Posted by OP Sequence
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OP: 「虹を編めたら」 (Niji wo Ametara) “If You Knit a Rainbow” by fhána
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「メロディアスな暗号」 (Merodiasu na Angou)
“Melodious Cipher”
I think people are talking about the wrong things with this series, but I guess that’s to be expected.
Even though it galls me to lead with it, there’s really no point in going anywhere with Haruchika until I acknowledge what happened at the end of the episode. Yes, the main character was revealed to be gay – or at least bi. And yes, that character is a boy, which sets loose the hornets nest amongst a largely hypocritical and homophobic anime fandom. And yes, I think that is important – though if that were all this episode had to make it notable I’d have dropped the series already.
What would really make me happy is if what we saw here was no big deal – which would be the case if Kamijou Haruta (a very good Saitou Souma) were a girl like his childhood friend and co-lead Homura Chika (Sarah Emi Bridcutt). But he’s not, and the simple fact that there are literally almost no examples in the past decade or more where anime have featured a gay male lead that weren’t straight BL series or cases where the characters was played as a buffoon for laughs makes this a pretty big deal. Frankly, it should concern us more that anything that the love triangle in this series involves a 26 year-old teacher and two tenth-graders – but that hasn’t stopped the peanut gallery from roaring in outrage at having a gay guy in their anime. “Dammit – we hate gay stuff! Why can’t this be more like Hibike?”
That brings us to another major topic of conversation, which is the superficial similarity of Haruchika to Kyoto Animation’s recent Hibike! Euphonium – another high school band show – and another KyoAni series, the mystery-themed Hyouka. I won’t deny that on some level Haruchika seems like an amalgam of those two shows at least thematically, but I think it too is rather missing the point.
Forget Hibike and Hyouka – the show Haruchika really resembles is another P.A. Works series, Tari Tari. And that makes sense as they share a director, Hashimoto Masakazu. Tari Tari wasn’t a great show and I don’t get the sense this will be either, but it had an easy charm to it that took its time winning you over rather than knocking you for a loop right out of the gate. One thing I really liked about Tari Tari is that it didn’t try too hard most of the time – it had a relaxed gait, and so does Haruchika. There are times when Chika’s kawaii factor is vamped up too much, but apart from that there’s an easygoing manner to this premiere that I rather liked.
A novel (not light novel) adaptation, it seems the story Haruchika is going to be telling is that of a high school brass band club (critically short-handed) and the mysteries they end up solving (which seem likely to be more often Hyouka-like rather than matters of life and death). The sensei in charge is Kusakabe Shinjirou (P.A. Works favorite Hanae Natsuki), who’s the object of both the first mystery and of both protagonists’ crush. To his credit there’s no evidence Kusakabe reciprocates the feelings of either of his would-be suitors, but their infatuation with him is certain to be a major plot point. I don’t disagree with those who’ve noted that Hanae is an odd bit of casting here – perhaps it’s merely a function of the fact that this is so different from his usual diminutive adolescent roles (Haru would have been more in his usual zone). but the voice somehow doesn’t fit the character for me. I can be won over, but it hasn’t happened yet.
I’m not going to say this premiere was any sort of masterpiece, but it did mostly win me over even before the bombshell at the end. Chika can be a bit much to take, but I appreciate that Haruta seems to be nothing like a caricature – he’s neat, smart and not especially rough around the edges (as opposed to tomboy Chika) but a dignified presence, and that’s really refreshing. The look is pretty much classic P.A. Works soft Impressionism, with beautiful characters and backgrounds – it could never be mistaken for another studio. There’s a lot to like here even without that element that makes Haruchika almost unique, but having that as a part of the series gives us one more reason to hope it will be successful.
Preview
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First thing I noticed was the multitude of colours in the girl’s eyes. And then the other characters. Can’t say I like that style, but I won’t go as far as to say it’s a turnoff.
What is a turnoff though is the boy acting like he was leading the characters on. One of my biggest pet peeves of anime is when they make a character explicitly explain all the elements of a problem. Reminds me of the first episode of Game of Laplace where one of the characters tried to explain a convoluted problem like it was simple. This series could take a page from Active Raid’s first episode.
Kind of disappointed as I expected more music involved, and those twins are honestly annoying.
I thought Chika should be holding that kind of role instead of the twins.
Unfortunately, I won’t be watching this unless there’s a scandalous mystery involved soon.
The reveal was actually the best part. The rest of the episode felt boring though.
Hmm?
It pretty much is true though. Like I would say its the majority, but even then there’s one too many homophobes/hypocrites within this community. I’m just strolling through comments on streaming channels with people saying they’re dropping this show just for the fact that a character is gay. Hell, they’re even saying how they don’t want yaoi in their shows.
1) Its not yaoi until there’s sex involved, until then its just BL (and in this case its just BL-elements because there’s no physical interaction involved)
2) Then I see people going “I can’t stand it when there’s even a slight hint of gay stuff in my shows” One person in particular said that’s why he doesn’t watch Free, Haikyuu, or Kuroko no Basket…..I’m just laughing in my head because those dudes are straight as f*ck. It’s just the fandoms that gay things up.
It’s honestly troubling when too many people focus on a character’s sexuality than the actual meat of the show. This is exactly why I stopped going to the anime club at my college. The people there are too immature and never learn to shut up.
edit *I wouldn’t say that the majority of anime fans are homophobic/hypocrits, but there’s still a lot*
So people having moral standards are “immature”?
edit:
So people having different moral standards than you are “immature”?
Alright, talking point!
I think what’s immature is the response that the vocal minority (or majority?) of anime fans have when it involves the topic. It’s one thing to hold a certain view on sex and gender but it’s something else entirely when you mock the identities and perspectives of those who believe otherwise. I don’t support the lgbt cause (for reasons) but that in no way means I’m in any position to feel superior in any manner or sort, which is pretty much what you see being displayed by many audiences that vocalize their views.
I’m quite guilty of being one of those (though not as vocal about it) and only very recently (as recent as Enzo’s post on the topic itself, thanks Enzo!) realized how subtly ingrained this seed of prejudice and bigotry is in my view of anime (and I now suppose many other things), and you don’t really notice it until someone points it out to you or this bit of wisdom is reveal to you through proper introspection. Doesn’t change my own view on the subject, but at the very least I’m gonna change the way I think about different anime now.
So yeah, immaturity is a good way to put it. Not that holding different moral standards is concrete basis for proving maturity, but that the way we express it shows how mature we are, and often immaturity leads us to believe we are otherwise until… Proven otherwise. And while it may not be the nicest thing to hear from someone, it might ultimately do the good that it needs to.
Some of those yaoi/BL-haters are people who also glorify yuri/shoujo-ai. The is the summit of hypocrisy for me.
I only object to yaoi because I’ve yet to see yaoi that isn’t smut or the teasing of smut. The day I see a good show with a male-male love story will be the day I drop all objections. TL;DR I object to same-sex romances as long as they’re nothing more than smut bait
@GYUZ
It’s not hypocrisy. It’s really easy. Guys like girls, so they like yuuri because they got two girls and yaoi… It’s just sick. Same goes from other way. Girls like yaoi and hate fanserwice/yuuri.
@JustCommenting: Can you point us to these moral objections? Because none of the negative comments on this point that I’ve seen – and I’ve seen quite a few – have invoked morality at all.
If you’re saying that the people going “Ewwww, (male) gay!” are expressing some kind of moral standard, well, they’re expressing it poorly.
@JunglePenguin thanks for this response! I actually respect comments like these when people can be adult about it. Like I don’t expect people to change their views but at the very least there needs to be a level of respect or maturity. Not everyone is required to like each other, but at the very least they don’t have to be asses about it (unfortunately the internet turns up people’s ass’o’meters 10’fold because apparently words have power to them or something). Like there’s a difference between hating something gay and talking about it with your other friends that share the same view point, and a difference between openly yelling anti-gay slurs in an auditorium as everyone tries to watch the episode of free where Makoto almost give Haru CPR!
@Just Commenting seriously? You’re bringing up “morals” on harmless lifestyle choices? Try better
Honestly, Japan needs to get its act together and start including more non-straight characters into their shows (and not in BL/GL-genres or as comic relief). Hell, just make them all normal-and-casual or badass while you’re at it. Hell, you don’t even need to bring up their sexuality with the exception of like one kiss or something, just don’t make it a big deal. Shame that a lot pin this under “spreading the gay-agenda” when all that I really want accomplished is to show that a character can be gay while not being a walking stereotype. Think, if a character from an anime you liked turned out to be gay (and didn’t do anything overtly gay or ram sex down our throats), would you just drop that show altogether? If you answer yes….then you more-than-likely know what I’m was going to write.
@JustCommenting okay, I just saw your second comment and all I can say i wow….generalization much? There are straight dudes out there that don’t like lesbians while there’s also straight girls out there that don’t like gay guys. As a girl said before “Why the hell would I want to share my husbando with another dude? I’m not into BL” The fact you think the answer was so easy is disturbing on so-many levels….and yes I’m basically judging you as a person now and I don’t care. Because JunglePenguin and Nyanlol actually brought up valid points, you’re just interjecting your personal naive opinion.
I’m with Nyanlol on this. It’s basically why I’ve stayed away from a lot of the yaoi and yuri stuff ‘cuz the way everybody’s going about it is to portray these things as nothing more than either pure smut, or as romance stories dripping with ‘love nectar’. I just find it so weird. Like, can’t you people just make a simple, straight to the point love story or something? Like seriously bro- seriously?
Think about it, on one hand you’ve got people constantly trying to turn straight characters into gay characters, and on the other hand you’ve got people insisting on turning everything into homo sapiens orgasm material.
I won’t comment anymore but you get the idea, right guys?
The mystery part was a little lack buster, since it was explained and solved in a such a dull matter by the creator himself. It’s like encountering a sphinx that asks you a riddle. Then the sphinx proceeds to pass free clues and eventually even gives the answer away. I hope they don’t plan to do that for the whole series.
I got to give praise to the surprise at the end. It was totally unexpected. However, it wouldn’t turn me away from checking out a few more episodes. If the story or mysteries don’t improve, I’ll stop watching.
haruta did not make the riddle, he only solved it, he dont say he writted it.
and yes the mystery was something only japanese could have solved, and it was solved in an ep… yes, remember hyouka first few mystery ? because they were no better, even worse i’d say
@Longhaul
peoples that are like “i ship kumiko and reina, yuri ftw!!! ” then are like “ehhh a MALE gay ? i hate gay stuff i wont watch”; double standard making them hypocritical and homophobic
i liked this ep a lot, it has good characters, it dont try too hard were there is no need to. i just hope that with so little characters at the beginning, and so much at the end it wont be a “character of the week” show; but this is definitely a watch for me
oh and those eyes are disturbing xD
I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees what a big deal this is that a main male high school boy that is gay is in this. This first episode gave me good vibes that his sexuality will not be treated as a cheap joke and honestly that is enough for me to keep going. I’m very pleased with the chemistry of the two leads and their dynamic will keep me entertained. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to dodge all of the homophobic slurs I can already feel being flung at this show.
Alice of Rakudai was a soft launch for gay characters last season. Now we go full gay MC.
Let’s see where will this go. I’m curious. Chitanda Curious.
It seems later he will be paired off with Shizuku though, and if my memory is right he never says that he likes guys even with his seemingly feminine gestures.
I didn’t watch the episode yet but I have high hopes for this series.
Also, is it just me or the character designs look very much like in Hitsugi no Chaika? The eyes mostly..
I’ve seen the original LN’s art and I think it’s way better than this overdone moe style the anime taking. LOL at the design of the male MC, the anime made him looks like a total wimp while on the LN he looks more like of aloof and cool MC. Why they change him into a blonde and shorty lol.
I just looked up on those designs and holy mother a’ Gahd! The difference is HUGE! Daaamn son, daamn. It’s crazy how much they butchered the designs. It’s starting to remind me of the things they did to GATE again. FUS-RO-DAH! :V
The twins are cute…
cant really help it… this anime is a polymerization of two kyoani shows, namely hibike euphonium and hyouka. not to mention that the girl MC is somewhat the same as kumiko in wanting to change her character (kumiko wants to play other instrument (instead of euphonium and even wore a ponytail in episode 1 to show that she wants to change on the other hand, chika wants to become a cute girly flute player a path away from her tomboyish, energetic childhood days)
actually i liked this anime’s episode 1 than that of kyoani’s phantom world. but well we have the 3 episode rule. let see…
This show almost lost me because of how many times the “girl transfer student falls for handsome guy teacher on her first day” has been done. The mystery was nice but also pretty dry when I was more interested in pretty much every character aside from Chika and the teacher. The reveal at the end will make me watch the second episode, although I’m not too thrilled about the teacher being a main focus since he seems as interesting as watching yeast rise. There’s plenty of other stuff to work with here, so I’m hoping he doesn’t turn into a literal lure that gets everyone else in the OP into the club. The club members seem like strong enough characters on their own, so leave “Mr. Mystery” in the background.
Why does it have to be so lifeless? The mystery part was undercooked, the music part was dull and I was in my peaceful sleep by the half of this episode. The artwork disappointed me too. I thought I would get a vibe similar to The Eccentric Family and I got an all too familiar PA Works show again. UGH.
At least, the last part of Haruchika made me awake again. I will watch this out of my love of PA Works.
PS: Don’t try to act like Hyouka or Euphonium! Those two are beasts on their own. I hope this show would do something to separate itself from the obvious comparison.
edit:
So people having different moral standards than you are “immature”?
Keep posting the same thing over and over again. Good job.
I tried going in to this new series with an open mind as I always try to do when new shows come out. Not having read anything about it previously considering whether it was an adaptation or anime original, I was not bored throughout (how could you, just look at Chika’s eyes) and I even have to admit to fangirling over the mention of the great Edgar Allan Poe (my fav). However, the shock revelation came out at the end and at that moment I knew the internet was going to blow up with homophobic remarks. Personally, although i do not think this has much potential, I am willing to give this series the 3 episode rule even though it’s not going to be my cup of tea.
tl;dr The first episode kicked off this series to a decent start with a somewhat gripping mystery and definitely one hell of a plot twist for those who didn’t see that coming!
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Seriously though, its obvious that this anime is targeting either the female fans or our homosexual brothers n sisters. Nothing wrong with that.
And since I, a guy, have never found the appeal of romance heavy shows, I’ll sit this one out. I hate to admit it but I cry way too easily. An anime with too much emotional roller coaster will give me a heart attack (Curse you Clannad!)
Sad to say, this was pretty boring, and if not for the obvious conversation starter material you wouldn’t see me anywhere close to this page. Not to mention the eyes… I felt a headache coming on like 10 minutes into the episode.
Since there are loads of show comparisons going around, I’m just going to throw in another one: Sakurako-san, from last season. I think that on a vague and superficial level that this show and that have some similarities. In what sense?: Well, firstly the single-episode mystery, but also the sense that it wasn’t so much the mystery that mattered but the possible stories behind the characters at the centre of it (whether that’s in the actual mystery itself, as with Kusakabe, or the solvers, like Haruta and Chika). It’s kinda hard to explain it, really, but hopefully that made sense. All I hope is that HaruChika doesn’t end in the same incomplete way that Sakurako-san did….
Chika is rather….intense/energetic/hyper/any other applicable term, but I quite like her. I’d never heard Sarah Emi Bridcutt’s voice before but I really liked her voice and I think it suits Chika. Haruta’s pretty solid too- he kind of evens her out by being the calm guy he is, but he’s got his blunt side too, which is funny. I feel that, love rival or otherwise, they’ll make a good team.
And, as for the whole gay MC thing? I found the way that ‘bombshell’ was handled to strike the right notes (it surprised me, but it didn’t feel contrived). And…I will see how it turns out. As long as it doesn’t just eclipse Haruta, so to speak, then I don’t really care about it to be promise. What I want to know is how the teacher will handle the feelings of his students if/when he discovers their feelings, given he’s in a position of trust and all.
All in all, I enjoyed this episode. It was pretty decent. I think I’m going to like the rest of this series too, so I’ll just hope it continues to be good.
Kusakabe-sensei is actually the grown up Arima Kousei. After perfecting his piano skills through tragic experiences, he decided to quit. However, he wasn’t able to fully let go of music so decided to be a conductor, hoping to distract himself from his past memories of his lost love. Going as far as to change his name. But after a while, he could no longer handle conducting and decided to become a music teacher at a high school to relive his happiest days, and to encourage children going through the same path he had gone.
The mystery of the first ep was actually Kaori-chan’s ghost leaving one last message to the newly hired teacher.
I guess I’m not the type of person who likes a show that focuses on solving nonsensical riddles for no apparent reason.
I am not a homophobe. As proof, I just recently watched Ixion Saga DT, and I just liked Mariandel (the tranny) as a great character.
The last part left some bad taste. What we got were kids in love with their teach. One girl and one boy. Of course, it happens. But I believe that the one that peeves me a lot is how the boy acted.
So, sure. I don’t really like his trope, template, or whatever. His character isn’t that fairly refreshing. The only thing that sets him apart from the rest is that he is gay. Nothing more.
About the guy who said that there’s no hint of gay stuff in shows like Kuroko no Basket, well, there is. And it’s not the fandom’s fault. The ones who made that intended to be like that.
I don’t know about the manga, but it is apparent on the anime version. After all, adding stuff like that will make it sell more. The audience that likes that kind of stuff is growing at a tremendous pace. Try to compare Slam Dunk and Kuroko or YowaPeda and other sports anime full of bishis. Then you will see the difference.
Also, semantically speaking, yaoi is BL. It doesn’t have to have sex scenes or implications of sex to be yaoi. Yaoi is defined as boys loving boys.
Anyway, story wise, this anime fell flat. And using a love triangle or romantic conflict as a main driver or conflict to begin the story made it stale. Come on guys, you’re starting a brass band. It might have worked if the love interest was interesting. Unfortunately, the teach was not interesting enough.
I rarely post here. I actually checked the site for any insight that would want me to continue watching the show. The art, sound, etcetera are good. It’s just the story and characters tired me out. Although, it’s kinda surprising that Enzo was the one covering this show.
I pretty much did watch those shows and nope, pretty much straight. YEs there are things added to appeal towards the bl-demographic but that DOES NOT mean the character’s themselves are gay. Especially in KNB, do people seriously overlook how the guys act when they’re around girls in bikini’s or underwear? It’s really hard for me to defend the cast of Free! though considering how….bubbly they act at times. But still, KyoAni pretty much plays them off as straight, especially when Rin and Haru were forced to share a bed. If people can’t get over some brief ho-hay moments then that’s their problem that they’re so uptight.
Fine, if we want to be semantic then if anything its shounen-ai-lite. Because seriously, by your logic its like saying Rakudai Cavalry can be considered a hentai because ikki and stella kissed. There’s reasons yaoi,yuri….and hetero? stuff have subgenres. There’s the light stuff, then there’s the more risque/ecchi stuff, and then there’s straight up porn. I guess I shouldn’t have called this BL-lite, because yaoi and BL in a sense go next to each other while this is really neither.
The main issue is that this show shouldn’t even be considered to have any type of BL-genre on its label. All because there’s a gay character does not mean the show has to be labeled in a gay genre. Think, in Bleach, there’s Chizuru (a lesbian), all because she exists does not mean the show qualifies as Yuri or GL to be put on its tag.
Moral of the story -_- there’s an obvious difference between “Ho-hey” and actual gay characters that you don’t realize.
I pretty much did watch those shows and nope, pretty much straight. YEs there are things added to appeal towards the bl-demographic but that DOES NOT mean the character’s themselves are gay.
You pretty much proven my point. There are hints of gay stuff. I never even said that they were gay. I know they are straight because that’s the story.
Especially in KNB, do people seriously overlook how the guys act when they’re around girls in bikini’s or underwear?
Noone is overlooking that. What the anime is doing is just leaving BL suggestions. They are straight. That’s the story. That’s their character. The hint of gayness is just fan service. I did not mention that they were gay. Reread my post.
Also, if you were going to check the ratio of them being manly men versus being situated in suggestive BL scenes, the latter wins hands down — of course, if you take out the games in the equation. I guess you are a fan of the anime, and you’re getting ticked off on why people are considering the show “gay” or the characters being “gay”.
But if you haven’t accepted the fact that the shows mentioned are also targetted to a certain demographic, then accept it, dude. It doesn’t really change much. If you enjoy the show, then you are. Other people calling it gay does not matter, right?
If people can’t get over some brief ho-hay moments then that’s their problem that they’re so uptight.
Again, those ho-hay moments are fan service. Many people hate fan service, especially if it’s too much or it isn’t targeted towards them.
Fine, if we want to be semantic then if anything its shounen-ai-lite. Because seriously, by your logic its like saying Rakudai Cavalry can be considered a hentai because ikki and stella kissed. There’s reasons yaoi,yuri….and hetero? stuff have subgenres. There’s the light stuff, then there’s the more risque/ecchi stuff, and then there’s straight up porn. I guess I shouldn’t have called this BL-lite, because yaoi and BL in a sense go next to each other while this is really neither.
Nah. That is your logic, not mine. Yaoi is BL. And in most cases, yaoi directly translates to Boys Love. Yaoi and BL is not next to each other; they are synonymous to each other. I guess you are being too pedantic over here. And you’re just being too uptight with genre classification. Try Googling the term.
On the other hand, don’t try to overcomplicate things. I never said that the sport animes that you mentioned are yaoi. They are still considered sports. Apparently, you just don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m not really sure why you are so hard on trying to separate BL and Yaoi.
The main issue is that this show shouldn’t even be considered to have any type of BL-genre on its label. All because there’s a gay character does not mean the show has to be labeled in a gay genre. Think, in Bleach, there’s Chizuru (a lesbian), all because she exists does not mean the show qualifies as Yuri or GL to be put on its tag.
It is unavoidable, dude. This gay character is not just any character. It is the main character we are talking about.
A gay character who is a side character will not easily define the genre of the show itself. However, if it is the main character we are talking about, he can easily shape the story to a certain genre or demographic target. After all, the story will revolve around him and the other girl.
And in this case, the story starts of with the main character having the motivation of love towards his teach, who is a man. Do you think nobody would even think that this isn’t BL? What is BL again? Boys Love. Ironic. Are you not being a hypocrite here?
Another problem with most anime viewers is that they are treating Yaoi evil. Dude, it isn’t. It’s just a genre specialized for some people who like it. It’s just a niche.
Moral of the story -_- there’s an obvious difference between “Ho-hey” and actual gay characters that you don’t realize.
LOL. Just LOL. Do realize that you’re talking to a person who decently know much about the anime industry and the obvious things you are saying.
Ah yes, here’s the hypocrisy in much of the anime community.
If a show has a gay couple that are female it’ll be viewed as a good thing in most cases while any hints to a male couple or boy’s love will be ‘dropped’ immediately.
It really saddens me.
wait, Hibike had fans wishfully yuri shipping reina and kumiko, and there was a student-teacher admiration/relationship there too.
The one thing I will say about this is that for many people (like me), the hope for Reina x Kumiko genuinely stemmed out of wonderful chemistry of their relationship, not their sex. I know they’re supposed to and destined to be just very good friends, but it’s hard to not acknowledge that they could work romantically.
I just want to say this to those who have compared this to Hibike Euphonium and think that Haruchika is a copy of it. Haruchika’s anime may have come out afterwards but the original novel series came out in 2008 while Hibike Euphonium was published in 2013. Also, I don’t know how the anime adaption will turn out but Haruchika has more emphasis on its mysteries rather than romance or band activities.
It is really bold of PA Works to adapt a controversial concept like this. I am looking forward to whether they are going to stick to the novels, to which case, would be a source of particular amusement if they would not lose their fan base they painstakingly built up this past few years.
Dammit – we hate gay stuff!!!!! Why don’t create NORMAL girl x boy anime … WTF????!!!!
If you want a ‘normal’ girl x boy anime then you’ve got pretty much every other anime that’s aired this season, last season, the season before, and so and so forth. You’re spoilt for choice!
OK. Just add red tag “BL” in myanimelist/etc like “Caution to … viewers: The series … contain themes or scenes that may not be suitable for … thus is blocked for their protection.” (for “adult” manga).
It will be fair and democratic. Then, watch the show will be the ones who like a BL plot twist.
All I want is a separate tag.
See, that’s where I disagree, because Haruchika is not a BL anime. It may be easy to mistake it for one because anime/manga is generally limited when it comes to properly representing non-heterosexual characters that aren’t used for an okama gag. Haruchika is not a BL novel, it’s just a (primarily) mystery novel with a main character that is gay. That’s all there is to it, which is why the anime adaptation is the exact same thing – a school/mystery/music show that has a main character that is gay.
The difference between that and Yaoi/BL is that those sorts of series are aimed at a particular demographic, where the sexuality of the character is the ‘catch’ or the whole point of the series. And they usually always run in BL magazines that are made for that purpose.
You can have an anime/manga that has a main/recurring gay character without it being BL/yaoi. The Shin Sekai Yori series techncially has characters that are all pansexual, and have canon relationships with the same sex, yet SSY is not a ‘gay’ show. Or take Hourou Musuko for example (especially the manga), which focuses on transgender/lesbian characters and gender identity, but it’s still not a BL/yuri/gay series because it’s published as seinen, in a seinen magazine.
The BL label only applies to shows that are exclusively about Boys Love. Haruchika does not advertise itself as that sort of series, just like Shin Sekai Yori, or No 6, or even Hourou Musuko, or Sailor Moon (Uranus/Neptune).
Another example would be TV shows in the West. For example, you could argue that Queer as Folk is a ‘gay show’. But would you label Games of Thrones, How to Get Away With Murder, The Walking Dead, or Shameless as ‘gay shows’? They all feature characters that aren’t heterosexual. There is a difference that exist, and Haruchika falls into one category of ‘Anime with a Gay Main Character’ not ‘BL Anime’.
If you just don’t want to watch anything that has a gay character in it, that’s a whole other thing entirely. And labelling that as ‘not suitable for certain people’ is just as bad, if not worse, in my opinion.
Correct, Im don’t want to watch anything witch a MAIN character that is gay. Especially in the romantic sense. Especially in the sense of a love triangle.
Label “contain themes or scenes that may not be suitable for ” .. ok, for ME. Why can not I consider myself as “certain people”.
‘Anime with a Gay Main Character’ or ‘BL Anime’ – from my point of view, it’s just a play on words.
You (and thousands or millions people) have the right to watch what you want.
This is true.
I have the right not to watch, what I do not want to.
This is true.
But I do not want to tagged as “Mystery, Romance, School, Slice of Life” anime witch a gay MC (in romantic sense).
If you put this special tag, there will be no problems.
Then, looking at the tag, I naturally would follow the wise advice go to “pretty much every other anime that’s aired this season” and avoid Haruchika as possible.
This was pretty much meh not because of the gay MC. Throughout the episode, I starred at the screen without feeling anything and eventually got sleepy.
I found myself disliking the character design. It’s too….moe….(?)
The mystery solving was unexciting.
Hanae Natsuki…..I love this guy and PA Works seems to favor him so much but him in this role isn’t working for me….
I should add having yaoi and gay MC in my MAL review. That should be enough precaution for someone looking for a “romance” anime that don’t have “shounen-ai” tag.
Be it one sided or not, one is still GAY!!!!! so i should probably devise a very good review regarding this anime that i “dropped”.
Those are fighting words, son.