Thursday, October 4, 2012

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) First Impressions--Crossing a Line

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 1

I wanted to like this show. I did. But there are some disturbing underpinnings that prevent me from doing so.

A/N: Part of Organization Anti-Social Geniuses' Fall Evaluation.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 2 Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 3

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is one of the most-hyped titles for this season among shoujo fans, and for the most part this episode lives up to that attention. While the premise isn't the most original (studious girl paired with socially awkward guy), I have to admit that I don't remember the last time an anime billed as a romantic comedy made me laugh so much. I really like female lead Shizuku with her snark and cold attitude. She's not usually the kind of character that I like, but she's played off in such a way that I can't help but root for her. Haru however (a.k.a. the Monster from the title)...not so much. We see flashes of how deep down, he's a Good Guy, but in trying to sell his misfit side, the show takes it too far for my taste.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 4 Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 5

So let's talk about the elephant in the room: the rape joke. I heard about it beforehand so I was bracing myself for it, but it still came across like a slap to the face. Who the heck would use a threat like that when the point was just to get someone to come see a dog? In what universe would a girl like Shizuku not decide to start avoiding this guy and tell the teacher to take a hike and actually do her job? Even more damning is the fact that the rest of the episode is colored by the lens of rape culture, making things that I would normally find cute and funny in an anime disturbing instead. I've seen some people defend the rape statement as showing how socially challenged Haru is, but I don't think that it was necessary in the first place. There are a ton of different ways to establish that for a character without having to resort to rape threats and other bullying and controlling behaviors. And I'm supposed to like this guy?

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 6 Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun My Little Monster First Impressions Screenshot 7

If you think that I'm overreacting, I recommend Day's post over at GAR GAR Stegosaurus, which lays out why Haru's reactions are baseline creepy to the average woman. What I find even more disturbing is that somewhere along the line it was decided that this was okay to market towards girls/women, and that "fixing" a guy who threatens to rape you is a great fantasy. I don't want this stuff in my entertainment, and seeing it nipped my enjoyment in the bud. If this is a one-off and Haru magically becomes more tolerable, please let me know because I don't like my rom-coms with a side of violence. E-minor takes an interesting view of the episode, theorizing that it could be trying to show how wrong these tropes are, and if he's right, I'll be happy to eat my words. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be coming back to this.

Images from Crunchyroll.com.

7 comments:

  1. "And I'm supposed to like this guy?"


    You're not at this point if you don't want to. That's the point. It's a device. Some people will see him one way. Others another. Some will see it with an agenda and their view of the world. Others will see him as a subject of the world he grew up in. Some will see it for what it is, a work of fiction to show how bled off or undeveloped the character is from normal society while remarking on normal society as broken just as much.


    "I really like female lead Shizuku with her snark and cold attitude."


    So:


    You liked when she does things for money only (goes for payment for a study guide; wants to be #1 in the class to make 1 million yen a year).
    You liked when she didn't care an animal in class died. If she were male, you would call him creepy and sociopathic at such a young age to see, watch, or distance themselves from a pet like that.


    You liked when she stood by and watched a classmate get beat up by 3 guys, doing nothing, reporting nothing, not trying to stop it, not getting help, not getting a teacher, not getting medical treatment.


    You liked when she saw a classmate step in, defend the guy albeit hugely over the top, and then knew he was suspended and almost expelled based on incomplete information she knew about, and she once again is not telling anyone she was a witness and what actually went down.

    You liked she was witness to multiple accounts of harm among her classmates, and stood separate from it all, nearly including her own kidnapping.


    You liked that she became pseudo-friends with her chief academic rival when he, to get her friendship, doesn't take midterms and thus doesn't complete so she can get the top test scores she desires.


    "I recommend Day's post [...] which lays out why Haru's reactions are baseline creepy to the average woman."


    No, and while people can read that for themselves, Day hates it, dropped the A bomb, F bomb, did the typical creepy line, and generally went ballistic over the threat. Even though it was obvious to most what the male lead is like. She considers it part of "rape culture," and wants it gone completely.


    "please let me know because I don't like my rom-coms with a side of violence."


    And yet your "subdued fangirl" banner image is from Natsuyuki Rendezvous, where the ghost character threatens multiple times to kill his widowed wife, and she offers herself up to him knowing this, all in front of and to the horror of her current love interest, whereupon she is marked by him. Where the ghost in prior episodes shook the work and living space, breaking things.


    I guess murder and planned meanness is sort of okay then, right? But a hugely inappropriate remark/threat from an outcast screwup that doesn't quite get what he's doing but otherwise isn't bad, well, that's creepy and wrong. Got it.


    An overtly strong male lead who is so shy and scared that he runs away from you, thinks you are a spy, and is strong and quick enough to tackle you or pull you into an alley in broad daylight with bystanders feet away, and drops a rape threat, doesn't have all his ethics, neurons, marbles in check, probably doesn't understand, and isn't going to harm you because he already would have and surely isn't going to tell you about it before the deed. You may not like him, that's fine, but please don't misrepresent the character or the work. The authors/creators probably know a little bit about what they are doing and trying to pull off in this work of fiction.

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  2. Episode 4 of the show had another alley scene, where Haru asks Shizuku something quite menacingly, with his hand over her mouth.
    http://randomc.net/image/Tonari%20no%20Kaibutsu-kun/Tonari%20no%20Kaibutsu-kun%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2032.jpg

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  3. Oh dear. >_<
    I'm glad I decided to opt out of this one...

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  4. I tuned out 20 min through episode one. It bothered me so much I even googled "My Little Monster+rape culture". Apparently it bothered a lot of other people too b/c there are lots of entries.

    The alley rape comment part - When he grabbed her and covered her mouth, I was thinking to myself, "What? It's like he's going to hurt/rape her" and then seconds later the subtitles say, “No funny moves. Make one peep and I rape you.” How did that even get approved? When he threw the drink on her head, I was like, "OMG this guy would be out if that was me." Then the clingy confession - like he was entitled to her no matter what her thoughts are on the matter. F* that noise. I didn't make it past him going back to school and following her around w/ her grades dropping. (Personal entitlement)That's not healthy behavior AT ALL.

    Rape or joking about rape is NOT FUNNY. Nor should it be marketed to a teen demographic as "OK" or acceptable" to put up with socially inept, annoying individual who's obsession borders on stalking/creepy territory with physical and verbal abuse that can be fixed with "the power of love". It's a dangerous message.

    Perhaps in entertainment we are told it is acceptable and we should tolerate Haru's character is supposed to be "cute" and "well meaning". Keep Haru's personality the same but swap his appearance for a different character sterotype (male teacher, jock, school bully, overweight kid, uncle, etc.), and suddenly it's not so charming.
    No.

    Anyway, it reeks of abuse and rape culture with a touch of "Nice Guy Syndrome" to an insane degree, which is a shame. I can't tolerate that BS in my entertainment - I have to deal with enough of it IRL.
    Thanks for the post!

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  5. This show got a lot of negative attention when it first aired, as I'm sure you're seeing in your Google search. I was really shocked when I first watched the episode but had seen nothing but praise for it elsewhere, so I was really happy to find Day's post. It prompted an interesting fandom-wide discussion about rape culture in modern anime as well. Since then I haven't heard too much about the show other that apparently Haru doesn't change, so you'll probably be better off ignoring it.

    And thank you for your comment!

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  6. I really don't like this show.. Sorry.

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  7. I don't either. Although the post makes that obvious.

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