boy who lures the mysterious girl for money and ends up falling for her,’ and Kat is a ‘bratty know-it-all,’ but underneath all that, there is so much more depth to their characters that starts to unveil as the film progresses. Also, you get to see Heath Ledger sing Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. A win-win situation in my opinion. – Anjitha (Media & Journalism) |
Patrick and Kat in ‘10 Things I Hate About You’
| POCAHONTAS (1995) Yeah, yeah, hate all you want, but give me a chance to change your mind! When you look at the film purely as a fictional romance rather than a ‘historical adaptation’, the film actually does many things right! The chemistry between Pocahontas and John Smith is gentle, built on curiosity, respect, and the concept of ultimately choosing peace over conflict and colonization. John understands that his previous outlook on her and her people were wrong, and as he learns, his love for her, the people and the land grows tenfold (so much so, that he takes a bullet for the tribal chief!). And the fact they don’t end up together in the end? TRAGIC, yet, beautifully realistic. – Ashley Anne Danker (Media & Journalism) |
Pocahontas and John Smith in ‘Pocahontas’
| THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (2009) To me, not only is this movie a nostalgic and timeless love story, I think what makes it so amazing is how they manage to showcase all the different forms of love; not only the romantic kind. We see romantic relationships in the film through Tiana and Naveen, as well as Ray and Evangeline, but we also see platonic love between friends through Tiana and Lottie despite their different upbringings, as well as familial love between Tiana and her parents (especially her dad, as he is the foundation for Tiana’s morals, dreams, work ethic, etc), along with Lottie and her father. Additionally, Tiana and Naveen challenge each other to grow as better people, acknowledging that love requires sacrifice and choice, and that love itself cannot pay the bills / fulfill dreams, but it gives them motivation to support one another and achieve their dreams together. – Tiffany (Design) |
Tiana and Naveen in ‘The Princess and the Frog’
| PAST LIVES (2023) Some might not regard this as a romance film that you’d want to watch trying to emanate the vibes for Valentine’s Day, so prepare to sit in silence instead of lovey-dovey scenes. The beauty of Nora’s conflict between finding her own identity in the United States, choosing to spend her life with Arthur that is no doubt her soulmate, all while still harbouring feelings for Hae Sung who had been her childhood crush. Don’t worry, this movie doesn’t end with her leaving Arthur like a heartless woman, but there are plenty more scenes for you to cry your eyes out as they remind you that the final act of love is always letting go. – Jia Yu (Media & Journalism) |
Nora, Arthur and Hae Sung in ‘Past Lives’
QUESTION 3: WHAT LOVE SONG STANDS OUT ABOVE THE REST?
| WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AGAIN – JORGE RIVERA-HERRANS, ANNA LEA (EPIC: THE ITHACA SAGA) You may have heard this one on TikTok last year. This song undoubtedly stands out in a sea of romance music for its vulnerability and emotion. It not only questions whether Penelope chooses to love Odysseus after all the lives he’s killed to return to her, but if love can survive decades of distance, change, and uncertainty. Could you endure the desperation of not knowing if your lover will ever return (or if they are even still alive?). How does one promise to love someone after they’ve turned into a ‘monster’, after all their mistakes? This song tells of the very issue faced by Penelope and Odysseus, portraying a love that so perfectly encapsulates devotion and though stemming from Greek mythology, somehow, feels deeply, authentically and beautifully human. – Ashley Anne Danker (Media & Journalism) |
Song link- https://open.spotify.com/track/3iYeXCdD3d0zlex2v0CpVt?si=070398562b9e4b0f
| IRIS – THE GOO GOO DOLLS This song was able to capture such a raw, yearning kind of love where vulnerability is the whole point. A lot of people are afraid to open up and show parts of themselves, but Iris encapsulates how true love is about being fully seen, flaws and all. Because real love is about risking it all to be understood, and the right person will see your flaws as uniqueness instead of something you lack. Iris isn’t polished or poetic for the sake of it. It’s desperate, honest, and painfully human, which is why it still hits just as hard decades later. – Kaashveena (Creative Writing) |
Song link – https://open.spotify.com/track/6Qyc6fS4DsZjB2mRW9DsQs?si=5b2d240dc04b477a
| LOVER GIRL – LAUFEY The instrumentals of this song is what truly sold me on it. The piano bouncing and the rhythmic emphasis throughout the entirety of the song really makes it feel like I’m falling in love, or developing a crush on someone. If I had to describe this song, it’d be the feeling of butterflies in your stomach. “Lovestruck girl, I’d tease her, thought I’d never be her”, just illustrates the concept of how “falling in love is unexpected and doesn’t need reasoning” perfectly. – Chai Yu Xin (Media & Journalism) |
Song link – https://open.spotify.com/track/6dWilYAxP2aJbTTt0UsatK?si=1fedeefc2d8949f6
| IVY – TAYLOR SWIFT ‘Ivy’ is a song about forbidden love that consumes you. I think it stands out as it shows the controversial kind of love that shouldn’t exist rather than the idealized version. This love spreads wildly like ivy, making it a beautiful yet raw and destructive temptation. The song draws on nature imagery to illustrate how this sort of love, that is unspoken, intense and uncontrollable, envelops a person’s life like ivy climbing a house. It is a literary reflection on the conflict between desire and loyalty and displays the moral complexity of love that is depicted as ‘wrong’, yet feels so right due to it feeling so human, messy and deeply felt. (That being said, I do not support cheating 😭 I just really love the song) – Tiffany (Design) |
Song link – https://open.spotify.com/track/19CSr8rwW05VJL2F91KFNK?si=f52ebc8f84434953
| DEAR BARCELONA – MILENA This song isn’t really a typical love song that harps on about the beauty of their favourite person, or their yearning for a relationship that never seems to arrive, but a bittersweet blessing to a distant someone that they might never meet again. The subtleness of the lyrics as she sings about her distant recollection of a sunny day at this beautiful Spain city, the detailed description of the time they’ve spent together at seemingly random places like the LP shop, and ending it by celebrating their birthday with nothing close to grandiose at the middle of a random pathway, makes it ever so obvious that they do not hold deep feelings for each other. Yet, there is still this beautiful realization that, at the back of her mind, she still wishes for nothing but the best for them, for the one that will always remain in her memories. – Jia Yu (Media & Journalism) |
Song link – https://open.spotify.com/track/4xVsCSWd7Otr19tN9JNC8G
THE VERDICT?
One thing’s for sure: there’s no single ‘best’ love story; only ones that stay with us close to our hearts! Love has a beautiful way of lingering even years after we’ve completed a film or listened to a song, calling us to return again and again.
We hope our members have supplied you with some peak recommendations in this list, giving you something to indulge in this Valentine’s Day; whether that means discovering something new or taking a trip down memory lane.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
xoxo,
Sunway Echo Media
Written By: ECHO Members
Compiled By: Ashley Anne Danker
