I’ve been watching Shakugan no Shana, because I was curious about why the show was so popular. After
much investigation, I have a startling deduction. People like Shana. Why?
Because tsundere. There is something about those grumpy little lolis that drive
people crazy (in the best way possible). I like ‘em too, as they are a far more
compelling romantic lead than the usual hopelessly insecure high school girl.
But why are tsunderes so fun to watch? After many hours of psychoanalysis (ie
me sitting on my bed having a Toradora marathon)
I have developed a theory. Tsunderes are popular because they are the perfect
combination of hard-to-get, emotionally fragile, and flattering.
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| Look at this sassy little sheila. What's not to like? |
People like a challenge. It validates your existence when
you do something that ordinary people can’t. So the idea of a tsundere, or someone
who is not normally cold, suddenly being torn by their emotions, is
captivating. Being in a relationship is hard enough. But winning over a
tsundere is like completing a marathon with one leg tied to spare tire. It’s
not something the average mortal can do.
But in a nice little paradox, most tsunderes are emotionally
fragile, which means that they would be easy to be in a relationship with. Like
Shana, who emotionally withdraws because she doesn’t know how to handle her own
emotions, tsunderes are a “go at your own pace” romance. Tsunderes are too
stubborn to admit they like someone and enter a relationship. At the same time,
they immaturely refuse to let someone go. This leads to a sort of push and pull,
a sweet-spot of noncommittal love. The merry-go-round of emotion means that a
relationship with a tsundere can continue indefinitely without ever being
constricting or binding. They aren’t ready to completely commit to a
relationship, so why should you?
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| Just because she makes you a gourmet dinner doesn't mean she likes you, okay?! |
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| If you can win over this, then you deserve a medal. |
It would be an oversimplification to say this is a complete
analysis of what makes tsunderes the go-to for romantic leads. There are a
wealth of other factors out there. However, you can’t deny that there is
something so psychologically satisfying about the love-hate dynamic. So if you can’t
get enough tsundere, have some recommended viewing:
And if you liked this post, check out my other articles!
How to Get Your Friends Addicted to Anime: Spread the joy of anime!
Shounen: Soft-core Porn for Girls: An explanation of why shounen is so popular with the ladies.
In Defense of Vocaloids: A series of posts about why Vocaloids are so dang awesome.
Oh, and if you want to make me really happy, check out my novel, Peter Pays Tribute. You can get it for free with the coupon code YP65T.
Oh, and if you want to make me really happy, check out my novel, Peter Pays Tribute. You can get it for free with the coupon code YP65T.
Posts
Thank you for shedding light on this, what a great post! They are definitely much more relatable characters ^_^
ReplyDeleteWhy no Senjougahara damn you?!
ReplyDeletelol
You appear to have accidentally advised people to watch Hidan no Aria. While it does have the queen of Tsundere's voicing it's lead female, it is, at best, barely watchable.
ReplyDeleteGosick is a good tsundere too
ReplyDeleteYeah it is, just watched that show this week. Really good.
DeleteKurisu from Steins;Gate is a good one
ReplyDeleteAsuna from SAO is also a good one :3
ReplyDeletehttp://www.anime-planet.com/characters/tags/tsundere
ReplyDeleteYou posted a picture of Shana (Shakugan no Shana), named her 'Sheila' for some unknown reason? and then forgot to name it in the tsundere list.
ReplyDeleteTogether with Toradora u forgot 2 of the most important ones.
U can't forget the 4 animes of the tsundere queen Rie:
- Shakugan no shana
- Zero no tsukaima
- Toradora
- Hayate the combat butler
*Sigh* Sheila is Aussie slang for a girl. Good ol' Steve Irwin used to use it all the time to refer to the sassy ones. And I thought there was no point in mentioning the very obvious tsundere shows that I already talk about in the article. I kind of assumed my audience would be smart enough to deduce that those are tsundere shows. But maybe not.
DeleteI'm a person who just goes over it. And read the list or maybe tl;dr. And then fast crossover the text afterwards. I suppose Sheila is something American then? Or is the blog just badly build up then?
DeleteWhy does everyone get so hype about tsundere.i hate tsundere omfg. Overrated in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteits a character archetype prevalent to anime/manga that tends to be successful for the above stated reasons. It follows a formula of 'hard won conquest' or 'ultimate conquest' because of the character traits that prevent the tsundere from being seen as approachable or an easy catch. If you follow the stem that all guys like to chase the girl, tsundere is seem as the greatest challenge because she normally rebukes everyone that approaches her. However the male that successfully reveals 'dere dere' shows his prowess that he overcame all competitors.
DeleteTL;DR
Its a bragging rights trophy that guys see as awesome.
Its a bit of an oversimplification, yes they have conflicted feelings but just because they respond to the romantic lead doesn't overtly mean they are lovey dovey for all time. A couple characters stand out in terms that they refute the type. Asuka from NGE doesn't come to terms with her feelings for shinji even after he rescues her multiple times, the final of which causes the complete loss of her sync ratio before the series end. Despite the numerous 'hints' dropped by her and the subsequent heroics from the hero, it only alienates her from him more and causes depression and suicidal tendencies. Kallen from Code Geass follows a tsundere attitude towards her commanding officer in Zero/Lelouch. Following the numerous battles and rescue at the start of C2 reveals that her angry demeanor has shifted to protective and 'lovey dovey' to the point she would selflessly sacrifice herself for him, only to rebuke his advances and the order to comfort him 'as a woman' during his mental breakdown. Haruhi comes to mind as a fulfillment that despite the UST involving Kyon she rather flatly states in the beginning of the series that she has more important things to accomplish than having a boyfriend, like leading the SOS brigade and fulfilling her personal desires. Its possible to lump them into a single category but the archetype of the character has nuances that prevent a perfect molding.
ReplyDelete