Thread: A Burning Question

Why is it anime couples are so cute? Could it be because the Japanese have the best understanding of what makes people happy?
(Could this be like asking why certain people prefer sour cream and cheddar chips?)

Originally Posted by mj ike

Why is it anime couples are so cute? Could it be because the Japanese have the best understanding of what makes people happy?
(Could this be like asking why certain people prefer sour cream and cheddar chips?)

Anime is just a fiction, not a reality. Anime couples are cute because they're drawn.

Ever heard, "Art reflects life"?

Originally Posted by mj ike

Ever heard, "Art reflects life"?

I've never heard that, but to me it sounds like you're implying Anime is art, which it isn't. It's entertainment.

Anime is a form of art. Just because it's not stuck in a museum it doesn't mean it isn't. Just like cinema and TV.

As for the couples being cute, they only are because they're drawn that way, not because the Japanese understand better relationships or not.

Originally Posted by Steampunk Abortions

I've never heard that, but to me it sounds like you're implying Anime is art, which it isn't. It's entertainment.

I have to somewhat agree, and disagree. Just like anything, it can be art, like Ico for video games, but a majority of Anime, would not be considered art, or at least have little to none artistic merit.

Originally Posted by mj ike

Why is it anime couples are so cute? Could it be because the Japanese have the best understanding of what makes people happy?

The Japanese have a lot of practice at making people appear happy, that's for sure. This is a very strange question, though. It's like saying,

"Why is Edward and Bella's relationship so deeply romantic? Could it be because Stephenie Meyer understands love better than anyone in the world?"

No, it's because in fiction you can make people love each other as much as you like. The fact that Meyer can write that Edward and Bella are totally perfectly in love says nothing about whether she understands how to make a real relationship work.

Likewise, anyone can draw a cute and happy couple without having the slightest understanding of how to foster a happy relationship in the real world.

You're going to have to explain which "anime couples" you're referring to here, though. The anime I've watched lately - Fullmetal Alchemist, Darker than Black, Elfen Lied, Ergo Proxy - don't really have any couples I would consider "cute".

One thing about anime couples you gotta love: how the guys help their gals out emotionally.

Originally Posted by mj ike

One thing about anime couples you gotta love: how the guys help their gals out emotionally.

It's only anime and that will never happen... you know.

Originally Posted by mj ike

One thing about anime couples you gotta love: how the guys help their gals out emotionally.

Happens in reality too.

We're not all cold, emotionless beings :P

But yeah, some anime pairings are really cute. But they're typically too idealized to be believable.

Originally Posted by mj ike

One thing about anime couples you gotta love: how the guys help their gals out emotionally.

Sure, I love seeing the stereotype that women are incapable of coping with their emotions perpetuated.

I'll say this, there is something to be said of the tsundere done right.

Tsundere is... past it's prime, I think. It went from "I really like this person but don't want them to know!" to outright domestic violence.

I blame Evangelion (Asuka), and the slew of tsunderloli shows that came out in the past years. Terrible stuff.

yandere.... they're like a yamato-nadeshiko with a spine. ^^ So long as you don't piss them off (which actually seems quite difficult to do when you consider how devoted a good deal of them are), they seem like one of the better female archetypes, really.

Originally Posted by fate

Tsundere is... past it's prime, I think. It went from "I really like this person but don't want them to know!" to outright domestic violence.

I blame Evangelion (Asuka), and the slew of tsunderloli shows that came out in the past years. Terrible stuff.

seriously, and Zero no Tsukaima's gotta be the low-point of it all. It's especially a wall-banger when you consider that Saito had no real reason to stick by that bitch once the commoners started looking up to him (I assumed he had an S&M fetish, but I heard TVTropes point out that the light novels suggest the familiar contract may involve slight brain-washing, so I guess sorta justified if true). Sometimes, I gotta wonder if the majority of otaku are really that damn stricken with tsundere to put a character like Louise on a pedestal, or if they just like her for being another Rie Kugimiya typecast... though, I gotta admit, I don't mind her roles as Shana or Nagi. I like Eva's Asuka too, and don't exactly think she was poorly done so far as tsundere go (it helps that she had reasons, not the least of them being that she literally is completely batshit insane).

Originally Posted by kiera2

Sure, I love seeing the stereotype that women are incapable of coping with their emotions perpetuated.

then do you suggest some "girl power" stuff with women trying to cope with stuff on their own? And really, there's nothing wrong with emotional support considering even the most badass of male characters can suffer some severe emotional trauma that'll require nothing less than their bonds to ultimately get through.