Things I learned watching anime.
Warning! Some of these observations are a little offensive. Sorry in advance.
I hope to add to my list as time goes on!
1. If you love someone enough, you can change them. Especially if you allow them to treat you poorly.
2. If you have a childhood friend that you were even remotely interested in, they are “the one” and no one else will do. Go find them! Go now!
3. Luck is real.
4. You cannot be a strong character without also physically abusing people.
5. Boobs are weapons. The bigger the better.
6. It’s okay to be flat-chested. Boobs are still boobs after all.
7. Girls love to squeeze one another’s boobs.
8. Good food will give you an orgasm.
9. Accidentally bumping into someone makes you draw in a sharp breath and immediately blush as if you have never bumped into anyone before in your life.
10. Holding hands is a big deal.
11. Kissing is practically sex.
12. Sex doesn’t exist.
13. Even the nerdiest person has someone who loves them.
14. Love often goes unrequited. Especially if it’s for a sibling or childhood friend.
15. No one has any friends or has ever had friends or has even tried to talk to anyone except that one childhood friend who understood them. (The one!)
16. Guys will corner you in groups for your phone number.
17. Guys will grope you on the subway.
18. Apparently no one likes to be groped. Especially not girls. And girls don’t grope.
19. The guy has to make the first move for some reason. (See above)
20. Passive-aggressive behavior FTW.
21. Thank you for the food!
22. Take your damn shoes off in the house.
23. If you have feelings. Just keep them inside. Don’t tell anyone ever until it’s too late.
24. Apologize. Even if it’s not your fault, it’s still probably your fault. (I’m sorry for making you wait…even though we both arrived early.)
25. Who needs to communicate properly anyway? Miscommunication FTW.
26. I like you. Let’s go out.
27. I’m in love with you, let’s go out. (What’s your name? Let’s start there.)
28. Once you have a boyfriend/ girlfriend. That’s it! You can never break up or even think about dating anyone else ever again. So you better make damn sure you are in love before accepting that confession.
29. Normal characters are really hard to watch. The crazier they are, the more love they get. (If that’s the case, then why don’t girls get to grope?)
30. You’re both guys. Thanks for saying that for the tenth time.
31. If you have a sibling, it means you are in love with them.
32. If you are spending the day studying, it means you do not have time to take even one phone call.
33. If you don’t dry your hair, you will get sick. Same goes if you fall asleep on the floor.
34. If you get sick, you get really sick.
35. Guy love is real.
36. If a girl sees a guy naked or vise-versa, she can never get married. She’s ruined!
37. The definition of the words “Otaku” and “Hikikomori”.
38. 2D love is still love.
Things that bother me:
1. Female characters.
For the most part, I see them being doormats, shy, overly submissive, lacking any friends despite being cute or completely normal-looking, or they are hyper-aggressive, over-sexualized, and use their bodies/ sex appeal to get their way. Because apparently, if you can’t get your way being passive-aggressive, the only answer is to use force. Why do strong female characters have to beat the crap out of all the guys on the show? Why is that funny? Maybe I’m too old to get that one or maybe it’s simply catering to a largely male audience?
I understand the basic character tropes within the genre, but is that a rule set in stone? Is no one allowed to deviate from those characters? Look at Princess Jellyfish. The female characters there are far from the norm and oh-so-enjoyable to watch and the prettiest girl on the show is actually a guy while the standard “hot girl” is total bitch who uses her body to close real estate deals. I love to watch the ladies struggle with those same moral dilemmas that the interesting male characters do, like Touka from Tokyo Ghoul.
2. Overt Misogyny.
“You are going to make a good wife someday.” This is a line I keep hearing/ reading. Why? If both manga and anime are to be believed, boys and girls go to the same schools, get the same education, and follow similar career paths that cater to their various aptitudes. Yet there is a weird expectation that girls will be the ones make all the sacrifices following marriage. The onus is on them to have children, stop working, and be supported by their husbands. (God help them if the man can’t get it done.) Why? Even Sacajawea had a newborn baby on her back when she led Lewis and Clark down the Missouri River. I don’t get why a woman has to choose between career and family if she wants both. You don’t have to be pigeon-holed into one or the other path. The dad in the situation gets both after all. So why don’t I ever hear this line: “You are going to make a good husband someday.“
To be continued as I learn more!