Episodes 3 discussion of homophobia and homosexuality.

Haemophilia is indeed very bad. It can be very serious and fatal. A very serious condition.

[Not a manga reader] Imo this episode opens up a great opportunity to start toning down Rae's chaotic character. In grand scheme of things I wouldn't hold a grudge for her early offenses - who would act within reason if they were suddenly given an opportunity to escape from fatiguing life into the world of their dreams? I'd consider the early episodes as sort of a honeymoon phase, when MC doesn't know if it's even real nor how long will it last, but with time would get more grounded into the new reality. Obviously the character could retain large portion of chaos, but I'd appreciate SH leaving bit by bit (just a hard cut off isn't realistic imo).

it definitely wasn't forced. it was a very natural, albeit unexpected, segue into the conversation

I agree...
honestly, the entire 10 minute scene there was horrible. they could have continued the story how it was up until this point with the MC just having a obsession with her favorite character in the game.... but then they had to pull that card and didn't even do it well (not that pulling that card is ever done well in the first place).

at this point, my rating for this show has dropped.

I don't like the way they told off Claire, after all that Rae has done she had a valid reason for her reaction but the anime tried to show it like Rae is right to sexually harass her but Claire should not show aversion towards it just because Rae is a lesbian.

it was very unexpected, but i didnt dislike it. its very uncommon to see this kind of issue being actually talked about in an anime, even for the GL & BL genres, so ive got to give them kudos for that. it couldve definitely been handed better, but to me it feels like theyre definitely taking a stance to make it clear that rae's infatuation with claire is very much real feelings and not just some slapstick joke thats not supposed to be taken seriously

@Maou_heika Misha only "scolded" Claire for reacting with rejection after Rae's claim that she was a lesbian, neither of them justified the harassment she received from Rae, even stating later that Rae is not as trustworthy for her behavior.

@Yaripan But Claire had a very good reason for her reaction based on Rae's behavior so far. Clair has every right to have that reaction based on what Rae has been doing to her so far

@CamomiIe Does that mean it's fine for someone to sexually harass others as long as they are lesbian/gay?

@Yaripan But Claire had a very good reason for her reaction based on Rae's behavior so far. Clair has every right to have that reaction based on what Rae has been doing to her so far

@Maou_heika Moments before Misha brought up the subject of homosexuality Claire was behaving normally in front of Rae, but her attitude immediately changes the moment Rae states her sexuality, even if Rae hasn't mentioned anything about Claire, the whole point of the scene is that Claire is prejudiced against homosexuals, neither party justifies Rae's "harassment".

Okay. Just read this part in the light novel. They do it better in the book I think. Basically. As soon as Rae admits that she is probably gay, Claire immediately inches away from her on whatever bench they are sitting on. It doesn’t seem to be in reference to anything Rae did before and they used some different language there. Like Misha asks Claire what she would do if a guy said “don’t hit on me” instead of what was in the episode. Also. Rae explains why she acts more flamboyant and over the top better and she is aware that she shouldn’t be doing what she is doing as much. Basically the scene is done better and more reverently in the novel. It is also done more seriously with more references to the real world and prejudice in the real world. Also. There were no girls immediately mocking Rae right there. Not sure if that happens later. But that wasn’t right then. It is page 61 in the version of the light novel that I have.

@Maou_heika Moments before Misha brought up the subject of homosexuality Claire was behaving normally in front of Rae, but her attitude immediately changes the moment Rae states her sexuality, even if Rae hasn't mentioned anything about Claire, the whole point of the scene is that Claire is prejudiced against homosexuals, neither party justifies Rae's "harassment".

@LostSpectre I wouldn’t call it an outburst. Rae answers the question if she is gay by saying that she probably is and hasn’t been interested in any guy. Claire moves away from her. Rae follows a little. Claire moves farther away. Rae asks her why she is moving away. Claire says she is afraid of what Rae will do to her. Rae says she isn’t doing anything (and she really isn’t at that moment). Claire responds with “I wonder”. Misha says she is being prejudiced. Claire asks why. Then Misha asks how she would feel if a boy said “don’t hit on me” and she responded “how dare he think me so desperate”. And is told that is how she is treating Ray. Like. It’s not perfect but I feel like it shows her prejudice just a touch more.
But. We continue on. Claire eventually says “it’s because you’re always saying those sorts of things that I worry!” And Rae thinks to herself that perhaps she was overstepping her boundaries and that that is her bad. And then she continues to think about how some Japanese entertainers use their sexuality as part of their brand and that might be why she is acting that way. There is some discussion about the flamboyant entertainers and LGBTQ activists (also still only in Rae’s head and not out loud). You also get some hint that she is like this to hide her pain and so that she and others can laugh at herself instead of her hat being in pain for having unrequited love.
Also. The separate the scenes out and the whole thing is it’s own scene with some more space between some of the other stuff because slow reading separates it out. And despite the couple times Rae tries to make it humorous, it is a very serious scene. And her making it humorous is clearly a defense mechanism to protect herself. Idk. I found it to be a moving scene where you get to see a bit past the comedic outside to see how Rae is inside. And like. Yes it is a comedy series. But with serious undertones. And. You get hints elsewhere in the story that Rae is kind of hiding things and that the whole thing isn’t just humorous.

@LostSpectre idk. You can combine serious and comedy in the same thing. Tearmoon Empire and Buddy Daddies both contain serious subjects as well as comedy. It’s a tight rope, but it can be done. And honestly I think this works. I like the idea of a character that hides their pain through comedy and that we as the viewer get to see the cracks in her armor through smalls scenes of seriousness just like you could possibly see with someone in real life that does a similar thing. But. I understand that this kind of thing isn’t for everyone. I haven’t finished Buddy Daddies myself because it got too serious.

I doubt they were talking about whether it was woke or not. I’d call it forced just because there was no lead up and characters acted out of character. The scene just didn’t feel like it fit at all in the series or even the plot of the episode itself. My biggest complaint is how out of place it felt. It took the characters out of the story told them stuff that didn’t make sense to tell them and it looks like that’s just character development now. That’s why I think “forced” fits. I get wanting to get Claire and Rae’s relationship to this point but it wasn’t earned. They just told the characters how to feel even if it doesn’t make sense for their characters and that’s that. They should’ve developed this naturally in maybe a conversation between Claire and Rae about why Rae is helping her get closer to Thane. Maybe Claire asks her and Rae explains how she feels about their relationship. You could even have some internal dialogue for Rae explaining how she wasn’t interested in women in the dating sim, hint at Rae’s disappointing dating life in the past (maybe a hint of resentment thrown in), and then bring it back to her saying that she’s determined to make Claire happy even if her feelings aren’t reciprocated and then after all that we get a moment alone with Claire as the audience where we see her taken aback or something. They could have Rae walk away and the camera focus on Claire blushing then have us see how this affects her relationship with Rae and treatment of her in the coming episodes. This is just some idea there are other ways this could’ve been done naturally. Ejecting the characters out of the plot to explain what gay people are randomly was about the worst way they could’ve done this. Like as a viewer I’m aware of all of this. I’m not an infant and I’ve been paying attention to the show. As for the characters did they really not think Rae was gay up until she explicitly said she was? I don’t believe you show 😂 no way Claire was that dense. Again, these just were not the same characters from the previous episodes.

No hate towards the author. I’ve really liked the show up until this episode there were just a lot better ways to have had this character development without dragging everyone aside to upload the latest character development before putting them back in the plot.

Okay. Just read this part in the light novel. They do it better in the book I think. Basically. As soon as Rae admits that she is probably gay, Claire immediately inches away from her on whatever bench they are sitting on. It doesn’t seem to be in reference to anything Rae did before and they used some different language there. Like Misha asks Claire what she would do if a guy said “don’t hit on me” instead of what was in the episode. Also. Rae explains why she acts more flamboyant and over the top better and she is aware that she shouldn’t be doing what she is doing as much. Basically the scene is done better and more reverently in the novel. It is also done more seriously with more references to the real world and prejudice in the real world. Also. There were no girls immediately mocking Rae right there. Not sure if that happens later. But that wasn’t right then. It is page 61 in the version of the light novel that I have.

@Yaripan Yes, this is the narrative explanation, and it's canon her reaction is bigoted, but that doesn't mean the logic holds water. Claire has not believed that Rae is actually in love with her or serious about her confessions, just last episode she demanded that Rae tell her what she's really after. During this sudden "interrogation" of sorts, Claire is just now discovering that Rae is truly gay and her feelings for Claire are real, and given Rae's previous inappropriate behavior, that's more than enough justification for Claire's outburst. It's 100% justified, at least in the comedic sense, which is all the series was up until now before we came to a grinding halt with this pro-LGBT scene. I see nothing but the obvious and natural contradiction of jumping from wacky unrealistic comedy to this far more serious conversation about prejudice, the tonal dissonance is off the charts.

It's really great when a show talks about such subjects in a natural way and not scolding the vier... you know, unlike Hollywood until very recently (although some movies and series might still do it).

I hear ya. Maybe “forced” isn’t the best word to use for this. I don’t think “cringe” is applicable either. I was just disappointed honestly. I loved episodes 1 & 2 and I was really looking forward to more character development for the cast but then they just kinda skipped all that and changed who these people are and it was disappointing.

I really am hoping that things get back to the plot and we get to see normal development in Rae and Claire again but this episode just wasn’t it. There are ways to have this sort of development without sacrificing your characters but it requires more time and maybe the author was anxious about not being able to get the point across naturally? I dunno if that was the case I can sympathize at least I just think it’s a disservice to the story to do it this way.