2021 Winter season is heading towards the end, but Horimiya's new 'sex scene' split otaku apart all across Facebook.
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Even though I am not a regular reader, I have been following its manga for about 5-6 years now. Usually, I can't really enjoy the romance genre in general (even if they add comedy in it) as I often find them too sugary, too dramatic, or a mix of both. And to be fair, Horimiya can be too sugary too sometimes. It attracts me particularly because it flouts the rom-com trope here and there. However, once it is animated and reaches even a far wider audience, of course, it cannot suit all of their taste and preference.
5 days ago, Horimiya's seventh episode was aired, and, with it, came the unexpected heavy backlash from the audience, particularly from the audience in my region Indonesia. You're Here, I'm here (「君がいて、僕がいて。」 'Kimi ga ite, Boku ga ite.') tells a story of Hori and Miyamura being apart for 5 days. With Miyamura away, the development of Kono-Ishikawa-Yoshikawa dynamics gets more screentime in this episode. However, we can still observe the uneasiness that started to settle in the relationship between Hori and Miyamura. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, some might say. Episode 7, for a decent 12 episodes anime, is still considered halfway. Perhaps usual romcom anime enjoyers expect conflict to happen, but not a sudden drastic development such as the main characters getting overly intimate. No wonder that the sex scene that suddenly appeared at the end of the episode incited amusingly mixed reactions. Here I will try to recap some of the most absurdly interesting reactions that arise.
ARGUMENT #1: Isn't it too soon for a sex scene?! They're still in high school, can't they just wait until graduation or sth?
Even though foreign (by foreign, I mean outside Indonesia) anime fans might not think of this as the problem, this is a quite predictable reaction. The main reason is the cultural difference. Be as fictional as it is, Horimiya is still a fictional work written by Japanese mangaka, and it sets within the Japanese day-to-day setting. Naturally, their local social and cultural circumstance will affect and inform their work. Their culture and Indonesian culture, even though they are both Asian countries, are still so poles apart. While it might be common for Japanese to have sex before marriage, here, it goes beyond FROWNED UPON. Some audiences might get a cultural shock because of that.
But in all seriousness, and this applies to any form of art, ideally viewers should understand that the art piece might not work in the same moral code they are accustomed to. Rather than trapped in the divisive qualities, why not focus on the more universal and relatable themes that Horimiya provides? Beyond the split seconds of the sex scene, Horimiya portrays a rather healthy relationship. Unlike its romance sisters out there which derives the conflict from the existence of a third person, for example, Horimiya focuses more on the internal process. Other romances are almost always stuck in a rut, with miscommunication that blunders into a whole load of dramatic conflicts. But Hori and Miyamura are frank, quite straightforward about what they want from each other despite their own limitation as a growing teen. The simplistic confession scene (one of the most important scenes in the romance genre) is so free of further unnecessary drama and hits quite close to reality.
ARGUMENT #2: ROMCOM IS SUPPOSED TO BE WHOLESOME! The sex scene would just ruin the vibe!
This argument is what I think the most hilariously absurd, and damn I can't unsee it lol. First off, from this comment, I understand that the speaker must have been accustomed to the animanga rom-com trope that is pretty much pure and lacking progress. There is progress, but it will be slow could be because the main characters are all airheads or they fool around too much. Not that I have any problem with that formula, in fact, I enjoy Gekkan Shoujo no Nozaki-kun (perhaps it falls too heavy on slice-of-life comedy though rather than romantic comedy, but well, you get the gist).
But what I find problematic from that statement is that the speaker implied a sex scene couldn't be wholesome. This indicates a certain idea of sex that could match more with what the porn industry offers. Sex as something kinky, dirty, naughty. Is that idea too ingrained that they can't imagine sex as something natural, humane, or connecting? We might never know the answer to that. But can a sex scene equal to a wholesome scene? Well yeah of course it absolutely can. I personally think the listening-to-your-heartbeat scene is kinda innocent and cute. And that earns extra wholesomeness points on its own. Besides, let's be honest, that scene at the end of episode 7 can't even be count as a sex scene. We infer that they did it, but there is no actual 18+ scene on screen.
The point is, seriously, we need to stop seeing sex in two extreme corners: either the dirty or the scary.
ARGUMENT #3: The sex scene is the last boss of romance. If they put it in the middle, what else is there to see?
In reality, though, there is no such thing as the last boss of romance. Romance tides, its ups-and-downs, is never finished with just a single confession of I like you and you like me back. Does sex cure all the conflicts and problems of two people trying to adjust to each other? Well, perhaps, it relieves the symptoms for a short period of time, but it's still not the cure. So is there anything left to see after a sex scene? Why yes there are a lot more to see because, again, sex is not the last boss or a cure-all. This fairytale-esque idea of romance is seriously outdated and too confining. However, I understand that some anime fans' motivation is rather escapist at times. Some watch anime to be rid of the rut in their reality. I can understand that. But considering this is another way how Horimiya flouts the romance trope and how it challenges the linear utopian romance plotline, at least it's worthy of recognition.
The grounded-to-reality approach of Horimiya helps to portray a model of a healthy relationship. It also reminds the audience how a simplistic take on mundane life can be enjoyable too. Before Winter 2021 ends, be sure to check out Horimiya!
Another discussion on romance also read: "Ways that Make The Lobster (2015) an Adequate Pick for Your Movie Date."
I used to follow the manga, though got lost in touch when I caught up with the latest chapter, and that was like 3-4 years ago.
ReplyDeleteLast time I read it was last year, and even then I couldn't catch up to the latest ch 😅
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