[Mentar]

Only the important parts.

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

I'm sorry, but are you seriously even a fan of this title? [...] It's the mark of Usui the man that he moved fast in confessing to her. It's the mark of Usui the lover that it means so much for him just getting to know her.

Strange how a self-proclaimed "fan" can get the yet-unresolved core issue of Usui so wrong.

Spoiler for Major spoiler, stay away if you don't know the manga. Really.:

In case you still haven't noticed, Mr. Expert, Usui is NOT looking for a love relationship with Misaki. He has said so multiple times ("Then things only get bothersome"), and I see no reason to doubt him. Yes, he likes her, but that doesn't mean that he's actively trying to woo her, and therefore watching and judging the show under this premise is totally bogus. He likes to be around her and watch her, and yes, he cares for her so that he helps her whenever possible. But he is NOT on a mission to become her romantic partner. Usui the lover DOES NOT EXIST. At least, not yet.

You might do well to provide some actual examples of haphazard/jumpy development from the manga, for that matter. If you actually follow the development, it shouldn't be jumpy at all.

Oh please. Up to the higher 20es we're randomly alternating between Usui getting away with Misaki tolerating major familiarity infractions and Misaki entering combat mode when Usui merely looks at her funny. There is very little lasting development going on, it's rather "issue of the week". And then, something wonderful happens, and the interrelationship development begins to crystallize and begins to develop a "memory". The way they act towards each other in chapter n+1 is directly related to how chapter n ended (other than before).

Now what the anime has been doing was to sort the chapters in a way that Usui does NOT look like a whimsical-spontaneous stalker anymore (in the manga, he had started to take notice of Misaki end of c1 and confessed and jumped off the roof at c4 - which is pretty crazy in MY opinion. In the anime, he at least had spent more time with Misaki and understood her a bit more).

So, if you regret this change, so be it - your prerogative. I prefer the anime version, which shows a more believable development timeline.

I'm sorry? Isn't this a shoujo manga and anime? I expect just a tiny bit more appreciation for male characters as something beyond simple audience stand-ins. Even for guys, the important point in conveying Usui's attractiveness is plausibility. If lots of people seriously think Misaki is a hotter guy than Usui, and I'm not talking about going 'gay' for her here because only one person even mentioned that, then the anime is doing something wrong.

That it's a shoujo manga doesn't change the readers' sexual orientation. You seem to think that had only Usui been animated "sexier", then this would have improved the anime viewers' opinion of him, and I seriously don't think so. Pretty guys don't excite me or make me like them more, and to expect that seems strange to me. So, KNOWING that Misaki is a girl, I'd naturally prefer her in he "guy" disguise still.

Furthermore, one of the principle things that makes Usui a likeable character in the first place is that he's a good lover. He appeals to girls, and he appeals to the part of guys that wants to make girls happy.

No, he is not. He is no "good lover" in the least. He appeals to the girls due to his good looks, but he's sent away ALL of them crying. And he absolutely does NOT try to make Misaki happy, he is trying to rile her up. To unbalance her. He loves teasing her and watching her when she struggles. Yes, he'll help her whenever she's in trouble, so he's fulfilling the PROTECTIVE aspect. But a "good lover" he is NOT. He doesn't want to be one (see above).

Attractiveness is one key factor in this. The more attractive you are, the more happy your girlfriend will be to be with you. That's why properly conveying Usui's hawtness should be an obvious priority.

And they did. It's just you who for some crazy reason believes that because anime viewers have a more balanced view on him (instead of your extremely positive one), that's because the anime failed to underline his physical attractiveness. I don't think so.

From Misaki's perspective? There are, like, three instances in the entire series where Misaki becomes genuinely upset with him.

You're crazy.

What constitutes "genuinely upset" with him, then? Physical violence? Tears? Shouting? Or only if all of that happens combined at the same time?

You make it sound as if Usui's constant efforts to get under Misaki's skin are just playful happy escapades of a lovey-dovey couple. They are NOT. Misaki is constantly struggling, HARD. She is constantly upset with him, but she doesn't always make a big issue out of it, because she DOES gradually develop feelings for him. However, the way he continues to treat her - what he does and does NOT - never gives her peace of mind.

From Misaki's perspective, Usui's minor teases, harassments, and constant flirtations are just precisely that: minor. To call him a jerk over them is ridiculous.

With my manga knowledge, I can say: Usui is a gigantic jerk. A likable one, and seeing Misaki and him go is absolutely enjoyable for us viewers, but he is most definitely a jerk nevertheless.

Essentially, Usui is concentrating on his own pleasure of messing with Misaki and watching her struggle. The asymmetry of their relationship is emphasized by the fact that the normal ending to their tiffs is that Usui is smugly smirking while Misaki is usually angrily yelling and all too often embarrassed and frustrated, sometimes down to tears. Yes, Usui will intervene whenever Misaki is about to get in trouble. And Usui is FINE with these endings: It's not like they're in a loving relationship in which you make sure that before going to sleep, you kiss and make up. Take ep7 for example: Had Misaki not shot him down - quietly and bitterly - he would have gone home satisfied that he had showed her. With his bare-chested attack on Misaki, who was still shaky due to her "reset misunderstanding" that Usui consciously created. A true jerk indeed.

It's one thing to tease who you love (and Usui DOES love her, but he consciously refuses to take over the duties of a lover), but I dislike the emotional strain which he constantly puts on her. Because for Misaki it's NOT just all fun and games. She is constantly struggling, a hamster in Usui's lab. A beloved hamster, for sure. But he's no keeper of her conscience and sanity.

We shouldn't even be talking about Misaki's perspective in the first place though--my statement was: from the audience's perspective, Usui should never appear jerkish. If even Misaki implicitly assumes Usui's harmlessness/good intentions, then for we the audience, that should apply even moreso. You yourself admit that, in basically any instance where Usui appears to be acting like a jerk to her, he is in fact usually acting for her benefit. As observers given third person insight into Usui's character, if the story is being communicated correctly, this pattern should become more than obvious.

I never admitted anything like this. If he'd act in Misaki's REAL interest, he'd pursue her differently. He'd back up his words honestly and pursue her genuinely (however, he DOES NOT WANT THAT). He'd tone down his teasing some and give her some breathing space. He'd explain what's making him tick. But all that wouldn't make for a nice enjoyable story.

So, in a nutshell: I'm guilty of being a jerk, too. I enjoy the Usui-Misaki tiffs, though I have to admit that I feel strong pity for Misaki, in particular in the latest chapters. But your worship of Usui is so extreme that we'll have to agree to disagree: It's not J.C.Staff's "fault" that Usui is a jerk for many people (including me). The original story does that just the same.