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Oct 14
2008

nogizaka yori aoshi; sexuality and jealousy in anime

lolikitsune crafted this last love song.
It's categorized as Anime, Commentary.
It's tagged over nine thousand things, including: ai yori aoshianime|otakubaka-raptordefianceefHaruhi's a Psychokannazuki no mikokimi ga nozomu eienlamunelove hinamajime na lolikitmikenogizaka haruka no himitsusexualityshufflesuzukato heart. What a slut.
At least it only has 24 comments and 994 views.

I’ve mentioned before that I have a “problem” with Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. I first discussed this in an IRC chat with Mike; he was fawning over the show, calling it the best of the season, and I objected. I said it “did the Ai Yori Aoshi thing.” Mike seemed pleased by that (it seems like a lot of people enjoy Ai Yori Aoshi). I didn’t try to persuade him that it was a bad thing at the time, because I was beginning to concoct a blog post.

Well, that was maybe two months ago now. It’s about time I get that blog post out there.

Majime na Lolikit

Anime Characters Are Too Sexual In The Eyes Of Anime Characters,
or Why Unwarranted Jealousy Isn’t Cool Anymore

aoi and kaoru
Aoi and Kaoru

Ai Yori Aoshi is a sweet story about two childhood friends, Kaoru and Aoi, realizing more mature emotions toward each other… for about three episodes. Then, in quick succession, the show introduces three female characters and has them all over the main character. The ground nuts on top of the whipped cream would be that our two lovers must keep their relationship secret for some unbelievably hackneyed reason, and thus any further female characters will see any kindness from Kaoru as an advance.

There’s some illogic there, and I’ll get to it in a moment, but first, let me explain the plot of Ai Yori Aoshi:

Kaoru and Aoi get together.

Let me repeat that:

Kaoru and Aoi get together.

“But lolikit, didn’t they do that in episodes one through three?” you might ask. And the answer is yes. But the world doesn’t know this and so they must spend twenty-three more episodes getting together. This means twenty-three episodes of enduring “romantic comedy” involving Kaoru and his haremettes, who aren’t really his haremettes because he’s already involved with Aoi and he’s not unfaithful (he loves her, and wants to be with her).

It raises the question: why?!

“But lolikit, a show where nothing happens can be wonderful too!” you might protest. And I’m the first one to defend a lack of plot or direction. Someone was bitching at me yesterday about how Mushishi was too repetitive, and had no overarching plot. I don’t actually know anything about Mushishi other than its alleged awesomeness, but I defended it, saying that my favorite shows have nothing happen in them, so how could a bit of repetition or lack of plot be that bad? The problem is that in Ai Yori Aoshi, there isn’t “nothing happening.” Sure, it’s slice of life and laid back, but the show is pushing harem moments into our faces one after another.

And you know what?

Both “OMG LOVE TRIANGLE OMG,” and the classic question of “who will he pick,” are both invalidated by the knowledge that he’s going to be with Aoi. This isn’t Shuffle, where Rin can unexpectedly pick Asa. This is Suzuka, and Yamato is going to pick Suzuka.

First parallel with Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: we know the characters are going to be together, and we know this from the beginning.

Haruka and Yuuto are as “together” after two episodes of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu as Kenji and Nanami are at the beginning of Lamune.

Now, going back to Ai Yori Aoshi, I’d like to point out another trend. Despite having some vestige of confidence and self-esteem, our beloved female lead occasionally show signs of jealousy. Why? Does she not see that her dear Kaoru-sama is completely devoted to her? Well, she does—but her womanly intuition (you know, that thing anime characters love citing and using as an excuse for equating women to dumb animals incapable of analysis) tells her that the women surrounding her man are a threat to their relationship.

ai yori aoshi girls
The Enemy

Q: Why are they a threat?
A: Because they’re making advances on Kaoru.

Q: Why are they making advances on Kaoru?

A: Because they think he’s totally hot for them.

Q: Why do they think he’s totally hot for them?
A: Because he’s nice to them (illogic, again, I’ll get to this later).

Second parallel with Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: the female lead worries unnecessarily about her relationship with the male lead when female characters with “no chance” (because the end couple is predetermined) enter the picture.

We see this with the Shiina in the second half of the show, many times.

Now I think is a fitting time to address the “illogic” I mentioned earlier. Take a look at this stereotypical line of events, common in trashy anime:

1. boy meets girl
2. boy, being a kind person, is nice to girl
3. girl thinks boy is being especially kind to her
4. girl falls for boy
5. boy wants nothing to do with girl
6. girl’s heart is broken

takayuki was too kind to her
Suzumiya Akane

Well, you can see this formula in lots of places, I suppose. You can see it in Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, even—Suzumiya Haruka’s little sister Akane is attracted to Takayuki because he is “too kind to her.” The formula alone doesn’t make something trashy, and I guess a lot of that is in the execution. I’d say that in the majority of cases, though, the formula is a one-way ticket to lametasticity. And we see it in Ai Yori Aoshi. And we see it in Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu.

We don’t see it too often in shoujo anime (more often, the guy is a jerk and the girl falls for him—hey, sounds like real life!) and we don’t see it too often in real life (examine: the last parenthetical comment).

The main problem with the formula, as I see it, is that it doesn’t make sense. We’re not talking spending thousands of dollars and years of time for the girl—we’re talking something simple. Lending an umbrella. Working together on schoolwork. Watching out for a fellow human being. Girls: you’ve interacted with humans before, I imagine. Tell me: head over heels for everyone who’s shown you courtesy? Wet panties for the random guy who shares his textbook with you?

I must confess to the misguided sin of not being born female, but even I with my limited knowledge of the opposite sex presume to know the answer to some fundamental questions such as the two above: no.

Sexuality doesn’t work that way.

And because sexuality doesn’t work that way, I consider my intelligence insulted every time an anime insinuates that a heterosexual man cannot have a girlfriend and girl friends without eliciting jealousy from his girlfriend. We saw this in Suzuka with Yamato getting shit from his miko girlfriend (AND from Suzuka) for being nice to Suzuka. (This is an ambiguously bad example because one could dispute that the miko girlfriend was right and that he was crushing on Suzuka, but that most certainly was not his intention and he was never unfaithful.)

Let me give a couple examples of rare anime where “my boyfriend/love interest is a heterosexual male, he must be interested in cheating on me with his large collection of female friends” illogic is not present:

1. Lamune
2. To Heart

nanami / kaede
this is hilarious, in a number of ways

Both of these shows have large female casts, no more or less attractive than any other lineup of female anime characters, and a male character who is very friendly and close with many of these characters. The female leads are no more egotistical than those of Ai Yori Aoshi or Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu; they do not possess godly self-esteem. Yet they do not falter and they do not question, and that is well because their love interests, like most reasonable human beings, are not about to have relations with any girl they come across.

This characteristic holds for Kaoru and Yuuto, by the way. And yet…

Anyway, the sexuality of anime characters in the eyes of other characters is ludicrous in general. We see the attitude even in such blockbuster hits as Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu: in episode two, we are told by Kyon that Haruhi begins changing before the boys leave the room; she must view them as potatoes, and he says this with an air of distaste—this behavior is odd, unnatural, and for the sole reason that it reflects poorly on her sexuality.

Issues of hetero-/homosexuality aside, I feel like this statement in Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu is particularly ill-thought out.

The first problem with it is that the only good reason for changing in privacy is embarrassment. Embarrassment over how one looks. This should be independent of the potential viewer’s sexuality. If you don’t want someone staring at you while you’re changing, you don’t want someone staring at you while you’re changing. So really it’s more like Haruhi has no sense of shame (or that she has godly self-esteem, which I find unlikely given her behavior throughout the show and most especially her reaction to being thanked in episode 12).

I am a whore, says the whore
The Ogre in question

The second problem with it is that “seeing men as potatoes” (and women, by the way—Kyon neglects to mention this, but I’ll point it out) is more likely part of Haruhi’s general disinterest in love. “Yeah, yeah,” you might say, “lolikit’s full of it. She’s thrilled when Kyon expresses interest in her.” But this is after being changed by what she experiences. At the show’s offset, she is “interested in a relationship with a time traveler, esper, etc.” but only because she’s interested in them period. Love isn’t her thing. And why?

Because she has a self-esteem issue. After being shown how pointless the individual is (remember her recollection of the ballgame) she has all but lost self-worth. She’s not a god or a bored human, “she’s a sixteen year old girl” (couldn’t help quoting Kannazuki no Miko here—I don’t know her age and I won’t be assed to look it up). She has her own existential quandary like so many angsty joshikousei, and it’s an obstacle in the way of caring one way or another about love and relationships. It’s not a matter of sexuality.

Man, I could go on harping about this one line of Haruhi for ages. But I could just as easily harp on any other example of characters taking each other’s sexuality too seriously. I’m sure there are at least one hundred per episode of Love Hina, and that’s only the face of an entire genre that is culpable of this behavior.

The main point here is: why so serious, Aoi? Why so serious, Haruka?

Your man is with you.

He’s not interested in the sluts throwing themselves at him, and neither are we.

So I ask you: why the unwarranted jealousy?

nice cellphone
Miyamura Miyako, batshit

Oh, oh! Another awesome example: ef ~a tale of memories~ had this guy Hiro who loved this girl Miyako, but she went batshit because Hiro had a female childhood friend to whom he was friendly and supportive. Why the bitchiness, Miyako? Why the unwarranted jealousy? Your man is with you. (Another ambiguously bad example because Kei really did want Hiro inside her, but only ambiguously bad because Hiro clearly didn’t want in.)

I could present dozens more examples, but I think my point is made. This is my problem with Ai Yori Aoshi, and this is my problem with Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. This is my problem with a ton of romance shows. And that’s not to say that I have an inherent problem with romantic comedy. So long as it doesn’t make pretenses, and decides whether or not it’s harem/love polygon/etc., and sticks to that decision, I can forgive it its idiocy (for instance, I love Love Hina).

And finally, a good word in for Ai Yori Aoshi and Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: awwwwwwwwww the couples are so sweeeeeeeeet. (Thanks, Bawwwka-Raptor!)

Epilogue: If you didn’t know that Haruka and Yuuto were going to end up together, you haven’t seen a whole lot of anime. And in that case, I recommend the show to you. Take it as an opportunity to learn.

awwwwwww she's so cute
“My darkest secret is that my show was trash!”


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  1. I find it truly amusing how you take these shows apart, when I usually just watch them to be moved or entertained. Not to say I don’t watch shows that make me think, but they are (unfortunately) among the minority.

    Alar — 10/14/08 @ 2:58 pm | #Link | Reply

  2. Given your track record using synonyms for “amusing,” I’m inclined to be hurt by your euphemism.

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 3:15 pm | #Link | Reply

  3. I think you got some stuff wrong (namely the second half of your post), but nice try anyways.

    omo — 10/14/08 @ 4:29 pm | #Link | Reply

  4. What’s wrong, pray tell?

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 4:40 pm | #Link | Reply

  5. I want to take you apart for what you said about NHnH, but I realized it’s really only the first half that I’m enamored with (and that that’s probably not your point).

    But for the sake of me arguing in favor of a show I’m not even sure I like, it was actually pretty reasonable in the beginning; if you reference the swimming tournament, Haruka doesn’t immediately snap to Murderous Rage / Depression mode after seeing Yuuto save Shiina.

    I will note that shoujo shows are not invincible to the same kind of drama; typically the woman here just gets really, really angsty and demoralized instead of jealous, though. That doesn’t change the fact that a lot of shows do abuse this trope, though. I mean, seriously. I think it goes to show the hit-and-miss factor of this genre of shows.

    In conclusion, your post makes me go asdkfjewjroksdfkolwaje in good and bad ways, and I think I’ll summarize my opinion on why anime does this to one line.

    Teenagers in love are really stupid.

    CCY — 10/14/08 @ 5:08 pm | #Link | Reply

  6. I’m surprised you’d fault the show for precisely that, because Haruka doesn’t really act jealous by romance anime standards. There are plenty of times when generic expectations *scream* she should get mad at Yuuto for looking at another girl the wrong way, and she acts all cool instead. It takes a practical rape scene to get to her, and even then, the ensuing drama isn’t quite stereotypical. I wouldn’t say the romance aspect was the forte of Nogizaka Haruka no himitsu, but it’s still somewhat above average.

    As regards the connection to reality in male-oriented romance shows, we all know it’s paper thin at best. Then again, jealousy isn’t the most misrepresented side of it all. While real girls don’t fall for guys just for being kind to them, period, some do get angry at their boyfriends for being too kind to a hypothetical rival. Especially if it’s the sort of kindness that involves laying on the ground on top of each other.

    mt-i — 10/14/08 @ 5:10 pm | #Link | Reply

  7. >>if you reference the swimming tournament, Haruka doesn’t immediately snap to Murderous Rage / Depression mode after seeing Yuuto save Shiina.

    I’m mostly hanging on the “practical rape scene” as my solid example, but I had this feeling that Haruka was feeling unnaturally discarded after Shiina entered the picture (this in large part due to facial close-ups, heavy breathing, blushing, etc., after the festival committee is selected). I know NHnH was extremely mild compared to other shows in many regards, but the issue remains.

    >>I will note that shoujo shows are not invincible to the same kind of drama; typically the woman here just gets really, really angsty and demoralized instead of jealous, though.

    Not invincible, yeah, I suppose. In my experience, though, the percentages of cases in the two “genres” lean in a very meaningful direction.

    >>Teenagers in love are really stupid.

    I was under the impression that the characters in Ai Yori Aoshi were adults. But no matter. Teenagers in love IRL in my experience are nowhere near this level.

    >>As regards the connection to reality in male-oriented romance shows, we all know it’s paper thin at best.

    Of course, but this seems to me like one of the most inane things to blow out of proportion and misrepresent. I’ll quote something from the above post: why?! It doesn’t accomplish anything, really. It doesn’t even help to show off more delicious naked anime chicks.

    Anyway. Yeah, Haruka is extremely lightweight on these things compared to most of its ilk (hey, I finished Haruka‚Äîand enjoyed some of it, too), but that doesn’t mean the problems aren’t there. Also, in Haruka’s case the fault I think lies more with the presentation than the contents. Not sure where I’m going with that, but I felt like the show was presenting itself as a love triangle‚Äîwhen it really isn’t, and doesn’t gain anything by pretending to be. Shiina is a good friend and no one benefits from her falling all over Yuuto. Hopefully that was coherent; I’m really tired right now.

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 5:23 pm | #Link | Reply

  8. I’m afraid I find problems in your “analysis” here.

    You seem to assume that in every series you mentioned, the male and female protagonists are together as lovers to begin with, or already have romatic feelings for each other. That is only the case of Ai Yori Aoshi, since they were engaged by their families in childhood, though they did have genuine feelings for each other as well (even at that age!). In all the other series, the male and female leads are only friends, though subtle romatic feelings may be developing.

    I’ll take To Heart as an example. Hiroyuki and Akari have been friends since childhood, and Hiroyuki considers things to be status quo, but Akari is apparently developing romating feelings for him. In season 1 though, they basically stay friends throughout, so Hiroyuki interacting with those other girls is not a problem at all, and Akari knows this. Even though she finally admits being in love with Hiroyuki by the last episode, she only confided this to Shiho, but did not admit it to Hiroyuki (she simply told him “I’ll always have you by my side”) so Hiroyuki again thinks they’re just friends. It’s not until “Remember my Memories” when things come to head and Akari’s feelings for Hiroyuki really heat up, culminating in jealousy when Hiroyuki starts paying more attention to Multi, and he starts to get the idea when some of the other girls admit their feelings to him (though I only recall Lemy and Kotone doing so). Eventually Hiroyuki and Akari settle things (with a little help from Masashi, who also admitted his feelings to Akari only to be rejected by her on the spot), and are lovers by the end of the series.

    Now back to Ai Yori Aoshi. True Kaoru and Aoi are deeply in love. But the challenge is staying together without revealing this to the rest of the world, so as far as the other girls are concerned, Kaoru is available, which becomes a problem where Aoi cannot display any obvious signs of jealousy if the other girls try and make a move on him in order to maintain the secrecy. Of course, somehow they do find out (Tina being the first to actually point it out to Aoi), and support them when Aoi gets forced into another engagement (either to the other Kaori Hanabishi, or to someone selected by Aoi’s father, depending on if you want to reference the manga or anime). But Kaoru and Aoi’s love endures and they end up together in the end.

    Now in the case of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, while Haruka and Yuuto are destined to be together, they don’t know this yet, because as far as they’re concerned, they’ve only just met (by accident too), and it’s a case of Yuuto assuring Haruka that he’ll keep her hobby a secret, which is the basis of their friendship. It so happens Yuuto is Haruka’s first real friend, and this situation could naturally spark romating feelings, especially on the girl’s part; she just doesn’t know it – it’s more of something instictive. So, while Haruka’s jealousy may be “unwarranted” logically, it’s due to the subtle romantic feelings she has for Yuuto, but she doesn’t really know it yet. Think of it as a case of the brain doing one thing and the heart doing something else.

    Just about similar to Lamune. Kenji and Nanami are close friends to begin with, but the twist is that everyone thinks they’re together as lovers (even calling them husband and wife), but they deny this. While Nanami does exhibit signs of jealousy at certain times (like when he spends significant amount of time with Hiromi Sakura, but she eventually understands that he was just doing Hiromi a favor because she’s moving away), she still remains close to Kenji and understands his actions. In fact it’s Hiromi that starts the push that gets Kenji and Nanami together when she says something in the lines of “things aren’t just okay the way they are now” when her train leaves.

    Well thats as much as I can say.

    Sailor Enlil — 10/14/08 @ 5:41 pm | #Link | Reply

  9. What the characters consciously know of their feelings is less important the states of their relationships; in every case, the characters are spending time together and are in love.

    Hiromi causes Nanami to become aware of something, but Nanami’s actions and behavior don’t really change. From the beginning, Haruka is enamored with Yuuto, and, while their feelings for each other grow, there’s no room for anyone between them from very early on (episode 2 or 3). Akari might not confess to Hiroyuki (I haven’t seen past episode 9 of season 1) but she most certainly sees him as her love interest and yet doesn’t go ballistic if he talks to another girl (hence To Heart being a counter-example to the trend I describe in this post). Note that she doesn’t make the conscious choice not to go ballistic because she and Hiroyuki are not together.

    So yeah. I guess I don’t see the problem in my analysis, based on what you presented in your comment.

    And again, the “problem” in Ai Yori Aoshi is completely superficial and Aoi and Kaoru could just as easily be open about their relationship. All the pressure to keep it hidden crap is just that, crap. Lamest reason for a show to have a romantic tension EVER.

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 6:00 pm | #Link | Reply

  10. I’m glad you spent time taking the show apart because it was such serious fucking business.
    You should stop watching a romance show if it gets overly cutesy, angsty, superficial or unimaginably stupid.
    God bless whoever thinks this is a good show.

    frankeinstein — 10/14/08 @ 6:43 pm | #Link | Reply

  11. I thought it was pretty clear that I spent this time thinking about it and writing a post because I found myself challenged to. You can be sarcastic all you want‚Äîbut when someone says something I disagree with, it’s generally healthier for everyone involved if I take the time to figure out why I disagree and then present my standpoint in as clear a manner as possible.

    So I try to do it.

    I’m also not slamming the show’s watchers; I’m merely stating my opinion of the show. Furthermore I finished NHnH, and intend to finish Ai Yori Aoshi. I don’t stop watching things because I find one or two issues (or a hundred even‚Äîmost of my most-hated shows are shows I’ve watched to completion).

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 7:01 pm | #Link | Reply

  12. >And again, the “problem" in Ai Yori Aoshi is completely superficial and Aoi and Kaoru could just as easily be open about their relationship. All the pressure to keep it hidden crap is just that, crap. Lamest reason for a show to have a romantic tension EVER.

    Not if you’re a member of a family that believes in arranged marriages (which incidentally is still happening in Japan even today). At the time of the series Kaoru and Aoi’s engagement was off because Kaoru left the Hanabishi clan, so their current relationship is essensially an act of rebellion (particularly against the Sakuraba family, since they are still in a business agreement with the Hanabishi family, which is that the Hanabishis will acquire part of the Sakuraba business, and that can only happen if a Hanabishi heir marrys that of Sakuraba, who happens to be Aoi). If you watched the series carefully, Miyabi constantly reminds the pair of the potential scandal that would result if knowledge of their relationship got out (hence the pretense of Aoi being a landlady was necessary, plus the other girls at first were not exactly considered trustworthy of keeping this very sensitive secret). And of course the climax of the story is centered on this issue, and thus threatens Kaoru and Aoi’s relationship (though the manga is more consistent, since the male party of the arranged marrige involved is clearly a Hanabishi – the other Kaoru Hanabishi).

    Sailor Enlil — 10/14/08 @ 7:41 pm | #Link | Reply

  13. But all that tradition crap only matters if our hero and heroine are materialistic whores who want the rich family’s inheritance. They can have whatever feelings and partners they want (each other), and the only motivation they have to listen to Miyabi and lay low is greed.

    What. The. Fuck.

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 7:46 pm | #Link | Reply

  14. I see you don’t get the point at all. It’s not about inheriting the family wealth. It’s about going against the family’s orders. And some families can be really forceful (which was the case of the Sakurabas – remember they had a deal with the Hanabishis, and as far as they’re concerned, business overrules personal wants). The fear Kaoru and Aoi had was not about not inheriting the family wealth (which was made clear particularly at the last manga volume when Kaoru declared the other Kaoru to be the one to inherit the Sakuraba legacy). It was the possibility that the Sakurabas will force them apart and force Aoi to marry someone else (i.e. a shotgun wedding; which almost happened, if not for the intervention of Miyabi).

    Sailor Enlil — 10/14/08 @ 8:03 pm | #Link | Reply

  15. Force how, can’t they just run away? They’re bound by nonsense to a fear they willingly subscribe to. They should just throw their backgrounds away and be happy.

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 8:11 pm | #Link | Reply

  16. *correction of term – instead of shotgun wedding (which is forced marriage due to pregnancy), simply forced marriage*

    Sailor Enlil — 10/14/08 @ 8:17 pm | #Link | Reply

  17. Well, Aoi threatened to leave the family like Kaoru did with the Hanabishis, but if the Sakurabas were really forceful and concerned about their reputation, they could use real force (eg lock Aoi up, like what happened in the anime – thankfully she escaped with Miyabi’s help, or if the Sakurabas were like Yakuza, hunt her down or maybe even have Kaoru killed for example).

    Sailor Enlil — 10/14/08 @ 8:21 pm | #Link | Reply

  18. Yes, they can always take the Kuhouin route. But then Kaoru could always take the Kurenai route.

    lolikitsune — 10/14/08 @ 8:27 pm | #Link | Reply

  19. >But then Kaoru could always take the Kurenai route.
    If he had the resources to do so (remember he was basically living alone after leaving the Hanabishis, so he’s just a fly against the might of the Sakuraba conglomerate), and it so happened Miyabi was on his side. In real life though, the chances of couples like Kaori and Aoi getting away with their relationship against their wealthy family’s orders are absolutely slim (forced marriages are still happening today, they’re just being kept under wraps from human rights groups and the Catholic and Christian churches, all of which are against forced marriages).

    Sailor Enlil — 10/14/08 @ 8:39 pm | #Link | Reply

  20. I thought this post was about Nogizaka lol.

    The “harem” of Nogizaka is a total facade that is mildly serious for 1 full episode. I’m not saying its a great show, because it really tapered off into meh-ness, and didn’t start 1 million % fabulous or anything. But, the turbulence of the series comes more from getting spotted in Akihabara or Nogizaka’s otakuness getting found out.

    Anyway, I still wouldn’t recommend it as “must see” or “best of season.”

    Ryan A — 10/15/08 @ 6:08 am | #Link | Reply

  21. Speaking of Ai Yori Aoshi, ~LOL~! That was my first manga purchase when I entered into otaku-dom.

    That said, I skipped the rest of your article, because The Secret of Haruka Nogizaka ‚Äî and any other love-com shows past 2003 ‚Äî are essentially a copy from an earlier series, so it doesn’t make a difference in whether I should recommend this show or what not. (It does offer a convoluted experience in the plot point of Haruka’s attempt in keeping her otaku secret ‚Äî anyone who watches Train Man and is/are/were a secret weaboo can totally relate to her.)

    Indeed, the only reason why I bothered watching this show is because I have to admit this is one of the “obligatory trashy show-to-watch” in my summer season viewing. And, in its “I’m-already-attached-to-one-girl-but-there’s-tons-of-girls-out-to-get-me” class, this is the only show on offer at that period of time.

    TP — 10/15/08 @ 9:19 pm | #Link | Reply

  22. Hi.

    I finally read it. It’s actually a serious post, lol.

    Anyway, I loved how you said that the relationships in anime don’t really happen in RL most of the time because the guy’s a jerk (and he is!).

    I won’t know how girls think. I don’t even know how MANLY MEN think, seeing as I’m obviously not one of them. But I can recognize the absence of logic in these series.

    Michael — 10/30/08 @ 7:54 am | #Link | Reply

  23. @Michael: I told you it was serious! Shit, man, I’ve been trying to get you to read this for a fortnight now.

    Sigh…

    lolikitsune — 10/30/08 @ 8:15 am | #Link | Reply

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