Hey all, I'm new to this forum but am happy to see the shipping on this show isn't as nasty as other places on Animesuki. Its really tiring and largely juvenile behavior.
Eps 14 was a really nice forward movement because its opening a lot of new things. Ami seems to be getting more serious and Ryuuji is expanding his "care for his friends" to a larger circle than just Taiga's reliance on him. Minori is opening up more and not JUST being odd. The "somethings going on between the Prez and Kitamura" line has gotten more interesting. Its amusing because even though the show has been doing small setups for quite a few weeks, the post Cultural Fair situations seem to be jelling the cross relationship entanglements more than ever. He likes her, but she likes him and they both subconsciously like each other, etc. The show is really hitting its stride now.
On the generalizations of one culture vs. another, its my understanding that this genre of Japanese anime isn't even designed for the large populace and its attitudes. More, it is directed at the peccadillos of the subset of the Japanese populace that 1. watches this genre. 2. Buys the products that sponsor this genre. 3. Buy the spinoff and related merchandise that comes directly from the novels/manga/anime of this type of show.
That is a VERY NARROW subset of a culture and the likes and habits of ANY subset of a culture will be skewed on the overall curve. So, even if the general population of Japan were more enlightened and had more liberal, modern attitudes about women's roles for instance, the majority of the males who would follow this anime may have very different attitudes as a group. Consequently, trying to make blanket comments about any culture based on the apparent popularity of an anime character is already a false foundation to begin with. All you MIGHT say is that between "otaku" in Japan vs. "otaku" in the USA for instance, it COULD SEEM like the Japanese viewers prefer the more reliant/submissive/loli/tsundere characters rather than the more self assurred/Barbie bodied/striaghtforward characters supported by more US viewers.
I'm not drawing any conclusions myself, because CURRENTLY I like Minori for Ryuuji no matter how much tension exists between he and Taiga. The discussion in the kitchen and on the beach at the Villa between them really held pearls of a potential relationship between them, whereas the relationship between Taiga and Ryuuji still feels more familial to me.
This is a great series with really likable characters all across the board and a good blend of humor with serious underpinnings. High School relationships rarely end up being the last ones any individual ever has, so to me this is all quite appropriate.
