hontou ni
21Sep/0914

Confessions of a bishoujo-enthusiast

If you haven't realised, the tanuki is actually a chauvinist. Not in the sense of how women should be subservient to men (which I don't believe in and in fact despise the insecure, little men who demands that) but rather the chivalrous debt that men owe women (yes especially the beautiful ones) since they are the fairer sex and ought to be cherished with utmost loving care. That explains why imouto moe is so big in my 2D psyche. Few things call forth the knightly impulses in me more readily than a needy, moelicious imouto (or in RL - the frantic yelps of my lovely wife when faced with the abominable cockroach).

However, the staunch beliefs of the bishoujo sect do have its pitfalls. For one, I always burn with indignant rage when I see an anime bishoujo suffering grave injustice especially at the hands of unworthy a boyfriend. That's the reason why I couldn't finish School Days. Seikai and Kotonoha simply don't deserve such treatment and Makoto's death is no vindication for the victims whose hearts and souls have been so crushed/darkened by his evil. That's the same reason why I couldn't finish Ef ~ a tale of melodies too. I was so saddened and sickened by Yuuko's plight that I dropped the series at ep 6. Ultimately I think I cared too much for these bishoujos, having felt so helpless at their cruel fates that dropping the series seemed the only way out.

To be honest, I almost dropped Bakemonogatari at ep 2 too when Senjougahara's backstory came to light. Thankfully, Senjougahara is a great deal stronger than I am and her recovery strengthened my love for one of the sexiest bishoujos to grace the 2D realm. To a lesser extent, that's also the reason why I struggle with Hatuskoi Limited. The fantastic bishoujo cast mismatched with clueless boys severely upsets my bishoujo sensibilities - especially for Kei and Misaka whom I hold in in the highest regard.

On other end of the spectrum, bishoujo enthusiasts also tend to give 2D bishoujos too much leeway for behaving badly. A good example for me would be Louise (Zero no Tsukaima). I'll always believe that part of being a real man is to not only to merely to protect bishoujos from physical harm but to care for their emotional/mental well-being. I know Saito gets whipped a lot (which my good bro Zyl detests) but honestly at least for Season 1, there is a great deal of justification for Louise's seemingly callous treatment of Saito (she sees him as a tsukaima after all; zero self-esteem; 16 yr old oujousama blah blah) and I really appreciate Saito taking it like a man not just for the comic effect but because through his perserverance, he nursed Louise's tattered esteem back to healthy levels. Surprisingly I don't have the same love for Haruhi. Haruhi is a lot less lovable than Louise who was at least principled and loyal. I want to say Haruhi was 10x the spoiled little princess than Louise ever was but I think the real issue is that Louise is also at least 10x prettier than Haruhi (pink hair and lolicious etc etc). Yeah, the double standards that every bishoujo enthusiast must suffer from.

So the next time you meet a moe/bishoujo enthusiast, don't write him off just yet as a pathetic moe-pandering otaku. He may pretty biased or even extreme in his bishoujo views but chances are he possesses more knightly qualities than the average 2D fan even if such chivalry was directed to only the most beautiful in animedom.

Related posts:

  1. Stripey in Akihabara (2) ~ Not everyone in seifuku is a bishoujo
  2. Fifteen memorable anime confessions
  3. Random Rant: Confessions

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Comments (14) Trackbacks (2)
  1. Ryuusei
    September 21st, 2009 - 19:44

    Hey, Stripey! Glad to finally find someone who understands how I feel. After watching Da Capo SS and seeing Kotori suffer, I decided to join the Army in order to gain the strength to protect her, to fight and protect her angelic heart.

    When I told my peers, some of them thought I was nuts… -_- I’m glad to finally find another Bishoujo enthusiast who shares my views. Our views may be a little extreme sometimes, but it’s all because we actually have a burning passion for our beloved Bishoujos.

    Moreover, sometimes, it’s thanks to our passion for bishoujos that enable us to soar great heights and overcome. Like me, who was once a wimpy hikikomori, am now daring enough to take on tough jungle training courses, and this credit goes to my love and desire to protect my darling Kotori.

    ( REPLY )
    • Stripey
      September 21st, 2009 - 23:51

      Indeed, our bishoujos give us strength! It’s so great to find a fellow Kotori fan, one that’s made from DCSS no less. (I’m of the opinion that Kotori’s charm shone the brightest in DCSS even though the series was seriously flawed.)

      All the best for your military courses!

      ( REPLY )
      • Ryuusei
        September 22nd, 2009 - 22:53

        Thanks, comrade! Well said too. I believe Kotori’s main charm was her inherent kindness, and the suffering which she had to endured resulted from it. I thank Haruhi that I ever met her, because she was the one who inspired me to pluck up my courage, pick up my rifle, and protect those whom I hold dear.

        PS: Off topic, but I think I’ve ever seen you before in KKnM last month. You were enquiring about the Kotori dakimakura and a Nanaka glass, weren’t you? xD

      • Stripey
        September 23rd, 2009 - 23:02

        Uguu! I’m not sure if you ‘caught’ me but I did enquire about the Kotori dakimakura sometime back. XD Can’t remember anything about the Nanaka glass though.

        *Gasp* You might just be the first thru-n-thru Kotori fan I’m met in flesh! :)

  3. Ashram
    September 21st, 2009 - 21:30

    Well said! There has been the occasional show that I’ve stopped watching for the same reason. I dropped School Days, and Hatsukoi because of that.

    ( REPLY )
  4. anonymous_object
    September 21st, 2009 - 22:40

    I was just thinking about how I dislike weak female characters but I still love a good bishoujo. Maybe that’s why tsundere keep my interest. They’re not weak and submissive. On the contrary, they’re usually quite fierce and aggressive but they have their soft side as well ^^. Gotta have the right balance ;)

    ( REPLY )
    • Stripey
      September 22nd, 2009 - 00:03

      I believe ultimately it boils down to good characterisation. :) Even a ‘weak’ character can seem credible/endearing if the basis of her personality/character is well established. Conversely, supposedly more dimensional character archetypes can also fall flat if the creator was just trying to fill the ‘tsundere’ void in the cast. That said I understand how the weak, needy imouto archetype has been abused in anime. It’s like how I felt KyoAni has pushed the envelope of moe so far that Fuuki was born in Clannad. Or the wonderfully packaged Mio whom I just could not connect as a credible character. A personal example of a seemingly weak character I loved is Kana in Otoboku. Genki, mild and onee-sama crooning, she could easily be one of those moeblobs that some speak of but yet, there is great strength underlying that submissive exterior. I attribute it to good writing. :)

      Oh and your many contributions at e-shuushuu are one of my main fuel for bishoujo love! Thanks for sharing the pretties!

      ( REPLY )
      • anonymous_object
        September 22nd, 2009 - 02:43

        Hmmm, yeah, I guess I do like some less assertive characters. Yuno from Hidamari Sketch comes to mind. She’s shy, meek, and quiet but her character seems perfectly natural and charming to me. If they are nicely fleshed out, I can like other personality types ^^. I have to agree about Mio though. I didn’t find her very interesting. Her personality seemed rather hallow and over the top >_<

        Glad to hear you like e-shuushuu! I can't say I upload much these days. The younger kids can browse Pixiv and artist sites far more regularly than I. I mostly just enjoy the art now (and keep the site running ;) . I noticed there is no Stripey user registered. Do you go by another nick or browse anonymously? :)

      • Stripey
        September 23rd, 2009 - 23:04

        Heh, e-shuushuu is on my daily digital pilgrimage list. :) Keep up the great work! I browse anonymously actually. :P

  5. maglor
    September 22nd, 2009 - 15:03

    So, how has Stripey’s needy, moelicious imouto ranking has changed since Bakemonogatari ep. 11, where there is large amount of scenes with Sengoku Nadeko in it? I am still demanding to see the treatise on this.

    By the way, if you don’t like Haruhi, would you support Yuki fans in defeating her?

    http://moet.anizone.net/index.php?Phase=CombatList&Index=7&StartingIndex=2&FinishingIndex=4&lang=eng

    ( REPLY )

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