GOOD BOY V.S. BAD BOY (ROUND ROBIN TOPIC)

27. June 2008 by Ria.

The best thing about anime shows is that it depicts several different characters with contrasting personality traits, to make the show more appealing. I would say that the most successful anime shows revolve around the good v.s. evil theme. Not only is it good entertainment, but internally, we all identify with the same struggle.

The second most prevalent theme in anime has got to be the good boy v.s. bad boy theme, where the good guy is always getting left out for one reason or another. When I think of this, two shows immediately come mind, Inuyasha, and Fruits Basket.

In Inuyasha, Kagome turns a blind eye to Hojo, a rich and handsome kid in her class, to go run after the broke, stupid, and sword crazy Inuyasha, to help him in his quest to become a full demon, even at the expense of her own life.

Next, we have Fruits Basket, where the meek Tohru Honda finds Kyo, the big mouth, out of control kid with anger issues appealing, while the sweet, and mild mannered Yuki gets left out in the cold.

These two shows are fun to watch, not just for the laughs that they provide, but through them we get a glimpse of the adolescent life, where young people are still mystified, and are desperately trying to find out who they are.

The good guy is usually praised, because he adapts to the social norms of society. He gets good grades, doesn’t jaywalk, and knows how to treat a lady. The bad guy is usually some juvenile quick tempered fool, and who knows, maybe he’s in love with two women like Inuyasha is, bringing more drama to the table.

It takes a lot of emotional maturity to be able to accept the kindness that the good guy has to offer, which is why these scenarios are often played out in the adolescence arena. Rarely will you see an anime show where the stars are in their mid twenties, and are left dealing with such matters.

Since young girls don’t really know the concept of what true love is, the gravitation towards the “bad guy” really has more to do with the need to experience life in a different perspective, from the rebel’s point of view. He may be loud and overbearing, but he’s usually very passionate about his beliefs, whatever they may be.

For Inuyasha, it was getting all the pieces to the shikon jewel, so that he can be a full demon, not half, which means total acceptance from at least one race of beings. For Kyo, it was beating Yuki, and being included into the zodiac family after being shunned for years. You will notice that as the anime series unfolds around bad boy characters, they’re usually depicted as victims mistreated by society, leading you to empathize with them, and overlooking their shortcomings.

So then, a girl’s attraction to a bad boy should be interpreted as compassion, sympathy, and curiosity, even though she may think she’s in love. As far as which one I would choose to be with, I must say neither. I’m an old broad, and don’t go for boys anyway.

While it’s true, no woman (in her right mind that is), would go out with someone that is quick-tempered (especially since that can lead to violence), I must say that any guy that’s dealing with anger issues well into adulthood is not a bad boy, just someone who needs to go see a good therapist.

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