Gigaknight said:
At least for this series, you've got me here. lol But I was really referring to that phenomenon in general, though. But, to be fair--and if I am not mistaken, Aria (from my memory) does not strike me as needy (unless you count the pressure she places on him to stay in Butei/demonstrate his Hysteria power), but DOES seem quite clingy (that "slave" talk, moving in without permission or notice, and her refusal to accept his planned departure from Butei). With both of them exhibiting those traits, what does that leave us? Despite her aforementioned traits and the yandere they engender, Shirayuki actually is normally nice to Kinji. Aria can be nice to Kinji, but after making many wonder why he puts up with the stuff she does, first.
True. You could make the case that it's because he's a masochist that he puts up with it, but I got the impression it was just because Aria seems to have a violent streak and could take him. When she just sets up shop in his house and makes it clear he'd have to remove her by force, there's not a whole lot of options at his disposal knowing that he lacks the force necessary to remove her.
Heck, I'd almost hazard a guess that she wanted him to try. She's interested in his skill after all. Probably wanted to see what he could do. Didn't expect him to just roll over like that, but she didn't realize that he has a superpowered alter ego.
I'll admit Shiroyuki doesn't treat him like shit or anything. She's actually quite nice to him. I kind of think that listing that as a reason one might pursue a woman is a little bit much though. Treating you nicely is more of a necessity, a foundation that must be there before desirable attributes may even be acknowledge as significant. Imo at least. I could be wrong on that.
Don't get me wrong, she's got a leg up on Aria. Heck, probably more than a leg up, seeing what Aria's behavior has been and taking into account that Shiroyuki has a preexisting relationship with Kinji it's night and day, but I still stand by my statement that any sensible human being would want nothing to do with any of these women.
Plus, Kinji himself seems to view both of them with disdain, but the plot is of course going to uncontrollably pull him towards aria, because they're the pair. Ultimately I find myself more put off by the notion that he's going to choose any of these than which particular one he chooses. Seems like when you take the time to establish that the male lead does not at all like any of the female cast, that can be a proper excuse to just leave him single.
I mean really. We could make the case that it's because of the assumption that no one is complete without a "Better half", or we could decide that it's because men are insatiably driven by sex to the point that lacking any better options, he'll just latch on the the nearest poon like a drowning man thrown a life preserver. Whatever the guiding mentality is behind it, I can't really see it being anything positive.
Just in general? I think the romantic lead will probably have whatever look the authors feel works for her. No real need to read any huge messages in that. What gets published/produced will have certain trends based on what the publishers are seeing selling right now. It's a business, that's just how these things work. As of late petite and/or loli seems to be the trend. Later on some producer will notice some of their more developed characters becoming fan favorites and start pumping the busty beauties out like some kind of factory. Other companies will see the profits and follow suit and then that'll just be the norm until they're given reason to do otherwise. I don't begrudge them for good business... now. Once I go a few seasons without even a half-decent petanko we'll see how I'm fairing lol.
Gigaknight said:
An example of what I mean for this episode, alone, is when the two were driving in that van (or whatever kind of vehicle it was, I only remember that it's black, now XD)--when they discussed who she believed is the culprit behind the bus hijacking. The camera was on the same level as the seat; the only thing stopping the viewer from getting an upskirt shot was her left leg. Nothing would have been lost from the scene if the camera was kept level with her face--there had to be a reason why it was down there, where there aren't many visual subjects for the viewer to watch.
As for the series itself...in the first episode--when Kinji and Aria dealt with the Seven Submachinegun-toting Segways from Hell--and Kinji found himself in close contact with Aria, he was getting aroused (sexually, obviously) from that contact. If Kinji himself isn't a lolicon, then that scene was the first to pander to lolicons.
Well, if Kinji is so much as exposed to large breasted cleavage he risks hysteria mode if he doesn't manage to pull his gaze away fast enough. Aria gets topless and Kinji gets nothing until he starts motorboating her. I think its' safe to say he's not a lolicon.
I see what you're saying though. You're basically talking about moments meant to appeal to the lolicons in the audience. Just a miscommunication of meaning. Yeah, for sure. Aria's the female lead and this show does have that ecchi tag. Even if its' overall been tremendously mild and censored on top of that, certainly she has been portrayed in a manner that is meant to be erotically pleasing. I don't know why that would have been noteworthy for ZgMfx2oAFrEeDoM to point out originally though. It's pretty much necessary for this to even be the genre that it is. There's cliched and then there's just necessary expectations. Pull open a fantasy novel, I can be pretty sure that aspects of the setting and/or plot will be fantastic in nature. Stuff like that. Pull open an ecchi series, female lead is gonna be seen provocatively.
Heck, as a general rule the female lead is probably gonna be provacotive regardless of genre. That's not even just a japanese thing. Tune into The Matrix, prepare to see Trinity in formfitting leather engaging in fight scenes that seem almost choreographed to place her in exotic poses and positions. She gets those gams up where we can see them at almost every opportunity. Though admittedly the Matix combat is surprisingly heavy on the kicks in general for a series where everyone of importance has access to unlimited firearms, there's still a comparison to be made even outside of anime or genres where provocativeness is at all necessary.
But yeah, I can certainly concede that if that's what's being referred to as lolicon moments, then the show is really just one big one lol. It wouldn't have occurred to me that this would need a term separate from when we get to see the older looking girls in such a light. |