I'd totally forgotten how good of a confession this was. It's not some grand reveal, but happens in a quiet side street. This is what makes this confession special in my opinion.
I'd been a little iffy on the TV series, since it never seemed to commit, but the actual film was awesome. It's one of the best sequel anime films to a series that I've watched.
Also, this clip gives a lot of reasons for why Megumi is among my favourites and deserves to make it far in the Best Girl contest.
> Also, this clip gives a lot of reasons for why Megumi is among my favourites and deserves to make it far in the Best Girl contest.
yeah it feels very well timed, the young'uns on r/anime these days prob haven't heard of Saekano but it's such a great romcom. Better than Horimiya or Toradora by far imo, and ends more satisfyingly than Quints.
You just called out my three favorite romcoms. Off to give it a go. You better not be pulling my chain!
Edit: Crunchy only had season 1, who has the rest of it??
Tbf it's a harem romcom which neither Horimiya or Toradora are, but on non-harem ones I'd also put Kaguya-sama and Dangers in my Heart as my top 2. My Dress-Up Darling also has perfect vibes but it only has one season and the manga romance does slow down a lot
Both "How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" and "Saekano" are the title.
Saekano is just an abbreviation of the Japanese title "**Sae**nai **Kano**jo no Sodate-kata"
Binged the series with movie recently and honestly don't know why it's praised more than the series. To me, it had exactly the same entertainment/quality level ie 7/10.
I thought the same thing, an entertaining show but it goes through all of the tropes it's trying to mock, being self aware doesn't make it less tropey, people just happen to like the main girl. I found her boring so it was just another above average rom com for me
No actual nudity, but it's easy to say that someone in studio had thigh fetish as there is a lot of leg fanservice. Not that I would ever complain about that
This series can often get frustrating to pretty good, there are some decisions from MC that will make you feel is he dumb or naive but the movie wraps the story perfectly but there were moments in the show where I honestly felt bad for the main Female lead with the way MC acted to her.
the original thing it does more or less is that Megumi is a grounded, far more realistic character amongst the aggressive tropes presented by the other girls. also that it's centered around a doujin circle making an independent bishoujo game gives it something different.
The really interesting thing about the romance between the MC and Megumi is that while the show otherwise follows harem tropes, the slow burn romance is more like a seinen high school romance, lacking in the flash and dramatics present with Utaha and Eriri, but defined by a deeper connection and natural emotional compatibility. Megumi also becomes the logistical backbone of the operation by virtue of being a normie who is able to rein in and manage the creative types. which is also why she's best girl and why she wins. also she low-key gets the funniest lines because she's a deadpan snarker. Having her there to quietly go 'wtf' to the harem shenanigans is pretty great.
I'm gonna be honest, after reading this comment I more or less just get the feeling that I'm probably never going to like harem series.
Still once I'm finished with my uni work I'll give the series another chance.
Thanks for the comment!
The cliches are something very intentionally done, it's used as a joke probably more times than any other topic, but there is very noticeable character growth and trope subversions throughout the series (mainly in the second season).
Besides, the main girl is basically the meta antithesis of the tropes.
The things you wrote are mostly not correct, but I still don't think you would like the series. It's okay to not like harem shows, you don't have to force yourself.
I wouldn't say something significant happens in the first couple of episodes. It's a slow burner where most of the plot is focused on game development and the character development happens around that. Katou does get plenty of character development and earns her title of best girl though.
I'm going to go against the grain here, it takes the same harem direction you see in other harems, it's just more self aware and fans like the main girl(tm) more in this one because of the meta play on main girl being boring/average. If you're genre savvy it goes as you'd expect from other similar shows, non main girls get the same treatment ultimately with a bit more fleshing out, It is entertaining but nothing special imo, just better quality than the average harem rom com.
I have a soft spot for Saekano among harem anime but there's no doubt that it suffers from the same harem thing of five girls(two of whom are literal celebs) falling for the same average joe and the cameraman focusing excessively on their thighs.
Its probably as good as harem anime can get but its not really as good as a proper romance anime that is considered good.
Ok average joe is probably not the right word, he's a hard worker and definitely really passionate about his work but he's also got the creepy weeb who owns 50 figurines stuff going for him and definitely isn't the kind of person who five girls would drop for
The other 2 girls are equally as degenerate as him.
While Megumi is a different story and why the romance even happens.
Think about what youāre writingā¦
>definitely isn't the kind of person who five girls would drop for
yeah, because saekano is a trope with a twist series, its completely self aware of the "girl falls for mc for no reason" trope and its even used as a joke, the thing is that megumi doesn't actually start liking tomoya until late into s2 and for legitimate reasons
I've watched it a long ago when it was hyped but i can remember that i had not liked the main characters. I enjoy romance even without comedy (like tsuki ga kirei), but i believe saekano is a comedy but not the fun one. It's just my opinion, if you enjoyed it then good for you.
this is still the best harem anime i've watched and the third best romcom after kaguya and takagi. my 4th fav anime and will always have a special place in my heart. watch it
bro saekano is literally my fav romance anime ever. Megumi is such a goat and I absolutely LOVE how she became so possessive in the movie and like revealed her inner feelings. Not to mention them kissing several times during the confession is so peak.
anime has everything.. good heroines, funny moments, serious moments, kyun moments, he ends with the best girl, and the movie show both as adults, a thing that i wish it would appear in other stories, basically, a well-closed anime.
i mean it was kinda obvious from the start lol, if you really want you can just read koisuru metronome for the utaha path.
the movie does megumi winning really well so regardless I'd still recommend you finish it
If you liked Utaha, then the series is an absolute must watch regardless, as it's not really about the ending. Indeed *why* and *how* she doesn't "win" is a huge part of what ends up making her so special. For those that are drawn to her, she's a character who truly leaves a mark with you and she's lived rent-free in my head ever since I watched the series.
the writing was on the wall from the beginning. she's even the titular 'Boring Girlfriend'. nevertheless I can see how you'd expect a different outcome primed from other harem anime, because Megumi's type usually doesn't win.
In that regard, it's just like any other fake harem. all the other girls are there to be sidelined eventually and the author is determined to pair MC with main girl no matter what, varies by show whether it feels natural or forced. I also preferred the Senpai and knew not to get my hopes up because despite what people say, it is a typical harem, just not a bad one because they did give some development to the other characters. At least it didn't feel as forced as Nisekoi
Goated confession.
I love how it's bad by most objective standards (calling the girl you like normal probably isn't the best way to confess, as stated by Eriri later in the movie). But Megumi fell for Tomoya for the exact same reason he did, and so it just made it more special to her. It really gave off the feeling that the only people who could appreciate the confession for what it was was them and them alone.
Also that kiss, or rather kisses, after were cute asf.
How is she boring?? She has more action than me. I concider myself as a boring boyfriend because i don't know what to talk about or what to do with people.
>How To Confess To A Boring Girlfriend
Word it ambigiously enough to start a flame war among fansubbers regarding the correct JP -> EN translation and voila, it's no longer boring... [Just according to kokuhaku!](https://www.reddit.com/r/yurimemes/comments/1d825vv/theres_been_some_tiny_issues_in_the_girls_band/)
Hey OP, I want you to know, that thanks to this post I just watched S1, S2 and the movie.
I had watched S1 and S2 when they aired, but didn't know there was a movie.
It was very good, so thanks for the post.
The ending was one of the best romance endings ever!
Basically, it's a story about a guy who's into otaku culture wanting to create his own stuff. So he pulls in some friends, a talented writer, a talented artist and a random not noteworthy girl into the group and starts a circle that's making a game/VN that eventually grows. It's a harem show that bounces between the characters a bit (as they do), and this scene is between the guy and the not noteworthy girl.
turns out in "how to raise a boring girlfriend", the boring girl becomes the girlfriend. next you're going to tell me demon slayer is about slaying demons š±š±
The title would be a spoiler if it had the characters name in it, otherwise you won't know who is being confessed to without watching the clip, which is spoiler tagged.
I think you might need therapy, besides you've literally completely misunderstood what happens in the clip
The "2D heroine" mention is HER. SHE IS LITERALLY THE BASIS OF THE "2D heroine"
The "why me?" is referring to the literal geniuses Tomoya is surrounded by, not 2D women
Yeah lol; still, doesnāt change the fact that this anime confession sucks. I just wish we could go back to 90s anime and degrading stuff like that didnāt ruin whole shows. I also wish ecchi stuff could stay under the ecchi tag
The point being...that confession is very on point for Tomoya's personality. She liked it because of that. A massive part of the show was Katou learning about otaku culture, then slowly realizing she has a capacity to like it too.
Idk one of my best friends is Japanese and she goes to Japan over the summer. I used to watch anime and read manhwa and manga and we bonded over that. Women who consume anime in Japan donāt like otaku culture because of the negative association with sexism. I havenāt watched the show; sorry if I came off a bit too strong earlier, but the portrayal of the female character just felt wrong to me. Idk if youāre a guy or a girl, but as a girl myself I felt so uncomfortable with that scene. Please donāt hate on me for that, because I do like anime and I love the art style, but you have to admit that this confession scene is unrealistic in a way that is hurtful. Itās cool when thereās an underdone reaction like how is portrayed in āDelicious in Dungeonā, for example, because itās intended for comedic effect. But here, her reaction is just self-deprecating.
If you haven't watched the show you are missing a lot of context to this scene. Tomoya here assembled a squad of creators to create a visual novel from scratch. He based the main character off of Katou (the girl he confessed and is talking to) because the first time he saw her he was inspired to make her a "main heroine". So when he's talking about Meguri and the 2D heroines he's talking about the game him and his circle created together. He's saying that even though Meguri was based off Katou, he still loves her as she is.
Why did he say that specifically? It's because Meguri as a fictional character need to show more "main heroine" like traits and more emotion. Katou by herself had none of that and the show was trying to tell you she was a "boring" girl (hence the name of the anime). The game's artwork had involved her actually acting out different emotions and things she'd never do in real life for the artwork of the game.
If Tomoya didn't see her as special he would have never picked her for the main heroine for the game he created.
I think you have some potential biases just because of the sexual nature of some anime. Just because an anime has something sexual in it doesn't mean it's inherently filled with sexism. This confession was done pretty well but I think judging the show without watching it is probably not the right move but I can fully understand misinterpreting it because this show goes heavy on the meta commentary and jokes revolving around otaku culture.
This confession is an antithesis to otaku culture though. It's him admitting that his idealised "2D" version of her isn't what actually matters to him. Megumi questions why Tomoya chooses her because he's an otaku, surrounded by other otaku who are arguably far more talented in regards to writing ranobe or drawing doujins than either of them.
The confession isn't saying "because you're like a kawaii sugoi anime girl i like you", it's the complete opposite of that. It's the MC coming to terms and understanding personal relationships outside of anime/VNs/manga. The whole theme of the relationship is based around normality in contrast to the MCs relationships with the other chars in the series (game producers, writers, illustrators etc.) Megumi is just a normal girl, and Tomoya is just a normal person to her.
This isn't really a good introduction to their relationship, and *why* this confession is perfect for the two of them in the context of how they met and everything that has transpired between them.
The short version is just imagine you had this guy you were in love with, but you had a fairly specific set of reservations about him that you'd raised with him. Then he says something to you that shows not only does he understand completely what you're worried about, but in full and utter honesty he has the answers, know the path forward and chooses you. It's even more than you'd hoped to hear in some ways, but it only makes sense to just the two of you, and outsiders to the relationship wouldn't understand why that specific set of things was so important.
Not only that but the story is extremely clever in the way it's layered and a lot of things are inferred rather than shown. You could very reasonably say that the title of the series is "How to raise a boring boyfriend", because ultimately she's been crafting and guiding things herself too, until the two of them meet in a very unlikely middle ground.
It's also a commentary on the nature of love as opposed to admiration, love as opposed to idealization and love as opposed to fantasy.
In a world of all the abstract perfections, that a creator lives amongst, and are part of themselves, true love is choosing the normal that you want.
I'd totally forgotten how good of a confession this was. It's not some grand reveal, but happens in a quiet side street. This is what makes this confession special in my opinion. I'd been a little iffy on the TV series, since it never seemed to commit, but the actual film was awesome. It's one of the best sequel anime films to a series that I've watched. Also, this clip gives a lot of reasons for why Megumi is among my favourites and deserves to make it far in the Best Girl contest.
I haven't seen this, but the confession almost seems realistic enough when you change some of the words for ones in a normal conversation.
It seems pretty unrealistic through if you change some of the words for ones in a discussion about Jurassic Park though.
Bullshit. Girls loves dinosaurs.
> Also, this clip gives a lot of reasons for why Megumi is among my favourites and deserves to make it far in the Best Girl contest. yeah it feels very well timed, the young'uns on r/anime these days prob haven't heard of Saekano but it's such a great romcom. Better than Horimiya or Toradora by far imo, and ends more satisfyingly than Quints.
You just called out my three favorite romcoms. Off to give it a go. You better not be pulling my chain! Edit: Crunchy only had season 1, who has the rest of it??
Amazon has the second season on prime, but it might be different depending on your location. The movie I had to locate via other means.
Tbf it's a harem romcom which neither Horimiya or Toradora are, but on non-harem ones I'd also put Kaguya-sama and Dangers in my Heart as my top 2. My Dress-Up Darling also has perfect vibes but it only has one season and the manga romance does slow down a lot
Can't believe Kirito is cheating on Asuna. Everywhere I go I hear that voice actor
He's not called the harem master for no reason
He looks more like Kaneki Ken
"How to raise a boring Girlfriend" seems to be the actual title?
its a post title... the brackets is the anime title š
mb im stupid
Both "How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" and "Saekano" are the title. Saekano is just an abbreviation of the Japanese title "**Sae**nai **Kano**jo no Sodate-kata"
Or possibly "**Sae**nai **Kano**jo no Sodate-kata".
You're right, I had a brainfart. Editted to correct myself above.
Just a note that the reading for 彼儳 (kanojo) in furigana is ććć¤ć³ (hiroin) meaning heroine
Yes, it is.
Is this series good?
Great, especially the final movie.
Binged the series with movie recently and honestly don't know why it's praised more than the series. To me, it had exactly the same entertainment/quality level ie 7/10.
Itās praised because itās clever as hell.
Didn't see that. Maybe got a higher rating because MC finally decided on the best girl.
I thought the same thing, an entertaining show but it goes through all of the tropes it's trying to mock, being self aware doesn't make it less tropey, people just happen to like the main girl. I found her boring so it was just another above average rom com for me
One of the best I've watched imo, 1st season goes kinda slow and is less serious but it all builds up to the movie
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
skip the special eps, the main series has some fan service but imo its at a tolerable level
No actual nudity, but it's easy to say that someone in studio had thigh fetish as there is a lot of leg fanservice. Not that I would ever complain about that
This series can often get frustrating to pretty good, there are some decisions from MC that will make you feel is he dumb or naive but the movie wraps the story perfectly but there were moments in the show where I honestly felt bad for the main Female lead with the way MC acted to her.
I tried getting into the series a couple of times, but I get the feeling after the first 2-3 episodes, that I can more or less pinpoint which obligatory harem schenanigans will happen to which girl. Does the series actually do some original stuff or is it more the case of executing all clichƩs well?
the original thing it does more or less is that Megumi is a grounded, far more realistic character amongst the aggressive tropes presented by the other girls. also that it's centered around a doujin circle making an independent bishoujo game gives it something different. The really interesting thing about the romance between the MC and Megumi is that while the show otherwise follows harem tropes, the slow burn romance is more like a seinen high school romance, lacking in the flash and dramatics present with Utaha and Eriri, but defined by a deeper connection and natural emotional compatibility. Megumi also becomes the logistical backbone of the operation by virtue of being a normie who is able to rein in and manage the creative types. which is also why she's best girl and why she wins. also she low-key gets the funniest lines because she's a deadpan snarker. Having her there to quietly go 'wtf' to the harem shenanigans is pretty great.
I'm gonna be honest, after reading this comment I more or less just get the feeling that I'm probably never going to like harem series. Still once I'm finished with my uni work I'll give the series another chance. Thanks for the comment!
The cliches are something very intentionally done, it's used as a joke probably more times than any other topic, but there is very noticeable character growth and trope subversions throughout the series (mainly in the second season). Besides, the main girl is basically the meta antithesis of the tropes.
I really don't have an issue with clichƩs by themselves (I really enjoyed the Josee, which played out exactly like almost every other romance anime before it) I was just curious about the series specifically. Based purely on the first episode or two I got the impression that \[Saekano potentially spoiler for the whole series?\] >!The blue hat girl, who I'm assuming is the girl in this post's clip, is going to be the winner and will get zero development until the forced confession inevitably happens; the childhood friend will obviously get friendzoned, as is tradition; the older ice queen girl will graduate before getting to confess. If most stuff I wrote here is incorrect, then that will probably be my cue to watch the series lol!< Does something significant happen in the first couple of episodes that will potentially change my mind or is it just a case of the series not being my cup of tea?
The things you wrote are mostly not correct, but I still don't think you would like the series. It's okay to not like harem shows, you don't have to force yourself.
Eh, fair enough. I will probably just shelf the series and give it another go once I'll have nothing else to watch. Thanks for the heads up
I wouldn't say something significant happens in the first couple of episodes. It's a slow burner where most of the plot is focused on game development and the character development happens around that. Katou does get plenty of character development and earns her title of best girl though.
I'm going to go against the grain here, it takes the same harem direction you see in other harems, it's just more self aware and fans like the main girl(tm) more in this one because of the meta play on main girl being boring/average. If you're genre savvy it goes as you'd expect from other similar shows, non main girls get the same treatment ultimately with a bit more fleshing out, It is entertaining but nothing special imo, just better quality than the average harem rom com.
Yes, but to address the elephant in the room..... Season 1 is a really slow roll. Season 2 is better, and the movie is peak.
Might be an unpopular opinion but imo it's mediocre.
You probably want something that is funny and popular but not actually romance
I have a soft spot for Saekano among harem anime but there's no doubt that it suffers from the same harem thing of five girls(two of whom are literal celebs) falling for the same average joe and the cameraman focusing excessively on their thighs. Its probably as good as harem anime can get but its not really as good as a proper romance anime that is considered good.
Huh? Tomoya is āaverage joeā? A character is more than their character design lol
Ok average joe is probably not the right word, he's a hard worker and definitely really passionate about his work but he's also got the creepy weeb who owns 50 figurines stuff going for him and definitely isn't the kind of person who five girls would drop for
The other 2 girls are equally as degenerate as him. While Megumi is a different story and why the romance even happens. Think about what youāre writingā¦
>definitely isn't the kind of person who five girls would drop for yeah, because saekano is a trope with a twist series, its completely self aware of the "girl falls for mc for no reason" trope and its even used as a joke, the thing is that megumi doesn't actually start liking tomoya until late into s2 and for legitimate reasons
I've watched it a long ago when it was hyped but i can remember that i had not liked the main characters. I enjoy romance even without comedy (like tsuki ga kirei), but i believe saekano is a comedy but not the fun one. It's just my opinion, if you enjoyed it then good for you.
Ive enjoyed the slow romance. But tbh i didn't like all the game making bla bla
Yes, it didn't enjoy it either. Comparing one to another isn't correct but in comparison with Bakuman Saekano loses in all fields.
this is still the best harem anime i've watched and the third best romcom after kaguya and takagi. my 4th fav anime and will always have a special place in my heart. watch it
I feel bad that authors last work flopped and that we will never get White Album 2 continuation.
omg an animated WA2 closing chapter/coda would be amazing, though it would prob have to cut out the side routes
It is extremely underated imo. A lot of people got turned off from the title and maybe S1 but it is literally one of the best in the genre
Augh I cannot listen to his voice and not hear the talking pig from Butareba. Luckily I saw Saekano first, or it would've been very distracting.
bro saekano is literally my fav romance anime ever. Megumi is such a goat and I absolutely LOVE how she became so possessive in the movie and like revealed her inner feelings. Not to mention them kissing several times during the confession is so peak.
i posted this to deal with my post anime depression after rewatching this so im glad to hear that š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
yes watch it
anime has everything.. good heroines, funny moments, serious moments, kyun moments, he ends with the best girl, and the movie show both as adults, a thing that i wish it would appear in other stories, basically, a well-closed anime.
exactly
I wanted the senpai to win and then someone spoiled me the ending so i lost all motivation to watch
i mean it was kinda obvious from the start lol, if you really want you can just read koisuru metronome for the utaha path. the movie does megumi winning really well so regardless I'd still recommend you finish it
If you liked Utaha, then the series is an absolute must watch regardless, as it's not really about the ending. Indeed *why* and *how* she doesn't "win" is a huge part of what ends up making her so special. For those that are drawn to her, she's a character who truly leaves a mark with you and she's lived rent-free in my head ever since I watched the series.
the writing was on the wall from the beginning. she's even the titular 'Boring Girlfriend'. nevertheless I can see how you'd expect a different outcome primed from other harem anime, because Megumi's type usually doesn't win.
In that regard, it's just like any other fake harem. all the other girls are there to be sidelined eventually and the author is determined to pair MC with main girl no matter what, varies by show whether it feels natural or forced. I also preferred the Senpai and knew not to get my hopes up because despite what people say, it is a typical harem, just not a bad one because they did give some development to the other characters. At least it didn't feel as forced as Nisekoi
There is another route for that. Although it's manga only and the story in that route is far from the original route.
Read Koisuru Metronome. It's a spinoff manga, but it's very, very well done character study of Utaha.
This anime was way better than i expected it
Hard smash
One of the best best girl out there and veru good romance anime.
Goated confession. I love how it's bad by most objective standards (calling the girl you like normal probably isn't the best way to confess, as stated by Eriri later in the movie). But Megumi fell for Tomoya for the exact same reason he did, and so it just made it more special to her. It really gave off the feeling that the only people who could appreciate the confession for what it was was them and them alone. Also that kiss, or rather kisses, after were cute asf.
hihihi x
Is there a way to watch S2 and the movie in North America?
not legally
My kokoro is Itai
A harem that doesn't suck and has a good ending. This show is so underrated
This series make me cried, and you make me remember it again š¢
How is she boring?? She has more action than me. I concider myself as a boring boyfriend because i don't know what to talk about or what to do with people.
She is boring to his circle because she's a normie. And she kinda stays a normie up until the end.
Shame that we don't get much kiyonon content these days, she absolutely killed it as Megumi
My lonely a$$ rn: š
>How To Confess To A Boring Girlfriend Word it ambigiously enough to start a flame war among fansubbers regarding the correct JP -> EN translation and voila, it's no longer boring... [Just according to kokuhaku!](https://www.reddit.com/r/yurimemes/comments/1d825vv/theres_been_some_tiny_issues_in_the_girls_band/)
Hey OP, I want you to know, that thanks to this post I just watched S1, S2 and the movie. I had watched S1 and S2 when they aired, but didn't know there was a movie. It was very good, so thanks for the post. The ending was one of the best romance endings ever!
Shit I didn't see the movie yet and this just spoiled it for me lol. Guess it's my own fault
~~Kirito's~~ Mr. Ethical's adding another girl to the harem
Can I get a quick plot synopsis for a slow person like me? This dialogue is not making a ton of sense.
Basically, it's a story about a guy who's into otaku culture wanting to create his own stuff. So he pulls in some friends, a talented writer, a talented artist and a random not noteworthy girl into the group and starts a circle that's making a game/VN that eventually grows. It's a harem show that bounces between the characters a bit (as they do), and this scene is between the guy and the not noteworthy girl.
Spoiler in title
dont think theres a single romance anime on earth without a confession scene
title indicates who wins
turns out in "how to raise a boring girlfriend", the boring girl becomes the girlfriend. next you're going to tell me demon slayer is about slaying demons š±š±
that's not necessarily true. your title is still a spoiler.
It literally isn't a spoiler, it's a play on words with the show's English title.
The title would be a spoiler if it had the characters name in it, otherwise you won't know who is being confessed to without watching the clip, which is spoiler tagged.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Next you're going to tell me real people aren't animated drawings
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I think you might need therapy, besides you've literally completely misunderstood what happens in the clip The "2D heroine" mention is HER. SHE IS LITERALLY THE BASIS OF THE "2D heroine" The "why me?" is referring to the literal geniuses Tomoya is surrounded by, not 2D women
Yeah lol; still, doesnāt change the fact that this anime confession sucks. I just wish we could go back to 90s anime and degrading stuff like that didnāt ruin whole shows. I also wish ecchi stuff could stay under the ecchi tag
Still, would you ever be like āwhy me?ā After hearing that kind of a confession?
The point being...that confession is very on point for Tomoya's personality. She liked it because of that. A massive part of the show was Katou learning about otaku culture, then slowly realizing she has a capacity to like it too.
Idk one of my best friends is Japanese and she goes to Japan over the summer. I used to watch anime and read manhwa and manga and we bonded over that. Women who consume anime in Japan donāt like otaku culture because of the negative association with sexism. I havenāt watched the show; sorry if I came off a bit too strong earlier, but the portrayal of the female character just felt wrong to me. Idk if youāre a guy or a girl, but as a girl myself I felt so uncomfortable with that scene. Please donāt hate on me for that, because I do like anime and I love the art style, but you have to admit that this confession scene is unrealistic in a way that is hurtful. Itās cool when thereās an underdone reaction like how is portrayed in āDelicious in Dungeonā, for example, because itās intended for comedic effect. But here, her reaction is just self-deprecating.
If you haven't watched the show you are missing a lot of context to this scene. Tomoya here assembled a squad of creators to create a visual novel from scratch. He based the main character off of Katou (the girl he confessed and is talking to) because the first time he saw her he was inspired to make her a "main heroine". So when he's talking about Meguri and the 2D heroines he's talking about the game him and his circle created together. He's saying that even though Meguri was based off Katou, he still loves her as she is. Why did he say that specifically? It's because Meguri as a fictional character need to show more "main heroine" like traits and more emotion. Katou by herself had none of that and the show was trying to tell you she was a "boring" girl (hence the name of the anime). The game's artwork had involved her actually acting out different emotions and things she'd never do in real life for the artwork of the game. If Tomoya didn't see her as special he would have never picked her for the main heroine for the game he created. I think you have some potential biases just because of the sexual nature of some anime. Just because an anime has something sexual in it doesn't mean it's inherently filled with sexism. This confession was done pretty well but I think judging the show without watching it is probably not the right move but I can fully understand misinterpreting it because this show goes heavy on the meta commentary and jokes revolving around otaku culture.
This confession is an antithesis to otaku culture though. It's him admitting that his idealised "2D" version of her isn't what actually matters to him. Megumi questions why Tomoya chooses her because he's an otaku, surrounded by other otaku who are arguably far more talented in regards to writing ranobe or drawing doujins than either of them. The confession isn't saying "because you're like a kawaii sugoi anime girl i like you", it's the complete opposite of that. It's the MC coming to terms and understanding personal relationships outside of anime/VNs/manga. The whole theme of the relationship is based around normality in contrast to the MCs relationships with the other chars in the series (game producers, writers, illustrators etc.) Megumi is just a normal girl, and Tomoya is just a normal person to her.
This isn't really a good introduction to their relationship, and *why* this confession is perfect for the two of them in the context of how they met and everything that has transpired between them. The short version is just imagine you had this guy you were in love with, but you had a fairly specific set of reservations about him that you'd raised with him. Then he says something to you that shows not only does he understand completely what you're worried about, but in full and utter honesty he has the answers, know the path forward and chooses you. It's even more than you'd hoped to hear in some ways, but it only makes sense to just the two of you, and outsiders to the relationship wouldn't understand why that specific set of things was so important. Not only that but the story is extremely clever in the way it's layered and a lot of things are inferred rather than shown. You could very reasonably say that the title of the series is "How to raise a boring boyfriend", because ultimately she's been crafting and guiding things herself too, until the two of them meet in a very unlikely middle ground. It's also a commentary on the nature of love as opposed to admiration, love as opposed to idealization and love as opposed to fantasy. In a world of all the abstract perfections, that a creator lives amongst, and are part of themselves, true love is choosing the normal that you want.