Split and/or Create Supertrope: Zettai Ryouiki

There has been a lot of discussion over this trope in recent days. Some say the description should/should not include the grades, some say the description is too clinical/gushy, and some say there shouldn't be examples. This seems to be a big issue, so I'd like everyone to discuss.

Well let's make sure we have a solid core definition, and see what extra parts help or hinder it.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

To me the core is that long socks and short skirts are used as subtle fanservice.

I think the description is okay. The grades don't originate from TV Tropes, so they should still be there.

Of the three parts, socks, skin, and skirt, the skirt part seems to differ the most. Sometimes it's about shorts, and sometimes various swimsuits or leotards. I think it's okay as the purpose of it is to highlight by contrast the vulnerable skin on the upper thigh.

I don't think there's a problem with having examples. There's no silly stigma attached to it, like panties, so it comes off as less creepy.

The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.

I think the description needs reworking. The examples on the other hand are largely reasonable; sure we need to rewrite a few examples here and there, but on the whole I don't see them as problematic.

The words above are to be read as if they are narrated by Morgan Freeman.

In what way?

The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.

It was mentioned before that some folks might have a problem with the clinical, tongue-in-cheek serious-business tone of the article (which I conjectured began from here). If true, then it's sensible to just change the tone, since it's only there as a joke.

Additionally, the "budding, innocent sexuality" bit is analytical and not central to the trope while being noticeably more... flavourful than the rest of the description.

I'm not bothered with it, but it's good compromise.

The words above are to be read as if they are narrated by Morgan Freeman.

I think we can trim the paragraph about "budding innocent sexuality" and well, although I don't personally mind, the inclusion of how "it's the most popular fetish in Japan" may be drawing a bit of the problematic bits.

As for the examples....not seeing the issue. They look clean.

"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer

Except both are very true. The first one it's the personality connected to this, which is why it is so common with Tsundere (Coupled with the innocent Twin Tails makes the extreme version knows as Grade S), The Ingenue, non extreme Tomboys (as in the ones that still wear girly stuff but play sports, rude and such.) some Tall, Dark and Bishōjo and Moe characters. (Depends on the characterization and the character designer's willingness to pander to the type.)

But not extremely closed off which ends up more Proper Tights with a Skirt.

It's why Miki in Fresh Precure wears Proper Tights with a Skirt till she breaks out of her shell and becomes a Magical Girl which has Zettai Ryouiki.

edited 3rd Apr '12 6:57:34 AM by Raso

Sparkling and glittering! Jan-Ken-Pon!

I disagree. Yes, the "most popular fetish" but is factual and can stay, but the first is just an interpretation of the trope which is by no means universal. I for one have never seen the trope in an "innocent" angle.

The words above are to be read as if they are narrated by Morgan Freeman.

But the titillation is precisely in the delicate balance between "innocent" and "sexual". The two are exclusive concepts, but the concept of this trope is on the very delicate and precise "sweet spot" a character designer needs to hit to use the trope effectively.

Remember, this began primarily in Japan, in which the concepts of innocence and sexuality are tied together.

Let's see if we can rewrite that efficiently then. If we can, I've no problems with it.

The words above are to be read as if they are narrated by Morgan Freeman.

Then why is it a staple of the heavy Ship Tease Tsundere girls such as well any Shana Clone, the innocent Schoolgirl Lesbians "Class S" relationship *

Les Yay school girl types, or the extremely innocent but hopeful for a relationship Robot Girl Chachamaru in Negima who has these built into her body (a trait she shares with Aigis in Persona 3 who follows the same arc) The extremely innocent and distant types who want to get into a relationship but cant like Sayaka from Madoka Magica. etc

look at this pic which one looks the most innocent (Dojikko too) and which one has the Zettai Ryouiki.

edited 3rd Apr '12 7:45:55 AM by Raso

Sparkling and glittering! Jan-Ken-Pon!

So you have evidence. Please rewrite it, then. I cannot because my knowledge of it is proven to be insufficient by that very statement. The "sweet spot" argumentation can be used.

The words above are to be read as if they are narrated by Morgan Freeman.

BTW I personally was cool with it as it was, but due to all the debate, there needed to be a thread. @Kingzeal - yes, the reason it's long socks is that a)it can be worn with a school outfit without breaking protocol b) it doesn't seem as 'intentional' as say, Stocking Filler The intentionality is a sign of maturity.

edited 3rd Apr '12 7:45:27 AM by animeg3282

While using the word budding seems a little off to me*

, I'll note that the previous thread had consensus that that part of the article must be there as it was the core of the trope. What does this costume choice actually mean and what makes it a trope? If you want to get rid of that, you're probably going to have to attach some other significance to this costume/fetish trope. I don't think doing so would be a good idea, either, since what we have does appear to be symbolic in the sense we claim it does: You don't really see Zettai Ryouiki on adults much.

edited 3rd Apr '12 8:16:12 AM by Arha

Well, I don't think it should be nuked altogether, just tweaked a bit.

"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer

The main issues I have with the grades is that 1) they are specific to the anime fandom, and this trope is far from anime-only or even Japanese media-only and 2) they are exactly the same thing as unnamed types, which we are squishing with extreme prejudice elsewhere on the wiki.

The examples look clean right now because three moderators and an unknown number of others have all taken a turn at cleaning them. I should hope to hell they're thoroughly sanitary by now. What we really need is a full-time curator for this page, since it is (as Raso is wont to point out) a very popular trope.

We don't need to mention it's the number one fetish in Japan. It may be factually true, but it has nothing to do with the trope.

We do need to make the description less anime-centric. It may be popular in anime, but it is not exclusive to it and did not originate there.

We do need to move the information about the Trope Namer down, and the actual trope part up.

I don't think we need to cut the symbolism out, because this is the way I see it used (and I don't watch anime). However, we can work on the way it's worded if it's creepy.

It's been brought up that the grades are part of the symbolism, but this information is nowhere on the page other than "Grade S", which is when this trope intersects with others. If this is true, then it needs mentioning.

I'm sure there's other stuff I wanted to say, too, but it's not coming to me right now.

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.

Okay, I'll curate it myself.

As for the types, aren't all of them beside A and B useless? If they aren't above the knee, they aren't Zettai Ryouiki.

"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer

Ccoa: I assumed this was a Japanese costume trope that mostly caught on in the last decade or so. Could you cite a non Japanese example that contains the same symbolism? I know the costume itself can be seen elsewhere but I wasn't aware the same implications were attached to it.

^ I believe they're there specifically so we can tell people 'No, it's not this trope, go away and stop adding it.'

edited 3rd Apr '12 8:35:37 AM by Arha

Yea, the point of the other types was to keep "she wears socks and a skirt" off of the trope examples.

ninjaed

edited 3rd Apr '12 8:36:06 AM by animeg3282

Yes A and B are the only true Zettai Ryouiki [1] everything else is not the trope.

We can edit the picture to get rid of the rest of the ranks on it. (the current version was translated from japanese and can be easily edited I think.)

Hell I wanted this way back when during last crowner.

edited 3rd Apr '12 8:40:58 AM by Raso

Sparkling and glittering! Jan-Ken-Pon!

Mads put it better than I could for the origin of the trope, so I'll copy it here:

As to Western examples, I'll re-cite the two I already mentioned:

• Cassie, in Push, who is 13 but is sexualized in an innocent way by the movie.
• Echo, in Dollhouse, an adult, but as a doll her default state is one of innocence. She's "dressed up" with a personality and outfit to suit the people who hire her out.

Going through the page, I see:

• Supergirl in the 70s (predating the trope namer), who is a teenager, I believe.
• Rose Walker from Sandman - men are attracted to her because her grandparent is Desire, but she herself is relatively innocent. She's incapable of actually falling in love in the arc that the costume is featured in.
• Batgirl - students, including the titular character, wear them.
• Full House - a younger girl, also predating the trope namer

There's also:

• The Playboy cartoon (also predating the trope namer) that noted that the higher the stockings (with the gap still there), the sexier

I could probably go on for some time.

edited 3rd Apr '12 8:49:21 AM by ccoa

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.

All that makes me think this needs a serious re-write, and maybe even a rename. I didn't realize that this originated as a Western trope, maybe because I never gave stockings and skirts all that much thought. Now girls are wearing stockings and no skirts, but that's a whole different thing.

"Did anybody invent this stuff on purpose?" - Phillip Marlowe on tequila, Finger Man by Raymond Chandler.

Those are tights, not stockings. But it's sort of a shared trope, but we don't need a rename. Maybe a redirect like High Socks, High Skirts