Forum - View topicIt's so hard to say those 3 little words.
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Ktimene's Lover
 Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
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I know anime that is romantic often may end with the two lovers getting/implied at being married or just end up dating or even having kids. But why can it seem so hard to say those three simple words? I know will say they that person but it's often one sided. I mean one will say they love the other. To date the only anime I've seen where both the boy and girl tell each other "aishiteru" or "I like you" are Kanon, Kanokon, and Kare Kano. What is with this. Kare Kano, Love Hina, Fruits Basket, and flipping through the final Maison Ikkoku volume are actually the only manga I've read that to date where both characters say they love each other.
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dirkusbirkus
 Posts: 699 Location: Manchester, UK |
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I reckon you've been watching the wrong anime. Ai Yori Aoshi, Clannad, ef: A Tale of Memories, Bokura ga Ita... heck, even Itazura na Kiss recently had both leads say those three words to each other (if you know Irie, you'll know why that's a big deal!). Go check the romance thread, it's packed with such anime.
I might be wrong here as well, but it's usually 'Suki Da', 'Suki Dayo' or 'Suki Yo' used to express love, 'Aishiteru' being a less impactful term? Again, I might be completely wrong here 
Edit: Yeah, I'm wrong. Aishiteru seems to be the more literal translation of 'I Love You', with the Suki~ terms being more colloquial. They do seem to crop up more often in anime, i find. |
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BrentNewhall
 Posts: 31 |
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Because that's what keeps the story going, the wait for those characters to actually confess their love.
If they were able to confess their love immediately, the manga/anime would be over in 20 minutes. |
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Veoryn87
 Posts: 808 |
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Seen or read Kare Kano (also known as His and Her Circumstances)? "I love you" was said very early on, but they were still able to made a long, yet compelling love story out of it. I found it refreshing because rather than having the two main characters like each other but deny it all they can until the very end of the series, the characters got together early on and we get to see their relationship develop from there. Edit: Ah. I should have read your post a little better. You already mentioned Kare Kano. Sorry. 
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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OK, time for a brief lesson in romance, Japanese-style.
First, you have to understand that Japanese culture, while hardly immune to the effect of romance, has always frowned on the public display of intimacy or affection. A generation ago, it was (in many places, at least -- I don't if it was universally true) a citable offense for people to kiss in public. It was, quite simply, a breach of public morals. Of course, in the modern era, young people behave more or less like young people all over the world, and public displays of affection are common. Nevertheless, there is still a tendency to apply a much higher level of significance to kissing, embracing, and holding hands. Anime, in this respect, often displays a more old-fashioned view of the world, and this is why you will often hear an anime character politely ask another one if it's okay to hold hands. This is also why you will often see a woman clinging to a male character's clothes, instead of hanging on his arm or holding hands with him. And again, it's why Westerners are often shown as being stereotypically clingy, kissing and embracing with an ease that is too much in-your-face to be acceptable to Japanese. Families are expected to display a much closer level of intimacy -- but again, not in public. Moving on from physical intimacy to words, there are many ways of saying those three magic words. Let's say Suzuki Yuuko is dreadfully smitten with the school baseball champ, Tanaka Yuutaro. At this point, the mandatory script for a burgeoning love affair is the traditional kokuhaku, "confession", declaring her emotional status to him. Usually, she will make an appointment at a secluded location, where she can make her declaration. The words for the simplest form of love declaration are fairly straightforward: "Tanaka-kun ga suki desu" ("I like you, Tanaka-kun"). Yes, that's suki as in "like", not love. You don't declare your love as freely in Japanese as you do in English. Sometimes, you'll hear "Tanaka-kun no koto ga suki desu" ("I like Tanaka-kun's ways/style/personality"), which, if the girl or boy is tongue-tied, may be abbreviated (Japanese grammar abbreviates a lot, in sentence structures where the abbreviated portion is implicit) to Tanaka-kun no koto.... Or, she could just blurt out "Suki desu!" ("I like you!"). All of which, of course, is a declaration of love -- regardless of the fact that the word used means "like". Because the word suki carries this meaning, someone who is trying to say they like someone else, without implying romance, will sometimes avoid the word entirely, instead saying "Kirai ja nai" ("I don't hate/dislike {you}"). You'll hear this often between men, when a guy is trying to say he really likes another guy without giving the impression of romantic attachment. However... sometimes, a more deep and emotional declaration of love is needed -- something that isn't superficial, and better corresponds to the great ideal of undying romantic love. In such cases, and these are very rare, the Japanese roll out the flagship in the love-declaration fleet: Aishiteru ("I love you"). This is a powerful statement, and you don't really hear it a lot. When it is used, it always carries an intense emotional impact. Furthermore, it doesn't necessarily mean romantic love -- it can be any kind of deep love. In the anime Aishiteruze Baby, the word is deliberately used to reflect the deep emotional commitment that Kippei forms in his rôle in loco parentis to little Yuzuyu. It can also be embarrassing, because it is so intense. A character (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, so I won't be specific) in .hack//SIGN uses the word, and the surrounding characters react with embarrassment. Finally, you'll sometimes encounter a slightly different declaration of love, with someone using the word itoshii ("precious") to indicate someone who is very dear to them. I can't, off-hand, think of any anime examples, but you'll encounter it in the live-action version of Densha Otoko. - abunai |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6921 Location: Kazune City |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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So the emotion conveyed by the phrase in context is greater than that of the sum of the words. I was worried for a moment that those critical points were less romantic than the subtitles were leading me to believe. I find the whole procedure of "confessions" highly cute in concept. Far more amorous than just getting drunk together. |
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abunai
Old Regular
Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Well... "candy is dandy, but liquour is quicker." (  )
But even so, I would tend to agree. I'm a fan of the "love confession", myself. It's unbearably cute and innocent in an old-fashioned way. Speaking of which -- check out the manga Love Roma (which I believe is out in an English translation), for a truly different way of confessing your love. It's crazy fun. - abunai |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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Ya know, uncharacteristic for a series of its type, Eureka Seven is actually a series in which the characters both said they loved each other.
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abynormal
 Posts: 427 Location: Louisiana |
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Do you mean uncharacteristic for a shonen series or uncharacteristic for a mecha / sci-fi series? I can see your point either way. Most of the time the romance develops so slowly in those genres it's nonexistent for all practical purpose. But in Eureka 7, Renton is smitten with Eureka from the very first episode, so it was inevitable from my perspective. |
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AeronDestine
Posts: 4 |
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There's an episode of avatar where Zuko and some other woman who I don't know the name of (I havn't been watching it for that long) kiss an dsay they love each other.
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Keonyn
Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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For a mecha/sci-fi series I meant, I don't classify it as a shonen, though I could see how it might be close enough. I've seen many shows where the two were a couple or really liked each other, but they still never actually say it, as the OP mentioned. In Eureka Seven it was actually said, and was said by the both of them. It's one thing to have a character fall head over heels for another character in a series, it happens all the time, but in E7 it actually developed and went somewhere. |
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Olliff
 Posts: 552 |
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Call it cheesy if you may, but I have always enjoyed this theme in anime. It can be taken to extremes with series like School Rumble, but in moderation it can produce some interesting results. I never really made the cultural connection until now, but now that I see it, it does makes sense.
The whole confession procedure is dripping with cuteness. Is its portrayal in anime realistic? Not likely, but it sure to be entertaining. However, that being said, this device is coming very close to becoming overused. |
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zanarkand princess
 Posts: 1484 |
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So when do you use koi?
I love the love confessions in anime they are so cute. I usually appreciate it more in a straightforward love story than in harem though. |
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abunai
Old Regular
Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Ah, details. 愛 (ai) means "love" as a noun, and it is generally used when you want to speak of deep love, as in aishiteru (using the verb suru, "to do" to verb the noun). 恋 (koi) is used to mean "love" as a noun, though you can speak of "doing love" (koi shimasu) just as you can with ai. In general, where koi is used, it carries a context of "ordinary" love, as opposed to the deep love of ai (but don't get too hung up on this difference, because it's a very narrow gap). Where you normally see koi used is to describe ordinary love relationships, and in the word koibito (恋人, "lover", literally: "love-person"). There's also a very trite kanji pun, in that the kanji for "carp", 鯉, is also pronounced koi. Also, 恋愛 (ren'ai, literally "love-love") is a kanji composite that generally means "romance". And while we're on the topic of "love-love", the English word "love" is also used as a borrowed word, rabu (ラブ), and often occurs in the compound ラブラブ (rabu-rabu, "loveydovey").
I like them, too -- they're sweet. But let's keep in mind that this is a theatrical style. I very much doubt that real Japanese youngsters behave in this stilted and stereotypical fashion. In fact, they probably consider it slightly naff. - abunai |
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