hontou ni Stripey Insists Sisters Cry Oniichan Now

Hatsukoi Limited 3-4

Putting together Kurogane's celebration of Kei's Shizuka Itou-fuelled tsundere and omo's observation about Kusuda and Kei's "theme of unity through aesthetics", Kappa-face's mobile phone wallpaper also shows us that he is also dishonest about his protestations of non-attraction towards Kei Enomoto. But somehow it's weird to think of a guy, at least a non-bishie/trap one, as tsundere. Apart from the gendered nature of the term, it seems to imply a minimum threshold in the aesthetics department in order to qualify and to apply. This proposition is, of course, completely falsifiable - do we know of any major characters who are both ugly and tsundere?

One another note - I found it ethically dodgy to take a picture of a sleeping person. But only with a small camera. Somehow when you hold a DSLR in your hand, its bulk seems to infuse you with the Nikon/Canon-given right to take any goddamnthing you goddamn want to. Which is why I suppose Kundera, in the closing chapters of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, meant it to be funny when he had an unnamed but specifically famous American photographer stepping on a landmine while trying to frame his shot more dramatically.

Ordinarily I would laughed at how Koyoi and Yoshihiko were both utterly crushed (in different ways) by Misaka's Tanaka Rie-fuelled Oneesama goodness. But... somehow I can't bring myself to enjoy myself at Koyoi's expense. Her brother complex shows how she's pretty bent out of shape but it's also intriguing how mild the eroticism of it is in contrast to the degree of romanticism in her fantasies; as pure a bro-con as Koyoi's is a strange, gentle and actually cuddly creature to behold.

Yoshihiko being indirectly shot down was yet another Demonstration Alpha of how the beautiful (who, we are shown, have their own problems too) blissfully leave a trail of collateral destruction in their wake. But it was nice to see how he didn't wallow; it'll be interesting to see if Yoshihiko will be well and truly get over Misaki. If low expectations are indeed the secret to happiness, then it's a positive demonstration of limited first love indeed.

Related posts:

1. Hatsukoi Limited 7
2. Hatsukoi Limited 8
3. Hatsukoi Limited 10-12