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Chicks on Anime [2008-09-09]

@Sakechan: It's opposite in the sense that one starts rough and becomes nice, and the other starts nice and becomes insane. It's the "niceness" bit, really; Yandere characters are significantly more violent than tsundere in the tsun-tsun phase.

And yes, it is in the sense of the character whose name you blocked. It's the same example I used. Yandere are mentally unstable characters, often with a violent obsession over their love interest. This is different from simply fawning over him like in many harem series, mind you. Such characters are often willing to kill to keep others away from their object of obsession, and don't take rejection well.

Nayoko-Kihara wrote:

When you all started talking about buying body pillows of your favorite characters from an anime, or a manga, it all seemed like you'd take it to automatically be something sexual, or some sort of desire to sleep with and/or be with that certain character. I understand that might be what happens a majority of the time, but nobody even mentioned another possibility and it made it seem as if these are the ONLY reasons you would ever buy a body pillow, and actually use it. Can't I just get the pillow because it has my favorite character on it? Or because it's large, and comfortable? The character could just be an after thought. - The same with figures and doujinshi when they were mentioned. Can't I just get a figure of my favorite character, BECAUSE it's my favorite character? It's a neat trinket to have, and to show off. But the only side mentioned was one of a sexual nature, coming off as: "If you have body pillows and figures, you must be some sort of closet pervert."

I guess with this, I just don't personally understand what it's like to be in the position of the customer. Maybe you could shed some light on the matter. What does one do with a body pillow with a character's image on it? If you just wanted something to hug, why not a plain pillow? Why not a stuffed animal?

Part of my confusion is that I, personally, have never been a very touchy-feely person. Outside from some celebratory hugs on sports teams when I was in high school, or tearful college departures, I've never been one to hug people outside of significant others or my gay best friend. So to me, it's hard to imagine wanting to curl up in bed next to anyone for comfort, I guess.

It's not just moe characters, either. When I see Hannah Montana pillows at Target, I'm completely confused as to their purpose. Why would you want to wake up and have Miley Cyrus' face staring at you? Obviously the little girls who buy those pillows don't have a problem with it, but I just don't get it.

So maybe it's one of those, "It's not you, it's me," things. I have a billion stuffed animals, but zero dolls. Human figures have never really provided comfort to me, so maybe that's why I don't get it.

Moe has been highjacked by the lolicoms and used as a sheep's skin to hide their pervy fetishes under. The BBC did a program called Japanaroma last year, that touched on moe, but when the presenter and his Japanese co-presenter explained what moe was, the co-presenter pulled out a "lap" pillow, (one shaped like a girl's lap in the sitting position) where he then proceded to put his head on it right in the groin, and then a cap gen flashed up with MOE across the screen. I just gritted my teeth and said "Oh Bloody'ell! No it's NOT!!". I even sent an e-mail to the presenter to give him a ticking off, but I got no reply. He's a bit a tw@ anyway so I'm not surprised.

ikillchicken wrote:

(By the way, yeah, that quote sounds confusing out of context. What I mean is that a romantic relationship is ultimately based on some manner of sexual attraction. That's what sets it apart from a friendship.)

Hmm, I think this is the point that we differ on. As I wholly believe that two people can have an intimate and romantic relationship with no sex. But I suppose that just comes down to a different point of view on certain values.

To me, to me, the popularity of Azumanga Daioh is the mass movement of thousands of lonely men signaling vainly to each other to give validity to them watching a show about pink-donning prepubescent girls. people say that it brings them nostalgia from their past days of high school life, or the happiness of hanging out with their friends after school, and I can understand that. But beyond that point of ol'-time-feelin', I can't see the selling point at all with the "humour" that prevails the series. Make no mistake— this isn't because I don't understand the jokes. I do. I just don't find them funny. Or rather, I found them funny the first time through, but beyond that, got bored the 4th time around. Perhaps I'll be missing out when this series is eagerly gobbled up at Best Buy by thousands of fans, but if I've lived this long without being consumed by the 1337n3ss of 0s4k4, I think I can live just a bit further without falling into the pit of AzuDai fandom. Am I missing out? Maybe. But we all have different tastes, and mine surely don't rest in little girls with mobile hair and b00bi3-size jokes.

I'd honestly be surprised if it picks up a new wave of anime fans. Shows focused on humour like Kodocha may do that, but not something so culturally focused like AzuDai.