[meme] at least twilight had vampires [day16]

[jiyuuhonpou]

Posting this before I leave for work because I'll be without internet access until tomorrow-ish. Given the question, this post might be a little wanktastic so don't say I didn't warn you.

So far, all the pairings I posted about for this meme are pairings that I like (or love, even, if Day 08 has anything to say about it) in fictional media I enjoy (well, except for yesterday which was in ~*REAL LIFE*~).
This day is the exception to that rule.

Today, I'm going to talk about a pairing that I loathe in a work of fiction that I read and hated.
And if someone comments "Hey, I liked this pairing!"... I'm going to judge you. A lot. At the very least, I will point you in the direction of some books about healthy relationships and maybe even *GASP* feminism, and then back away from you verrrry slowly. (And I used to read shojo manga like it was my job, so that's saying something.)

 

day.16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?

Ryoki Tachibana/Hatsumi Narita [Hot Gimmick]

I hate this pairing and this series so much that just trying to Google a decent picture of them makes me mad. So have this random picture instead, since technically I hate all possible pairings in this picture.

Every time someone goes "oh Ryoki is just being tsundere he really loves Hatsumi!!11" I just... I get blinded by rage, okay? Ryoki isn't a tsundere; he's a manipulative, abusive, spoiled brat who didn't learn anything.  Actually, all the main guys in this series were assholes - Azuza was all right up until he almost got Hatsumi gang-raped. Listen, I don't care what kind of ~*angsty past*~ you have, there's no excuse for that. None.  I can't remember off the top of my head what the hell Shingo did but I remember going "how could anyone like this guy after the shit he pulled?"  The only guy that was halfway decent in the series was Subaru, and who does he end up with? Hatsumi's annoying, bitchy, self-centered younger sister.  Oh, and don't get me started on how much of a fail!character Hatsumi herself was; she had no character growth throughout the entire series and basically acted as a doormat when she should have thrown all these fucking fools to the curb.  And this is supposed to be a realistic love story? BITCH PLEASE.

And before someone chimes in "oh, you didn't read the whole thing it gets better just give it a chance!"... I bought all 12 volumes in English hoping there would be a turnaround or some indication of the characters actually learning from their mistakes... no dice. I sold all those volumes at Book-off for $0.50 each and I still think Book-off gave me a good deal for buying those pieces of flaming shit off my hands.

The to-do list:
# Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
# Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
# Day 19 - A pairing you’ve rooted for since the beginning?
# Day 20 - The ‘can’t stand the sexual tension anymore’ pairing?
# Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
# Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
# Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
# Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
# Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
# Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
# Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
# Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
# Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
# Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever!

Comments

[piratelicker.livejournal.com]

i liked HG for the trainwrecks LOLOLOL you just can't stop staring mwaghahahahh

[equivalent-t.livejournal.com]

While you know what I feel about the 'I say nasty things to you to hide how awkward I am' tsundere, I hate the 'I DO nasty things to you to hide my true love' tsundere mightily. Because that kind of thing totally happens in real life, right? Guys who treat you like shit and plan out detailed events in which you get publicly humiliated and laugh about it to your face are just being immature and likes teasing the boy/girl he likes, they're totally in love with you!

Unfortunately this type is pretty prevalent when they're the 'lead' in the relationship. I find that sad.

[hamsterfactor.livejournal.com]

OH MAN I HATED HOT GIMMICK SO MUCH I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL EVER BE ABLE TO TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE BY MIKI AIHARA. JUST RAAAAAAAAAAGE D:

[cal-reflector.livejournal.com]

I think hating this pairing from HG was one of the reasons I joined L-J, years ago. It's also how I met a lot of the people on my flist. Made worse by how Shinogu was dismissed and became a f***ing monk. Shinogu was the only good thing in those 12 volumes.

Authoress had a gram of brain cells left though; came up with an alternate ending light novel where Hatsumi picks Shinogu instead because she realized how utterly fail the original was.

[kawaiipinay.livejournal.com]

/JUDGES YOU SO MUCH

[kawaiipinay.livejournal.com]

*HIGH-FIVES YOU*
I'll admit that her art is nice, but after reading Hot Gimmick I pretty much swore off of any Miki Aihara manga EVER. Her and Mayu Shinjo man, their stuff makes me RAGE!!

[kawaiipinay.livejournal.com]

Like I said in the post, I thought all three main dudes sucked, including Shingo; he came off as creepy and kind of obsessed to me iirc. There's no way I'm going to sit through a reread of the manga just to verify that, though.

[kawaiipinay.livejournal.com]

I hate the 'I DO nasty things to you to hide my true love' tsundere mightily
UGH I agree with you 100000000%; I have a major dubcon squick and a humiliation squick, and stories involving that kind of tsundere usually invoke both.

I don't get why this type of relationship is so damn popular in shojo manga, especially given the target audience. It just reinforces the stereotype that "physical/emotional abuse = expression of love" which is so wrong on so many levels.

[equivalent-t.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* I stopped reading shoujo for a while when Mayu Shinjo was really popular. Can I join you in hating her?

[equivalent-t.livejournal.com]

I have nothing against dubcon and humiliation in fiction, lol Do'S, but not when it's presented as pure love. Because we should really call a fish a fish. And it's usually a good sign that the author's just playing into the audience's sexual hang-ups and not actually thinking the damn thing through.

I really *think* it's for all those girls who have a thing for jerks IRL and would like to fantasize that jerkasses are really nice underneath. Which is a very good way of increasing domestic abuse rates, sad thing sad thing.

[piratelicker.livejournal.com]

it was like a bad soap opera I'd watch just for the lulz and DRAMA by the spades. It's SO BAD BUT SO DAMN ENTERTAINING.

But yeah, Ryoki & Azusa. BIGGEST JERKS EVER. Azusa even more so for that organizing-attempted-rape thing. I never liked him from the start lol

[kawaiipinay.livejournal.com]

BY ALL MEANS PLEASE DO. I actually finished Hot Gimmick, but I couldn't even get through the first volume of Haou Airen I was so disgusted with it.

[equivalent-t.livejournal.com]

My Mayu Shinjo experience was with circa Kaikan Phase. My friends were all reading it, including the guys, and I think that was when I first started to lose faith in humanity. Dare I ask what this Haou Airen was about? I'm not sure if I want to google it up.

[kawaiipinay.livejournal.com]

...different strokes for different folks, I guess? *shrugs*

High-school girl saves a guy's life, guy turns out to be leader of the Triads or something so he basically kidnaps her and makes her his sexual slave/captive, because he ~*loves*~ her. Or something equally rage-inducing. I remember downloading it because of the mafia concept, reading up to the part where the guy drugs the girl and promptly deleting it after that.

[hamsterfactor.livejournal.com]

MAYU SHINJO IS TTLY MY NEMESIS.