Mafuena

"Even though I hate you, there's a part of me that doesn't want you to disappear. A part of me that wants to keep listening to your music! So, don't disappear... make more of it! If you have talent, then for the sake of those who don't, keep writing! I won't forgive you if you just up and disappear now!"

- Ena to Mafuyu in Niigo's Main Story Chapter 18

Mafuena is the femslash ship between Mafuyu Asahina and Ena Shinonome from the Project SEKAI fandom.

Canon
Mafuyu and Ena are both members of the group Niigo (Nightcord at 25:00), where Mafuyu is their lyricist under the alias "Yuki", and Ena is their artist under the alias "Enanan." The two are also second-year high school students, but attend different schools and at different times (Mafuyu goes to school at regular times, while Ena attends night classes).

The two are broken and depressed in their own way. Due to Ena's father calling her art boring and remarking she has no talent when she was in middle school, she developed a huge complex, constantly seeks attention through social media and is jealous of people who have talent but refuse to use it. Meanwhile Mafuyu is and has been constantly burdened by her parents', teachers' and classmates' expectations of her, causing her to deviate from her initial dreams in order to please them and as such, lost sight of her real self as well as the ability to enjoy life. As a result, when she is interacting with someone who isn't a Niigo member (especially around her parents), she keeps on a mask of being a friendly, good and modest girl. Despite this their personalities are very different, as Mafuyu, when she isn't keeping up her mask, speaks in an apathetic voice and appears emotionless, while Ena is very expressive and considered a tsundere.

Unsatisfied Pale Color
At the beginning of the event, the group is looking over Mafuyu's newest lyrics and while Mizuki compliments them, saying they're now witnessing a new side of Mafuyu, she apathetically answers and Ena angrily asks how she can write such good lyrics without recognizing or realizing her talent. Ena then laments the fact her art account has barely any followers but backs down on advertising herself as Niigo's artist in order to gain more followers. As the event goes on, Ena becomes more and more desperate about her art skills, thinking how she truly is talentless and nobody recognizes her art because of that, to the point of trying to throw away all her art tools and wanting to stay at the Empty Sekai forever so she can disappear. When Ena mentions how her art is just a "nice add-on" to their music videos, Mafuyu says she doesn't understand what Ena is trying to say, causing Ena to snap at the others telling them they can't understand her struggles. She logs off early and Mafuyu sits in silence wondering what she did wrong. Right after Ena regrets lashing out at the others realizing there's no point in doing so because nothing will change.

Entering the group's Sekai, Ena thinks to herself finally realizing why Mafuyu enjoyed being there so much. As the group plans on going to confront Ena, Mafuyu asks if she really should tag along because she doesn't understand Ena's feelings, so it wouldn't make sense for her to join as well. However Mafuyu ends up entering the Sekai and searching for Ena together with the other two. When the girls find Ena, Mafuyu asks if the need to be recognized is truly such a horrible thing, helping Ena to snap out of her state and return to the real world.

Fanon
Mafuena is one of the most popular ships in the fandom, as well as the most popular for Mafuyu and second most popular for Ena. It is mostly rivaled by Kanamafu and Mizuena (and sometimes by Akiena in the Eastern fandom as well). Although they have a complex relationship which develops as the story goes on, especially as Mafuyu starts expressing her true feelings more and telling her honest opinions - no matter how brutal they are - after the Marionette event, many find it or have called it toxic and problematic due to Ena's attitude towards Mafuyu in general as well as the latter's depression in Niigo's Main Story, and Mafuyu's brutal honesty as well seeming indifference towards Ena's problems (when in reality she just doesn't understand).

It is the 5th most written ship on AO3.

A Mafuena Week will be held from July 25 to July 31, 2022.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

ART

TUMBLR

TWITTER
 * (Korean "Mafuena" tag)
 * (Korean "Enamafu" tag)
 * Mafuena Daily Account
 * Weekly Mafuena Account
 * Mafuena Quotes Bot
 * Mafuena Daily Account
 * Weekly Mafuena Account
 * Mafuena Quotes Bot

Trivia

 * Their ship is referred to with the "❄️🎨" emojis.
 * So far, Mafuena have covered three songs together (Hello／How Are You, Totemo Itai Itagaritai and Aishite Aishite Aishite). They also sing back-to-back in the first verse and also together in the chorus of "Jackpot Sad Girl".