I personally thought it was a good scene because it seemed to me to be awkward in a way that actually reflected the built up tension that Yuna had up to that point while she tried to be so composed. It is the first time we see Yuna properly laugh (she giggles a couple times, usually in response to Tidus's idiocy, in Kilika and Besaid for instance; but she always quickly pulls herself together at every point before that).
It is also pretty easy to assume that she hasn't properly laughed in not only the time we see her in the game, but also for a long time up to that point (possibly even for years). It is pretty easy to assume this as she is convinced she must stay almost-stoic in front of everyone so they believe she respects her place as Lord Braska's daughter. Also, the people around her for the last couple years of her life will have actually been teaching her not to laugh: Kimahri is stoic as a stoic Rhonso who has cared for Yuna for that past 10 years of her life since she was a young girl; and has probably had the most affect on her as she admires him like an older brother. Lulu is specifically going out of her way to teach Yuna to be lady-like; specifically pointing out how immature it is to act like Wakka does being so open to laugh, say jokes, and be silly. And everyone else responds to her as if she is a princess (the children even acting towards her as if she is a second mother). She has been taught for the last couple years of her life during the Calm to not laugh so much (which would have been an even bigger pressure on her not to be like that once she decided she wanted to be a Summoner; since once she chose that even Wakka would be telling her to act mature if she wants to take it seriously).
That's why, for Yuna, it is a great scene as when I played it the first time (and when I still do today) I always find that it perfectly represented her trying to learn that it was ok to act her age and have fun being young. I also found that it happened at a great point because, while Tidus's child-like attitude is obviously the catalyst which makes her start to come out of her shell, it took until Auron made it pretty clear that he expects them all to be a little less reserved and happy during her Pilgrimage. Auron likely feels this way as he knows, even more than the rest of them, how short their journey can be and how it will likely suddenly end; so he doesn't want them to waste their time (especially Yuna's time) being reserved and looking good for Yevon (who he now has a growing bitterness for).
As for Tidus, the funny thing about him is that people think he laughed way more than he actually did at the first couple areas of the game. And even when he did, it was usually followed by him monologue about how he didn’t really understand anything that was going on and still felt very lost and foreign. For him, his childishness and laughter up to that point was one of the few things keeping him sane, so it makes perfect sense for him to try and teach Yuna to do it as well. Especially at the moment that it occurs in the game at the end of Luca Tidus is bluntly told by Auron that he can’t bring him back to Zanarkand easily and that Tidus’s final hope at getting back relatively soon is washed away leaving him stuck in Spira for the foreseeable future. After hearing that, Tidus is clearly going to be tense and needs to force himself to let it go and get used to being in Spira for much longer.
I think the scene makes a great deal of sense in context and I never found a problem with it; but, taken out of context, it can seem pretty bad (and almost cringe-worthy) and I can easily see how people who did get to see it in context still found it too awkward to watch (doubly-so if they already found Tidus to be an annoying character or found Yuna to be bland/naïve).
Log in to comment