Sama Zama

According to the true meaning of tsundere, King Kong may be one-upping Rin in the transformation impact factor. Yet somehow, the masses find a dainty Japanese girl in a red and black seifuku much more appealing than a giant hairy ape.

• Let’s explore tsundere…

Tsundere is a combination of the two Japanese onomatopoeia, tsun-tsun and dere-dere. While the average Japanese person may not be familiar with the otaku slang “tsundere,” they should recognize these two strings of onomatopoeia.

• Tsun-tsun: Describes a state of irritability, cruelty, demanding, and indifference; i.e. “the cold shoulder.”
• Dere-dere: Describes a state of romantic affection, shyness, and general kawaiiraburabukanji; i.e., “Anou..Seiji-kun no koto ga…s-suki…desu…”

Just peachy, right? Well, now think tsun-tsun –> dere-dere. A transformation from hard to melty (that sounded less ecchi in my head).

• Who are tsundere?

Lately, some of the most popular tsundere are Suzumiya Haruhi and Rin Tohsaka, female characters presented as cold, ruthless, and selfish machines that eventually soften up. It all begins with the first pang of jealousy. Then the competition begins and the romantic self-denial cycle starts up. “Pshh, there is no way I like this loser, what are you talking about?!” In Fate/Stay Night, Rin really felt it after butting a few heads with Sakura and Saber over Shirou’s attention. Of course, her softness towards him will be denied a thousand times over until a certain point. And there we have a Fate/Stay Harem.

These are the most obvious tsundere candidates I can think of , but once I more thoroughly combed the Wikipedia definition, I found some interesting examples—not from anime. Princess Leia from Star Wars and King Kong. Leia was as much a tsundere as any anime character, for after ignoring Han Solo’s cheesy moves and boning her brother, she turns into a vat of love putty at the prospect of his life being endangered. King Kong, especially in the new movie, is first portrayed as a brainless, heartless animal that tears beautiful maidens from the jaws of society to poke around a little before tossing them to the bone pit. But by the time we’re at the empire state building, the guy in the seat next to me is bawling at the sight of Kong’s now-human, affectionate gaze set on his pretty girl-toy Sally.

There are also living, personal tsundere we interact with in each of our daily lives. Some have attempted relationships with these fickle people, craving the sweet dere-dere reward at the end of the treacherous tsun-tsun path of abuse. Whether this type of a relationship works or not, I don’t know.

• But why is it so popular?

why tsundere is so popular — guys vs. girls

Whoa. The anime internets has exploded and my blog is brimming with “gay speedo horse sex with girl” (which seems like an oxymoron, assuming the horse is male). And, after a year of an unannounced hiatus, there are still people who link to me. Even a few new bloggers just starting up, linking to me. Thanks, guys. :D Now that is love.

So, I guess college life doesn’t lend itself to anime reviewing. Someone should have warned me. Thus, I have literally been anime-free for about…a year. I have not touched or even glimpsed at anything anime-related. No blogs, no sites, no nothing. I got a job at an EB Games across from campus and focused my mania entirely on video games, and forsook my poor animated hobby.

But that is going to change. Yes, I’m dusting off this poor old thing, combing the thousands of spam for genuine comments, and beginning to write again. I was perusing through the Summer 2007 list and deciding which titles I would like to follow. In order to keep myself going, I will probably restrict myself to only weekly updates, and I will not be the first blogger rushing to the scene to hastily scribble something. I will probably be (gasp) delayed in my review of an episode coming out that week. But I am determined! I WILL write reviews and they WILL be meaningful and I WILL make time to watch some anime, damn it!

So, assuming someone will somehow stumble back onto my dusty ol’ blog and even read this, please let me know what is worth watching and coming out soon. And what the hell happened. To everything.

At the risk of duplicating responses and posts, I bring you my own desultory ramble on media addiction. Not otakuism, but anime-watching and escapism in general, as causes of a possible social problem. This isn’t exactly a response to Jeff’s response to Shingo’s response to self-proclaimed otaku Sakamoto, but more of a post that sprang out of a would-be comment over at Jeff’s place. But the comment got a little out of hand and developed a little too broadly, and well. You know how that goes.

• “Is ESCAPISM such a bad thing?”

Escapism could be defined as “an ‘escape’ from the perceived unpleasant aspects of daily reality” (Wikipedia). Some forms of escapism have existed since humanity was advanced enough to require them, and continue to develop as technology advances. A large boom for the media in the U.S., especially Hollywood, came during the Great Depression. Movie admission became affordable and the weight of the sagging economy on everyone’s shoulders would be partially numbed by the succession of images flicking across a screen. People could not afford to drive a car and buy good food, but, by God, they got out there to see those pictures. It was one of the first times electronic media other than the radio actually played a solid psychological role in peoples’ lives. From the creation of cinema, we have progressed to include all forms of electronic entertainment available today, and a lot are interactive. A dynamic method of escapism. One that could even replace real life…?

I don’t think “escaping from reality” is necessarily harmful unless the means of escape is unhealthy, illegal, or abused. I work very hard every day at school, work, for the city (I’m on two commissions), and in relationships. My mind also tends to be buzzing constantly with things to do. I don’t think there is anything harmful about me “taking leave” after a 12 hour school/work day to watch one or two episodes of anime, even if I blog about it.

But some otaku, American or Japanese, really take escapism to the extreme. I agree with this point. Reality melts away, and a social problem DOES arise. Whether desiring persecution or not, people spend less and less time living, and more time playing, watching, sitting. Alone. Many males would rather immerse themselves in an anime series with idealized female characters and [harem] situations than actually step foot out the door and meet with a real girl. It has gotten to the point in Japan that grown men purchase life-sized dolls instead of attempting ritual human courting—dating a live girl! But it isn’t just anime. People won’t leave the house on certain days at certain times because they might miss their favorite show on TV. Many MMORPG addicts forget to eat while the are at their computer, level-grinding away.

Sure, a problem exists. But it is a social issue that extends to all forms of electronic media and entertainment. Are there antisocial movie enthusiasts? Cult TV followers? Video game addicts? Yes, yes, and yes. Modern entertainment enables an extremely accessible variety of escapism every day. So one could argue that it poses a significant problem. However, anime, moeism, and otakuism are just a tiny speck in the entire spectrum. I think the problem IS excessive “tuning out,” but it doesn’t matter what you’re using to tune out with.

• So, is delving into anime really that harmful?

To preface, I love to blog anime. I love to talk about anime and I love to watch anime. But analyzing anime (which is what I try to do in my posts) is as pointless as watching anime. Which is already very lacking in purpose. I realize this, so I do think of anime as an escape from reality, as would be WoW or any other video games people become immersed in. It isn’t real life, and it will in no way “advance” your career (unless your career is anime), enrich your life, or any of that good stuff. I strongly believe that PEOPLE matter more than any pop culture, money, or material items. And anime, while it may connect you on a superficial level with someone, will not fulfill you socially. It is a very trivial consumerist enthusiasm , as with the millions of others, that humans have devised to amuse themselves. In the big picture and “web of life,” it means nothing. When it comes to the very end, and you die, every minute you spent watching anime or playing a game could have been spent doing something else. Spent with a loved one, or traveling, experiencing new things, working out those relationships. Not spent with a monitor, TV screen.

That sounds deep liek woah. Am I overthinking things?

Basically, it all comes down to this: Everything in moderation, folks. Spend only as much time watching anime as you do with the people you love or your innate passions. Unlike other addictions, at least anime won’t give you cancer. Yet.

(Wait, when did this become a moral piece?!)

Any thoughts? Or corrections, since I’m not a media expert like some people.

[EDIT:] To clarify some things, as my original post did not do that well:

My main message is not that you need a love-life or friends to be happy. I know many otaku and non-otaku alike who are very unhappy. Ultimately, happiness is a state of mind you achieve on your own through your own actions and decision TO be happy. There is no perfect formula. I realize this. I wasn’t suggesting that you need any of the things I described. I just believe, personally, that a life consisting of only one or too much of ONE thing, (be it anime, video games, or anything else) is unhealthy.

The point of this post is actually to suggest that people should think carefully about how they spend their time, as it is the most limited resource in their lives. Moderation does not mean deprivation. I am not suggesting to anyone that they ration their anime-watching time. I just think people should spend their time wisely. That way, when you are about to die, you won’t wish you spent more or less time watching anime. Or doing anything else.