(L) Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (Love, Election, and Chocolate)

[sapper]

am i the only one who wants a harem end here? lol ;p

[NoemiChan]

Chisato, Satsuki, and Hazuki factions will never agree in sharing Yuuki with each other...!!!

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I mentioned this before, but he was definitely quite attracted to Chisato in that scene.

If Oojima was "quite attracted to Chisato", don't you think he'd have more reaction to her basically asking him to touch her sexually, while they were both in a hot springs bath naked?

Oojima's reaction to Chisato in the bath scene struck me as being very similar to how a teenage guy would react to his teenage sister wanting to share a bath with him (presuming no incestuous feelings on the guy's part). The Westermack Effect doesn't mean that you have no reaction to a sexually charged situation occurring between you and someone who is (or is like) a sibling to you. Actually, the Westermack Effect is likely to cause a person in such a situation to feel decidedly uncomfortable, and that's precisely how Oojima came across to me in the bath scene that he shared with Chisato. But it came across as just uncomfortable to me, not particularly aroused (here's where the lack of blushing and nosebleeding is telling to me).

Now, if not for Oojima's extremely smooth rejection of Chisato in this episode (as well as his quick and actually pretty smart response to Hazuki's confession), I'd be more willing to chalk that discomfort up to just standard harem anime male lead nervousness over anything and everything related to romantic love and sex. But given how smoothly Oojima handled that this episode, I'm inclined to think that the nervousness he displayed when Chisato went into the bath with him is due to how he just doesn't see Chisato that way, and so the bath situation was discomforting to him (for much the same reason that most teenage/adult guys would feel uncomfortable bathing naked in a bath with a teenage/adult sister).

Although they didn't show him "nosebleeding", the scene afterwards with Yuuki showed that his body certainly he had a reaction. In fact, his body is always reacting to Chisato, right from the get-go.

Given how frequently Chisato invades Oojima's personal space, I'm not sure how his body could not be reacting to Chisato. Pretty hard to not physically react to someone who's literally mounting you, for example.

But he is deliberately shutting her out and rejecting her advances. Plus, as I said before, he hasn't actually advanced on anyone else yet (contrary to the other example you mentioned).

He was showing a definite fondness for Satsuki prior to him entering the election campaign. It makes sense to me that since now she's his "political rival", he would consider it inappropriate to pursue her at this time.

Originally Posted by sapper

am i the only one who wants a harem end here? lol ;p

Not everybody who watches shows with a harem anime element to it are fans of actual harems.

For some of us, it's the romantic conflict that we enjoy watching and speculating on. A harem end would make all of that conflict seem pointless to me, much like how an inconclusive ambiguous end does. That's a big part of the reason why I dislike both of those types of ends.

[SoFarGone]

Originally Posted by Kismet-chan

I do not get why characters like her are so damn popular? I just don't find a girl that hardly talks appealing at all.

[sapper]

@genji you dont know that lol ;p

@triple well i know that and i watch it for that aspect too but i jsut think it'll make everybody happy ;p

[Midonin]

Originally Posted by SoFarGone

I do not get why characters like her are so damn popular? I just don't find a girl that hardly talks appealing at all.

The appeal of Michiru (at least for me, as an anime-only guy) doesn't lie in her words as much as her actions. Getting herself tangled up in the stickers, her half-hearted "Banzai!", and her attempts at persuading a lizard to vote for Yuuki with a Yaoi Stick are all very cute. They say a lot about her personality without her having to speak a word.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

He was showing a definite fondness for Satsuki prior to him entering the election campaign. It makes sense to me that since now she's his "political rival", he would consider it inappropriate to pursue her at this time.

I guess that's an okay theory, but unless I'm forgetting something, I don't think he has so much as hinted at this being a conundrum, unlike the show itself which is pointing it out. I'm not saying that it's impossible that he could be employing that sort of logic... but by the same token I don't see any evidence that he is. The problem is that we don't have any insight into his thinking on this matter yet (because, of course, they're trying to keep us guessing).

To be clear, I'm not necessarily saying that his choosing Satsuki is an unlikely solution. It certainly makes sense and is well-established in the narrative (as I said before, the show's plot has been tracking Yuuki's building relationship with Satsuki, and contrasting that with his increasing distance from Chisato). Speaking purely personally for a second, I think that would actually be my preferred ending to the story, as I'm quite fond of Satsuki. But I can't see the rejection as "cleanly" as you see it because there are still too many loose ends to clean up. I honestly see both routes as still possible and justifiable.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by sapper

@genji you dont know that lol ;p

@triple well i know that and i watch it for that aspect too but i jsut think it'll make everybody happy ;p

I certainly get what you're saying. Unrequited love can be a painful thing to watch. So in some instances, at least, I'd be cool with a harem end. But I don't think it would work in this show because I don't think all the girls would be open to it (Chisato definitely wouldn't be, imo).

Really, my most hated end is the ambiguous, inconclusive one. I can't stand that, lol.

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I guess that's an okay theory, but unless I'm forgetting something, I don't think he has so much as hinted at this being a conundrum, unlike the show itself which is pointing it out. I'm not saying that it's impossible that he could be employing that sort of logic... but by the same token I don't see any evidence that he is. The problem is that we don't have any insight into his thinking on this matter yet (because, of course, they're trying to keep us guessing).

You're right. The anime could believably have Oojima swerve away from Satsuki. It's just that I think the smoothest route, at this point, is towards Oojima/Satsuki.

I also should be clear that I don't think that Oojima/Chisato isn't possible. I could imagine Chisato finding a way to change how Oojima views her. It's just that right now, I think he does see her as almost like a sister to him. The narrative could overcome that, but it's running out of time. The next episode or two will definitely be key there, I think. If Chisato turns things around, I think we'll see at least the start of that next episode.

Edit: If I was going with percentage-based predictions, my percentages right now would be...

Oojima/Satsuki End - 50% chance.
Oojima/Chisato End - 25% chance.
Oojima/Isara End - 10% chance.
Oojima/Mifuyu End -10% chance.
Oojima/anybody else End - 5% chance (basically, if the anime decides to troll us, or throw a real curve-ball with Oojima/Hazuki ).

[sapper]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I certainly get what you're saying. Unrequited love can be a painful thing to watch. So in some instances, at least, I'd be cool with a harem end. But I don't think it would work in this show because I don't think all the girls would be open to it (Chisato definitely wouldn't be, imo).

Really, my most hated end is the ambiguous, inconclusive one. I can't stand that, lol.

OMG YES! i hate it with tht inconclusive end pisses meoff so much. and it does seem like it wouldnt work in this show.

but the two girls i like most in this series are mifuyu (cause she has a crush on oojima and he has a lil one on her and thats just cute but she wont do anything because of chisato) and satsuki (she's good looking and it seems theyre starting to like eachother)

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

You're right. The anime could believably have Oojima swerve away from Satsuki. It's just that I think the smoothest route, at this point, is towards Oojima/Satsuki.

I also should be clear that I don't think that Oojima/Chisato isn't possible. I could imagine Chisato finding a way to change how Oojima views her. It's just that right now, I think he does see her as almost like a sister to him. The narrative could overcome that, but it's running out of time. The next episode or two will definitely be key there, I think. If Chisato turns things around, I think we'll see at least the start of that next episode.

Yup, I 100% agree with this. If they go with a Satsuki ending, then I think it's very clear what will happen in the remaining episodes; as you say, it's very smooth. If they go for Chisato, it's more difficult because it requires more setup in the remaining time to pull off and they have to find a way of still bringing resolution to the otherwise smooth-sailing Satsuki plot. And what of the election? It's a harder road to travel for sure... but that scene in Episode 2 is a big looming issue for me, along with the opening of Episode 1 (with the special insert song). It's very easy for me to imagine an anime ending that tries to mirror the post-OP Episode 1 scene (with Chisato going to go wake him up) as a way of bookending the show (this sort of parallelism is very common). So... yeah. I'd like nothing more than to be able to make a clean prediction (and then be proven right of course ), but the best I can do right now is hedge.

[Pen3]

If they do go with a surprise Oojima x Hazuki route i will worship them forever in trying something new.

[Tenchi Ryu]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I certainly get what you're saying. Unrequited love
Oojima/anybody else End - 5% chance (basically, if the anime decides to troll us, or throw a real curve-ball with Oojima/Hazuki ).

Don't see how this would consider this a curveball. She literally has some of the most interesting conflict going on with him compared to the other girls. IMHO, other than Satsuki and Chisato, none of the others have progressed as far as Hazuki has.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Pen3

If they do go with a surprise Oojima x Hazuki route i will worship them forever in trying something new.

Originally Posted by Tenchi Ryu

Don't see how this would consider this a curveball. She literally has some of the most interesting conflict going on with him compared to the other girls. IMHO, other than Satsuki and Chisato, none of the others have progressed as far as Hazuki has.

Honestly, I'd be totally fine with a Oojima/Hazuki end. Normally I'm not a big fan of the "MILF hits on the teenage guy" anime trope, but I think that Hazuki is only 23 or so, and hence it's not that bad to me. Plus, this latest episode has really given me a new appreciation for Hazuki's character, and I like the unusual and intriguing nature of her relationship with Oojima.

Also, like you wrote, Hazuki has actually progressed farther with Oojima than everybody except Satsuki and Chisato.


The reason why it would be a curveball (and also why Pen is right about how it would be really trying something new) is due to how Hazuki is not one of the main heroines in the source material. In other words, she's not one of the girls with her own romance route with the male lead.

That's not a big deal to an anime-only viewer like myself, but I can see how it would make game fans go "Woah". It really would be something else for an anime to not only have the adult woman win over the teenaged male lead, but also for a character who wasn't even a main heroine in the game to be the girl that the teenaged male lead ends up with.

[Guardian Enzo]

Hazuki isn't a MILF - she's a BSILF at most. A six year age-difference is a lot, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility a 23 year-old and 17 year-old could fall in love and succeed as a couple - it's certainly happened before. I'd be fine with a Hazuki end, but I don't see a chance of it happening, though.

Also, as regards Chisato and the bath scene... I don't want to go too far out on a limb here, but I don't think too much should be read into the fact that a 17 year-old guy reacted physically when a 17 year-old girl climbed into the bath and embraced him. He may have romantic feelings for her and he may not, but you can't read anything into that - any kid that age is going to react in that situation, whether he's in love with the girl or not.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Hazuki isn't a MILF - she's a BSILF at most. A six year age-difference is a lot, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility a 23 year-old and 17 year-old could fall in love and succeed as a couple - it's certainly happened before. I'd be fine with a Hazuki end, but I don't see a chance of it happening, though.

A 10 year gap between a female and male getting together isn't impossible in real life...

...and Hazuki isn't MILF....

[Triple_R]

Guys, all I meant by the "MILF" reference was "Adult woman living an adult life". There's no need to be pedantic here, and I certainly didn't intend any loaded or insulting meaning by "MILF" as I was simply using it as a convenient shorthand. Also, I don't know what "BSILF" even means, so that's why I didn't go with that term.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

That's not a big deal to an anime-only viewer like myself, but I can see how it would make game fans go "Woah". It really would be something else for an anime to not only have the adult woman win over the teenaged male lead, but also for a character who wasn't even a main heroine in the game to be the girl that the teenaged male lead ends up with.

Well, the main reason it would make me say "woah" is because I don't see how it plays any part in the election plot. It'd just be a sort of random and unrelated romance that somehow exists along side the election issue. At least with Chisato and Satsuki, you can see the direct connection. With time being limited and all, I just don't see what would be gained by taking this route.

(Well, that and I have to say, I personally never really liked Hazuki at all... so... )

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Guys, all I meant by the "MILF" reference was "Adult woman living an adult life". There's no need to be pedantic here, and I certainly didn't intend any loaded or insulting meaning by "MILF" as I was simply using it as a convenient shorthand. Also, I don't know what "BSILF" even means, so that's why I didn't go with that term.

Just replace the "M" in MILF with "Big Sister" and you'll get the drift.

I would avoid using MILF as a generic term for "older woman" because of the nature of the acronym - it has a very particular connotation. Perhaps a good general term to use instead might be "cougar"...

[Jmac]

Wow, such an intense episode. Talk about a major bombshell being dropped.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Perhaps a good general term to use instead might be "cougar"...

Hmmm...I think "cougar ain't appropriate either... Hazuki is 23 years old then therefore..

Cougar

(Noun. A 35+ year old female who is on the "hunt" for a much younger, energetic, willing-to-do-anything male. The cougar can frequently be seen in a padded bra, cleavage exposed, propped up against a swanky bar in San Francisco (or other cities)waiting, watching, calculating; gearing up to sink her claws into an innocent young and strapping buck who happens to cross her path. "Man is cougar's number one prey"

>http://www.urbandictionary.com

...doesn't fully apply to her either... Big Sister Living in an Adult Life is more way acceptable...