The Genderbending of Haruhi Suzumiya [Spoilers Aplenty]

[Tyabann]

Also, Shima has absolutely nothing to do with genderbending. He's a trap, nothing more.

[Sute443]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

And imagine how creepy that is going to be genderbent. Especially with how much of a trap Tachibana is.

About as creepy as the more exaggerated behavior some of the fandom attributes to Itsuki.

Originally Posted by DJ_RockmanX

What exactly does KyoAni have anything to do with this?

It may have been based on the belief that we do this only because we want something to do while waiting for Season 2, and that if it were released then the madness would stop.

[Tyabann]

Koizumi isn't a total trap though.

[otai]

Originally Posted by Sute443

And speaking of Tachibana, has anybody else ever had the suspicion that her off-page behavior with Sasaki is pretty close to Itsuko's behavior with Kyonko?

Fanon, yes. Canon, probably not. Haruhi's writing style is too realisticly grounded for that level of shenanigans.

You know, 'flaming lesbian' seems to be one of the new stock characters that seem to show up in a lot of anime lately. It's as if editors are passing notes to the character designers saying, "not enough service. Pls add yuri, k thanks."

[ZephyrLeanne]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Also, Shima has absolutely nothing to do with genderbending. He's a trap, nothing more.

But there's POTENTIAL!

Imagine if Yuusuke really did make a move on Shima that time (if you seen CLANNAD After Story 6). THat would be absolutely LOL...!

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by otai

You know, 'flaming lesbian' seems to be one of the new stock characters that seem to show up in a lot of anime lately. It's as if editors are passing notes to the character designers saying, "not enough service. Pls add yuri, k thanks."

It's not like they haven't been doing this for years.

Marimite much?

[otai]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

It's not like they haven't been doing this for years.

Marimite much?

Well, yeah; but it used to be the entire show that was yuri themed. Back then, to get to yuri, you had to swallow reams of angst the parochial overpriviledged shoujo can muster. These days they are injected into just about every new shounen show made for service.

Not really a bad thing, but sometimes it feels like cheap pandering to our base desires to avoid actually writing the next mind-blowing shounen work. Honestly, can you imagine something based on current trends, that something as insane and intellectually challenging as; I don't know, Akira; turning up? (Of course, Haruhi's awesome; and FSN gets credit, but you know that Rin/Saber is a major draw for many given Shirou's Typical Male Loserness.)

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by otai

Well, yeah; but it used to be the entire show that was yuri themed. Back then, to get to yuri, you had to swallow reams of angst the parochial overpriviledged shoujo can muster. These days they are injected into just about every new shounen show made for service.

Not really a bad thing, but sometimes it feels like cheap pandering to our base desires to avoid actually writing the next mind-blowing shounen work. Honestly, can you imagine something based on current trends, that something as insane and intellectually challenging as; I don't know, Akira; turning up? (Of course, Haruhi's awesome; and FSN gets credit, but you know that Rin/Saber is a major draw for many given Shirou's Typical Male Loserness.)

Shirou is like 3 billion times more awesome and less cliche in the game.

And, well, take like Toradora or Soul Eater. They're both relatively recent and very damned good. Gurren Lagann, as well, is some of the best television in years and I don't see any yuri in it.

[Kha]

Have to agree; the anime used Fate-route-Shiro, who had me tearing my hair out. His roles in the other two is either bad-badass (Heaven's Feel) or Aragon-badass (UBW), so statistically, Shiro is badass as long as he isn't being a dumbass.

Need I add Gundam 00 to the list? Sure we got lots of good-lookin' women to go with the Two Round Things in the series title, but that's about it; the show's about Gundam, fights and story, and it delivers, without yuri. The women and the feminine mecha designs are a plus.

So is it possible to do Haruki without yuri? Yes, since Kyonsuki will get tired after a while, among other much more valid reasons.

[otai]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Shirou is like 3 billion times more awesome and less cliche in the game.

And, well, take like Toradora or Soul Eater. They're both relatively recent and very damned good. Gurren Lagann, as well, is some of the best television in years and I don't see any yuri in it.

Well, in Toradora, Minorin and her radar is a little queer. I concede TTGL, but I would cynically say give Soul Eater some time. It doesn't seem to be heading that way, but you would have said the same at the start of Negima.

It's the badly written shows where gratuitous yuri is grating. Can we say that Table-chans existance improved Code Geass? Or the Shuffle! outtake where it is implied Kaeda starts seeing Sia instead of a therapist? Why does Kuroko get featured so prominently in the To Aru Majutsu No Index OP?

Sunrise has been trying replicate Shiziru, who probably single handedly saved Mai-hime; the least epic of Sunrise train wrecks. They don't particularly need it for an established series like Gundam.

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

Originally Posted by otai

It's the badly written shows where gratuitous yuri is grating. Can we say that Table-chans existance improved Code Geass?

... did you just imply Code Geass was badly written? This might not end well

[Kha]

The Mai-series was fun because they were trainwrecks that acted like it was meant to be taken seriously, but no! And the rate of character resurrection in said series beats Gundam to claim the title of "Most Sunrising" series of Sunrise.

Once you realize that it's a comedy/service anime, plot doesn't matter any more.

[dkellis]

For what it's worth, when reading shoujo manga, there's a lot of ambiguously gay guys around.

Almost as many as the "I'm not very smart but I'm hard-working~ and even though I have a lot of problems I can face them all" female protagonist types.

This is, incidentally, why I view with great disdain any claims that moe anime is "unoriginal". Because just look at just about every other genre.

[Kha]

Grand Unifying Theory in the Pursuit of the Moe Grail?

[Discreet]

Originally Posted by dkellis

For what it's worth, when reading shoujo manga, there's a lot of ambiguously gay guys around.

Almost as many as the "I'm not very smart but I'm hard-working~ and even though I have a lot of problems I can face them all" female protagonist types.

This is, incidentally, why I view with great disdain any claims that moe anime is "unoriginal". Because just look at just about every other genre.

That usually means that everything is bad.

Which for the most part it is.

< Snob.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by otai

Well, in Toradora, Minorin and her radar is a little queer. I concede TTGL, but I would cynically say give Soul Eater some time. It doesn't seem to be heading that way, but you would have said the same at the start of Negima.

...That was a side joke in Toradora.

And Soul Eater doesn't focus on the relationships at all, really. It more focuses on the awesome.

Originally Posted by dkellis

This is, incidentally, why I view with great disdain any claims that moe anime is "unoriginal". Because just look at just about every other genre.

True, but, what kind of show would be defined as part of the "moe genre"?

Many shows like that also qualify as slice-of-life, correct?

Originally Posted by Discreet

That usually means that everything is bad.

Unoriginality is not bad.

All that matters in fiction works is the writing, not the content, although having both helps.

Too bad originality, is, you know, dead.

[Discreet]

If you think originality is dead, you're not looking hard enough.

And I'm not saying that unoriginality is bad, I got nothing against an entertaining series that just happens to do nothing really innovative, but if an entire medium repeats the exact same qualities in character and plot, then we have an issue. That's not to say that originality is nonexistent in anime/manga, it's just hard to find.

[Tyabann]

Show me something from anime from the past 10 years that's totally original.

Also, Toradora is awesome, as I have said many times. I don't see how people can hate it, even with Kugimiya. Sure it's not original, but it's damned well written. That is all that should matter in entertainment medium.

[Discreet]

Totally original? That doesn't exist.

Some innovative series, though?

First that comes to mind would be FLCL which I still triumph as combination insanity and genius. And forgiving the troped to hell characters, I would also put Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya somewhere on the list.

[Tyabann]

Well, FLCL is truly original. Because of how insane it is.

And yeah, minus the characters, Haruhi's plot is fairly original.

So yeah, point to you.