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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   3335 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 15, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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And I see what you mean about them appealing to a "male romance fan" but- well, does it not strike you that there is a large overlap between the male protagonists of those stories and the generic, uninteresting, personality-less girl being mocked in that /r/romance_for_men cartoon?

Yes, of course. That's why we call them MC; because they are so interchangeable that we can't even remember their names. They are "boring, indecisive schlubs whose only identifiable personality traits are vague kindness and an inhuman ability to put up with abuse", as Nornagest put it. These stories are named after the love interest, not the protagonist, because she is the one who is actually unique and interesting.

I bailed because the male protagonist, Yuu, is so annoyingly... well, non-masculine. Unassertive, cringing, insecure, less smart, less confident, and less cool than his girlfriend... I kept wondering "What does she see in him?" But you have made me realize I was seeing it from the wrong angle, as a story appealing to women (who I guess in Japan find an unthreatening submissive softboi a turn-on?) But no, it's appealing to men

I thought that was obvious? There is nothing in Shikimori to appeal to a woman; it is very clearly a male fantasy. Women in Japan, like women everywhere, are attracted to tall, rich, dominant assholes, and if you read Japanese media that is aimed at women, that is exactly what you get.

But no, it's appealing to men- or more specifically, to boys who feel insecure and unmasculine and unable to compete in traditionally masculine ways, but want to imagine the cute, smart but devoted and affectionate girl will still fall in love with them.

...

And this is perhaps why "romance for men" doesn't appeal to me much. I am hardly a "manly man" who wants to go out and conquer kingdoms, but I guess I am a traditional enough man that I want to see men working, striving, struggling, and earning their rewards. A guy who offers no apparent distinction but has women falling on his dick anyway is not a fantasy for me, it's a mystery.

Don't you think that's a little harsh?

Yes, in the real world, Komi would have friendzoned Tadano as soon as she started making progress on communicating, then dated a popular fuckboy. Nagatoro would have become attracted to an artist who had already drawn lots of girls naked, like a Japanese version of Titanic, instead of becoming Senpai's muse and helping him achieve his full potential. "Women don't care about a mans struggles, they wait at the finish line and fuck the winners", as Richard Cooper said.

What romance for men sell is precisely the impossible fantasy of a world where this doesn't happen. Is it wrong to want to escape the domaine de la lutte, if only in our imaginations?

Have you read Haruki Murakami?

Nope, sorry; never even heard of this dude.

Boys would have to overcome the stigma of reading "romance" and, let's be honest, a story like I have described, where an ordinary boy wins the love and affection of a hot girl out of his league, would be scorned and mocked across social media and booktock, and become loser-coded.

A good salesman can come up with a marketing strategy to overcome any stigma, like calling G.I. Joe dolls "action figures", or rebranding minivans as SUVs. As for getting trashed on social media, well, yes, any story that appeals to men is going to have to make its peace with that, as is any man who wants to read something that he enjoys.

Am I harsh? I have some sympathy for unhappy romanceless males. Can you have sympathy for a woman?

Nope, sorry; never even heard of this dude

Unironically, you might enjoy him. And seriously, read something besides manga.

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