Behind The Nihon Review

The star tsundere of this season's anime: Kousaka Kirino.

Although I fully intended to conclude my last article within two posts, I felt quite unsatisfied with the way the article concluded; my research into the origins of tsundere further back in the 80s ended up taking up more space than I had intended. My fellow colleagues Sorrow-kun and Elineas noticed that I had left some questions unanswered. Indeed, I’m guilty of this. So this third part will be an attempt to address and elaborate on the ultimate question of sexuality.

Elineas pointed out to me that the problem with a purely logical form of thinking about character types – which I argued for in my first post – is that it raises the question why a tsundere would be more attractive than alternative, equally logic-based character types (I would think that every archetype is built on this). The conclusion is that there must be something beyond the logic.

Fact Versus Fiction

Once we’re quite aware of the fact that much of our everyday language is built on folk psychology, it’s easy to see that a consequence of this is a mistaken understanding of how people will act. As every one of us knows, it’s impossible to predict 100% how people are going to behave in any given situation. By understanding the essence of a tsundere character, we can enjoy the accuracy of our predictions without having to worry about the character acting out of character from the framework they were meant to be in.

In order for this model to really have any explanatory power in regards to why tsundere has become such a buzz word, even outside of the otakusphere, I must address how this cognitive apparatus links in some way to reality. The starting point will be from the conclusion of my second part in this series.

Earlier, I argued that when we start thinking of tsundere as an inherent personality or character type, it is a reapplication of the extraction of an abstract logical pattern from more complex characters. The tsundere is thus become enshrined in (what Azuma Hiroki would call) the “database” of otaku culture, and the creation of simulacrum fulfilling this database has become popular precisely because it imposes a logical structure on reality, which is far less predictable than the storylines of recent anime.

If we really consider what this means, it means that this is another method by which humans project their own perspective onto what may seem to be a more complicated reality. In fact, mass media has abused this tendency to simplify the status of certain groups from the past up until even now, particularly in the treatment of minorities. This is nothing new.

Socializing

Similarly, the tsundere does precisely this because it attempts to shed light on the difficulties of a real world phenomenon that confuses almost everyone: romance. For male otaku, labeling a girl “tsundere” helps to explain why the girl would perhaps dislike them despite the fact that, from their perspective, the dislike is unfounded. What if the girl actually really likes me but just can’t express it? Aw, how cute!

I can’t help but think here that this is a misunderstanding about how socializing works in real life. For example, attractiveness isn’t always the most logical thing. Sometimes a sweet girl is wrapped up in a cyclical love-hate relationship with an abusive boyfriend, and other times people will instantly judge someone based on appearance. Generally, people understand these minute aspects of socializing, and attempt to be wary of them when functioning at social events. People dress nice, often times act different from how they would if they were alone at home, and even change their language or tone of voice to suit the occasion. However, people who have difficulties with certain social events may find themselves more isolated, often without quite understanding why.

Aisaka Taiga from Toradora!

Or, perhaps they do understand. Core otaku, the ones we imagine frequenting Akihabara but otherwise staying in their homes all day (read hikikomori), are most likely aware that socializing involves the above mentioned things, yet they may find such things to be meaningless. Fashion and looks may not be important to the otaku, so when they’re judged simply by the way they dress, it becomes a question of whether it’s their own lack of ability to socialize or a problem with the way the person judging them thinks. Chances are, it’s the latter.

Why I Would Marry a Tsundere

In fact, I touched on this idea of cognitive dissonance earlier in June, and I think it has a direct connection with how tsundere have become so popular amongst otaku. Rather than blame oneself for not being able to socialize correctly, it’s far easier to simply provide an alternative reason for why a girl would be so unfairly judgmental. This alternative reason is the tsundere.

Tsundere, in many shows, end up actually falling for the male lead because the protagonist somehow demonstrates his own worth, thereby attracting that girl to him. Likewise, otaku may begin to think that girls can be won over if they were capable of fulfilling the same requirements as the main character (of a harem anime, for instance). Basically, these girls are unreasonably hateful, but the guy can win such a girl over if he just shows her his nice side. Wishful thinking, perhaps.

Once we realize that otaku may entertain the idea that most girls are ignorant of their attractive traits, we also realize the reason why tsundere may be thought of as a prime romantic target. By projecting the tsundere as an example of real world psychology, one that acts according to how we would predict they act, the tsundere becomes a goal in the game of love for otaku. Oversimplification of people’s personality (as a tsundere) and of love (as a game with a logical structure) is projected onto reality, and the consequence of this is that we associate sexual attraction (in real life) with the abstract concept of a tsundere. Especially since this tsundere, once captured by the main character, is fully willing to develop the relationship further towards a more intimate and physical level.

The Real Conclusion

To summarize, tsundere seem sexual because we think they have a bearing on real life relationships, and that they represent a simplified version of the complexities inherent in mating rituals in society. Otaku, especially core otaku who have a difficulty with romance, may find this type of character to be far more attractive than, say, a character who is never angered and is always willing to comfort the male protagonist, because it seems so unrealistic to have a character that is always so understanding. However, there is no real thing as a tsundere, and its inherent sexuality is actually targeted towards desirable (albeit oversimplified) real women, not 2D ones.

Thus, three mechanisms converge to create the mirage of tsundere sexuality. The first is folk psychology and the logical structure of it. The second is a decision-tree method of thinking about romance. Finally, the third is a real world bit of cognitive dissonance, which finally bridges together the abstract concept of tsun and dere into reality as a personality type associated with real women.

I do think that the recent boom in the creation of tsundere characters is an extension of this process, which most likely began post 80s and during the 90s, most notably around the time of Evangelion with the appearance of Asuka Langley Soryu. Azuma’s point about otaku being conditioned to moe elements applies here, in that newer fans of anime as a medium become exposed to an already overly sexualized conception of tsundere, and thus seem to adopt the same attitude toward tsundere characters that socially awkward otaku did when first popularizing the notion of tsundere.

However, the caveat is that it is equally as likely for other idealized characters to be linked with reality, and thus certain individuals may find them more attractive than the tsundere. For example, someone who grows up knowing no motherly love may find the understanding, gentle, and soothing idealization in anime to be more attractive. When I said in part 2 that there is a bit of subjectivity associated with sexuality, I think it lies in the connection between how otaku think about a fictional character and his/her relationship with reality.

Notes:

I think some of us may be wondering why so much discussion has been about tsundere. For me, the reason is that it offers an interesting bit of insight into how otaku think. By theorizing about the origins of moe archetypes, perhaps we can discover more about the reasons why we like parts of otaku culture, instead of just knowing we like it.

Images are courtesy of moe.imouto.org.