Quote:
Originally Posted by Kameruka
Back to topic...The complete aversion of the OP...
What is it?: Girls and women who loves to cook only to be look cute and sexy in the eyes of men. In other words, "moe" factor.
Worst offenders: Magikano, Sister Princess, K-On!, Yosuga no Sora(yes even one of my favorite shows included).
Notable exceptions: Probably none. In Yumeiro Patissire the lead girl learn baking cakes and desserts professionally, not to look cute while lots of fans find her cute doing it. In Yakitate Japan!! one of the anti-heroine(and later protagonist) wears bikini to distract one of the protagonist. While it may considered sexist but its actually an important plot element.
Variants: Girls and women who can't do nothing but cook. Kasumi from Ranma 1/2 is the best example.
What makes it popular: Ahhh the sexism. There's nothing better seeing your beautiful girlfriend or wife smiling at you in dining room with a roasted turkey and grilled salmon on the dinner table after hard day working even though its not Christmas or Thanksgiving Day.
Reason I hated it: Again the sexism. It just as annoying as the opposite which I already mentioned earlier. Both men and women are as just as guilty to each other when it comes to this issue. Both wanted some sort of sex symbols. Okay people, cooking is for survival, profession and something to tie the family bond. Not something to look cute and sexy.
Does the hate really worth it?: Absolutely yes. I wish I can see more characters who are good at cooking and only do so to fill his or her empty stomachs, not as sex symbol.
|
I very much disagree with this post. There is nothing fundamentally sexist about a character who can cook well and enjoys cooking, whether they are male or female. You are looking at a very positive trait in an overly negative viewpoint. A woman in anime isn't "taking a step back in feminism" for enjoying to cook, even if it is for a guy she likes. If anything, it is as feminist as ever for her since she cooks and enjoys cooking out of
her own decision. Furthermore, I don't think there is anything wrong or sexist about a guy liking a girl who can cook. The ability to cook well is a valuable quality for anyone regardless of gender and you can't blame anyone for seeking out that quality.
Now your earlier post about girls who CAN'T cook I agree with. It plays on the much outdated assumption that girls, especially feminine ones, are supposed to be good at cooking and then plays a "twist" that, oh the shock(!), she can't! Even worse is how greatly exaggerated this "bad cooking" trick can get, with each new example trying to outdo the earlier ones to ridiculous and most importantly
unfunny boundaries. Like people passing out or feeling sick from eating the food and torturing themselves as they attempt to not offend the cook (Bakatest and Clannad, I'm looking at you). Or the character shown turning the kitchen into some horror dungeon with fire, ash and spilled food everywhere in their attempt to brew an edible concoction (Shakugan no Shana and ef: a tale of memories). It's not funny, it's just tragic.
To contribute my own peeve:
What is it?: The BOING sound when breasts bounce or touch something.
Worst offenders: Anime scenes that incorporate this cliche tend to be easily forgotten, but I remember Himeji Mizuki's audible boobs from Bakatest and Yoko's from Gurren Lagann.
Notable exceptions: Most anime with bouncing breasts actually. But the ones that feature it stick out badly.
What makes it popular: Writers who think the audience is dozing off need to get the audience to pay attention to the moving mammaries whether they want to or not. In other words, "Look, fanservice! By the way, you're an idiot for not noticing before so I added sound effects."
Reason that I hate it: It's probably some combination between the fact that it is completely pointless and my own OCD reminding me that
breasts simply don't sound like that. For the former, do we really need that sound? Why can't we just witness the sight in its visual glory alone? For the latter, yeah, breasts hardly make any sound near to that and we know it. It even detracts from the fanservice because I'm paying too much attention to that blasted implausible sound effect to appreciate the breasts.
Is the hate really worth it?: Probably not, as I said earlier part of this peeve is due to my personal refusal to suspend my disbelief in the face of such a trivial sound effect. But it's not entirely unfounded, as its use tends to make the situation feel artificial and plastic.