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 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.   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?   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.
Read the rest of this entry Entry meta