Anime
[White Album] MANLY by Proxy, and Prediction of Things to Come
OH SHI–
I remember reading this blog post / article a few months ago, about how a girl (let’s call her Girl A) can perceive a [boring- or plain-looking] guy to be ‘handsome(r) by proxy’ (I don’t remember the exact term used, and I also can’t find the article I’m referring to orz) when she finds out that the guy actually has a girlfriend (let’s call her Girl B), and not just any girl but someone whom Girl A considers to be on a ‘higher ground’ than she is, in terms of physique or other shallow criteria for judging the “better girl”. Under normal circumstances, Girl A can’t be bothered with the guy, and quite frankly, he’s not her type, but due to the presence of the guy’s beautiful-girlfriend-whom-she-doesn’t-know-how-he-got, she becomes interested in him, or rather, interested in finding out how exactly Girl B fell in love with him. “There must be more to this guy”, Girl A thinks, and the next thing you know, Girl A embarks on her Quest to Find the Hidden Spice of the guy, despite her unremarkable first impression of him (before he found out that he has a girlfriend). The possession of the girlfriend alone serves as his cheat to leveling up as Boyfriend-Material++.
[What follows is my own ramblings, follow at your own risk]
Girl A’s impression of the guy can only get better or worse, depending on whether the guy gets hooked by the [flirting] bait Girl A sets up. If the guy follows the footsteps of the epitome of epic fail Takayuki, his relationship with Girl B will go crumbling down in an instant. If, however, he proves himself man enough to resist Girl A’s charms, props to him, for he just managed to gain Sex Appeal++ points! A guy who remains faithful to his girl is even more worth coveting, and Girl A will just lust for him even more. This will prompt her to set up more traps and baits for him, and she won’t stop at nothing until she gets what she wants.
In White Album, we have Touya, who, despite the growing(?) distance between him and his girlfriend-turned-idol Yuki, remains faithful and strong (and hopelessly in love with his girlfriend), optimistic that their relationship can thrive amidst the hurdles of showbiz — that is, until Yuki’s senpai / Popular-Idol Rina Ogata comes into the picture.
“Rina Ogata is scary”
Rina is a popular idol, but she doesn’t have a boyfriend, though she seems to be experienced in flirting with men. Perhaps most guys are too intimated to even get close to her? Or perhaps she was too busy in showbiz to even think of guys, or what kind of guys she like. And instead of bothering looking for that ‘dream guy’, or making an effort to get to know guys ‘normally’, she grabs the nearest “available” boytoy right around the corner, no one else but Yuki’s boyfriend Touya. How convenient and covetous!
If my speculations above speaks true for Rina (the Girl A), then Touya’s ‘Yuki’s boyfriend’ status is enough to make him ‘special’, and in turn, make her lust after him. I’m not exactly sure whether Rina is just RONERY, or holds some sort of grudge against Yuki, but either way, whatever she’s attempting to do will ruin both Yuki and Touya’s relationship, as well as her relationship with both (or just Yuki), JUST AS PLANNED or not. Looking forward to how this mess will turn out >:3
That is, in a nutshell, what I find most intriguing about White Album. Looking forward to how the other girls (Akira and Haruka) will fit into the picture later on and make the relationship even more of a mess (or otherwise).
yes, I’ve been waiting for this too.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I really think this anime is begging to be blogged, not because it’s worth recommending, but because of its ‘discourse value’. This ‘harem discussion opportunity’ has been robbed of me ever since KimiKiss and True Tears, and I’d be a fool to let this chance pass. I’d like to think I ‘leveled up’ since the last time I blogged about this kind of stuff, and writing about this will be my way to affirm just that.
つづく
P.S. I’m confused on how to categorize this post, because it’s once again the ‘hybrid type’, episodic but not quite so. ‘episodic review’ but not quite so. Oh well -__-;
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14 comments for “[White Album] MANLY by Proxy, and Prediction of Things to Come”
Trackbacks
- Mega Megane Mo » White Album is the worst kind of anime
- NANA MIZUKI LIVE FEVER 2009 (Nagoya) » Incredible Nothing!
- THAT Animeblog - White Album - 03: New Song by Rina, “Cuz he’s Touya…”
- [Ascaloth] Trial Run: White Album, Episode 3 at Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts
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I ain’t no woman, but from my view nothing has really happened yet, so far Rina has not initiated much of anything. However Touya is a faithless dog and should he waver most of the blame shall rest upon his head.
Still I look forward to the destruction of two friendships and much crying and perhaps even revenge intercourse. I know you smell the blood in the water, comrade. This is no romance this will be a cluster fuck the likes we have not seen since KgNE.
I think Rina means business simply from the fact that White Album is in fact an eroge adaptation. In this context, it’s not hard to see a Rina route.
usagijen … I cannot disagree with you. The moment Rina became interested, the moment she appeared, I knew another Kimiga-ish happening was going to take place. Touya totally should not have given Rina his phone number … I mean, doesn’t he know that’s how a girl and a guy who don’t know each other “hook up”? Anyway, I still wouldn’t blog this series until it officially ends, but if the ending does suck, I’m hoping to read more of your rantings
Hmmm, I fail to see how Touya giving Rina his phone number makes him a faithless dog.
1) giving out a number is not a crime.
2) his girlfriend is being pretty crappy to him.
3) Rina is a superstar.
Case closed.
It’s not just Rina
The dude is sending mixed signals to Haruka and Misaki too
I think the stuff about how a girl will find a guy more attractive because of his attractive girlfriend is right in a lot of situations (as far as I’ve seen in some immature high school relationships anyway) and I think it might be true here…mostly anyway.
Because Rina really does seem to be friends with Yuki, I think she’s interested in Touya less because of Yuki just being his girlfriend, but because Yuki seems to like him so much. If they’re friends, she respects her friend’s opinion and wants to find what would make her friend have such a high opinion of someone. But then seeing Touya like Yuki does would make Rina like Touya and there…we have our mess I suppose (looking forward to that part the most
)
Actually, it sounds like I might have just repeated the same thing as you in a way. In which case I just agree with you.
Hmm, at this point, this seems to be the easiest to swallow explanation (besides what animekritik had to say XD) for Rina’s apparent attraction to the rather lacklustre Toya. Actually looking forward to whatever’s coming behind the corner despite all the negativity surrounding the series. Curious to see if the other girls are of any actual necessity other than “we were in the game too” characters.
If Touya is being all clueless on who to decide to be his girlfriend, have the two sing in battle like in Macross Frontier (Rina is your next Sheryl while Yuki is your next Ranka~ kira*). If that doesn’t work, the School Days option is located on a “nice boat”.
My prediction is Rina may appear like she’s with Touya so Yuki can have some backbone and grab Touya for herself.
On the other hand, Rina maybe playing at first, but at the end loves Touya. Although, Touya ends up with Yuki.
Another is Rina plays around with him. Touya doesn’t take it seriously, but uses it as an opportunity to connect with Yuki. He slowly falls for Rina, but doesn’t know it yet. Rina starts to like him, but pushes it aside for her friend Yuki. When Yuki and Touya finally begin to be together, Touya thinks it’s a mistake, and rushes to Rina. (I just hope it’s not too dramatic)
@Crusader: Nothing visible to the naked eye is happening just yet, but Rina is already planting the ’seeds’ for destruction. Would love to see Yuki change (for better or worse) in the later eps, I’m sure I’d delight in it, far unlike KgNE.
@jp: at this point it’s like Rina is the only route! The other characters are far too passive, heh.
@blissmo: I’m hoping I’d be amazed by the series despite the WTF moments, because honestly, the bitchiness of Rina doesn’t irk me one bit
@animekritik: a committed guy won’t just readily give his phone like that, because it’s an open invitation to call him up, spend time with him or what. Obviously, he was starstruck, and how he got ‘hooked’ by Rina’s game (asking for the phone number) just goes to show how he lacks control of his own life, and lets other people decide it for him. And come on, don’t go blaming Yuki now T__T
@T_I: he’s a casanova, after all.
@FuyuMaiden: Rina is such a mystery, at this point I still don’t know what her intentions are, and I’m just waiting for it to be revealed, in due time.
@issa: this is by far one of the most intriguing shows of the season, not great or even recommended, but the kind that just sucks you in. It would be great if the rest of other characters develop to be, well, less bland than they are atm. Rina shouldn’t be the only one spicing things up here!
@soyahoney: there are soooo many speculations we can make at this point, and I’ve been thinking of both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ intentions Rina might have in whatever she has in mind. Definitely looking forward to the ‘route’ this anime will take.
Quite mixed. I see Rina as the better woman, but can’t help feel bad for poor Yuki.