KimiKiss e True Tears are shounen romances. They were made for guys. It’s the case. You don’t see guys blogging about shoujo romances like Itazura na Kiss. That because they are made for girls. You

@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

Because as a guy, I was also rooting for Noe and Asuka.
Somewhat a sweeping generalization there, ate?

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.

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.

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.

@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
And hmm… being drawn to the person’s flaws… I think that’s what Jinx feels 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.

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
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 That is also what the book I’m reading generalizes as guys’ preferences.

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 =/