Now, it’s admittedly hard to explain the anime series “Shikimori’s Not Just Cute” without mentioning the obvious main appeal — if you’re not into Shikimori, or girls like Shikimori, there doesn't seem to be much to glean. But if you're reading this, you've presumably already been filtered through that funnel of ‘female who can feasibly fight her way out of a fortress.’ Either way, there’s an interesting dynamic to learn from for that audience, as well as from that audience.
The main premise: Izumi, our protagonist, is borderline supernaturally unlucky, to the point where a reader might think he’s under a curse. Shikimori, his girlfriend, is borderline supernaturally competent at most things, and thus always rescues him. At the beginning of the series is where this is the clearest — a fantasy emerges, for the reader, of a partner who is always ready to rescue them and indeed is devoted entirely to them. One might call that problematic: Shikimori does not seem to have any other interests outside of Izumi. In fairness that goes both ways, and this isn’t especially uncommon in anime anyway. The difference between them is that Izumi wants to stop being so unlucky, and thereby lighten the burden he feels he is to Shikimori.
Here we come to the conflict (or tension, if you prefer) of the piece — that Izumi wants things to change, and Shikimori doesn’t. She is very much happy to be his Prince Charming, and of course, Izumi swoons over her often as well — on the surface, he’s loving it. But he does start to delve deeper into himself. As the series progresses, and more characters come into play, the dynamic shifts somewhat. Izumi’s determination to change becomes more apparent, and Shikimori doesn’t know how to react. Of course, she wishes him all the best; inwardly, though, she’s concerned. What if, one day, he doesn’t need her anymore?
This is interesting character-wise, as you might have surmised already. Besides the reversed traditional gender roles (though the series in general can be iffy about this anyway), the conflicting desires between Shikimori and Izumi is something that I haven’t found often in anime. That is, conflicting tensions between romantic partners regarding something they still both like. One gets the sense that neither would be particularly bothered if things stay as they are; a decision to change is what changes things. A meaningful decision at that — a decision that might collapse what their relationship is built on. The point that the series tries to make, I feel, is the desire the two have for each other, even if they don’t ‘need’ each other. While staying in their relationship, the two decide to continue developing and growing independently of each other, with each other’s support. Considering the manga series ending, I feel that that is the ‘thesis’ of the series, so to speak. At its core, I feel that that’s a solid message.
Male-female relationship dynamics aside, this introduces a conflict in the audience as well. For those who came to the series for the dynamic between Prince Charming and Damsel in Distress — the rescuer and rescued — things begin to change. The series shifts focus; it becomes more about the whole friend group and how they inspire each other, rather than the swoon-inducing interactions between our two favourites. Does the reader want that? On the other hand, as alluded to in the introduction of this post, the audience that might enjoy the portrayal of a non-harem wholesome-relationship anime could have been turned off by the domination-dynamic-focused beginning.
This kind of meta-tension is perhaps what has kept the series in middling levels of popularity. The series flip-flops between these two sides of the same coin throughout, eventually deciding to stick with the second, but refusing to let go of the first. I would argue that separating these two sides of the series would be a misstep — the rescuer-rescued dynamic is reinforced by the healthy dynamic, and vice versa (the dynamic still needs some spice, right?). But it’s also arguable that focusing on one strong theme is generally how the most popular media is produced, quality aside.
Regardless, from a writer's perspective, the way these various tensions play out is endlessly fascinating. Whatever the readers’ feelings may be about the series as it develops, they are sure to be challenged if they feel the meta-tension. But is that something they want? Is it something they’re willing to consider? It depends on whether the reader wants to really think about the media they consume.
I, for one, would love to see more of this kind of thing.
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