I love My Little Monster, but I know a lot of people (justifiably so) have dropped the series recently due to some...uh....poorly aged stuff. This is my declaration to give it another chance!
Who cares? If you drop every show just because some group of people finds it offensive, all you'll be left with is a video of paint drying and a fear that people are going to find that offensive.
I hope you speak about gender and feminism in this video because you can’t really comment on the media made by women, especially Japanese women, without it. These are all common trends in media for girls and women by girls and women. There’s a collective trauma that informs these issues and it’s internalization of our experiences and the patriarchy that result in this kind of media. I won’t psychoanalyze it all here, but it undeniable that women girls start getting into dating and romance that sa becomes a thing on our minds. In a lot of ways this media tries to create this idea that these guys don’t mean it and that they’ll become men who respect and protect you and it’s sad that all of this goes into the female fantasy (abuse and reparations). So much of the content I consumed from Japan, by and for women, as a preteen and upward was full of sexual violence, internalized misogyny, and these fantasies that apologize for men’s behavior in the series
At the very least, I do commend the show for not going too far, and romanticizing the more dubious things Haru does. Mizutani actively sets boundaries against them, and Haru betters himself anyway. Most media would just portray toxic behavior like that as something hot, and keep it going. Still not good to have those moments, but at least they aren't written off as 'kinky and romantic', and are actually acknowledged as bad behavior. Also, no matter how 'poorly' this series ages, Natsume alone is still a valid enough reason to watch/read it.
I agree. Most media either shies away from more serious, questionable behavior. Or they make fun of it or it's just porn. I'd like to see more romance, where it's not totally clear how voluntary all of this is. Where one person accepts the bad parts because the positive aspects still dominate. That would be more realistic, I guess.
I don’t really think it’s so split for normal people as being some one on the internet for a while I’ve noticed for lack of a better term what the normies or apolitical people romanticizes has become and more out there. I think the split may come in more political people but to the average person this stuff becomes more and more glamorized as time goes on, more then likely due to the wide spread of internet.
Saying something has aged poorly tends to have connotations of something having been okay in its time, when I think the point of this was always that what he was doing was bad, it was his rock bottom, and, as you said, how he grows. Better to say that, rather, you have aged well, and can now see things in a more empathetic light.
@@VainSick If it wasnt/isnt a Trope Girls like then it wouldnt BE a Trope. Fact is they do in a Fictional Setting where no one can be hurt. Its why its called Fantasies. Its just like how lots of Girls will chase after the Bad Boys and Dream of changing them in real life, even though thats just as much of a Fantasy. Ignoring Human Desire wont change the Truth of things, even the Ugly Truth. Guys are just as guilty of chasing after the Hot and Popular Girls thinking they will somehow notice them and realize how much they Love them and not the Rich Hot Guy who doesnt really love them. Both sides can be stupid when it comes to Love and it should be okay to explore that in Art.
Id love to hear this channels opinions on "Family Guy" then. Because it has a gazillion times worse content EVERY EPISODE and I dont hear any complaints about that.
@@pamelotms5867 So a romance anime can never be outrageous or dark ? Or have extreme parts ? (kinda flat like a pancake I didnt even raise an eyebrow at what was said or done in the anime. Sometimes I wonder if the people complaining about things like this (not just for this) remember just how horrible and immature guys in this male characters age can be. This isnt supposed to be an "Example of moral excellence" anime, to be held out to be glorified and followed by all. I dont like the guys attitude either, but thats beside the point. Believable yet negative depiction versus morally perfect nudges towards the perfect human being that gets an A plus ? An A for all modern "CORRECTED" PC dramaforms, and a F minus for all who dont hold up to modern standard I guess is the trend ? Do we need to always be told about the existence or non existence of dark parts/dark comedy ? Sounds kinda boring. Here come the bulldozer for all your "naughty bits". Look I enjoy romcoms that are fluffy cotton candy through and through as well.Hecc, I even love Pollyanna the movie. But people are jerks sometimes, swear sometimes, go to the bathroom sometimes, do "ducky" things sometimes and other unpleasant negative things (Id elaborate, but you cant say these things here yknow?). I guess I just dislike (I would usually use stronger worsds but yknow?) censorship of any kind, and when people diss stuff that might give a different wiew, because its "dated"/not the modern way of thinking about things. The fact that its dated is besides the point. Im glad he said, the stuff he did at the end though. HE gets it at least.
@@sentimentalcircuscurator i never said any of what you just went off on. i dont hate the show i like it. and i dont think that romance shows cant be outrageous but in this case its out of nowhere in the first episode and isnt realy indicative of the rest of the show.
@@pamelotms5867t’s a shoujo. Violent male leads is a common trope. It’s a fantasy for women or rather teenage girls. It doesn’t mean that they’d like this kind of treatment irl but some do
It wasn't "poorly aged". WHEN IT RELEASED, people brought up how the violent abusive shitbag being portrayed as cute was uncomfortable at the time and they were just ridiculed for it. I think it's just a case of you being more aware of things than you were at 13.
Bro I watched it when I was a teenager and dropped it because it gave me chills. I was barely aware of what feminism was at the time, but I thought it was scary she was being treated that way.
I was gonna say, when I was a teen girl, I saw this or tried to see it. Must've repressed the memory cause all my memories of it only came back when beginning to watch this video. And from what I remember, I think I appreciated what the show was trying to offer back then. But also recall being uncomfortable as fuck with those scenes. And pissed at the juice scene/ Haru in general?? And I wasn't even well enough to do direct comparisons to the assholes I knew irl that behaved similarly. It wasn't even conscious, shit just felt fucking bad and wrong. I think it's that thing, you need to be unaware/ignorant and have not been through similar things/not have fully processed your own similar experiences for those scenes not to stick, even at 13. Otherwise, it definitely stood out, and when rewatching as an adult you'd remember past feelings for the scenes, and understand your previous discomfort. So yeah not poorly aged, it was 100% always creepy and noticeably so, to most that watched it. I remember people outright saying it was uncomfortable, just like you said. And even teens that didn't have words for the discomfort they felt yet, were already dropping that series because of it.
That was an interesting take on Aged horribly. We tend to think this is in reference to social norms by default, but just never getting closure on a series is also true.
I had the same reaction when I went to rewatch Maid-sama recently. There's really something special about the egregious awfulness that the male leads in the shojo romcoms from that time period exhibit.
I think about re-reading that manga sometimes, but I remember cringing and dying of second-hand embarrasment from even the first time and it stays on "thinking about doing it" xd
Females readers love the abuse. Read any romance novel…and you’ll know how creepy and abusive the love interests are….regardless of the gender of said love interests. Romance stories of any age are like this.
I felt icky about those things even while reading for the first time back then, I thought the stories could be fine without them (I suffered from second male lead syndrome because they tends to be nicer). But it is so very common because shoujo are enginered to gather "heart throbs", scenes like those are necessary to gather impression. Lots of manga back then was also respectable but they aren't that famous. Like Ouran HC, I remember they treat her nicely when they found out she's a girl (it is famous but still respectful)
Damn, this was the series that got me into anime. It's weird seeing all of the red flags knowing how young I was when I watched this. It all seemed so normal at the time.
welp. when I was a kid I had a lot of questions. this is also one of the first anime that I had seen and I always went "wth?" and "is this really supposed to be funny?", "that's not cute!" whilst the classmates I watched this with were all enjoying, I wondered if I was just too nitpicky
Bro i used to see harem and see guys groping girls in anime and thought it was "normal" and funny when I was a young girl. When we are young we don't really know the difference between right and wrong, so yeah if you truly grow up and mature you will know most of these things are wrong
@@HidinginPublic haru is too many of the things I see wrong with the way people, especially men, act. It's too off-putting for me now. Something similar happened with another one... I can't with any confidence recall the name now, but I saw it around the same time as blue spring ride (definitely not it), wolf girl (don't remember it well enough to say yes or no, but I don't think this was it) and golden time (also definitely not it). Lots of borderline nonconsensual affection and a kind but smug popular male lead. Eta: It was Kimi no todoke
For the love of gods stop liking this comment, i was wrong ffs @@flowflower2816 he's definitely not like Haru, but he is a presumptuous, entitled pretty boy. Especially in the beginning there's a lot of assumed consent.
@@merrickhurst4150 Your example from Kimi No Todoke is odd cause I remember him being pretty respectful of Sadoko and never going too far or being particularly entitled even at start. Unless you have some particular examples him being that way I'm gonna have to disagree honestly.
While I think those… earlier moments could’ve been handled with a lot more tact, I do appreciate how the series attempts to have Haru understand consent, and I love how he learns that lesson from best girl Natsume, someone who seems to at least a be asexually coded and has had uncomfortable experiences relating to consent.
@Hiding in Public I didn't even know it was as well known, and I suppose infamous as it is. But yeah, I do hope people give it an extra shot. And for what it's worth, I think the drink scene has good character purpose and isn't nearly as agregious as other mentioned stuff
I remember watching the first episode. When the scene in the thumbnail came up, it terrified me. I've watched horror, but that line is just a little too real. I actually did finish the anime. It was good and definitely needs a couple of triggers warnings. One of the things I found refreshing about it was that Shizuku actually set boundaries and had a backbone. Haru, while being a little more than rough around the edges, is actually a sweet guy who fell in with a bad crowd. With high schoolers, you have to remember that they're still learning, they can change, who they are now, isn't who they'll always be. True, this is fiction, and a lot of teen romances are toxic, but that doesn't mean this necessarily is.
I never really had a problem with this show. It absolutely painted Haru as a toxic person in general (considering the hitting her and stalking her and threatening her friends) but even as a teenager I was able to tell that much. The shoujo I did drop immediately in episode one because of questionable story telling decisions was Suki tte ii na yo which is uh... kinda the same as this but actually super romanticized? at least in terms of the male lead forcing himself on the girl and the story treating it as if that's a good thing that saved her.
I also dropped Suki. I thought the relationship was moving way too fast for me. Maybe I am just a romantic, but I want there to be emotional weight behind physical touches. (Like didn't they kiss in episode 2 or smth)
I had the same reaction as you before as a teen. But after that I tried rewatching say I love you when im older, i enjoyed it. Just need to get past the initial bit that makes me uneasy lol
The girls hair reminds me of Soul Eater.. that said one of my favorite romance animes I've seen recently was "Say I love you" - where the FL starts the romance with a kick to the face
When I first saw this show, I started dating a guy that our male lead reminds me of. But it taught me something important: Opposites attract, but they hardly stay together. I feel some pain when I see the show again due to the very toxic relationship I was in around the time it came out. The character himself does become better, but not many real life people make the effort to be better. I have tried watching it again, but I think my past hurts just a little too much.
The only fault I find with this show (aside from that obvious scene) is how it ended in a random place without a sequel. But still, I binged the manga straight after and it's still my favourite Shoujo of all time, from the comforting atmosphere to the amazing characters of Shizuku, Haru and Yamaken etc., even the beautiful ost, puts this in goat position imo
I felt bad for Yamaken because of his bad case of Love-Triangle filler but I still love the series (a moment I still remember is when he judged Shizuku’s fashion sense, he said something like “if we get together I’m making her dress better” 😅) Another moment I remember was “I became friends with Miti, because I was stupid!” Or something by Natsume on the wedding speech 😂
Haru's brother is also one of the characters that while not very likable is just entertaining as hell. The returning gag about him being a horrible monster is absolutely hilarious.
Honestly, this series was a rollercoaster. This is the most chaotic romantic couple I've seen. The rest of the story in the manga beyond the anime was soo nice.
As far as toxic questionable black haired male leads go, Haru isn't actually that bad. He gets to learn to be better through mizutani, a female lead who, THANK GOD , knows how to strictly set boundaries and tell him off when he needs to. (Well, maybe it's mostly because I see so many toxic questionable black haired 'hot' male leads and pushover " I can change him" female leads that are way worse in modern stories). I've also rewatched this as an adult and had a lot of "hold up, the f*ck?" moments, But this still has a special place in my heart so I just like to think that it's very ineresting to see my own change in perspective while watching as an adult.
If you see “Character Review of Haru Yoshida from My Little Monster” from Lucky Cat Review on blogspot, they have many arguments on why Haru has autism. I am autistic and I can also see this. Haru is simple and straightforward. He has trouble communicating properly. He’s also insanely smart but I’m just the average intelligence kind Google “In the manga; on the spectrum aminoapps” from Felisha. They show images from the manga “They realised that young master Haru appeared to be special” “I think I’m the only human that doesn’t understand how the human heart works” - Haru in manga “It’s going to be alright Haru, I’ll create a place where you can feel like you belong” Most autistic people feel like an alien or outsider from the rest of the people and the same goes for me Also if you rewatch Maid Sama, Takumi is literally the worst male shoujo character. Takumi sexual harasses and assaults her way too much. He is only charming because he is handsome and rich. He lifts up her skirt, gives her a hickey without her consent and not even dating, blackmails her and stalks her. Kinda putting this everywhere because I feel bad for us autistic people but misunderstood all the time but also I seriously hate Takumi
I have read the manga and boy does Haru improve. That id what love is its to instill good things into one another while continuously getting rid of the bad ones together. But yeah ofc it does not apply to toxic partners. But haru is more like shown the other side of the world by Mizutani and she also stands up for herself and haru understands that with time. I mean they were teens. If adults do such things then obvio they are red flags
Good recommendation. I hope more newcomers would eventually land on this one. I do recall it has an unconventional sensibility on humor, but I totally forgot about the corridor scene.
You 100 percent eloquently explained why I love this series so much. It’s not a love story per se, it’s the development of two individual people growing and the same time utilizing that other person to become that greater version of themselves. It’s more of a slice of life, growth story with the partner pushing each other, utilizing a symbiotic friendship/love as a soft base. They love each other beyond physical attraction, you can see it in the manga and anime how they benefit from the other, and in turn change. It’s meaningful to see how only the other can truly cause a definitive change in the other’s behaviors with mizutanis very astute personality and with harus abrasive one. She starts learning there is more to life other than studying, and haru finally is able to grasp having real connection with a person. I’ve always enjoyed stories that look into love more than just a like “oh I have a crush on you, let’s kiss”story: the best type of love stories is growing a better form of yourself because of your love for the other person. This particular story is them wanting to be a better version of themselves, and how their love and support of the other helps them. And it’s so much more meaningful when you see and grow characters rather than just say hi I like you. I’ve seen so many animes in my life time and this definitely hit my top 10 when I saw it
your comment really resonated with me. i totally wholeheartedly agree with you. i've always been a big lover of romance. and i believe that, most of the time, the greatest romances aren't really stories about a relationship between two characters, but rather stories about something more universal, about the human experience, using romance as a tool to give that message. true love is inseparable from our journeys of personal growth and ambition and life and hopes and dreams. that's why it's so hard to make a great romance, and at the same time so amazing to experience one. i have never read or watched this series but it's been on my list for years, and after reading your comment, i'm thinking i will watch the anime next week
i read the manga back in middle school and im so glad i discovered it, its a beautiful series that unfortunately the anime didn't get to showcase. there's so many amazing character arcs and it helped me through a lot of tough times as a kid, def recommend it to most people!
Im glad youre taking the plunge to show yourself and even working on yourself too. The internet is harsh because lots of people project their own insecurities onto others and some people are just cruel. So the fact that youre pushing forward to really show. Hey this is me. Im a person. Is really brave and admirable. Keep up the good work and most of all dont let what others say get you down or change who you are in a way that warps your personality or self confidence. You are who you are. you make content and to others your special and thats what people are trying to attack when they attack you because they dont feel special.
I started watching this recently cause a friend really liked it but almost couldn’t get past episode 1 cause I found Haru to be an unlikable creep. My friend convinced me to stick with it and am glad they did cause it got better but…yeah it’s got its…uncomfortable moments. Still a decent anime overall.
This show was so good when I first watched it. You are right though, when it ended it felt like nothing was resolved even though it was starting to get really good
I know you said a lot of leads for shonen romances are bland but if youre looking for a bad boy straight-A good girl series I HIGHLY reccomend Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku. The way the main guy and girl unknowlingly cause the other to better their friendships and relationships with their family is so pleasant to see. Think Horimiya with more build-up, or if Honey Lemon Soda was a shonen. The art is incredible.
Don't let these things that happened in the first few chapters/episodes overshadow what comes after. This is just one of the most heartwarming coming of age story told in this medium. They both grow significantly towards the end of the story.
I actually really love (and still do) this anime despite the questionable lines 😂 at the very least, i tolerate it a lot more than “Wolf Girl and Black Prince” which even back then, I just couldn’t stomach the first 2 episodes
I loved this show since high school. Mizutani was the real star for me as well, as some of her struggles felt all too similar to my own at the time. But having forgotten what happens at the start, it never occurred to me how certain scenes might be off putting or deal breakers for some people. I really do recommend them to give it a go though. The bad is not romanticized and the show gets pretty good when it picks up. I still open up the ost from time to time while studying/cooking. I do wish it had a second season...
My little monster has a special place in my heart and was ready to go into war for the blood boiling video title but... I was mistaken. I watched the anime about after a year it was released and then read the manga sooner after and it had a huge impact on me for being the first shojo love story I had read. I always took the awkward "I will r*** you" scene as a hilariously weird statement of a kind of "autistic"(using the word lightly) Haru. He has no idea what other people want and even if he does he misunderstands what the solution to that feeling is for other people. I love the anime and manga, and I own all the volumes of the official translation so this video is a very heartfelt and understanding video on what the messages of the story are trying to convey in my humble opnion. Thank you for making a My Little Monster(Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun) video in this day and age, you really didn't need to but it is well appreciated.
Agreed. If you see “Character Review of Haru Yoshida from My Little Monster” from Lucky Cat Review on blogspot, they have many arguments on why Haru has autism. I am autistic and I can also see this. Haru is simple and straightforward. He has trouble communicating properly. He’s also insanely smart but I’m just the average intelligence kind Google “In the manga; on the spectrum aminoapps” from Felisha. They show images from the manga “They realised that young master Haru appeared to be special” “I think I’m the only human that doesn’t understand how the human heart works” - Haru in manga “It’s going to be alright Haru, I’ll create a place where you can feel like you belong” Most autistic people feel like an alien or outsider from the rest of the people and the same goes for me
I need to rewatch this to see if my point still stands, but my memory from the show was Haru acted that way because of his friends. He was a child like guy who copied what his friends did even though he didn’t really mean those words. His friends if I remember get called out for being bad people, and after Haru gets new and better friends he learns more about how to be a better person. I think I’m going to rewatch the amine to see if my point still stands. I’ll update with the results! (Or I might just delete my comment)
I saw the scene of Haru and Shizuku in a compilation (ngl it caught me very off-guard) but I decided to read the manga anyways, and the full series is pretty good and Haru definitely has family issues & barely a sense of boundaries, but he gets character development (so does everyone else)
Literally "Romance Animes" have this common trope of Female love interest for the protagonist: Being bland AF, boring, and maybe have large assets Male love interest for the protagonist: Disrespectful AF, dysfunctional, and probably a pending Felon If you wanna know what NOT to do in your pursuit of love, watch romance animes.
I cant believe anyone watches shows like this. "it didnt age well" like yeah no shit, its not a series about anything profound, its babys first love story wrapped in an anime blanket. of course its going to be cringy.
Imagine taking life advice from a piece of fiction on face value and not doing a little bit of thinking first. That’s what surprised me the most about the implications of your comment, that people genuinely just take everything they consume on face value.
@@VainSick You say this like its strange but then like 70% of the planet gets their life morals from 2000+ year old religious texts confirmed to be false. Usually at face value too.
The only thing you pointed out that really aged poorly was the fact it never got a season 2 and so on. The rhape comment just sounds like a realistic (maybe too realistic) strong scare tactic that likely said with no intentions of actually doing it. That being said, I have no context of the scene so I can't say much on the topic. I do think that it is a topic that might remind someone of ptsd though and therefore was a not so smart choice
Agree with everything said except I don’t think it’s an artists job to avoid triggering PTSD in an individual, it’s the consumers job to be aware of the content they are consuming and to take it like an adult whenever content appears that they may not like. Plus we have age ratings and advisory warnings on most media to help with that.
Hold up, grabbing onto someone and threatening to rape them is a "realistic" scare tactic? That's a thing people do? Outside of actual, hardened career criminals, that just can't be common.
Losing 40lbs is incredible! I had to do the same in my teens, going from almost 300 at 14 and getting to 170 now. It’s a lot of work and you very well might mess up dozens, if not more times. But your health and just feeling better makes it so worth. Proud of you! Keep it up!
I think when being critical its important to lead with the positive or else it'll look like a hit piece, but even as a shojo lover I dropped it after the first episode because of that scene. Appreciate the context.
i remember watching this when i was in middle school and i was like "wow! theres never gonna be an anime like this again, it was so good!" and proceeded to watch more romcom animes . . .. i was so naive
epic video, the editing at the beginnig was very good very funny, And i HUGELY agree how sudden the anime ends i was enjoying it so much and it just stops, even the ova was just some side story bullshit it was frustraiting
Agreed. As if the male in said relationship just gets a pass for their immature and childish behavior, as if it's the woman's responsibility to teach him how to behave like a decent human being. There's a way this trope can work in a way that's not toxic but it's not very often that it is.
It's so strange because I remember really liking the first episode as a standalone, but I think that is mostly because it was one of my first anime (that wasn't Naruto) and I did not really look at shows too deeply at that time.
I remember years ago back when my friend showed me the “i’ll r%*e you” scene and telling me how hot it was while i questioned her morals LIKE I was a sucker for shoujo anime, i used to inhale that shit like spaghetti up my nose but i never understood the appeal of my little monster and never even tried to give it a shot
@mcflurryfrostie Yeah same. I've watched anime since I was little but I always hated the whole sexualization of children and women in anime, as well as sexual assault and harassment being played for laughs or fanservice. At this point I just drop an anime if it has a bunch of fanservice.
When I was a middle/high schooler boys would routinely tell me I would be lucky if I got rxped because there's no other way anybody would have me for their woman. Therefore that line has always flown over my head at the time.
Haru seams really rude and brutal BUT if he appologises to the girl for everything he did it's good. He will change, become a better person when he's with her. That's cute and will make him likable 🙂I can't say the same for Kyouta from Wolf girl and Black prince; this guy was a jerk from begining to end. I don't care if his past was sad or his parents broke up, that's NOT a good reason to treat Erika like a dog. He even buy a necklace for her then said '' That's the proof you belong to me! '' It's not romantic, it's freaking creepy! Also, Kyouta never appologises for all the horrible things he said or did to Erika. She deserves a better boyfriend than him! If he was like Usui Takumi from maid-sama, playful and a bit annoying but protective and kind; i would like him.
Yeah if you see “Character Review of Haru Yoshida from My Little Monster” from Lucky Cat Review on blogspot, they have many arguments on why Haru has autism. I am autistic and I can also see this. Haru is simple and straightforward. He has trouble communicating properly. He’s also insanely smart but I’m just the average intelligence kind Google “In the manga; on the spectrum aminoapps” from Felisha. They show images from the manga “They realised that young master Haru appeared to be special” “I think I’m the only human that doesn’t understand how the human heart works” - Haru in manga “It’s going to be alright Haru, I’ll create a place where you can feel like you belong” Most autistic people feel like an alien or outsider from the rest of the people and the same goes for me Also if you rewatch Maid Sama, Takumi is literally the worst male shoujo character. Takumi sexual harasses and assaults her way too much. He is only charming because he is handsome and rich. He lifts up her skirt, gives her a hickey without her consent and not even dating, blackmails her and stalks her. Kyouta from Wolf girl and Black prince is terrible too like you said
"Eating up tons of romance shows" during high school was my personality trait LOL. I miss relating to all the upcoming SOL romance anime so much but it's too hard now at 24 haha. But this show + Kimi ni Todoke will have a special place in my nostalgia box.
Most of these scenes i remember being really extreme to the point of laughter, but like an uncomfortable laughter cause you dont know how to react, but i think that was also the point. Idk, i dont think its trying to play these things off as cool
this is rlly why i just don't like the 'i can fix him' mentality. i was having fun with a friend writing a romance sort of along those lines, sunshine character and aggressive delinquent character, except there was never an 'i can fix him' just 'i can see you've been through a lot and im here to hear you out if you need it' with ups and downs and a lot of patience and it was great
I feel like my brain erased those very..questionable parts(probably because I watched it like years ago), i cant remember these parts. Until someone pointed them out HSHSHSHsh maybe this is a sign to rewatch it
this feels similar to violent tsunderes i would see when i watched a lot of anime back in the 2000s-2010s. i didn't really like how violent most of them were but it's anime so lolz it's suppose to be funny. so at the end of it all, my fave tsundere is Kagami from Lucky Star. S-tier tsundere.
So I was reading The Apothecary Diaries recently and seeing some of the questionable scenes I tend to resort just to write it off because the series is set during a time where those kinds of things where common (Not accepted mind you, the MC makes an effort to show that she hates it). I think with series like this one we tend to do the same "It's set or it was done at a different time, so let's just ignore that terrible thing I just saw" but maybe we've been wrong about doing that. Maybe we should acknowledge those things while appreciating the good things too
I have been DYING to have someone review/make commentary on this. I watched this back in 2009(?) and I revisited it a couple years back. I love the chaotic portrayal of young “romance” because it feels so much more realistic (teenagers are sometimes boisterous, impulsive, questionable people) and I loved seeing these less than perfectly lovable characters evolve and make peace with one another…sort of
I remember loving this when I first watched it in 2016. Read the manga and still loved it at the time. Like two weeks ago I tried reading it again because I needed some good shoujo romance and I couldn’t even make it past the first 5 chapters before closing the tab. Oh my GOD it was so bad…
This is wild. I SWEAR I watched this anime back then after reading about it in an anime zine, but I cannot for the life of me recall a single thing about it. It seems to have evaporated from my brain completely.
years ago it was "stop being oppressive male can be sub and female can be dom equality for all" and now if you don't accept "Dom female and Sub male" dynamic you're evil misogynistic patriarchy
Oh my god, I've seen this series! Years ago, and I totally forgot about it! I was never a big fan of shojo/romance and this was something very much outside of my normal range... I don't even know why I even decided to watch it, I think I just randomly clicked it and.. it kept me engaged. I remember really liking it, and being surprised at how good it was, despite my general prejudice of shojo at the time! But wow, yeah, I did not remember those bits lmao As s sidenote, the endcard made me genuinly so happy, I couldn't help but smile. Amazing job! It's great to see you doing so well. All the best!
There is definitely some outdated stuff with the show but I swear the official line was “don’t make a sound or I’ll attack you” is the r*pe mention the official thing or was that the translation being not fully accurate?
I remember debating watching the anime and heard a ton of people not liking how the male lead bullies the female lead. But your video convinced me to give the manga a chance. Thank you!
this anime was goated i still remember watching it when i was like 12 or something and wishing i had a significant other (i do have one now and i'm very happy)
As someone who related a lot with Haru back them, i think part of the point of the story is to remind us that while he might be someone whos violent he's characther is still of a young teen who barely hit purbety mentally and just like Mizutani was a workaholic, he had he's anger issues but that didn't mean he was bad person, she in no moment "fix" him, he was always a pure hearted person. As someone who actually used to be a violent child, it makes sense that he was so violent on the first episode because he was scared of her, he wanted her to leave and not come back. But after she says they're friends he has no more reason to do so, he let's his guard down and even goes to school despite being scared, in his mind if she feels bothered by him she can tell him, he just follows he around like a friend and not as a stalker
This was one of my favorite anime’s kind sad it didn’t get a second season but thankfully it got one, but in general shoujo rarely get second seasons even a show which is really sad
Watched it way back in 2015 and loved it a lot but i think if I were to watch this series right now i wouldn't love it as much i did before. Wish it had a 2nd season tho.
I love My Little Monster, but I know a lot of people (justifiably so) have dropped the series recently due to some...uh....poorly aged stuff. This is my declaration to give it another chance!
i like pickles
@@nobodyisheregoaway7529 I like pizza
Who cares? If you drop every show just because some group of people finds it offensive, all you'll be left with is a video of paint drying and a fear that people are going to find that offensive.
@@GusOfTheDorks quite literally not what they said😭😭😭😭
I hope you speak about gender and feminism in this video because you can’t really comment on the media made by women, especially Japanese women, without it. These are all common trends in media for girls and women by girls and women. There’s a collective trauma that informs these issues and it’s internalization of our experiences and the patriarchy that result in this kind of media. I won’t psychoanalyze it all here, but it undeniable that women girls start getting into dating and romance that sa becomes a thing on our minds. In a lot of ways this media tries to create this idea that these guys don’t mean it and that they’ll become men who respect and protect you and it’s sad that all of this goes into the female fantasy (abuse and reparations). So much of the content I consumed from Japan, by and for women, as a preteen and upward was full of sexual violence, internalized misogyny, and these fantasies that apologize for men’s behavior in the series
At the very least, I do commend the show for not going too far, and romanticizing the more dubious things Haru does. Mizutani actively sets boundaries against them, and Haru betters himself anyway. Most media would just portray toxic behavior like that as something hot, and keep it going. Still not good to have those moments, but at least they aren't written off as 'kinky and romantic', and are actually acknowledged as bad behavior.
Also, no matter how 'poorly' this series ages, Natsume alone is still a valid enough reason to watch/read it.
I am actually confused on why it has “aged poorly.” As stuff like this has become more romanticized not less.
@@maninthemask6275 Depend, I feel like the communauty has been splitter between people who romanticize rape and the one who are not that dumb.
( ̄ヘ ̄)ᵁᴹᴹ we're talking about anime hear wtf, why so deep chill bruh
I agree. Most media either shies away from more serious, questionable behavior.
Or they make fun of it or it's just porn.
I'd like to see more romance, where it's not totally clear how voluntary all of this is. Where one person accepts the bad parts because the positive aspects still dominate. That would be more realistic, I guess.
I don’t really think it’s so split for normal people as being some one on the internet for a while I’ve noticed for lack of a better term what the normies or apolitical people romanticizes has become and more out there. I think the split may come in more political people but to the average person this stuff becomes more and more glamorized as time goes on, more then likely due to the wide spread of internet.
Saying something has aged poorly tends to have connotations of something having been okay in its time, when I think the point of this was always that what he was doing was bad, it was his rock bottom, and, as you said, how he grows.
Better to say that, rather, you have aged well, and can now see things in a more empathetic light.
I think he means the story trope aged poorly.
@@VainSick I think you missed the point of my comment... I do address that, as Haru's behaviour is inextricably connected to the trope itself.
@@Okamikurainya and you missed my point the behavior wasn’t okay obviously but the trope was and arguably still is despite tastes differing today.
@@VainSick If it wasnt/isnt a Trope Girls like then it wouldnt BE a Trope. Fact is they do in a Fictional Setting where no one can be hurt. Its why its called Fantasies. Its just like how lots of Girls will chase after the Bad Boys and Dream of changing them in real life, even though thats just as much of a Fantasy. Ignoring Human Desire wont change the Truth of things, even the Ugly Truth. Guys are just as guilty of chasing after the Hot and Popular Girls thinking they will somehow notice them and realize how much they Love them and not the Rich Hot Guy who doesnt really love them. Both sides can be stupid when it comes to Love and it should be okay to explore that in Art.
@@VainSick Reread the comment very slowly. You're the one missing it.
Not poorly aged it's always been this questionable still love it
Id love to hear this channels opinions on "Family Guy" then. Because it has a gazillion times worse content EVERY EPISODE and I dont hear any complaints about that.
@@sentimentalcircuscurator its suposed to be outrageous in order to invoke shock humor. this is a romance anime they are not the same at all.
@@pamelotms5867 So a romance anime can never be outrageous or dark ? Or have extreme parts ? (kinda flat like a pancake I didnt even raise an eyebrow at what was said or done in the anime. Sometimes I wonder if the people complaining about things like this (not just for this) remember just how horrible and immature guys in this male characters age can be. This isnt supposed to be an "Example of moral excellence" anime, to be held out to be glorified and followed by all. I dont like the guys attitude either, but thats beside the point. Believable yet negative depiction versus morally perfect nudges towards the perfect human being that gets an A plus ? An A for all modern "CORRECTED" PC dramaforms, and a F minus for all who dont hold up to modern standard I guess is the trend ? Do we need to always be told about the existence or non existence of dark parts/dark comedy ? Sounds kinda boring. Here come the bulldozer for all your "naughty bits". Look I enjoy romcoms that are fluffy cotton candy through and through as well.Hecc, I even love Pollyanna the movie. But people are jerks sometimes, swear sometimes, go to the bathroom sometimes, do "ducky" things sometimes and other unpleasant negative things (Id elaborate, but you cant say these things here yknow?). I guess I just dislike (I would usually use stronger worsds but yknow?) censorship of any kind, and when people diss stuff that might give a different wiew, because its "dated"/not the modern way of thinking about things. The fact that its dated is besides the point. Im glad he said, the stuff he did at the end though. HE gets it at least.
@@sentimentalcircuscurator i never said any of what you just went off on. i dont hate the show i like it. and i dont think that romance shows cant be outrageous but in this case its out of nowhere in the first episode and isnt realy indicative of the rest of the show.
@@pamelotms5867t’s a shoujo. Violent male leads is a common trope. It’s a fantasy for women or rather teenage girls. It doesn’t mean that they’d like this kind of treatment irl but some do
It wasn't "poorly aged". WHEN IT RELEASED, people brought up how the violent abusive shitbag being portrayed as cute was uncomfortable at the time and they were just ridiculed for it. I think it's just a case of you being more aware of things than you were at 13.
Bro I watched it when I was a teenager and dropped it because it gave me chills. I was barely aware of what feminism was at the time, but I thought it was scary she was being treated that way.
2:12
I was gonna say, when I was a teen girl, I saw this or tried to see it. Must've repressed the memory cause all my memories of it only came back when beginning to watch this video. And from what I remember, I think I appreciated what the show was trying to offer back then. But also recall being uncomfortable as fuck with those scenes. And pissed at the juice scene/ Haru in general?? And I wasn't even well enough to do direct comparisons to the assholes I knew irl that behaved similarly. It wasn't even conscious, shit just felt fucking bad and wrong. I think it's that thing, you need to be unaware/ignorant and have not been through similar things/not have fully processed your own similar experiences for those scenes not to stick, even at 13. Otherwise, it definitely stood out, and when rewatching as an adult you'd remember past feelings for the scenes, and understand your previous discomfort. So yeah not poorly aged, it was 100% always creepy and noticeably so, to most that watched it. I remember people outright saying it was uncomfortable, just like you said. And even teens that didn't have words for the discomfort they felt yet, were already dropping that series because of it.
That was an interesting take on Aged horribly. We tend to think this is in reference to social norms by default, but just never getting closure on a series is also true.
Yeah, it's unfortunate so many anime of the 2010's faced this fate
@@HidinginPublic true enough, RIP Highschool of the Dead. Though Triage X was a pretty solid substitute.
NORAGAMI😭❕😔
@@grayrook8637 rip literally since the author isn't here anymore
@@htsunmiku bruh
I had the same reaction when I went to rewatch Maid-sama recently. There's really something special about the egregious awfulness that the male leads in the shojo romcoms from that time period exhibit.
I think about re-reading that manga sometimes, but I remember cringing and dying of second-hand embarrasment from even the first time and it stays on "thinking about doing it" xd
Females readers love the abuse. Read any romance novel…and you’ll know how creepy and abusive the love interests are….regardless of the gender of said love interests.
Romance stories of any age are like this.
I felt icky about those things even while reading for the first time back then, I thought the stories could be fine without them (I suffered from second male lead syndrome because they tends to be nicer). But it is so very common because shoujo are enginered to gather "heart throbs", scenes like those are necessary to gather impression.
Lots of manga back then was also respectable but they aren't that famous. Like Ouran HC, I remember they treat her nicely when they found out she's a girl (it is famous but still respectful)
Surprise surprise, some like it rough
Yeah lots of og male leads are just massive fucking pricks
Damn, this was the series that got me into anime. It's weird seeing all of the red flags knowing how young I was when I watched this. It all seemed so normal at the time.
Yeah I don't remember it even being a thought in my mind
honestly same looking at this now for some odd reason when I was younger it never stuck out
welp. when I was a kid I had a lot of questions. this is also one of the first anime that I had seen and I always went "wth?" and "is this really supposed to be funny?", "that's not cute!"
whilst the classmates I watched this with were all enjoying, I wondered if I was just too nitpicky
Bro i used to see harem and see guys groping girls in anime and thought it was "normal" and funny when I was a young girl. When we are young we don't really know the difference between right and wrong, so yeah if you truly grow up and mature you will know most of these things are wrong
@@HidinginPublic Thats because these days you are brainwashed by the leftwing media.
I remember liking this show, and trying to watch it again, like maybe 6 months later, and boy did that not go well
The first episode caught me off guard, I enjoyed most the rest of it though- other than the insanely abrupt ending
@@HidinginPublic haru is too many of the things I see wrong with the way people, especially men, act. It's too off-putting for me now. Something similar happened with another one... I can't with any confidence recall the name now, but I saw it around the same time as blue spring ride (definitely not it), wolf girl (don't remember it well enough to say yes or no, but I don't think this was it) and golden time (also definitely not it). Lots of borderline nonconsensual affection and a kind but smug popular male lead.
Eta: It was Kimi no todoke
@@merrickhurst4150eh ? I remember kimi no todoke's hero being kind and mild mannered tho? Did I forget something?
For the love of gods stop liking this comment, i was wrong ffs
@@flowflower2816 he's definitely not like Haru, but he is a presumptuous, entitled pretty boy. Especially in the beginning there's a lot of assumed consent.
@@merrickhurst4150 Your example from Kimi No Todoke is odd cause I remember him being pretty respectful of Sadoko and never going too far or being particularly entitled even at start. Unless you have some particular examples him being that way I'm gonna have to disagree honestly.
While I think those… earlier moments could’ve been handled with a lot more tact, I do appreciate how the series attempts to have Haru understand consent, and I love how he learns that lesson from best girl Natsume, someone who seems to at least a be asexually coded and has had uncomfortable experiences relating to consent.
By coded you mean implied right
how is she asexually coded if she liked haru?
@@ruby8718 because being asexual is more about not being interested in sex than not being able to fall in love
@@goldflannel2968 Not being interested in sex at a moment isn't being asexual tho
@@inihilisme1511 these definitions are too inconsistent and all made up
I love this series so much. Sad to hear it gets a bad rep
It's a good series but I think it leaves a bad first impression to many. Hopefully this video helps with people giving it a better chance
@Hiding in Public I didn't even know it was as well known, and I suppose infamous as it is. But yeah, I do hope people give it an extra shot. And for what it's worth, I think the drink scene has good character purpose and isn't nearly as agregious as other mentioned stuff
How ?
@@jonaramire how do I love it?
a surprise to see you here, friend
I remember watching the first episode. When the scene in the thumbnail came up, it terrified me. I've watched horror, but that line is just a little too real.
I actually did finish the anime. It was good and definitely needs a couple of triggers warnings.
One of the things I found refreshing about it was that Shizuku actually set boundaries and had a backbone.
Haru, while being a little more than rough around the edges, is actually a sweet guy who fell in with a bad crowd.
With high schoolers, you have to remember that they're still learning, they can change, who they are now, isn't who they'll always be. True, this is fiction, and a lot of teen romances are toxic, but that doesn't mean this necessarily is.
I never really had a problem with this show. It absolutely painted Haru as a toxic person in general (considering the hitting her and stalking her and threatening her friends) but even as a teenager I was able to tell that much. The shoujo I did drop immediately in episode one because of questionable story telling decisions was Suki tte ii na yo which is uh... kinda the same as this but actually super romanticized? at least in terms of the male lead forcing himself on the girl and the story treating it as if that's a good thing that saved her.
Suki was great to me
it was to realistic to me for a anime
I also dropped Suki. I thought the relationship was moving way too fast for me. Maybe I am just a romantic, but I want there to be emotional weight behind physical touches. (Like didn't they kiss in episode 2 or smth)
I had the same reaction as you before as a teen. But after that I tried rewatching say I love you when im older, i enjoyed it. Just need to get past the initial bit that makes me uneasy lol
The girls hair reminds me of Soul Eater.. that said one of my favorite romance animes I've seen recently was "Say I love you" - where the FL starts the romance with a kick to the face
When I first saw this show, I started dating a guy that our male lead reminds me of.
But it taught me something important: Opposites attract, but they hardly stay together.
I feel some pain when I see the show again due to the very toxic relationship I was in around the time it came out. The character himself does become better, but not many real life people make the effort to be better.
I have tried watching it again, but I think my past hurts just a little too much.
The only fault I find with this show (aside from that obvious scene) is how it ended in a random place without a sequel. But still, I binged the manga straight after and it's still my favourite Shoujo of all time, from the comforting atmosphere to the amazing characters of Shizuku, Haru and Yamaken etc., even the beautiful ost, puts this in goat position imo
I felt bad for Yamaken because of his bad case of Love-Triangle filler but I still love the series (a moment I still remember is when he judged Shizuku’s fashion sense, he said something like “if we get together I’m making her dress better” 😅)
Another moment I remember was “I became friends with Miti, because I was stupid!” Or something by Natsume on the wedding speech 😂
Haru's brother is also one of the characters that while not very likable is just entertaining as hell. The returning gag about him being a horrible monster is absolutely hilarious.
I am so proud to see someone putting effort to keep themselves healthy, you go king. also love the content you put out.
Thanks! I'll try to keep it up in both regards. It's been a big journey these last few months
I'd be interesting to see this anime picked up again, but, written from Haru's Perspective.
Haru
Read the manga, the last half focuses a lot more on Haru
Honestly, this series was a rollercoaster. This is the most chaotic romantic couple I've seen. The rest of the story in the manga beyond the anime was soo nice.
As far as toxic questionable black haired male leads go, Haru isn't actually that bad. He gets to learn to be better through mizutani, a female lead who, THANK GOD , knows how to strictly set boundaries and tell him off when he needs to. (Well, maybe it's mostly because I see so many toxic questionable black haired 'hot' male leads and pushover " I can change him" female leads that are way worse in modern stories). I've also rewatched this as an adult and had a lot of "hold up, the f*ck?" moments, But this still has a special place in my heart so I just like to think that it's very ineresting to see my own change in perspective while watching as an adult.
If you see “Character Review of Haru Yoshida from My Little Monster” from Lucky Cat Review on blogspot, they have many arguments on why Haru has autism. I am autistic and I can also see this. Haru is simple and straightforward. He has trouble communicating properly. He’s also insanely smart but I’m just the average intelligence kind
Google “In the manga; on the spectrum aminoapps” from Felisha. They show images from the manga
“They realised that young master Haru appeared to be special”
“I think I’m the only human that doesn’t understand how the human heart works” - Haru in manga
“It’s going to be alright Haru, I’ll create a place where you can feel like you belong”
Most autistic people feel like an alien or outsider from the rest of the people and the same goes for me
Also if you rewatch Maid Sama, Takumi is literally the worst male shoujo character. Takumi sexual harasses and assaults her way too much. He is only charming because he is handsome and rich. He lifts up her skirt, gives her a hickey without her consent and not even dating, blackmails her and stalks her. Kinda putting this everywhere because I feel bad for us autistic people but misunderstood all the time but also I seriously hate Takumi
I have read the manga and boy does Haru improve. That id what love is its to instill good things into one another while continuously getting rid of the bad ones together. But yeah ofc it does not apply to toxic partners. But haru is more like shown the other side of the world by Mizutani and she also stands up for herself and haru understands that with time. I mean they were teens. If adults do such things then obvio they are red flags
Good recommendation. I hope more newcomers would eventually land on this one. I do recall it has an unconventional sensibility on humor, but I totally forgot about the corridor scene.
Congrats on the weight loss, well done man! Also great video as always, you contend is always both enjoyable and has some nice take-aways as well
Thank you! I appreciate it and hope to keep losing weight as well
You 100 percent eloquently explained why I love this series so much. It’s not a love story per se, it’s the development of two individual people growing and the same time utilizing that other person to become that greater version of themselves. It’s more of a slice of life, growth story with the partner pushing each other, utilizing a symbiotic friendship/love as a soft base. They love each other beyond physical attraction, you can see it in the manga and anime how they benefit from the other, and in turn change. It’s meaningful to see how only the other can truly cause a definitive change in the other’s behaviors with mizutanis very astute personality and with harus abrasive one. She starts learning there is more to life other than studying, and haru finally is able to grasp having real connection with a person. I’ve always enjoyed stories that look into love more than just a like “oh I have a crush on you, let’s kiss”story: the best type of love stories is growing a better form of yourself because of your love for the other person. This particular story is them wanting to be a better version of themselves, and how their love and support of the other helps them. And it’s so much more meaningful when you see and grow characters rather than just say hi I like you. I’ve seen so many animes in my life time and this definitely hit my top 10 when I saw it
your comment really resonated with me. i totally wholeheartedly agree with you. i've always been a big lover of romance. and i believe that, most of the time, the greatest romances aren't really stories about a relationship between two characters, but rather stories about something more universal, about the human experience, using romance as a tool to give that message. true love is inseparable from our journeys of personal growth and ambition and life and hopes and dreams. that's why it's so hard to make a great romance, and at the same time so amazing to experience one.
i have never read or watched this series but it's been on my list for years, and after reading your comment, i'm thinking i will watch the anime next week
i read the manga back in middle school and im so glad i discovered it, its a beautiful series that unfortunately the anime didn't get to showcase. there's so many amazing character arcs and it helped me through a lot of tough times as a kid, def recommend it to most people!
Im glad youre taking the plunge to show yourself and even working on yourself too. The internet is harsh because lots of people project their own insecurities onto others and some people are just cruel. So the fact that youre pushing forward to really show. Hey this is me. Im a person. Is really brave and admirable. Keep up the good work and most of all dont let what others say get you down or change who you are in a way that warps your personality or self confidence. You are who you are. you make content and to others your special and thats what people are trying to attack when they attack you because they dont feel special.
I started watching this recently cause a friend really liked it but almost couldn’t get past episode 1 cause I found Haru to be an unlikable creep. My friend convinced me to stick with it and am glad they did cause it got better but…yeah it’s got its…uncomfortable moments. Still a decent anime overall.
This show was so good when I first watched it. You are right though, when it ended it felt like nothing was resolved even though it was starting to get really good
The manga is good I o! Although I don't like Natsume
I know you said a lot of leads for shonen romances are bland but if youre looking for a bad boy straight-A good girl series I HIGHLY reccomend Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku. The way the main guy and girl unknowlingly cause the other to better their friendships and relationships with their family is so pleasant to see. Think Horimiya with more build-up, or if Honey Lemon Soda was a shonen. The art is incredible.
I haven't seen that actually. I'll check it out
Don't let these things that happened in the first few chapters/episodes overshadow what comes after. This is just one of the most heartwarming coming of age story told in this medium. They both grow significantly towards the end of the story.
I actually really love (and still do) this anime despite the questionable lines 😂 at the very least, i tolerate it a lot more than “Wolf Girl and Black Prince” which even back then, I just couldn’t stomach the first 2 episodes
It’s always cool to see the face behind the voice. Love your work!
Thanks! Hope you'll see more of it going forward. Looking forward to posting for my fitness journey
I loved this show since high school. Mizutani was the real star for me as well, as some of her struggles felt all too similar to my own at the time. But having forgotten what happens at the start, it never occurred to me how certain scenes might be off putting or deal breakers for some people. I really do recommend them to give it a go though. The bad is not romanticized and the show gets pretty good when it picks up. I still open up the ost from time to time while studying/cooking. I do wish it had a second season...
That "R@#&" part was substituted by "kill" when I watched at the time
Great, now you make me want to rewatch it!!
It's good!
My little monster has a special place in my heart and was ready to go into war for the blood boiling video title but... I was mistaken. I watched the anime about after a year it was released and then read the manga sooner after and it had a huge impact on me for being the first shojo love story I had read. I always took the awkward "I will r*** you" scene as a hilariously weird statement of a kind of "autistic"(using the word lightly) Haru. He has no idea what other people want and even if he does he misunderstands what the solution to that feeling is for other people. I love the anime and manga, and I own all the volumes of the official translation so this video is a very heartfelt and understanding video on what the messages of the story are trying to convey in my humble opnion.
Thank you for making a My Little Monster(Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun) video in this day and age, you really didn't need to but it is well appreciated.
Agreed. If you see “Character Review of Haru Yoshida from My Little Monster” from Lucky Cat Review on blogspot, they have many arguments on why Haru has autism. I am autistic and I can also see this. Haru is simple and straightforward. He has trouble communicating properly. He’s also insanely smart but I’m just the average intelligence kind
Google “In the manga; on the spectrum aminoapps” from Felisha. They show images from the manga
“They realised that young master Haru appeared to be special”
“I think I’m the only human that doesn’t understand how the human heart works” - Haru in manga
“It’s going to be alright Haru, I’ll create a place where you can feel like you belong”
Most autistic people feel like an alien or outsider from the rest of the people and the same goes for me
I need to rewatch this to see if my point still stands, but my memory from the show was Haru acted that way because of his friends. He was a child like guy who copied what his friends did even though he didn’t really mean those words. His friends if I remember get called out for being bad people, and after Haru gets new and better friends he learns more about how to be a better person.
I think I’m going to rewatch the amine to see if my point still stands. I’ll update with the results!
(Or I might just delete my comment)
I think it was implied that he was autistic.
Love you Hiding
I saw the scene of Haru and Shizuku in a compilation (ngl it caught me very off-guard) but I decided to read the manga anyways, and the full series is pretty good and Haru definitely has family issues & barely a sense of boundaries, but he gets character development (so does everyone else)
Literally "Romance Animes" have this common trope of
Female love interest for the protagonist: Being bland AF, boring, and maybe have large assets
Male love interest for the protagonist: Disrespectful AF, dysfunctional, and probably a pending Felon
If you wanna know what NOT to do in your pursuit of love, watch romance animes.
I cant believe anyone watches shows like this. "it didnt age well" like yeah no shit, its not a series about anything profound, its babys first love story wrapped in an anime blanket. of course its going to be cringy.
I don't know what romance you are talking about lol every one I've watched are the opposite of this
Imagine taking life advice from a piece of fiction on face value and not doing a little bit of thinking first. That’s what surprised me the most about the implications of your comment, that people genuinely just take everything they consume on face value.
@@VainSick You say this like its strange but then like 70% of the planet gets their life morals from 2000+ year old religious texts confirmed to be false. Usually at face value too.
@@nullakjg767 touché my good sir, I just wasn’t really thinking about religion when referring to that.
The only thing you pointed out that really aged poorly was the fact it never got a season 2 and so on. The rhape comment just sounds like a realistic (maybe too realistic) strong scare tactic that likely said with no intentions of actually doing it. That being said, I have no context of the scene so I can't say much on the topic. I do think that it is a topic that might remind someone of ptsd though and therefore was a not so smart choice
Agree with everything said except I don’t think it’s an artists job to avoid triggering PTSD in an individual, it’s the consumers job to be aware of the content they are consuming and to take it like an adult whenever content appears that they may not like. Plus we have age ratings and advisory warnings on most media to help with that.
@@VainSick no disagreement here
Hold up, grabbing onto someone and threatening to rape them is a "realistic" scare tactic? That's a thing people do?
Outside of actual, hardened career criminals, that just can't be common.
@@jonathanshepherd5515 it's a bluff that would get out of a situation I absolutely didn't say common
@@rileyninja9733 But you called it realistic. How is it realistic if no sane person would actually think to do it?
I never could get behind this series even back when I was in middle school and would binge several shows a week
Losing 40lbs is incredible! I had to do the same in my teens, going from almost 300 at 14 and getting to 170 now. It’s a lot of work and you very well might mess up dozens, if not more times. But your health and just feeling better makes it so worth.
Proud of you! Keep it up!
I think when being critical its important to lead with the positive or else it'll look like a hit piece, but even as a shojo lover I dropped it after the first episode because of that scene. Appreciate the context.
I love love love the opening for this 😭
i remember watching this when i was in middle school and i was like "wow! theres never gonna be an anime like this again, it was so good!" and proceeded to watch more romcom animes . . .. i was so naive
epic video, the editing at the beginnig was very good very funny, And i HUGELY agree how sudden the anime ends i was enjoying it so much and it just stops, even the ova was just some side story bullshit it was frustraiting
Super unfortunate, no hate ofc but how can Rent a Girlfriend get a 3rd season announced already but this get left in the grave. Sad
I love this anime, I was looking for it for so long, thanks for finding it again.
I love the manga to this so much in the beginning Haru is kinda nuts but he does get progression
This is one of my first and favorite romcom anime. Shizuku is the ultimate kuudere
I love shizuku
Proud of you for getting in shape, nice job! Been a fan of yours for about 2 years now, keep up the good work dude
Thanks! Hope to keep losing in a good way!
Narratives that frame a relationship as requiring the girl to “fix” a toxic guy are vile and need to be sent down to the bottom of the ocean.
Agreed. As if the male in said relationship just gets a pass for their immature and childish behavior, as if it's the woman's responsibility to teach him how to behave like a decent human being. There's a way this trope can work in a way that's not toxic but it's not very often that it is.
The "Unspoken Rizz vs Sexual Harassment" Anime!!!!!
True
It's so strange because I remember really liking the first episode as a standalone, but I think that is mostly because it was one of my first anime (that wasn't Naruto) and I did not really look at shows too deeply at that time.
I'm glad you talked about this show because it's very nostalgic for me and remains as one of my faves.
I really l9ve Mizutani's character and the ost is also great
@@HidinginPublic common hiding W
I remember years ago back when my friend showed me the “i’ll r%*e you” scene and telling me how hot it was while i questioned her morals
LIKE I was a sucker for shoujo anime, i used to inhale that shit like spaghetti up my nose but i never understood the appeal of my little monster and never even tried to give it a shot
As much as I loved My Little Monster that's a fair reaction tbh. I wouldn't have watched it either if that's how the show was introduced to me 😅
@mcflurryfrostie Yeah same. I've watched anime since I was little but I always hated the whole sexualization of children and women in anime, as well as sexual assault and harassment being played for laughs or fanservice. At this point I just drop an anime if it has a bunch of fanservice.
I really hope someday we get the sequel, it brings me back to the good old simpler days, great video!!!! keep it up!!!
Not happening
This show holds a special place in my heart ❤️ Very nice video!
Thanks! I always had a special place for it as well
I've been waiting for someone to talk about this since I rewatched it two years ago. Thank you so much
one of my first romances i watched i remember really enjoying it and wishing there was more especially how the last episode didnt really end it
last time i checked your sub count, you clocked at 20k... now you're 200k up, you love to see it :)
When I was a middle/high schooler boys would routinely tell me I would be lucky if I got rxped because there's no other way anybody would have me for their woman. Therefore that line has always flown over my head at the time.
Damn, that’s so fucked up. How are you doing these days?
I'm sorry you experienced that. Hope you're doing okay
Haru seams really rude and brutal BUT if he appologises to the girl for everything he did it's good. He will change, become a better person when he's with her. That's cute and will make him likable 🙂I can't say the same for Kyouta from Wolf girl and Black prince; this guy was a jerk from begining to end. I don't care if his past was sad or his parents broke up, that's NOT a good reason to treat Erika like a dog. He even buy a necklace for her then said '' That's the proof you belong to me! '' It's not romantic, it's freaking creepy! Also, Kyouta never appologises for all the horrible things he said or did to Erika. She deserves a better boyfriend than him! If he was like Usui Takumi from maid-sama, playful and a bit annoying but protective and kind; i would like him.
Yeah if you see “Character Review of Haru Yoshida from My Little Monster” from Lucky Cat Review on blogspot, they have many arguments on why Haru has autism. I am autistic and I can also see this. Haru is simple and straightforward. He has trouble communicating properly. He’s also insanely smart but I’m just the average intelligence kind
Google “In the manga; on the spectrum aminoapps” from Felisha. They show images from the manga
“They realised that young master Haru appeared to be special”
“I think I’m the only human that doesn’t understand how the human heart works” - Haru in manga
“It’s going to be alright Haru, I’ll create a place where you can feel like you belong”
Most autistic people feel like an alien or outsider from the rest of the people and the same goes for me
Also if you rewatch Maid Sama, Takumi is literally the worst male shoujo character. Takumi sexual harasses and assaults her way too much. He is only charming because he is handsome and rich. He lifts up her skirt, gives her a hickey without her consent and not even dating, blackmails her and stalks her. Kyouta from Wolf girl and Black prince is terrible too like you said
I agree, my only issue is that an apology isn’t enough he needed to make real change and amend what he did wrong, which he did.
@@naylisyazwina6836 when i first watched it i read it that way too
What a relief to see your channel finally doing well with views.
just a few days ago I was finding a good shoujo to watch and now I think I got one.
"Eating up tons of romance shows" during high school was my personality trait LOL. I miss relating to all the upcoming SOL romance anime so much but it's too hard now at 24 haha. But this show + Kimi ni Todoke will have a special place in my nostalgia box.
The only thing that I really remember was how good the score and music was for this particular series
I got recommended the op a week ago and i was goign to rewatch it after my exam so this is perfect timeing.
The OP is such a banger
Most of these scenes i remember being really extreme to the point of laughter, but like an uncomfortable laughter cause you dont know how to react, but i think that was also the point. Idk, i dont think its trying to play these things off as cool
Yo great work on that weight loss dude, you can absolutely see it! Keep it up!
Thanks!
this is rlly why i just don't like the 'i can fix him' mentality. i was having fun with a friend writing a romance sort of along those lines, sunshine character and aggressive delinquent character, except there was never an 'i can fix him' just 'i can see you've been through a lot and im here to hear you out if you need it' with ups and downs and a lot of patience and it was great
I feel like my brain erased those very..questionable parts(probably because I watched it like years ago), i cant remember these parts. Until someone pointed them out HSHSHSHsh maybe this is a sign to rewatch it
this feels similar to violent tsunderes i would see when i watched a lot of anime back in the 2000s-2010s. i didn't really like how violent most of them were but it's anime so lolz it's suppose to be funny. so at the end of it all, my fave tsundere is Kagami from Lucky Star. S-tier tsundere.
Loved the video and the outro was cherry on top. Glad to be a part of your journey! Keep growing❤️
So I was reading The Apothecary Diaries recently and seeing some of the questionable scenes I tend to resort just to write it off because the series is set during a time where those kinds of things where common (Not accepted mind you, the MC makes an effort to show that she hates it). I think with series like this one we tend to do the same "It's set or it was done at a different time, so let's just ignore that terrible thing I just saw" but maybe we've been wrong about doing that. Maybe we should acknowledge those things while appreciating the good things too
I have been DYING to have someone review/make commentary on this. I watched this back in 2009(?) and I revisited it a couple years back. I love the chaotic portrayal of young “romance” because it feels so much more realistic (teenagers are sometimes boisterous, impulsive, questionable people) and I loved seeing these less than perfectly lovable characters evolve and make peace with one another…sort of
Great video!
One that's needed.
Thanks!
"Oh yeah this shit was on TV, it was a fun time to watch after school"
"I didn't remember seeing that👁️👄👁️"
Never really got into it even back in 2014 when I started watching the anime. I was always thrown off and could never go past the first episode
The first episode is the main hurdle tbh
HiP, that was an amazing update at the end. Keep it up! Great to see massive progress from hard work 💪💪💪💪💪
I remember watching this as a kid and it's like my mind just blocked out the stuff that aged poorly lol. It's still one of my favorites tho
Because they don't matter
I remember loving this when I first watched it in 2016. Read the manga and still loved it at the time. Like two weeks ago I tried reading it again because I needed some good shoujo romance and I couldn’t even make it past the first 5 chapters before closing the tab. Oh my GOD it was so bad…
This is wild. I SWEAR I watched this anime back then after reading about it in an anime zine, but I cannot for the life of me recall a single thing about it. It seems to have evaporated from my brain completely.
just wanna say well done on the weight loss continue to do great my man, loving the content !!
Sad how the only socially acceptable kink seems to be "Dom female and Sub male" dynamic...
years ago it was "stop being oppressive male can be sub and female can be dom equality for all" and now if you don't accept "Dom female and Sub male" dynamic you're evil misogynistic patriarchy
Oh my god, I've seen this series! Years ago, and I totally forgot about it! I was never a big fan of shojo/romance and this was something very much outside of my normal range... I don't even know why I even decided to watch it, I think I just randomly clicked it and.. it kept me engaged. I remember really liking it, and being surprised at how good it was, despite my general prejudice of shojo at the time!
But wow, yeah, I did not remember those bits lmao
As s sidenote, the endcard made me genuinly so happy, I couldn't help but smile. Amazing job! It's great to see you doing so well. All the best!
There is definitely some outdated stuff with the show but I swear the official line was “don’t make a sound or I’ll attack you” is the r*pe mention the official thing or was that the translation being not fully accurate?
The pronunciation could mean both as far I can tell but the context makes hard to pinpoint one.
I'm so glad to hear you're doing well!
Thanks! Doing much better
Man, I have been planning to watch and then read this for a while. I hope it'll turn out to be worth it. Anyway, fantastic video as always!
They should do a remake like they did with Fruits basket
I remember debating watching the anime and heard a ton of people not liking how the male lead bullies the female lead. But your video convinced me to give the manga a chance. Thank you!
I love Mizutani as a protagonist. It's worth it for her imo
9:10 My guy lookin fresh! Congrats on your progress :)
Thanks! Came in at 188.4lbs today. Down from max weight of 232
Hey man you look great keep doing what you’re doing, appreciate your videos and seeing the fact more guys are getting into shoujo
this anime was goated i still remember watching it when i was like 12 or something and wishing i had a significant other
(i do have one now and i'm very happy)
Congrats on the weight loss bro. I Started this video 3 months ago and just now got ro the end
As someone who related a lot with Haru back them, i think part of the point of the story is to remind us that while he might be someone whos violent he's characther is still of a young teen who barely hit purbety mentally and just like Mizutani was a workaholic, he had he's anger issues but that didn't mean he was bad person, she in no moment "fix" him, he was always a pure hearted person. As someone who actually used to be a violent child, it makes sense that he was so violent on the first episode because he was scared of her, he wanted her to leave and not come back. But after she says they're friends he has no more reason to do so, he let's his guard down and even goes to school despite being scared, in his mind if she feels bothered by him she can tell him, he just follows he around like a friend and not as a stalker
This was one of my favorite anime’s kind sad it didn’t get a second season but thankfully it got one, but in general shoujo rarely get second seasons even a show which is really sad
Its already on my watchlist
It's a good show
I really don’t remember it to be like this. This is crazy
“Joke’s on you. I’m into that shit!”
Watched it way back in 2015 and loved it a lot but i think if I were to watch this series right now i wouldn't love it as much i did before. Wish it had a 2nd season tho.