Hensuki: Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she’s a cutie?

[ZetsubouKaiji]

Discussion goes where there is interest from the users. Most of us are a lot less interested in anime now than when we first came here.

 

[BurntJelly]

Spoiler: 01

Went into this expecting a harem comedy. It's not really comedy. It's just harem romance, not even drama really.

It wasn't bad, but it was a bit boring.

All 3 of the girls were flirty...

 

[interregnum]

Spoiler: 2

Spoiler: But this time with words.

These girls are wasted on this dumbass.

And when I say "dumbass," I don't mean that he's, like, actually a dumbass. I mean he's just a normal guy. Nice. Respectful. Wants to fall in love. And absolutely NOT the guy you should pick if you're hoping to engage your long-hidden kink powers.

Obviously. Like, take a f***ing hint, girls: when you're the sexiest thing in the world and reveal you're into kinky stuff to a dude, and his immediate reaction isn't something resembling happiness, you're not winning the war.

And yet our first two romantic contenders are being really goddamn presumptuous.

Look, as excited as the girls are, I'm sure, to find someone they think they can romantically be themselves with--and I have no earthly idea why either would think he's the one to fill this role (though, at least he'd acted sort of aggressive with Pet-senpai)--they ARE NOT taking any cues from our main guy's protestations.

It's unbelievable, even as a gag. Because it's not funny--and because THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. This kind of thing is a deeply personal aspect of someone's personality, and it's basically a zero-sum game: your partner is either down...or out. It's not an opening gambit UNLESS YOU HAVE A REASON to suspect the person you're opening yourself up to is of the requisite complementary persuasion. Which he very clearly is not.

(And, for however odd Pet-senpai's aggressive masochism might be, Dominatrix-chan's interpretation of "I think you're cute" as "You're exactly the kind of cute that I'd like physically punishing me" is just flat-out BIZARRE. Because, despite his outright denial that he wants to be her slave, she assaults him anyway. Not makes aggressive overtures, not sexually harasses him (a la Pet-senpai)--physically assaults him. I don't care how adorable she is or how hot that panty-doffing moment was (...and she is--and it was),

Oy. I'm used to oblivious characters and obstinate characters...but this just feels weird. And any fears I expressed last week about this not seeming to have much of a point were by no means allayed, this week.

Having said that...I'll be here for the next episode, because I want to see what our third romance option is going to tell us about. I'm assuming it's that she draws really dirty manga, judging from her cameo during the date.

Plus, y'know...the other girls are hot.

Spoiler: Sidebar

I'm very forgiving of cliches. I talk about that fairly frequently. But I am really tired of this guys-gang-up-on-girl-so-she'll-spend-time-with-them thing. Not specifically because I can't believe this is a real thing that can happen (it's an alien and irrational concept to me, but some people aren't self-loathing introverts, so...maybe), but because it's never given any kind of context when it happens. They're just a random encounter that spawns after the girl takes a preordained number of steps.

Do better, lazy tropes.

And no: this doesn't count as being narratively clever because Dom-chan then turns out to basically do the same thing to our dumbass protagonist at the end of the episode.

 

[NekoYesEcchi]

Spoiler: 2

Spoiler: But this time with words.

These girls are wasted on this dumbass.

And when I say "dumbass," I don't mean that he's, like, actually a dumbass. I mean he's just a normal guy. Nice. Respectful. Wants to fall in love. And absolutely NOT the guy you should pick if you're hoping to engage your long-hidden kink powers.

Obviously. Like, take a f***ing hint, girls: when you're the sexiest thing in the world and reveal you're into kinky stuff to a dude, and his immediate reaction isn't something resembling happiness, you're not winning the war.

And yet our first two romantic contenders are being really goddamn presumptuous.

Look, as excited as the girls are, I'm sure, to find someone they think they can romantically be themselves with--and I have no earthly idea why either would think he's the one to fill this role (though, at least he'd acted sort of aggressive with Pet-senpai)--they ARE NOT taking any cues from our main guy's protestations.

It's unbelievable, even as a gag. Because it's not funny--and because THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS. This kind of thing is a deeply personal aspect of someone's personality, and it's basically a zero-sum game: your partner is either down...or out. It's not an opening gambit UNLESS YOU HAVE A REASON to suspect the person you're opening yourself up to is of the requisite complementary persuasion. Which he very clearly is not.

(And, for however odd Pet-senpai's aggressive masochism might be, Dominatrix-chan's interpretation of "I think you're cute" as "You're exactly the kind of cute that I'd like physically punishing me" is just flat-out BIZARRE. Because, despite his outright denial that he wants to be her slave, she assaults him anyway. Not makes aggressive overtures, not sexually harasses him (a la Pet-senpai)--physically assaults him. I don't care how adorable she is or how hot that panty-doffing moment was (...and she is--and it was),

Oy. I'm used to oblivious characters and obstinate characters...but this just feels weird. And any fears I expressed last week about this not seeming to have much of a point were by no means allayed, this week.

Having said that...I'll be here for the next episode, because I want to see what our third romance option is going to tell us about. I'm assuming it's that she draws really dirty manga, judging from her cameo during the date.

Plus, y'know...the other girls are hot.

Spoiler: Sidebar

I'm very forgiving of cliches. I talk about that fairly frequently. But I am really tired of this guys-gang-up-on-girl-so-she'll-spend-time-with-them thing. Not specifically because I can't believe this is a real thing that can happen (it's an alien and irrational concept to me, but some people aren't self-loathing introverts, so...maybe), but because it's never given any kind of context when it happens. They're just a random encounter that spawns after the girl takes a preordained number of steps.

Do better, lazy tropes.

And no: this doesn't count as being narratively clever because Dom-chan then turns out to basically do the same thing to our dumbass protagonist at the end of the episode.

So much this! Everything you noted was what I had a complaint about, you beat me to it. The only other issue that bugged me (and probably only me) was how they made pet girl= masochism which isn't often the case.

 

[interregnum]

The only other issue that bugged me (and probably only me) was how they made pet girl= masochism which isn't often the case.

It bugged me a little bit, too. But only because it sort of belies a lack of...tact, if not knowledge, on the part of the author.

I don't want to sound all ironically pearl-clutchy about this, but the girls being kinky is being treated as a joke (at least so far)--which is a problem only insofar as they are meant to be, y'know, actual characters. These aspects are intrinsic to their personalities. Jokes can arise from their kinks, of course, but if the joke is the kink, then the girls aren't characters anymore--they're gags.

Like, how many times has the "and it turns out he's gay!" or "and it turns out he's into bondage!" or "and it turns out she's a dude!" been the twist at the end of a scene so that we can have a laugh at our main guy or girl getting flustered and uncomfortable over an unforeseen twist they want no part of? And, as a gag, it's fine. You laugh or you don't. But, regardless, the key issue is that that other person who's so "unexpectedly weeeeeeiiird!!!" doesn't come back. I mean, maybe he comes back, but just to play off that "unexpectedly weeeeeeiiird!!!" gag, again. Who he is and how this trait informs his character isn't important because HE'S NOT A CHARACTER. Details of his...whatever...don't matter because they aren't necessary for the gag to work.

But this isn't a gag--it's the series. Seeming to have only a cursory idea of what a pet-girl is (since this is the example)--essentially invoking a pastiche of pet-girl--won't cut it. Because, again, it's not a gag. It's the underpinning of the story.

Now, I'm not expecting a deep dive into the world of these fringe persuasions, so we don't have to plumb the depths of the psychological relief embedded therein, but...at least take the idea seriously enough for the characters to function as characters.

 

[MuLaFlaga]

My two cents ... this is not romcom! When it comes to sex and fetishes to each his/her own is my point of view. But this is so full of wrong subliminal messages that it is unbearable for someone with at least one working brain cell. If you do something against my consent, irrespective if you are the Goddess of Cuteness or Boobness or whatever may be, there is nothing romantic or sexy about it, it's plain rape and I will head but your nose into your face at the first chance I get. With consent, it might be funny, without it is plain disgusting.

 

[interregnum]

Wait, wait--who is Sexy Nurse-sensei?!

Spoiler: 3--and other thoughts!

Spoiler: MISC.

1. Interesting that "flirt with my sister" is one of his plans to restore normalcy to his life, but...to each his own.

2. OMG WHAT IF WEIRDLY SEXY HOMEROOM-SENSEI IS THE ONE WHO LEFT THE PANTIES?!?!?!

2A. PLEASE LET IT BE WEIRDLY SEXY HOMEROOM-SENSEI.

3. I can understand not wanting your picture posted on the internet, but there are worse threats than "do what I say or I'll let people think you had sex with the hottest girl in school!"

4. Pet-senpai is farcical. I'm a little bit in love with her, sure, but she is farcical. I mean, so is Dominatrix-chan, really, but Pet-senpai is just all over the map, like they really don't know how to make her work as a participant in the story. Literally everything the protagonist does counts as sex with her EXCEPT interacting with Dominatrix-chan. Which is fine--if her character isn't just a shallow hentai-level excuse for some sexytime.

4A. Actually, pushing that idea further: do the girls who have already made their plays, like, like the protagonist? Or are they just looking to hook up? Are they being possessive in the same way they'd be possessive about a great parking spot or are they fighting for a real relationship? Is there heft to this story or not?

5. Pet-senpai and Dominatrix-chan can solve all of this by hooking up. Once again: yuri is the path to peace.

Spoiler: OVERALL

A fairly dull episode, since the only new piece of information we got was that Nanjo (who, by benefit of not having her fetish brought up, yet, gets to keep her actual name, for a bit) is hurt by how much attention gets paid to the other girls in the club. (I mean, I guess we also learn that Pet-senpai and Dominatrix-chan both knew the other was a threat, but...I don't think that's much of a revelation: there's no way they wouldn't be fully aware they were in direct competition for the protagonist.) Which would make her immediately a sympathetic--and legitimate--romantic contender, if not for the inevitable turn her affections will take when she reveals that she's actually a voyeur (read as: stalker) of some kind. (Though I do still stand by my prediction that she's a hentai artist.)

But, having cut off where it did, the show guarantees I'm in for another week. And, despite the evidence to suggest this should not be the case, I'm looking forward to how Nanjo officially entering the ring will influence the already fighting pair's strategies.

I still think "Cinderella" is Unnamed Glasses Girl (who sits between the protagonist and Nanjo, in class). Just for the record.

 

[tootalls]

Spoiler: MISC.

1. Interesting that "flirt with my sister" is one of his plans to restore normalcy to his life, but...to each his own.

2. OMG WHAT IF WEIRDLY SEXY HOMEROOM-SENSEI IS THE ONE WHO LEFT THE PANTIES?!?!?!

Spoiler

My bets are on the not yet formally introduced girl from the student council with the purple hair that covers her eyes. In the 1st episode, everyone leaves together ahead of insert, Insert then leaves. She is then shown walking somewhere on the upper level of the school where as the club room is also upstairs. She might have been on the opposite side of the school for all I know, but I think there is a reason they decided to show her at that time right before he discovered the letter, either as a red herring, (in which case they totally got me) or as a quick hint as to who the Cinderella really is. As a member of the student council it's possible she has a spare key for the room which would solve the "why was the door unlocked?" question.

I think it's obvious none of the st 4 girls in the cleaning scene are the Cinderella, they just all have strange fetishes.

 

[Guest]

3

Spoiler

Man, that shy princess story escalated rather quickly.

Why are all these MCs such a bunch of babies? They get put in these amazing situations and find a way to deny it. The ass-pulls in these situations are the greatest I've ever seen in my whole life -- "There has to be love." No average teenager is thinking that. I yearn to see an anime where the hero unapologetically raw dogs that shit. This anime needed a Kazuma-esque MC. I had high hopes for an anime about fetishes, that even went so far as to bring up watersports. I'm more than a bit disappointed at the moment.

You know, the clear solution at this moment appears to be that the SayukixYuika ship sails and Keiki, who clearly wasn't as happy as Nanjou insisted, is left alone to be pursued by Cinderella. At this point, it should be pretty obvious that neither of the slave fetish people are the Cinderella. But, they could suite each other's desires.

5. Pet-senpai and Dominatrix-chan can solve all of this by hooking up. Once again: yuri is the path to peace.

Glad to see we're on the same page.

 

[tootalls]

3

Spoiler

Why are all these MCs such a bunch of babies? They get put in these amazing situations and find a way to deny it. The ass-pulls in these situations are the greatest I've ever seen in my whole life -- "There has to be love." No average teenager is thinking that. I yearn to see an anime where the hero unapologetically raw dogs that shit.

Spoiler

It's almost taboo, it's harem law. it's all fun and games now but when the MC actually acts realistically to the unrealistic situations, it takes the anime to a different place, a dark place *cough* School Days *cough* As soon as someone actually gets it on, it does something to the viewer's psyche. I'm sensitive to the shift of how I view the characters and the shows as a whole when the rare action IS made, and I have a feeling that the Japanese audience is even more so sensitive to it than the western audience ...........well because "you touched my boob, now I can never get married" is such a prominent thing. Maintaining whatever purity these characters have goes a long way to perception. Notice even the perverted characters are often virgins, like senpai, wants so badly for some BDSM in her life, yet when Insert-kun goes for the keys, she's all like "It's my first time, so be gentle".........>_>

 

[Guest]

Spoiler

It's almost taboo, it's harem law. it's all fun and games now but when the MC actually acts realistically to the unrealistic situations, it takes the anime to a different place, a dark place *cough* School Days *cough* As soon as someone actually gets it on, it does something to the viewer's psyche. I'm sensitive to the shift of how I view the characters and the shows as a whole when the rare action IS made, and I have a feeling that the Japanese audience is even more so sensitive to it than the western audience ...........well because "you touched my boob, now I can never get married" is such a prominent thing. Maintaining whatever purity these characters have goes a long way to perception. Notice even the perverted characters are often virgins, like senpai, wants so badly for some BDSM in her life, yet when Insert-kun goes for the keys, she's all like "It's my first time, so be gentle".........>_>

It's a fair point, but, at the end of the day, I'm a Western audience. I want certain things. Japan has its own problems with low birth rate and high virgin rates. So it makes these shows to push that agenda, to try and boost these rates. But, the problem, right now, is that every show has a character unwilling to pull that trigger. It's like a carrot and horse sort of setup. We show these virgins these highly sexualized situations, but even the main characters in the shows you're watching aren't doing anything. So even if you relate with them, they still aren't doing anything, so why should you, the audience? Juxtaposed to that, I (commonxreaction) grow up on movies like American Pie where the premise is literally to lose your virginity, and the main characters ultimately do by the end of the movie.

I think a lot of the "I can never get married," "It's my first time," "Be gentle," etc... is all sort of behind us in 2019. It used to be such a troupe before, yeah? "Don't look at me like that, i'll get pregnant!" There are some instances of that still but not nearly as many as there were before. At this point, we're now getting anime that are literally crossing the boundary that anime hoped to cross. Tentacle porn exists because Japan wouldn't let artist draw penises. We have this whole "/H" series. We're blending hentai and anime now, it's not just allusions, it's literally having sex scenes. How NOT To Summon A Demon Lord had a full on finger-banging scene, and Domestic Girlfriend came out swinging with a sex scene. We have things like Citrus that are starting to push for LGBT in Japan. We're a lot more sexualized now than we were in the era of Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Fullmetal Alchemist, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc... we're worlds ahead of the 1990s and early 2000s.

So, to me, as someone who is already far more sexualized than a repressed audience such as Japan. Seeing a show about fetishes like this was just exciting. I had such high hopes. I had already thought Domestic Girlfriend was a big leap, so to see this so soon after... I just hoped for so much more. I depresses me that any number of "American" sitcoms and movies handle sex better than anime. Cause anime is far better in my eyes.

 

[interregnum]

Glad to see we're on the same page.

Spoiler: Responses

I think it's obvious none of the st 4 girls in the cleaning scene are the Cinderella, they just all have strange fetishes.

Yeah, I would think that's the case. Which is why we're on the hunt for the most obscure answer. Going by the OP (since we know OPs always have clues to what's going to happen throughout the season), I think the obscurest answer is--and hang with me for a moment--that NONE of the girls did it, and that Blond Friend simply set the whole thing up to get things moving for his friend: during the segment where everyone's got playing cards, the protagonist's "cards" are a note, the picture with Pet-senpai, a ticket(?), [another] ticket, and a picture of Blond Friend (...I think). Assuming one of each thing represents one of the fur main girls, that last one stands out--for the moment. And he was on campus at the time, b/c we see him playing tennis in the flash of people we get as the protagonist walks the dirty water buckets to the drain. Which means he's supposed to be a suspect.

Which means, of course, that your veeeeeery good catch is also a suspect: Student Council Purple! She would have keys, which means she would have access. And she absolutely is walking towards the club room side of that bridge, when we see her. (It took a few minutes to confirm--or mostly confirm, I guess--which side is which, but if you can see green strips of land in the background (fields or tennis courts, I suspect), then the club is to the right.)

But it's a complex situation, depending on timing. Here's what I mean:

At the time we see Student Council Purple! walking towards the club room side, she passes Weirdly Sexy Homeroom-sensei walking AWAY FROM the club room side--which probably (but not definitely) means that's her COMING BACK FROM checking the club room. Which would mean she did, in fact, find the door unlocked--because the protagonist wasn't done with the room and so would not have locked the door (rather than because "Cinderella" unlocked it from the inside). But Weirdly Sexy Homeroom-sensei wouldn't know that he was coming back, and so she would assume that, because the room was empty, he forgot to lock it.

Now, to check the room, she would have expected the door to be locked and had keys to get in...and so would have locked the door on her way out. Which would mean, yes, "Cinderella" would need keys to get in, which Student Council Purple! would probably have. Which then means she either was hiding in the room when the protagonist returned and locked the door behind her--OR--she left quickly and forgot to lock it just before he got back. Because the door is apparently locked by someone at the end of the whole event: the protagonist, Weirdly Sexy Homeroom-sensei, or "Cinderella."

That is, assuming the timing and the ultimate state of Schrodinger's Door Lock match what I've laid out, above. In which case, a detail about the timing of that whole thing will be the key (ha ha!) to unraveling the mystery.

And, of course, it's also possible Student Council Purple! snuck in for entirely unrelated reasons. Or was helping someone else. Or got bumped into by someone who swiped keys from her. Or had nothing to do with it and it really was Weirdly Sexy Homeroom-sensei!!!

I had high hopes for an anime about fetishes, that even went so far as to bring up watersports.

Heh, yeah, I get that. I had no illusions, going into this show, that we would be getting anything particularly explicit. But I also didn't think it would be this overtly shallow with it.

any number of "American" sitcoms and movies handle sex better than anime

Uh...I'm going to disagree with that. Because I think American/"American" television is fairly reckless with sex. They show it, sure, but they rarely use it intelligently. Yes, it's a more honest about how people want sex, but it rarely ever treats sex seriously, as a narrative tool. And as much as I think you're right about anime generally needing to stop with the "everything is all sexy-like but we're all super-pure!" gag (or, at least, do something else with it), the hiply cynical polar opposite isn't how I'd prefer things to go.

(Also, I don't think it's insignificant that all of these shows are dealing with, y'know, high schoolers.)

Just my take, though.

Further:

"There has to be love." No average teenager is thinking that.

Assuming that his line is to be taken 100% seriously, I agree with you.

But I feel like it's just his rationalization, here. Because the average teenager, perhaps even more so in Japan (just speculating), wants sex but is also intimidated by it. These girls have gone from 0 to 60 out of nowhere, and the whole thing makes his head spin because he's not ready for it--either generally or specifically from them.

He might not mind having sex with literally all of the girls, but no one, so far, has done anything to make him comfortable with the opportunity to do it.

Or maybe he's just put off by the kink.

 

[Guest]

Spoiler: spoiler because spoiler

Uh...I'm going to disagree with that. Because I think American/"American" television is fairly reckless with sex. They show it, sure, but they rarely use it intelligently. Yes, it's a more honest about how people want sex, but it rarely ever treats sex seriously, as a narrative tool. And as much as I think you're right about anime generally needing to stop with the "everything is all sexy-like but we're all super-pure!" gag (or, at least, do something else with it), the hiply cynical polar opposite isn't how I'd prefer things to go.

(Also, I don't think it's insignificant that all of these shows are dealing with, y'know, high schoolers.)

Reckless with sex? They use condoms.
But seriously; I don't know if you can say sex can be used intelligently, as it's something that comes out of base desires. Unless you're taking a religious standpoint of "for procreation" then sex is pretty much always a passionate, clumsy struggle. Even ignoring sex; Shakespeare is kind of the forefather of emotional drive. Love is the driving force of the plot. Love isn't something that can be mapped out. Romeo and Juliet literally just killed themselves for no reason. They could've waited 5 minutes to be reunited, but nah son; love.

Assuming that his line is to be taken 100% seriously, I agree with you.

But I feel like it's just his rationalization, here. Because the average teenager, perhaps even more so in Japan (just speculating), wants sex but is also intimidated by it. These girls have gone from 0 to 60 out of nowhere, and the whole thing makes his head spin because he's not ready for it--either generally or specifically from them.

He might not mind having sex with literally all of the girls, but no one, so far, has done anything to make him comfortable with the opportunity to do it.

Or maybe he's just put off by the kink.

What nerd was intimidated by sex? Definitely not the average. Probably the minority. Definitely not the average. The kink might put you off, but even at this point, the kink is fairly basic. The majority of women are turned on by BDSM. And, the first two girls we got are the two polarities. We got the most basic kinks out of the gate. Which is disappointing in of itself. But, I guess it's better than nothing? Anime is doing its best.

 

[interregnum]

Spoiler: 50 Shades of Grain

But seriously; I don't know if you can say sex can be used intelligently, as it's something that comes out of base desires.

I don't mean making smart sexual decisions (which is a whole other topic), but the use of sex in fiction.

I can't find the post I did about this months ago, but I'll try to rephrase it succinctly: sex typically appears in fiction as A) pure titillation (serves no narrative function), B) something that can be substituted with kissing (as in, it is narratively weightless, used as shorthand for intimacy), or C) something that can be substituted with alcohol abuse (look how unwell our protagonist is with this unhealthy sexual activity!).

It's very, very rare to see it used in a necessary way, let alone a way that elevates the story.

That said, Domestic Girlfriend's opening scene is actually one of the rare examples of sex being used intelligently, and I'm glad you brought it up. (And I'd argue most all the sex in Scum's Wish was both necessary and well-implemented.)

What nerd was intimidated by sex?

Sigh. I don't have a response to this that will not end in an argument.

Moving on!

the kink is fairly basic

Basic doesn't mean common to everyone. It just means it's fairly low-level in relation to kink. And not everyone is into kink. (Also: women being turned on by BDSM is vastly different from "wants to participate in BDSM." Fantasy and reality aren't always connected.)

But my point was more specifically that, regardless of what he may or may not be into, Pet-senpai and Dominatrix-chan aren't giving any sense of intimacy or choice to the protagonist. One of them essentially wants to rape him and the other is basically demanding to be raped. The only agency either of them leaves him is rejecting their advances. Their utterly bizarre, disturbingly aggressive advances.

 

[Guest]

Spoiler: 50 Shades of Grain

C) something that can be substituted with alcohol abuse (look how unwell our protagonist is with this unhealthy sexual activity!).

Wut?

Spoiler

Basic doesn't mean common to everyone. It just means it's fairly low-level in relation to kink. And not everyone is into kink. (Also: women being turned on by BDSM is vastly different from "wants to participate in BDSM." Fantasy and reality aren't always connected.)

But my point was more specifically that, regardless of what he may or may not be into, Pet-senpai and Dominatrix-chan aren't giving any sense of intimacy or choice to the protagonist. One of them essentially wants to rape him and the other is basically demanding to be raped. The only agency either of them leaves him is rejecting their advances. Their utterly bizarre, disturbingly aggressive advances.

Spoiler: yeh yeh yeh

I didn't say it meant common to everyone?

MC-kun isn't into anything, based on what we know. His lack of personality is sort of the conflict. He wants love? Based on what? He just is reacting to girls throwing themselves at him. He wants there to be love? Based on what? His absent parents? His absent parents who love him so much and nuzzle one another so much and let their love flood the household they aren't even a part of? The fact that he said "There has to be love," without there being any sort of basis is just confusing and frustrating. It feels like a plot point and not a character trait.

 

[interregnum]

Spoiler: ...But Didn't Say Much.

That's "BDSM," right? A silence fetish?

Wut?

How do you show that someone is coping with something in the wrong way? Like, in Hollywood shorthand?

They're drinking too much and too often. Or they're having nihilistic amounts of casual sex. "Oh, look he's drinking too much. Oh look he's sleeping around. Man, must be some dark past he's got!"

I didn't say it meant common to everyone?

Not explicitly, but given that "basically no one is intimidated by sex" immediately precedes

kink might put you off, but even at this point, the kink is fairly basic

in a discussion of why the protagonist might not want to embrace the offers of sex thus far thrown his way, the implication would be that preferences for BDSM are common enough--though, of course, not literally applicable to everyone--that it's unlikely or surprising that their kinks might be the reason he'd be put off. Which is why I emphasized that, however common, it doesn't mean that he's into it.

Though, if that's not what you meant to do, above, and were making two separate statements--one about teens and one about the show's generally disappointing foray in sexytime--I can see where my response seems out of nowhere.

But, while we're clarifying previous statements, I think my use of the word "intimidated" may have been inaccurate: I meant more like "nervous" or "feel pressure (of any number of kinds) regarding" rather than expressly "being afraid of."

You may still disagree with me, but my point was that kids aren't all self-confident Lotharios the minute they hit puberty. They might all be raring to go, but the situation still has to be amenable. The drive doesn't totally overpower every other aspect of their personalities.

It feels like a plot point and not a character trait.

Because that's exactly what it is.

He doesn't believe there "needs to be love"--at least, that's not the thing that's holding him up, whether he mostly believes it or not. He's hung up on the girls not engaging this romance in a normal manner. (He might be into the kinky stuff or not, but, as I said last week, this is not the lead-off move these girls should be making.)

Though, more specifically, it doesn't really mean anything--because it's a gag. Just like the "no one will marry me!" is a gag. Just like the kink is a gag.

This show is shallow as hell. It's playacting at everything on screen, so the characters aren't even really characters--let alone exhibiting three-dimensional character traits.

 

[Guest]

Spoiler: ...But Didn't Say Much.

That's "BDSM," right? A silence fetish?

Spoiler

Bondage Submission Sadism & Masochism. I guess silence could fall under that? Cause people get those gags that are like balls and go in your mouth and such.

 

[naterbug8278]

Spoiler: 4

I...Nanjo....why? You were best girl! And you go and do me like this?!

Spoiler

who am I kidding she's still best girl

Though what she said afterwards has my interest.

Why am I invested in this show?

 

[tootalls]

Spoiler

After the 2 other sexual fantasies were covered, I was wondering what Nanjo's thing would be, I thought a while back it was probably some BL shit, and early in this episode when it showed her drawing manga, it was already confirmed, idk if there were any other clues placed in previous episodes, but BL is the only other fetish I can think of that gets routine coverage in anime. Well aside from sibling complexes...…..which may or may not exist. From what we've seen so far his sister is loving, but not overly so, and not jealous of his relationships with girls. Perhaps just like Nanjo, she was just waiting on her plot turn to show her true desires...……….either that's coming next, or characters from outside of that circle will start getting officially introduced...……….

 

[interregnum]

Nope.

I'm out.

Spoiler: Final: 4

While I'd not thought "fujoshi," in prior predictions about her drawing dirty manga, they could have at least done a bit more not to scream "SHE'S A FUJOSHI, GUUUUUUUUUYS!!!!" for most of the episode leading up to the reveal. Because...yeah, obviously she's a fujoshi, show. The picture-taking beat at the arcade was about as subtle as Truck-kun in Faye Valentine cosplay. (...no, we're keeping that.)

The mystery is boring, and they aren't even making the "we've gotta drag this out, of course!" stalling plots interesting. The chemistry between these characters--for the most part--is just terrible. And, no, super-sexy Pet-senpai isn't enough to keep even me tuning in.

I've seen Nisekoi. I liked Nisekoi. I don't need a worse version of it that can't even get its sexytime gimmick right.

Lemme know if anyone finds out who the killer is, so to speak.

Oh--and one last thing, for my ol' pal @tootalls :

then the club is to the right

Okay, so, my analysis of location is correct--I'm pretty sure--but it seems the classroom and the club room are in the same building, if this week is to be believed. I don't know what (if anything) that means for the Purple-chan/Weirdly Sexy Homeroom-sensei crossing in Ep 1, but...there it is.

And, yes, while my tennis court indicator is correct, the infinitely easier to spot DIFFERENCE IN THE BUILDINGS' APPEARANCES would probably be easier to keep track of: one building (the unknown "left side") is brown-ish brick-face, and the other (the class/club "right side") is smooth and white-ish.

I've no idea if that will help at all in your future Sherlocking, but far be it from me to leave you with information I know is inaccurate.