[alunde]

I wonder if some of this clumsiness is the legacy of a history of arranged marriages and the inside/outside dimension of relationships in culture and language. The typical approach to courtship, as seen in anime, on the male side seems to border on stalking, as various boys collect "data" on girls.

I get the feel that from, say middle school onwards, there are these two parallel societies of boys and girls which finally connect when formal dating begins.

On the other hand, things like clubs and class responsibilities do cause the sexes to mix somewhat. I think of Karekano as a case where two dedicated overachievers are brought together in the context of working together at school.

Kuroneko seems cuter to me in this context having made elaborate plans, and being willing to admit to it.

It's nice to see a girl showing some initiative in a positive sense.

By contrast, Ayase's relationship to him seems more like a minefield. She anticipates all the bad things that Kyousuke might do, and sort of makes them into self-fullfilling prophecies. This is good for comedy but bad for actual romance.