Thank you to everyone sharing their personal stories in the comments! You truly are great and deserve love regardless of personality and identity. Sorry for the confusion of adding Skip to Loafer in the beginning, I'm very aware it's not a shoujo. I had a portion in here that explains that but I had to remove it for timing sake. If you want to try Japanese Snacks from Japan Candy Store check out this link to get your own and support the channel: www.japancandystore.com/?ref=TheAnimeTea

it will never not make me sad that nana wasn't finished, especially considering the plot stopped at such a sad point in both nana and hachi's lives

Growing up I never saw anyone like me in media, I am also a black girl who is naturally reserved in nature. I was Never outgoing, flashy, or brazen in anything I did. I was the quiet-emotional-goody two shoes. Growing up in the early 2000s provided no where to look for people similar to me in any media. Every black girl I saw was outgoing, brave, independent, dependable and an all around ideal version of what so many of our parents try to mold us into that "doesn't need a man, doesn't depend on no one, has her shit together, and isn't afraid to fight the power" type of black girl. It's not bad to look up to women like that, but it never fit me, and it was one of the only representations of us out there at the time. I couldn't even escape it in fantasy, when Princess and the Frog came out I was elated... just to figure out that it was another black girl who was experiencing strife and had to work hard her whole life only to be neutralized by her carefree counterpart who taught her how to have fun. I wanted dresses and romance, kindness, and daydream filled mornings, with a dash of everyday relatable struggles, what I got was "be strong, don't cry easily, speak your mind, and work hard so you live a better life." The same speech everyone else was pushing onto me. I could never relate. This narrative was being forced on me by my parents, teachers, and the media around me. It was suffocating, stifling, and it backed me into a corner that caged me in thoughts of "If that's what I should be, then why am I like this? What's wrong with me?" But then I found the shoujo genre, then I found Fruits Basket, Skip Beat, Kamisama Kiss, Kimini Todoke, Princess Jellyfish, My Little Monster and so many other shoujo anime that starred girls like me. The "Does her homework, imaginative, emotional, well-meaning, socially clumsy, loving, and creative flawed girl" who was often misunderstood. That was me. They didn't look like me, but they were after my own heart. I felt so seen and cared for. Words I longed to hear from my parents and teachers were being told to these girls who I saw myself in. Tohru meant so much to me because she tried her best and cried along the way. She gave me hope that I too could be seen. I was set free by them, instead of continuing to ask "What's wrong with me?" I then began to realize "What's wrong with being me?" I was emotional, a rule follower, I was quiet, and a little aloof, I was clumsy and learning to navigate social interactions. I wasn't broken, I was growing just like them, I was learning, and more important than all of that... I didn't need to grow into that idealized black girl in order to be good. I can be seen as a great person because of my own strengths and talents, not the strengths and talents that I mimicked in order to fit a stereotype or achieve parental goals. I honestly would go as far as to say that these anime saved me. I don't know who I'd be without their comfort, I am so much of who I am because of them- the me that was not nurtured and stayed small because of the lack of attention she got when I was younger was raised by anime like this. As a black girl I do want more representation of us, I want more representation for everyone. We all come in many shades and exist on different points of the infinite spectrum of personalities. But I'm sure that this genre and this specific personality type highlighted has helped many other people come to terms with themself and make their journey of self discovery a little less painful.

I really liked how Sawako matured in the manga - she wasn't the pure angel as portrayed in the anime. She had desires, and there's nothing wrong with that,

I personally love "good girls" who are just themselves. Being kind and good is just a part of them, not their entire personality. I love Sawako because she isn't just nice, she is a thoughtful and empathetic friend, a hardworking student and someone who just makes you feel safe around them. What I love the most about her is that she keeps trying her best no matter how many times she fails. I absolutely adore Mitsumi from Skip and Loafer and Akane from Yamada Kun too. Both of them have really big personalities, I wish people tried to understand the depth of these characters instead of thinking of them as plain old good girl characters.

I think it was Hachi that idolized Nana, because most of the voiceovers were done by her. Hachi saw Nana as cool, independent, confident, and had a great relationship with Ren. But whenever we see Nana without Hachi, we see all her faults and see her for who she truly is, not for how she portrays herself or in the rose tinted way that Hachi sees her. Meanwhile the show is what actually shows the truth that both Hachi & Nana are the same despite having different aesthetics, backgrounds, and outlooks on life. They are both afraid of being abandoned and cling to those around them to an unhealthy level. They are also both insecure about all of their relationships, especially the one they have with each other and believe the other isn’t as invested bc they are unworthy of true love. I think it’s also interesting to see that they both had lesbian thoughts of each other because they are truly soulmates. It’s their own insecurities about being able to be loved by the other that ultimately separates them.

Tohru is my fav girl here and what i like about Fruits Basket is that the ML, Kyo completely sees past her compliant good girl act and tells her outright that she is allowed be a little selfish too. And thats what makes them such a healthy couple in my eyes..

Kimi ni Todoke was what got me into shojo. Suwako’s struggles with self confidence and learning to lean on others while also finding internal strength is a great message for any teenager

I absolutely LOVE Nana, it's one of my favorite manga, and it's very refreshing to see someone talk about Hachi in a way that isn't negative. She's a complicated and I think a lot of people look down on her because they relate to her more than they like to admit (myself included). I will say, you may be giving Nana O too much credit. I look up to her and relate to her a lot but she has her own problems with hyper independence, possessiveness and being in a toxic relationship with Ren. I see a lot of stuff online romanticizing Nana and Ren's relationship and it puts me off bc I feel like their relationship is very blatantly unhealthy, especially evident by how often it is compared to Sid and Nancy. I think Nana and Hachi were the real soulmates that truly made each other better. But anyways, I love this video and your channel! I would love to see your thoughts about Paradise Kiss sometime. Ai Yazawa is such a good writer :D

i find it sad that some people hate the softest girls with the sweetest personality, calling them stupid and weak, treating them as if they were inferior.. i never identified with the bully girl, i'm shy and empathetic, sometimes i thought i had something wrong with me, when you don't have it.. be kind and sweet, the world already has too many bad people.. you are amazing for rebelling to be bitter as society wants us to be. you are rare gems don't let others kill your kindness

it has always bothered me how people consider nice girls weak. you can be nice and sweet and a very strong person. ofc there are pushover characters, but very often the shoujo series have the female leads that are very strong because of how they manage to keep their sweet heart despite people hurting them.

I’m so glad you mentioned Komi’s social anxiety being prettified because it’s something I’ve been thinking very much about. Apart from the lack of her perspective being presented in favour of presenting only Tadano’s, I think the problem lies with her never being allowed to really do something “ugly,” because of her social anxiety. Sawako makes genuine social faux pas and has awkward moments, and at least in the manga (haven’t seen the anime) the mangaka is not afraid to draw her looking strange and offputting. Similarly, Bochi the Rock follows a high school girl with terrible social anxiety and she does things that aren’t “cute,”- screaming, hiding in trash, dressing strangely and trying too hard. It’s played for laughs in both of these like it is in KCC, but they also really empathise with the characters’ struggles and loneliness and portray what a miserable experience a mental illness like that can be. With KCC, I feel like it’s almost fetishising her mental illness- Komi’s anxiety makes her both cuter and is there as something for a boy to fix. In Kimi no Todoke, Kimi gains a friend in her love interest and her two female best friends *first*, and it’s clear her LI doesn’t view her as a project or a favour but genuinely enjoys spending time with her. Bocchi is entirely about female friendship and doesn’t really feature prominent male characters at all. Once I put my finger on this I kind of lost all interest in KCC, tbh- it makes me uncomfortable.

I always empathize with the “good girl” characters because they always try to put others before themselves. I’m a huge fan of stuff that makes me cry, and I find the good girl characters drive that home the hardest for me. They always end up getting hurt - or hurting themselves - because they’re too busy trying to uplift others at their own expense. It gets me every time. (And then if I’m lucky and it’s a happy story, I get to switch from sad-crying to happy-crying as other characters realize what’s happened and then turn around and help the good girl or otherwise validate her).

Loved your video! I think it's fare to critique the portrayal of women in anime, especial they hyper sexualized side. But I agree people seriously hate on the "good girl" blindly. The desire for tomboy females in Anime is so insane it's like everyone just hates feminine characters and assume they're stupid and have no struggles. I LOVE soft hearted characters like Tohru because she is arguably the mentally strongest character in the story and fights in her own way. Just like Evelyn from "Everywhere all at once" had to learn the merits of her Husbands "fighting style". Evelyn assumed her husbands was weak because he was nice, but his ability to connect with other is what had been cleaning up her messes all along.

I love Hachi as a character. The fact she realizes shes in a toxic relationship yet can't pull away is something a lot of people go through and is really accurate to her character. She's been with guys who don't care about her and are much older sense her teen years in a way it becomes normalized for her. Hachi develops a taste for bad men that when a person who actually loves her (Nobu) dosen't get with her in the end. Her being optimistic, immature, and a hopeless romantic wins her love making it harder to mature as a person. It's seen when Hachi does mature men get less and less interested (an example being Shoji) so she thinks she has to be this type a person for people to love her. Her personality also really brings out the uniqueness in her relationship with Nana. As she spends more time with Nana she matures and become more self aware but still has her own personality which is why so many people in the fandom ship Hachia x Nana. Nana treats Hachi in a way she isnt used to, being honest with her, helping her grow as a person, and just being there for her in general as a role model for Hachi. She feels that if she isnt with someone she's a shell of a being because she was always with someone. Hachi is just a great example of how women can find it hard to mature because they think people will only like them if their "innocent and stupid." I just love how this anime shows that.

To me, nanaXnana is cannon, but at the same time nanaXnana spits in the face of the thesis cuz its kinda like saying "we tried men, it didnt work, time to move on to women and live happily ever after" but there are straight girls who cant do that and queer women who are also manipulative and look for "good girls" to manipulate. You cant just run away with your fruity bff and raise your kid with her as great as that sounds (im bi) thats just my fantasy and nana is a show rooted in reality. But. Nana(fruity) talks about nana(goodgirl) like she's in love for the first time so much and nana(goodgirl) talks about nana(fruity) like she has the BIGGEST crush on her like omg, and the way their relationship formed as friends with some "hehe sus no homo(internal monologue: i wanna be with you so bad)" makes it so clear that nanaXnana is endgame, it is my fantasy, im not delusional

I wish there were more shoujo mangas these days tht display dark and realistic themes which ends up giving major development to the mcs through the course of the story so that they end up being very multi faceted characters and/or develop very complex narratives like Skip Beat, Nana, Akatsuki no Yona, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Full Moon wo Sagashite.

I'm disappointed that you view Skip and Loafer as following the trope of shy girl learns the ropes from hot guy. Skip and Loafer is one of the most deep slice of life anime/manga I've ever consumed. Mitsumi gets culture shock moving from a small town to Tokyo. Through her unique experiences growing up differently from her school mates, she's able to bring together a group of people so different from each other to show them that they will miss out on great things if they rely too much on assumptions/preconceived notions of others. Arguably, Shima is the one who learns how to be his own person because of watching Mitsumi's example. And likewise, Mitsumi learns that while she was one of the smartest person in her small town, book smarts don't equal emotional intelligence and the only way to gain that is by acknowledging when she's wrong. Mitsumi is nice sure, but is flawed. She tries to make Shima act the way she wants him to, gets jealous and angry when he doesn't. Sure she learns she shouldn't put her expectations on others from him, but that's not enough to put her as following a trope. Skip and Loafer is great to me because it didn't focus so much on the female and male lead's relationships. The side characters are fully realized people with fantastic storylines. Even in the show, there are full episodes where Mitsumi and Shima don't interact or have barely any interaction. My favorite parts of the series are seeing the girls work through relatable issues. I cried several times watching characters go through things I went through growing up, things I've not seen any media cover with a fraction of nuance and care that Skip and Loafer does. It's funny to hear you say Kimi Ni Todoke is deeper than people think because that's exactly how I feel about Skip and Loafer. I really recommend you give the show or manga another look.

I relate to these characters too. I'm very socially anxious. But seeing characters that are shy and anxious but are still able to overcome life's struggles gives me a since of hope that I can also overcome my problems.

I always really love these kind of girls. Tohru is one of my absolute favourite characters. I tend to just love soft and kind characters, both male and female characters who are too kind for their own good but stick to their morals even when it gets hard. I find it to be really inspiring because I just wish we could have more people like that, but we don't because it is so painful to be like that, because of getting used, hurt, walked over and never taken seriously. It takes a beautiful and quiet kind of strength to be like that and to stay like that.

I came across these girls at such a formative time, and I honestly mourn my younger self who learned how to be a girl through those girls because of how small I made myself, and how intense of a people pleaser I was. These stories are beautiful, but definitely had it's impact as far as representation goes. Like, I saw Nana middle/high school, and watching it back now at 28, I saw myself in Hachi and it was heartbreaking.

Nana had such a profound impact on me as a teen, I can only imagine how much it affects young girls going through the same things. Hachi's story is still one of the best most realistic portraits I've ever seen in anime/manga

I think characters like Tohru really embody the "kind for the sake of being kind" quality, but that's only after she resolved her internal issues of abandonment and fear of being alone. I think maybe some people couldn't relate to her because she always looked "ok" and mentally stable, when in reality she was just good at hiding it. While we followed Tohru's POV in the story a lot of the time, we were not privy to her innermost thoughts, which could very well be anxious/dark. Near the end of the Fruits Basket story, we actually start moving away from her POV and towards the POV of other characters, and that made Tohru's thoughts even more of a mystery. But we get to see the moments where she was finally able to open up and admit she was struggling, which shows us clearly that she is no longer bottling up and is on her path to healing. I really recommend this manga!

There’s a component of this archetype that is not exactly explored and it is their self assurance and psychological strength from a greatly developed sense of empathy. I have met a couple of people that are like that at work and they are positive to work with, no drama, willing to help, and never taking anything personally. They navigate the company politics with ease and are experts at disarming narcissistic managers or coworkers. They have this amazing super power to totally forget work the minute they go home. I wish I could be more like them instead of letting the toxicity affect me 😢

I've always been a soft spoken person. Growing up in a culture that heavily rewards extroversion, I always found it nice to see these quiet characters be accepted for who they were. I know, people keep saying that quiet women are supposed to be the "ideal," but I'd argue that "perky" is closer to the correct term (in the USA).

ive always related more to the "good girl" characters myself as a naturally shy person but i admired the super tough girls too! When theres a character thats good and feminine but also not a total wimp (The protagonist of the short film Mister Rococo is a good example!) I absolutely love them!

Nana K was a character I completely saw myself in (minus the pregnancy) when I first saw the series at 21. So like 6 years ago. I had the friend group that I felt leaving me and the not so great bf. I had repeated that cycle soon after and just kind of felt lost. I’ve thankfully grown and made a way for myself into a happier and more successful place now, but man my early 20’s were rough and I’m glad I had a character to relate too.

Thank you for this video! It’s hard to hear people pick on these characters constantly when I really relate to them. Just as you said in the getting personal section, my own personality is really similar to all of them and I’ve gone through similar events as all of these characters. Struggling to communicate, being kind and being there for my family and friends (so they stay by my side), and then being used and manipulated by people because of these traits. These are all parts of my story and who I am so I’ve never thought of these “good girls” as bad representation. They’re representing me and I’m so grateful they exist ^u^

Manga taught me so much about myself. Like for one, I’m a selfish human whose also very non traditional. Nana O was the beginning of that lesson. I’m selfish and a little possessive over the people I hold dear, and my forgiveness is hard to earn. I use coldness to hide my vulnerability. Even Anzu from romantic killer now as a 27 year old I still relate to her. I value the things that make me happy in the moment much more than creating relationships with people around me. I’d much rather live my best life than making memories with my loved ones. This is such a hard lesson to come to terms with, but if not for manga and complex female characters I wouldn’t have learned these things about myself.

Fantastic video as always! I think another plus for shojo series is that they typically have a variety of girls to relate to or admire. Growing up reading Kimi Ni Todoke, I related most to Sawako as an awkward girl, but I also related to Chizu for being unfeminine but still having the desire to explore that, and I really related to Kurimi for feeling like I had to play a certain role for people to like me. The character I admired most, but couldn't always relate to until I was older, was Ayane for being self assured and confident. The series really benefited from having a variety of characters that the reader could find themselves in.

I hear you about the relationship comparisons w nana vs Hatchi but Nana was NOT in a great relationship. They were actually pretty toxic too. They compare themselves to a famous toxic couple for a reason lol.

Its weird in a way, i acutally kind of look up to the kindhearted girls from all these anime. Ive always related to them but i use them as a becon of hope alot. I think "they would stay positive and overcome this" and it gives me hope to keep moving.

Speaking as someone who can't totally relate to the good girl type, I don't really think characters need to be relatable because first off, one person's relatable isnt the other person's relatable. You can never write something universally relatable. And honestly, reading about characters different from you is fun too. You get a peak at what the feelings and experiences of people with different personalities and experiences are. It gives you a better perspective and it can help your relationships with other people if you possess some sort of understanding.

With anime is tough you either get the submissive good girl or the hyper sexualized shy girl or the girls that are openly perverted so there's no real spectrum of personalities that you see in real life like what we see more of in male characters. Because of this I kind of distanced myself from anime for a couple years and now I'm trying to get back into it and like everything that I had a problem with is kind of amplified now. I also noticed that loti is kind of being more normalized than if was in the past for both female and male characters. Honestly I feel like internationally we're facing a problem finding quality stories

in Hachi's defense, she was a child when she started seeing that older married man. A lot of young teen girls are taken advantage of by older men and used for sex. And that's what happened to Hachi, a naive young girl who got misused by an older man, even if Hachi "flirted" or came on to him, he is the adult in that situation and should firmly rejected her or avoided her. I don't think her flaw is that shes a hopeless romantic, I thinks shes a young woman and acted like the majority of average girls in many situations. To be desired and to be loved and find a man to marry/live happily ever after. Thats not a flaw, but her flaw, her flaw is that its her only goal in life and that's what causes her downfall. Like when she enrolled into art college because her bf/friends did or moved to tokyo because of her bf.

I related to Sawako ALOTT (lmao even my pfp is her) . I read the manga from start to finish, and her struggles feel so real as an introverted person that has struggled with socializing from a young age, and not always reading social cues properly, but can instantly read the room well through other peoples emotions, not only that but also the struggle of being left out and how PAINFUL it is to be lonely and how people ruthlessly act towards you if you’re awkward and introverted, I accept the arguement that the trope is probably a bit too unrealistic (it’s extremely rare for popular pretty guys to be in introverted awkward girls that are somewhat disliked or viewed in through a neutral light) and also that guys like that would easily chase towards the pretty extroverted girl (Kurumi), I love Kimi ni todoke a lot, it has accurate and realistic problems for every character, however the whole story feels pretty unrealistic, in my opinion which adds into the charm (probably because I’m a hopeless romantic anyways) If it was written in a hyper realistic light, the genre though would immediately switch from shoujo to just a sad slice of life? I’m not sure, the buildup of Sawako and kazehaya would’ve closed off with him rejecting her or even if they DID like eachother Sawako would’ve closed her feelings off and over time he would start liking Kurumi instead? But that’s just my thought, great video by the way❕❕

while i have nothing against the good girl trope, my biggest complain has always been that they're so naive and clueless about certain things. a character can be very kind and "good" but also be aware of things like things like romantic love or sex, or dangers around them. why do all of these good girls have to be so clueless about love? why do they always have to be so pure? they make these good girl characters feel almost as pure as a child. it's always gotta be a pure, naive BUT kind girl or a mature, almost tomboyish girl to change that pure mindset. i really want a female character that's kind and inspiring like tohru, while having the mental maturity of those tomboyish, mature girls.

I belive that the anime and the Netflix adaption of kimi ni todoke don't go as deeply as the Manga about sawako's character (due to they either don't go as far into the parts of the story as the Manga does or they just skim through the biggest plot points of it due to time constraints) but I belive that Sawako is a much more complex character with her own motivations and I really like the way her relationship with kazehaya is written, both the ways that they work together and where they clash but still work nonetheless overcoming their differences and misunderstandings of each other's character to build a future together

I lived in japan when I was a kid and read fruits basket. That manga taught me so much and I still hold Toru’s words very dearly. The Shojo genre does seem repetitive but reading the characters inner dialogue really do add a layer and I feel it teaches a lot of empathy. Love your content!

Fruba is my #1 anime of all time for soooo many reasons, the depth of Tohru’s character being one of them. I relate to Tohru in many ways in that I portray myself to be super optimistic and am a people pleaser due to trauma, but in the beginning of the series I did get annoyed with how idealistic she was at times because it felt so unrealistic. But when S3 got deeper into why she is the way she is, it made me love her even more. I’d say the biggest difference is I’m not shy/introverted. I’ve realized recently that when it comes to narrative shows, I prefer anime over live action by a long shot. I only ever watch live action shows if they’re reality tv, like a cooking or hgtv show. I think there’s something about the escapism and complexity of some of the female characters that I don’t see as much (and maybe that’s also because I’m a brown Asian woman). Despite the cliches in most anime, there’s something about the characters that draw me in more than live action sitcoms/comedy shows. As I write this out, it could even be that I’m so tired of Asian women being portrayed a certain way, that anime lets me see myself in these female characters, or at least let the animation aspect of it let me brush off their flaws as escapism. Anyway, so glad I found your channel! I have so many thoughts on anime but don’t like most shonen so it’s nice to see a woman of color talk about the kinds of anime that I watch, not just shounen/fantasy/isekai.

Ok, first I want to preface this by saying I don't hate Tohru lol I like her a lot and I think she's the only sort of protagonist that could work in Fruits Basket. However... I do understand WHY people hate her so much and I don't think it's particularly because she's not flawed or complex but rather that the framing of the story doesn't really allow for any criticisms of what she does. And I think exactly because the work she's in is Fruits Basket (and not, say, Kimi ni Todoke where Sawako's actions are also never seen through such lenses) that it doesn't work and why she's so divisive because, you see, EVERYONE (in the main cast, I mean) in Fruits Baskets gets their lashings at some point, they get their perspective twisted and exposed, showing their strenghts as well as their weaknesses and ugliness. Everyone, except Tohru, which (I believe) builds resentment towards her in the audience. Like you said, hidden in the narrative is the idea that Tohru's personality comes from a deep fear of being left behind and she specifically behaves in a way that attaches people but that's never truly brought foward as a flaw or never exposed in a bad light, her self flagellation is always viewed with simpathy and while I understand it's part of it should also have been explored as a form of manipulation, of a lacking in honesty through fear.

I feel like skip beat takes the concept of the "good girl" and flips it on its head. kyoko is originally the "perfect wife material" but she ends up being used and discarded which becomes the catalyst in her journey to self discovery

Personally, ive never related to the “goodgirl” trope. Ive always been told that im “too bossy” or “not ladylike”, it really makes me feel upset when all i see in anime (a hobby i have to watch) i never see any representations on girls that dont fit into that stereotypical box. And for me at least it can rlly make or break an anime. For example, i really couldn’t watch a specific shoujo anime (that im not gonna name so i don’t get flamed) but it really upsets me that theres rlly not much representation for the more assertive women or the more leading roles for women in relationships. that makes it rlly hard for me anyways to watch most romance animes.

nana is one of my favorite anime/manga! had to get the manga for more. i loved the realism & the fact that romance wasn’t a secret with a kiss in the last episode.

Beautifully said. I also feel the same way. Some of these characters stories when i first saw it brought tears to my eyes. They were very well written and the pain and hardships felt so relatable in the stories. Thank you so much for your video. I'll be subbing. ❤

I can say that it was weird not having black girls in anime to really look up to like that so Kagome was the first 'pure'/'good' girl I ever tried to model my character after. Then I found myself relating to the good girls the most while idolizing the other characters that were more relaxed, or potrayed as stronger, or more confident in themselves. In my younger years it definitely caused me to basically martyr myself for everyone because I thought "That's what good girls do". I've broken from the mentality now and I keep the positives but let go the negatives like I'm still trying to be kind and do right by others BUT not at the expense of myself anymore.

i can say i relate to many of these girls, and it’s set me on a track of self discovery. i find things through them that i have always been inside me, but ended up being buried by years of wanting to be “cool” “independent” and “mature” but at the end of the day it was all artificial. it was all just me convincing myself i was “tough” to not allow myself accept my sensitivity, and my pain. so it has really helped me to be able to see myself in these girls and reconnect myself to my more delicate feelings, my femininity, and being the silly romantic i always was deep down. they all have a lot more depth then what people realize, and that some ppl can only read them as “annoying” is crazy to me 🗿

Why does nobody have a problem with good boys? Why is it a problem when a girl is nice and good? It’s just annoying that people have a problem with nice girl characters because it “unrealistic”

That Getting Personal section really struck a cord with me, I totally understand how you feel. Amazing video as always :)))

Loved your analysis here. xo Thanks so much for sharing!

When I grew up Tohru was really relatable and for me was the most important role model in my life. Fruits basket made me who I am today thanks to Tohru

I always think it's interesting when Nana comes up because the story isn't Shoujo it's Josei. I don't think I've ever viewed Hachi as a good girl. I've viewed her as a hopeless romantic but never as a "good girl." I don't think Nana is presented as a more desirable representation of a woman? Or at least I never saw it that way. I felt that they were both in Tokyo pursuing their passions: music and love. I think what is interesting is how people view those passions. Hachi isn't blind to the trappings of men. She chooses to ignore red flags because she prefers her rose-tinted glasses. The same way Nana prefers to take the hard way forward by pushing Ren away. I think the interesting thing about Nana is the show displays femininity in two contrasting ways and neither way gaurantees happiness. Both women have to compromise. I do love Ai Yawaza though. I think another good girl you could examine is Carrie from Paradise Kiss. I've always related to her a lot because of the pressure to be the right type of girl and throwing that all to the side eyes wide open for a boy you really like even though you know he doesn't feel the same 😂

Hey! I found your channel a couple days ago and have been devouring your work since then! I feel like your voice is a great addition to the community! Your video-essays are well thought-out, well-written, and bravely presented and I totally admire that. Keep up the good work!

I cant believe ive only just found this channel. I hit sub the moment you mention Komi cant comunicate and mirrored things ive said and felt

thanks you for this very interesting video! its so great to discuss these points.

I'm so glad you noticed Torou's coping! Her fear of abandonment is so pronounced and thought it made so much depth.

oh I just started Kimi ni Todoke thanks to you and I loooove it for a cute summer anime. really needed this type of wholesomness in my life

I’m non-binary, raised to be a woman, and I definitely tried to emulate Tohru as a teen. Now my main issue is that she gives too much of herself and never actually comes to put up healthy boundaries. She is still a precious bean we must protecc.

I have a lot of problems with Tohru. One of my main criticisms is simply how unrealistic it is to set up as an expectation for your teen audience that that if you are just nice enough or selfless enough or pretty enough, you’ll be rewarded with a score of extremely protective love interests who can anticipate the needs you don’t communicate to them. Like the episode where Kyo and Yuki run home because they remember it’s the anniversary of Tohru’s mother’s death wouldn’t have ever happened in the real world no matter how nice your friends or boyfriend is; she would have had to politely communicate her feelings like an adult to get that result.

I really liked your opinion about these girls you mentioned in your video because I think they all represented good girls in different ways. They're not like the "I'm not like the other girls" type if that makes sense but they're all very complex MCs so far! I mostly can relate to Tohru and Hachi because their characters felt realistic and insecure which most people go through especially younger adults in life. Honestly, I like Hachi more because she sets up a good example of what is like in your 20s and gives the audience room to reflect on themselves. Also, it teaches you what to watch out for red flags and toxic if you're ready for a relationship which I think the writer did an excellent job portraying the type of men. When you think of her toxic relationship like that, you would feel bad for those people who have gone similar to her in real life. It's very sad but it's realistic. But I'm glad I watched it on Hulu while I was depressed. The show saved me because there are a lot of characters' struggles to go through in life even the 2 MCs! I don't think there are no other shows that are similar to this show except Paradise Kiss? Anyway, I haven't watched many shoujo anime because it wasn't my genre specifically but the closest I like so far was Akatsuki no Yona.

Great video, well done!

Gurl! I'm glad you make these videos cause it spreads more represention! There arent many woman anime youtubers ive seen and more especially rare black woman reviewing anime! As a black girl myself! Thank you!❤

I'm so glad the algorithm suggested your video to me. You're a very intelligent person who has sone deep insight into the genre. I personally still keep the headcanon that the two NANAs are actually the same person but well I just hope that in general Ai Yazawa is doing okay and in good health because I heard there were some difficult years but the contributions she's made to manga and art in general are really .... very significant. And I'm personally grateful for the series. I go back and watch it again every few years. Thanks so much for yiur thoughts. It's nice to meet you. :)

Thank you for your content ❤

Nana is one of my favorite anime/manga. Hachi, Yasu, Shin are my favorite characters in Nana. And the Nana fans are really going to come for me when I say this, I also like Takumi and he's one of my favorite characters too. I like Takumi because he is interesting and he is also complicated and complexed.

I'm glad I found this video as I am trying to make my own Shoujo comic/manga(s).

I would like to give you a out the norm take on Fruits Basket and the important of this series. I am a 56 year women and was many times only female in the room who into lite novel, manga, or anime fan. So with that Fruits Basket was one of the anime that gateway animes for female fans. In my memory I couldn't think of any of other anime that did that like FB. This story resonated with female in 1999 ok I am taking than was translated into English. This was one of the few story that was translated into English besides Sailor Moon that was about a female protagonist. Would also like to admit to you that I am a light novel or Manga reader fan. That's why I think it was historic anime that was dab.

Thank you for this video ❤❤❤❤

Just stumbled across ur channel Your voice is so relaxing to listen to, great background music- Your editing and layout is so cute! Love the windows pop up for these clips :)))very well spoken with your takes, keep up these vids

I just want to say that just so you know yes there are girls and women today who relate to these characters. I’m a woman who relates to them. I’m not dumb, I’m not a dependent. I literally live by myself in a house I bought myself and I am a professional. I do everything myself. I don’t have a boyfriend. I pay all my bills myself and I clean my house, take out the garbage, etc. But, I’ve always been both personality wise and a bit physically like the characters you describe. I’m not a perfect individual. But, I listen to others and I do support others. And yes I even literally recently risked my life for someone else. On July 4th, my toddler niece accidentally started to veer off the sidewalk my entire family was walking on to go see fireworks and I was behind her. A car was coming and I had a split second decision where I did consciously make a decision that I was going to risk my life to save her. And I ran forward and basically dived on top of her to both prevent her from continuing to head into the street and to shield her if we were too far into the street for the car to avoid us. As it turned out I had actually prevented her from reaching the street really and so the car didn’t hit us-but it all happened so quickly I just assumed the worst outcome because I wasn’t sure I could prevent her from reaching the street so I acted to both stop her movement and to shield her. She was fine. But when I got up I realized I had dislocated my shoulder. I couldn’t move my left arm because I had put most of the force on it after diving and knocked it out of place. And it’s taken weeks for my arm to recover. But today it has and is better. But, yes, I did absolutely intend to sacrifice myself for her. It’s a long story but I am a quiet person. Always have been. And yes there are probably reasons why I am quiet, not taking on leadership roles and yet I trust others and like supporting others and helping. One reason I think is because I was born with a disability. And that’s a long story. But basically, I literally know that I have limitations. And yes, I can live on my own-but, there are times when I too need help and I do ask for it. Like when I dislocated my shoulder I actually got stuck on my couch a few days after the incident and couldn’t get up because I had been relaxing in a position where my arm got in a weird spot and it hurt so bad I couldn’t move at all-I was laying down and I couldn’t raise my body up because my injured arm was under me and basically I had to put a lot of pressure on it if I wanted to get up by myself and it was terrifying because I didn’t know if I might further injure myself attempting to do that. And of course it hurt like hell. I was fortunate that I had my phone within reach of my other arm and I did call my sister and our parents to ask for help. But, if I was married I definitely would have asked my husband for help in that situation too. And I definitely would have asked for assistance around the house as well during the time these last couple of weeks I was injured. I definitely wouldn’t have been attempting to clean and such-which I did-while injured if I was married. And honestly it is something that makes you realize that living alone is potentially dangerous. Anyways I really think that teaching women to never ask for help and to focus on being completely “independent” the way we do today goes way too far. Basically today we literally cannot have any shows where a woman has any weakness at all. If a character in an anime did exactly what I did and dislocated her shoulder-I guarantee people would complain that the character was unrealistically weak and that even if that happened then she should be able to do everything herself, blah, blah, blah. But, I can tell you that THAT is toxic. Women do need help sometimes and that’s okay. And we aren’t superhuman. And I would add too that being self sacrificing for others that you love is actually the ultimate act of love. I actually think that female characters today that have no weaknesses are actually unrealistic. And also in many cases not something to admire-which basically, admiring physical strength but not the internal strength of a character I think is wrong. For example, if a character that just seeks power for themselves and is strong versus a character that doesn’t want power but wants to help others-I think out of the two characters, the character seeking to help others is the more admirable one. And I actually think this applies to both men and women. A guy who just seeks to be physically the most strong-I don’t think that character is as admirable as a guy seeking physical strength to protect others. I also will say that I think today we seem to be teaching young women to hate the idea of getting married and having a family. And, I think that is wrong too. I literally am a woman who hasn’t gotten married and doesn’t have kids and I’m a professional career woman and I have my own home and everything. All despite literally having a disability. But, I can tell you that living alone is not the best. Family structures are literally natural. And you don’t have to give up on a career either. My sister is married and has children and she has a professional career too. And to be honest, it’s clear that my sister has a more fulfilling life. She has a devoted husband, a devoted family on both her parents side AND her husband’s side too. She’s surrounded by love and support. And that is important as you get older too. I really don’t like that we teach young women to be terrified or to hate men. To pursue being alone. I live that life but I’m honest and I tell everyone that they shouldn’t idolize it. There are very good men out there. My sister got married to a good guy. And all my friends did too. They aren’t oppressed. But, actually, they’re very happy. I personally think we should be telling young women to look for good guys and to work together. That men and women can be best friends and a great team.

so happy you came up on recommended ❤ you gained a sub fr

This is the first video I've seen of yours, but I'm already excited to go through your backlog and see what you have in store for us going forward. I'm a guy who was literally raised with anime and manga and I can tell how passionate you are about your interest. That's literally all I look for with video essayists - do you know your subject and do you LOVE it? (Alternatively, do you hate your subject so much that the passion is still evident? This, too, makes for a good video essay) In any case, I wanted to let you know you've got the support of your viewers. Keep making videos that you love.

as u can relate to good girls, i related to bad girls as i never cared about my family, so sometimes, very good girls seems very distance to me. I know that many women or had experiences as women shoujo fans can easily relate to them. because. many women try to be good girl to be accepted in society. But I think that, even though anime good girls are rewarded for being good, it is not usually the case in real life. Could it be just anime fulfil good girl fantasies?

It's interesting that as a kid and teenager I completely hated the good girl type of character, but now, I'm 27 years old and characters like Tohru Honda makes me cry lmao I want actually be as strong as her to be genuinely good, because it's so hard, it's so hard to forgive others thar hurt and let you down, to try accept people that abuse you, and while I get that the reason I disliked the good girl characters was because being a "good girl" is forced on us irl while ignoring our feelings and wishes as human beings, but at same time being good is seen as so much vitrol nowadays, being kind is seen as being fake and idk it's sad in my opinion Also I believe that when a "good girl" is written by a woman actually we see the nuances, like you hinted here in your video, specifically with Nana we see the real consequences of trying be good in a society that mostly see you as an object Anyway great video

I love Fruits Basket it's one of my favorite Anime. I'll check out these other Anime's and give them a watch. Great video thanks so much for sharing keep up the good work.😁

This video inspired me to go watch some good girl anime and I'm shocked how good they are making me feel. Angelique Abyss, Angelique when hearts awaken, Red Data Girl, Tsubasa Chronical all captured my attention with their sweet narratives, gallant heros and attention to emotion. Grateful this trope exists, the comfy energy is off the charts!💗💗

I never was into Shoujo manga as a young boy. It is nice to hear your perspective. You seem really honest. Thanks for the video!

14:38 Thank goodness you mentioned Orihime because she is seriously a character that pops in my head when I think of "good girl." (Kubo did her so dirty omg) And though I don't watch anime much if at all...I never really related to any anime character, rather I wanted to BE them. Hence my username from WAAAY back in highschool lol

great video!

Great video 😊

I love this video! ❤️

I didn't dislike Tohru or Sawako when I read their respective series. Any character trope or cliche, if done genuinely or well executed, can be engaging. Personally(and I assume for other people too), it's just tiring to only see that archetype. Fewer female-led series are afforded any other storyline beyond good girl(where the core of their character revolves around being nice or sacrificing themselves for others). There's slim pickings for stories where the lead is rude or arrogant in a way that's seriously explored in the narrative. Male-oriented stories allow their leads to be all of this and more, whole series where they get to grow from or really experience the realities of being a bad person. Think of the villainess genre that's plagued by reverse-goodgirl-cards that turn their stories into the exact thing they were trying to subvert. Now compare those to some of the more popular male-mc Isekai where they get to wreak havoc in the worlds they find themselves in. "No Longer Heroine" is one of the only examples I can think of where the mc isn't a good girl. She's not just cosmetically terrible. She actively thinks of herself better than others. She pursues someone in a relationship and belittles them for taking offense. Her character is built around loyalty, and it drives her kind and terrible actions. She's not even that well-executed, but she's so abnormal that she feels like a breath of fresh air. In the end, the value in the good girl archetype is underscored by its oversaturation. Their one of a kind generosity falls flat in the face of hundreds of character with the same attractive face performing the same story beats. I'd appreciate them more if they were less prevalent is all I'm trying to say.

Ive been on Fruits Basket since the early 2000's, but anyone also realize only now that Tohrus friends kinda simulate her parents personalities? Even looking kinda similar? No? Just me? Okay.

I love a 'good girl' character, someone who is pretty much always kind to others. What I can't stand is one who always gets walked over. Tohru drove me nuts for this. I get that she's a people pleaser, but there has to come a point where you say enough is enough! (Maybe this happened later in the series, i gave up on it years ago after a while).

When I was going through a phase of depression in my life as a young teen, I watched Fruits Basket for the first time. It was my comfort show, a place I could escape from my sadness to, and was just so heartwarming. It brought me to tears yet cheered me up innumerable times. Fruits Basket, and in particular Tohru, was so inspiring to me in that phase because she had plenty of pain of her own and yet was still able to smile and be kind to those around her. That show, and Tohru especially, was definitely something that helped me through my depression. Girls who aren't physically strong or tomboyish (don't get me wrong, those strong and tomboyish girls have their place too) seem to get a lot of hate in our society today. Girls like Tohru and Sawako-- the quiet, unassuming, kind girls who have an inner strength (yes, it can be a weakness, as shown in Nana) who might be overlooked. Thank you for taking the time to talk about them in this video, it's very assuring to hear them be discussed from a place of appreciation--both for their inner strength and for their flaws :)

I never understood the dislike around Tohru. She always made me feel so seen, especially revisiting the series in my 20’s when the reboot aired.

This is so well said. I am now 30 and have a very different perspective than when I watched these shows in middle school-college. I've been the weird/awkward girl, I've been the good girl "door mat" and the strong personality. My experiences have shaped me and I am grateful for all of them. I see myself in a lot of these characters from both sides of the spectrum. Thank you for a positive and thoughtful discussion.

Nana Komastu to me is an allegory to not breaking free from a lack of boundaries, she is a kind woman, and no one deserves to be hurt in the way she does. But she succumbs to the actions of being “good” all the time, your life might be stolen away from someone who is calculating and manipulative. She is a complex, and tragic character. It is really eye opening, as a people pleaser myself.

great video

I think I've found my fav channel so far ❤❤❤

Love this video. I honestly think I am so headstrong because of all the shojo animes I watched growing up. To me it just meant that I was more sure of myself. Of what I wanted and who I wanted to be. I was forced to take responsibility for my siblings at a very young age and while I couldn't live how I wanted those animes really helped me see what else I could hope for. Nana in particular. I could see meself being like Hatchi in romantic relationships because I was like that with my family and it frightened me. I avoided romantic relationships because I didn't want to be the person giving everything. I was already doing that with my family and it took everything in me to keep going. Shojo stories have a lot to tell and its honesly a shame that many just see it as some chickflic

Will def be checking out the komi vid. I had to stop watching it but couldn’t put it into words.

I adore these anime and I'm so sad they aren't really made as much anymore (current shoujo anime lack the vibe we once used to get). I'd love to hear your thoughts on characters like Rin from Fruits Basket, as she stole the show for me despite not being in it as much as the other characters. I think I relate very much to Tohru and Hachi, but I also really connect with characters like Rin, so I'm curious as to why that is sometimes.

This was a great video, thank you for making it. I just have to be the Japanese pronunciation police for a second. Kimi Ni Todoke's Sawako. The "Sa" is pronounced like "Sakura" with emphasis on the "A." Yours sounds like "Sowako" or "Serwako." So please just be mindful to pronounce "Sa" like Saturday, "Sa-Wa-Ko."

Wonderful video! I love your thoughts on all three characters and totally agree. I appreciate the fruits basket love cause it really is a masterpiece and I feel like some people do miss the complexities of Torhu and write her off quickly. Hachi too, is dismissed so easily. I feel like a lot of women are so hard on her cause she does appear only to care about romantic relationships. I think its a hard reality that especially young insecure girls put their self-worth in other people's comments and attention from romantic partners. I think the popularity of social media only shows that the validation from others is something many people are constantly seeking. I have watched Nana three times and read the manga once 🥲 and each time I am left with a different opinion of Hachi but ultimately I think she is brave and selfless. We see her grow up during the course of the anime. I think people also forget she is literally 20 years old! She is a baby.

Yeah, I read the manga and watch the anime and I can tell when watching and reading fruits basket with Tohru she hides her sadness from her mom’s death with a smile and also yeah she does this because she feels like everybody’s gonna leave her That’s why she tries to make everybody happy

Thanks so much for including Nana, nana is the best shoujo anime i have ever watched.

Love this nuanced take. We should all be capable of parsing the good from the bad representation, for what it's worth. Also, Millie Thompson probably my fav best/good girl atm, even better when mirrored by best/good boy Vash 😁

Not my entire life, but from age 10 on, I was known as the amiable, extroverted "good girl". I'm a huge people-pleaser. Sometimes, I'm super happy with that identity, and sometimes, I despise it to the core. I absolutely have no guts to defend, protect, and love myself. I know clearly well why I'm like this, and I've tried being mean (By mean, I mean once not helping a person out. I immediately felt the guiltiest I've ever felt.) My parents have never really taught me how to be independent, they do whatever choice they think that is right for me without ever asking me, this is also why I'm so indecisive and need someones help in choosing things for me. Whenever I got bullied and went back home to tell them about it, they'd tell me to suck it up, or that it was my fault for not standing up to those kinds of people. I act really nice to people even if I hate them with all my guts, that's how I've survived until now. Before becoming this type of "good girl", I was just your average girl who was not that funny, honestly really smart, not quiet but not that loud either, never stood out, a helper, but I knew my boundaries of sorts... Then everyone started leaving me. My friends were smarter than me so they were always picking on me for being dumb, and it eventually grew within me. I was known as the dumb friend. And because of this reason, I gave up all my reasons and motivations to study. I was lesser than them in whatever I did. I had moments where I really could've shined, but they were yearning for it so I gave up on that too. They would curse me for doing somethings, and the next day, they would do that same exact thing. I hated every moment with them. It was all unfair to me. And around that time, I already started changing. Around 7th grade, I finally changed my class and used thousands of excuses to run away from them and instead, hanged out with people from my new class. Eventually, we barely talked. From that point on, I changed completely. The damage was already done. I already suffered great trauma when I was younger due to my parents and people around me when I was younger, and now my own friends of 4 years. I had the biggest fear of being abandoned, and still do. And you what's the funniest thing ever? Even after all I've done, of being kind, doing everything they asked me to, shifting my whole personality just to fit in and people would adore me, they all still left me anyways. Everything I do, I'm cursed to have no one with me. I'm still in contact with some of them, but every time they contact me, I feel like shit. No matter how many times I have promised to never answer theirs text, I still answer it like a stupid, naive fool who's hoping for something every time. Just to get abandoned all over again.

Tohru was so special to me. I am so much like her (or wish i was at least). I remember when i found fruits basket i cried so hard every episode because it just made me so happy to see a girl i felt was like me become a kind, loving and hardworking girl with loving friendships and romance. It was like looking at heaven. It honestly breaks my heart to realize people who dont relate to her would hate her but i do get it. Theres many types of personalities we all misunderstand because they dont communicate the way "we expect". When you dont understand the emotions/emotional logic behind a characters 'confusing' actions some nuance and empathy is lost. Whenever people "dont know why" someone did something notice how they never actually wanna know why they just say "it must be because theyre stupid"