Editorial
The Mars and Venus of Character Biases, feat. KimiKiss and True Tears
It’s been more than a month since I had this post in mind, but for some reason I decided to forget about the idea and even scrapped my draft post for this orz. But lo and behold, as Crusader opens up the topic about biases, I decided to give this post one more shot. Also because I’ve learned some insights from a book I’m currently reading, Why Men Love Bitches, as out-of-character as my RL colleagues and friends find it to be. Just for the record, I don’t really agree with everything that’s written in this book, because of several principles I adhere to, but it’s valuable for gaining insights on the nature of both men and women (and it EMPOWERS women), similar to the book Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus Before I divert any further from the topic, here goes…
As you can see, most (like 99%?), if not all, the bloggers of True Tears and KimiKiss are people born with a Y chromosome. But well, considering the measly number of female bloggers on the interwebz, I think it goes without saying that there will always be more guys blogging a series rather than girls (with a few shoujo or BL shows as exception). The thing is, aside from the values, principles, beliefs, etc. that we have, gender also plays a role in our biases in anime, particularly how we perceive characters, why we support a certain girl, or a certain character archetype for the lead guy (or a guy for the lead girl, in the case of reverse harems). Like why I support Noe and Asuka, as opposed to Hiromi and Eriko, for instance, which I will be delving on in this post.
Noe is Moe~!
While the preference of guys when it comes to female characters (or certain archetypes) is a projection of their ideal girl [romantic] partner in real life (if these guys have come to prefer 2D over 3D, I still think it’s a projection of their frustration over not being able to get that girl IRL), this doesn’t apply to normal hetero girls who are at the other end of the spectrum. In my case, my preference and bias for certain female characters become a projection of the ideal girl I look up to, a role model of some sort. Hence, I typically like the optimistic, genki, strong and empowered type of girls, the category in which characters like Asuka and Noe (sans the aggressiveness and eccentricity) fall under. In a way, I consider those traits as moe+ points.
The plethora of Hiromi and Eriko fans got me thinking, how guys could love characters as bitchy or flawed as them. It’s not until recently that I felt this was a blow to myself, as well as other girls, the moment I realized that the very reason why I dislike them so much (as far as initial apprehension goes) is because I find them to be the spitting image of the self I want to get rid of. It’s like the exact same feeling of Nomiya in H&C when he looks at Mayama, who reminds him of the juvenile self he has come to hate.
In the case of Hiromi (and her accompanying stock archetype), I am reminded of my weak, pessimistic, indecisive, jealous, inferior, angsty self (I’m talking about the earlier episodes in this one, because Hiromi has more or less redeemed herself by the end of the series). The same goes with Eriko, who I can even consider my kindred soul, in terms of the loner-ness and inherent inability to open up to other people (which I hope I’ve already overcome through the years), as well as the similarity in our childhood past. If you’ve read my really emo Valentine post, you’ll have an idea as to what I’m talking about here. Too bad the anime decided not to delve in much about this anymore; otherwise it would’ve allowed more people to sympathize with Eriko’s plight, and realize why she became the Eriko that we know.
And now to address the issue of why guys are attracted to the Hiromi or Eriko types…
I remember T_I’s comment in one of my True Tears post:
…Shin has a complex that is not that uncommon within guys.
He’s attracted to another person’s sadness. He has been building this fantasy of wanting to be there for someone and taking their sadness away. Not only that, he’s quite deep into his obsession as you can tell by how melodramatic he is about it in his diary.
He’s not in love with someone. He’s in love with the idea of helping someone. And that’s different.
Although this speaks true for the most part, I’d say Sherry Argov, author of Why Men Love Bitches gives the more apt explanation for this:
When you appear more softer and feminine, you appeal to his instinct to protect. When you appear more aggressive, you appeal to his instinct to compete.
This reaffirms this hypothesis I had on the tendency of a guy to act as a knight in shining armor for that one special girl. Not to say that men are egotistical jerks (although you’d have to admit they naturally have that sense of ego, no matter how little or much, with the exception of some people), but I think being needed is a way for them to reaffirm their sense of worth. It allows them the opportunity to shower the girl with love, and in turn, allow the girl to love them back.
This also explains Shin’s attraction to Hiromi (rather than Noe), as well as Kazuki’s attraction to Eriko (rather than Asuka), and why a percentage of male audience prefers Hiromi and Eriko (or Mao and Yuumi) as well. And this could also explain the moe fandom in general. Nevertheless, I still maintain my stand that a woman should develop a sense of self-worth, identity, confidence and assertiveness, so as to make the relationship work out in the long run.
And finally, to end this post, I just like to say that despite the antagonism I feel towards certain female characters, I do believe that deep in the heart of a woman is that desire for a guy to love them, despite being a flawed Hiromi, Eriko, or what have you. (gawd I can’t believe I’m uttering all this cheesiness x__x;;; )
P.S. Feel free to correct what I mentioned here, because I know for a fact that these are rough generalizations and doesn’t apply to everyone. To each his own, after all.
filed under: Discussion
22 comments for “The Mars and Venus of Character Biases, feat. KimiKiss and True Tears”
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I have no desire to be a knight in shining armor, who lives long enough to lose to some peasant with a pike or a longbow. Screw that I already have a soldatenbraut (soldier’s bride) her name is Tsuruya and she is an M-16 and unlike a real girl she will never leave my side. Besides the way things are going I’ll be seeing more of her than a real girl.
Actually I tend to gravitate towards characters who I find exhibit the traits that I believe all people should have. I am going to hell for having to annihilate human opposition in defense of volk and fatherland. I prefer to burn in Hell for the sake of some one like Noe or Asuka rather than Hiromi or Eriko. As an adherent to the soldaten tradition I just want to give Noe a hug for being brave, noble, and selfless, she is more that an ideal otome, she is an ideal person that I believe all who have yet to slay their shugo tama should aspire to.
I can’t help but feel that that statement is a bit sweeping, although I understand the contrast you’re trying to make between seeing a character as a partner and seeing a character as a role model.
I blame our biological make-up. I blame the evolution processes that required male to protect the female, in a time when might was all that mattered. I blame the hard-wiring of our brain that makes us more attracted to girls who appear to need protection, and to girls who possess more feminine trait, because that’s biologically, for our offspring, the preferred characteristics to have in a mother.
I blame Canada.
I am a self confessed hiromi and eriko fan.
I have Y as my 46th chromosome and have finished both kimi kiss and true tears.
My hypothesis why men (at least most, as you say) prefer hiromi and eriko, is that it may be hard coded in the Y chromosome to protect the weak. Thus the subconscious preference for both hiromi and eriko. And the “white knight on a horse” or “knight on a white horse”… whatever syndrome may also be bought about by that factor. (im not sure of this shit, so do not take me seriously
)
The problem with Noe is that she’s crazy. She’s always jumping out of trees and talking to chickens. No guy wants to be in a relationship with a girl who tries to make him eat chicken feed. Unless he’s desperate.
In my case, my preference was more towards what makes sense with the coupling. I place much value on history between the people, thus have tendency to give the childhood friends benefit of doubt. In case of Noe and Hiromi, I thought it was easily visible to whom
Shin expressed more passion, and the fact Shin gave into romantic passions even though he might be breaking a taboo, suggested that his feeling for Hiromi was more deeper and profound compared to his feelings for Noe. Noe just didn’t share enough moment with Shinichiro to make me doubt whether she is really in love or letting some impulsive feeling get better of her.
In case of Asuka and Eriko, I thought Asuka is a much better choice for Kazuki, but Kazuki’s hormones has gone too far for Eriko. I think even Eriko knew that Asuka is the right girl for Kazuki, thus her misguided attempt to avoid him. If she had more open dialog with Kazuki, and demonstrated that she no longer is a loner, the allure of mystery and unattainable might have faded for Kazuki to look at Asuka again. The big problem is that the show failed to generate as much drama for AsukaXKazuki compared to ErikoXKazuki and in these shows, they always choose drama over realism. I don’t think it is a too much a loss for Asuka, for she deserves better, thus I half jokingly suggest Asuka X Kai pairing. I am slightly dismayed by how Mao dumped a superior guy, Kai, for a wimp like Kouichi.
A large section of us guys prefer Noe type girls to Hiromi… My theory is that Hiromi supporters are only thinking with the wrong head… They have never gotten that far with a real girl and thus have nothing to compare it with…. Those of us who have much mmore prefer Noe…. There is great anger in the force over the Hiromi win… grrrr
Why Men Love Bitches
isn’t there a complimentary book to this, Why Women Love Assholes
So really, Noe and Hiromi, I didn’t mind either, but I think the big case with Hiromi and the viewers is the fundamental attribution error. Maybe that was her disposition, but I think the more obvious and likely case is her reactions were based on the situation; long-term crushing on “pseudo oni-chan”, turns out he has similar feelings, and Oh No it’s all about to be taken away, just when the skies were clearing.
A build up for years, about to crash, it would be difficult for anyone to deal with this, unless they were a transcendentalist or similar. I thought Hiromi acted quite reserved for the character’s age, though, I found Noe more interesting.
As for Eriko, yes I did enjoy her, but it wasn’t like a moe thing, it was that lone-wolf appeal. Coldly staring out that window, peacefully, she was strong.
So why would I like to be the “knight”? It probably is a way we can realize our usefulness to someone we care about, but pondering, it seems rather selfish. We can only be of use if we say we are, if we recognize it (this goes for both sexes)?
It is inconsiderate because the other party may feel we are useful in ways we cant see, or ways that cant be labeled “useful” … some have really made me smile, but I wouldn’t say they were useful in terms of the word. But if they want their usefulness recognized, I’d say they make me happy; a use beyond the word, useful.
Sad part is that reality is much more complex than these intricately planned stories. It’s just not easy to generalize in reality. ^^
Nice post
Actually, I think Shin did opposite when he chose Hiromi.
If you think of it, Hiromi was in a much better position from his point of view. She moved out to live independently. She settled things with mom. She actually has friends! ::gasp:: (how many friends did Noe had before the epilogue?)
On contrast to this, Noe is a much worse condition, and her jumping of trees and trying to throw chickens into the sea does not indicate good mental health.
No matter how I look at it, Noe rates higher in the “I must protect her” category.
Despite that, he chose not to be there with Noe in the moment that he needs her the most. That to me, indicates that had to follow his heart over his helping someone that is crying silently in her heart.
If he had any knightly aspirations beforehand than I must say that he abandoned it and accepted that he can’t make everyone happy.
Ah well, I’m a girl and though what you say isn’t crazy, and it’s your opinion, I don’t agree in some points.
I think it’s true, however, that most males like certain types of female -which sometimes I just don’t get why-, and that some can’t make empathy with some fictional female characters. Well, the thought came to me with Mao, since most posts I read about Kimikiss on the blog sphere think she is a plain bitch. Though females like that tend to make trouble, and usually the plot follows that trouble, I just can’t stand the Yumi type. I doubt Mao was playing with Kai all along, she either felt confused or knew Kouchi wasn’t looking at her, so maybe she felt like distracting herself with her new friend or try liking Kai. It’s not easy to confess to a guy that considers you a sister, and while you try to make him happy with the other girl -Yumi-, you can’t help but explode at one point, and complicate things. But, I think that goes for every genre, just that when it comes to women, sometimes they just categoryze them as bitches.
As for Hiromi/Noe, Eriko/Asuka, I always wanted Hiromi to win, but because I felt that she deserved him the most. Noe has this crazy factor that attracts people -reminded me of Suzumiya Haruhi in why-popular factor-, and while in the end I wanted to Hiromi/Shinichirou ending really bad, the plot made Noe a good candidate as well…but Hiromi won. (and I went yay!, btw). Another reason I wanted her to win was because of her flaws, actually, since her character was moe realistic than Noe. Anyone would be jealous and made hurtful accusations in her situation, in love everything goes, and in the end she let Shinichirou decide, but why can’t she be a little jealous and fight a litte? Why stay angsty, when you can try doing something to win love?
As for Eriko/Asuka, I never liked Eriko, and I did like Asuka, and wanted her to win Kazuki. I don’t think the Eriko/Hiromi characters fall in the same categories, ’cause Eriko was a weird, antisocial character at first, and while not like Noe, she wasn’t a Hiromi either. But I can’t talk much about Eriko, her character bored me. And I wanted Asuka to win, but the problem was different, I think. Kazuki fell in love with Eriko after the kiss and all that stuff, and I think the theory of a guy wanting to feel worth -helping her- is a good one, though not in all cases, but it’s true indeed. Asuka realised she liked him after he was completely in love with Eriko. And if he never looked at her with tender eyes, now that he was fighting for Eriko -and probably felt nothing for the kiss with Asuka-, there was no chance for her. Time is a crucial factor sometimes.
In the case of Kouchi/Mao and Hiromi/Shinichirou, the feelings had always been there -can’t remember well of K/M, but the bond was-, and Shini kind of mixed them up, while Kouchi being far away from Mao and seeing her as a sister didn’t help him either.
Then, again with Noe, the character was too good itself. While you don’t know exactly what would you do if the guy you like was to choose between you and another girl, I still have the fight-hypothesis. Noe recognise Shini’s feelings for Hiromi and didn’t try winning him back…and while her sadness makes her “moe”, or whatever, she could have tried a bit more. Even Asuka, knowing she lost, stole a kiss from Kazuki. Everything makes a change. And while the relationships were different, and even if you know the truth, you can still try fighting a bit. Then, Jun tells Noe he loves her more like she imagined, and seriously, even if the main topic was Noe not being able to cry, isn’t that a lot worst than Shinichirou not loving you? Your only family going away because it hurts to be with you. I don’t know, I know how a heartbreak and a toying is, but I feel most like Noe because of her weird factor, of her apparent selfless personality, and her strength. And while I like her, I guess I like characters that fight, like Asuka and Hiromi, rather than characters who hide, Eriko and Noe.
Hah, so well, though my opinion may not be 100% correct, I like discussing this stuff.
Whoa, I never thought I wrote this much. Sorry for eh, making it so long haha.
I also suspect that there must be a biological element at play. Similarly, there’s a common perception that women are attracted to raw strength (protector/aggressor/champion - ultimately all for the sake of producing and defending the strongest, most competitive offspring), or that men seek out the gentlest, most nurturing mothers. In Japan, someone even wrote a dating guide that teaches women how to display the most motherly traits.
In anime, I’m personally attracted to some blend of strength/personal accomplishment/leadership and femininity (i.e. Suzuka Asahina, Mai Kawasumi, maybe even Mitsuki Hayase or Megumi Kuryuu - characters like Asuka, Noe, or Eriko don’t leave much of an impression on me, even if they’re charming in their own way). Despite that difference in tastes, I think the inclination to protect might be somewhere there, even though I’ve never thought of it that way.
It’s kind of interesting to me how many people are trying to come up with simple explanations for this kind of thing. Sadly most of the simple explanations are pretty biased or jaded.
For example, putting Shin’s choice of Hiromi down to some ‘white knight syndrome’ isn’t really a neutral evaluation. It’s more a matter of ego-soothing for folks who preferred Noe as it provides an explanation, but one that inherently derides the reasoning as flawed. Factually neither of the two girls would have been the wrong choice though I’d say that Hiromi was more ready for a relationship than Noe was.
There is something to be said, though, for the tendency of humans to hate most in others the traits that we most dislike in ourselves. There’s also the tendency to root for characters who share similar weaknesses to ourselves past and present.
I’d say I rooted for both Eriko and Yuumi because I felt sympathetic towards their situations. Eriko struck me as a good person at heart but sad because her history and her intelligence separated her from others her own age. What she seemed to need most was a person to offer her a hand to lead her out of her solitary world and into the land of other people.
Yuumi was pretty easy for me to feel for as I moved a lot when I was a kid, so the hope that distance won’t cost valued friendships is one I am infinitely familiar with.
wow, EPIC comments
Now to reply before the comments grow 
@Crusader: I actually think we both have similar bias in terms of character preferences, hence the reason why I also dislike Mitsuki of KgNE soo much x__x Despite how I’m able to empathize with characters like Eriko or Hiromi, I find myself supporting the role models, because of this desire I have to empower women.
@IKnight: I admit it was quite some generalization, considering that some people look at it from a story POV, rather than a personal one.
@Luppy: LOL! now now, don’t blame your mother country
@someone you met outside: but you know yourself more than me, so don’t look down on your opinion! :p
@Baka-Raptor: ouch
Noe is not crazy =___= she might be eccentric, but her actions before were playful and innocent. The pureness of her heart is admirable, but I don’t think a Noe-hater would understand that, unless you look deeper into her heart and her actions .___.
@maglor: ahh, story-wise vs character-wise
In my preference of Noe over Hiromi, I’d have to admit that I didn’t take Shin’s feelings in serious consideration, or that I have my own biases when it comes to judging who it is that the person loves more (although it’s a lot more complicated than it is). From what I saw in True Tears, Noe was the one who brought out the best in Shin, and inspired him to become a better man. Whereas Hiromi brought out the angst in him =__= I have to give tthis another round of thought before I give my final review of True Tears 
@voodoomage: past experiences certainly affect our biases, but I don’t really think Hiromi fans are out of their mind… having a Hiromi-like partner IRL doesn’t necessarily spell doomed relationship, especially if the girl is able to overcome the weaknesses which made her a flawed Hiromi in the first place. And also, it takes two to tango, so I’m pretty sure there’s a kind of guy who’ll fit someone like Hiromi, although other guys might disagree otherwise.
@Ryan: someone told me about that book, though I have yet to see it. I wonder if I’ll go check out that book sometime too hehe
In a way, I can imagine how a guy will feel like giving Hiromi a hug, be a source of comfort and such, though hmm… I’d still say the girl would have to work on those flaws (especially the feeling of inferiority and jealousy) to become a better woman. It’ll benefit both herself, and her future partner in the long run.
And hmm… being drawn to the person’s flaws… I think that’s what Jinx feels
rather than say ‘useful’, it’s probably more apt to say, you want your existence to mean something special for that person. If you make the person happy, you see value in whatever it is that you’ve done to contribute to that happiness.
But yeah, reality is far more intricate than all this hehe. Such is life~
@T_I: hmm, the thing is, I think Shin knew that despite the independence and strength that Hiromi was showing, her true heart is that of sadness and tears. The ‘I must protect Noe’ only came to Shin after her depressed state, which is why he was left in confusion as to who he has to choose. Ultimately, Noe told him she can be strong, and Shin believed in her (despite how it took him quite some time to fully accept that).
@Ritsuka: I understand where your biases are coming from, and I think the reasons you mentioned for liking Hiromi are the same reasons I have for disliking her. It’s all too easy to defend a girl and her flaws, and say ’she’s just human’, ’she’s just a girl who feels jealousy’, and all that. Hence, I prefer the ones who are non-conformist to the usual flaws of women (or men, in general).
Hiromi made up for her actions by the end of True Tears, and that’s great to see. I don’t think I would’ve been able to forgive any more slip-ups and worsening in her character, like Mitsuki’s case in KgNE =___=
@Skua: I think that generalization of men and women’s preference for a partner applies in the earlier years, way back when chivalry and all that was dominant
That is also what the book I’m reading generalizes as guys’ preferences.
as for the preference for strength femininity, I’d say it applies to a number of guys as well. And that’s why a number of people like tsunderes
Seeing the strength of the girls allows the guy to see how she is confident enough to stand up for herself, and is not afraid to speak up for what she wants. With the femininity, you can see that there’s more to her than that strength… and this is probably where the protection instinct comes in. I think it shows that the girl is acknowledging the possibility of having a future partner? Though I think a guy will be in a better position to confirm this.
@maelgad: the ‘knight’ syndrome might be a rough generalization of Shin’s attraction to Hiromi, but I still think it plays some part in his decision, no matter how subtle that was. As a Noe-fan, I’d like to say that I didn’t come to this conclusion for the sake of cheap acceptance or for an ego-soothing effect. I tried to find an explanation as to why Hiromi-fans want her for Shin, and I still am. So feel free to enlighten me on that please.
It’s also difficult to say what makes a person ready for a relationship, because it’s a very subjective matter (as if the comments above were not enough to indicate this). It will always be a rough estimate, based on what we perceive to be their character by the end of the series.
In my case, I looked at Hiromi as the one who wasn’t ready for a relationship, because of the reasons I’ve already highlighted. Jealousy, doubts, lack of trust, having a sense of inferiority, etc. These are all traits which will consume the relationship sooner or later, if the girl doesn’t do something about it =/
Noe is neither crazy nor mature. She was closer to being autistic.
In the beginning, Noe only acknowledged one certain kind of people. Those who can fly. That being the Raigomaru archetype. To her, someone who is unable to fly is not even worth her interest.
In fact, she punishes Jibeta for not being able to fly by not feeding him.
This mindset however, causes people to avoid her and causes her to avoid people which she deems unworthy.
As I said earlier, how many friends did she have before? zero
In the middle of the story she realizes that she might have misunderstood Jibeta’s mindset. Perhaps they were capable of flying all along, but have solid reason to chose not to. She begins to acknowledge that the act of making this choice is also comparable to flying.
Finally, during the last episodes she realized that there are many facets of the characters around her that she did not notice earlier. She did not realize Jun’s feelings, and she’s far from understanding Shin’s feelings.
She realized that this might be because of her particular mindset that only looks forward to Raigomaru and no one else.
After this, it is assumed that she starts to approach people with a different mindset and gain friends she never considered having before. And in the epilogue you can see that taking effect.
So by that alone, I can say that she wasn’t ready for a relationship.
Next,
I’m not saying that Shinichiro didn’t see Hiromi’s inner sadness.
I’m saying that from his point of view it should be clear to see who is in more mental anguish at the moment.
Trying to throw chickens into the sea, jumping off trees and chasing paper airplanes are NOT a sign that she has moved on. Even knowing so, one of the very first things he made clear was that he loves Hiromi.
But I do acknowledge that he had a “I want to take your tears away” complex.
Taking all this into consideration, I will make another allegory.
Shin wanted to be knight for Princess Hiromi.
Alas, a Princess is someone who is pure and protected from the real world. Hiromi was quite jaded. She was no Princess, she was a darn pheasant girl.
The true Princess was Noe. She really needed him at the moment.
Shin now had a choice if he wanted to be a knight for Noe or forget that and be a pheasant with Hiromi.
although i do like the strong and substantial girls, with regard to noe and hiromi i must disagree with the specific attributions. hiromi had a lot of circumstantial constraints, and i dont see much bitchiness in her, really. the way she deals with problems is not the most open, but her range of concern is also broader. she has more to worry about, and giving her the sympathetic view is necessary. this is not merely a partial appeal. it can be argued that her rather constraining circumstances were designed for the viewer to take a sympathetic view to her situation and thus engage with her more intense thoughts.
noe on the other hand, although a very good character in her own right, can be seen the wrong way by certain viewers. her emotional naivete renders her pretty dependent, and i really think the romantic attachment for her is forced and disruptive. between the visionary maturity in her observation of others, in her idealistic view of things, and the specific attachment to the lead, there are inconsistencies.
@T_I: wow, after that insightful comment, I’d have to admit, I was jaded in terms of analyzing both Noe and Hiromi’s characters. And I guess I blame that to my bias for Noe, and bias against Hiromi, which in turn caused me to not see much of the faults in the former, and the stir of emotions running through the latter.
Noe seemed to be a free-spirited girl, who, despite her eccentricity, knew well what she wanted (and this is what made me characterize her as someone who I deemed fit for a relationship). She had a clear disposition, though as many people have pointed out, was something that’s not-so-normal. It’s really ironic that I compared Noe side by side Asuka, when in fact, she’s a lot more similar to Eriko, the more I think about it now. Noe is a lone wolf, lacks a sense of normalcy, though instead of a cold facade, Noe’s was that of genkiness.
(Looks like I have rewatch True Tears from start to end, before I can give it the in-depth review it so deserves
)
@awayish: Hmm, I’d have to say that ‘bitchiness’ is subjective, and I believe the reason why you say Hiromi is not bitchy, is because you were able to empathize/sympathize with her. Taking a step back from that bias for Hiromi, and look simply at the actions she did (keep yourself from justifying her actions for a second), and you’ll see that it was ‘bitchy’.
(I hope you get what I’m saying here, though it’s a bit confusing x__x)
as for Noe, I think I’ve admitted to my jaded (and really biased) perception of Noe in my reply to T_I.
This brought a smile to my face.
Because as a guy, I was also rooting for Noe and Asuka.
Somewhat a sweeping generalization there, ate?
this has probably been brought up before in comments but they are really long. Anyway I think something that sways things in hiromi’s favour was also aesthetic value, noe looks very childish and this probably leads to a desire to help but probably not go out with as many would see her as too much work.
While I didn’t really care who came out on top in true tears I was always routing for asuka in kimikiss. This is probably because in my eyes she was the most likeable but I guess I just like a girl with common sense (sure eriko was a genius but common sense wise was incredibly lacking).
@Mike: I won’t deny the sweeping generalization, though I’d say it’s somewhat intentional :p
@marmot: as far as first impression goes, Hiromi has more power to sweep a guy off his feet. The childlike qualities of Noe is what will probably both drive off men from taking her seriously, though at the same time draw the likes of Shin.
Eriko lacked sense of normalcy, but I can actually empathize with her… that said, of course Asuka remains the most likeable and admirable of them all