Sakurasou no Pet no Kanojo

I was thinking if I should even make a thread for this, but eh, figured it couldn't hurt.

So, yeah, about this show. Pretty much standard formula.

Episode 2:

• Props to the seiyuu. Seriously. They make the show ten times more fun. Sorata and Aoyama in particular have very entertaining reactions.
• It's another take on the sane guy weird girl formula (though in this case almost every other character is weird) but the weird girl in question is, frankly, boring.
• Rather interested in how they'll explore Sorata's inferiority complex. Oh, and surprise surprise, genius writer Jin has his his own inferiority complex with regards to Misaki. Yeah, beta couple in the making. Cool.
• Manservice scene was hilarious. So easy to take out of context...

Personaly I think Mashiro (is that her name right?) is quite amusing, though she will not be my most favourite ever.

Also several people here considering it being sexistic, aside of it being harem I don't realy see it, especialy as girls seems to be far more talented that guy.

Agree on beta couple, though I think Misaki would make harem more interesting.

Anyway probably best harem show of season.

edited 17th Oct '12 7:21:04 AM by Tenzen12

It's vaguely creepy. Mashiro takes the "eccentric bit" and turns it up into the level where it is vaguely "taking advantage of a mentally disabled person" level.

"No, the Singularity will not happen. Computation is hard." -Happy Ent

It's arguably not even a harem show, only one girl actually likes Sorata so far, and there's only one other potential love interest. It's more of a love triangle.

I suppose Mashiro is okay, just that she pales in comparison to the others. Her status is more interesting than her being her, at any rate.

She can definitely be diagnosed with autism.

edited 17th Oct '12 8:23:57 AM by fillerdude

Note chatterbox reply #13870 that if I picked on this show, it'd not be a completely voluntary decision—and to spend the least effort to get things done, I'd probably just concentrate on Sorata/Mashiro.

@fillerdude: "She can definitely be diagnosed with autism" is an understatement. She's a textbook case of autism. My wife calls her "the most accurate fictional depiction of an autistic so far."

@Tenzen12:

This is not the harem show IMO. Jin's intentions are clear, if not twisted. The literal meaning of the title (The Pet Girlfriend[...]) made it clear the writer is pairing Sorata with Mashiro. I remember somebody else said Nanami eventually dated somebody, but I'm unsure...

---

We're probably seeing the first piece of fictional work that depicts an Idiot Savant as a female Love Interest.

edited 17th Oct '12 8:39:44 AM by SamCurt

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova

Ok I will not call it harem from now (as long as this show prove be not be one), though I can't help but feel harem vibes and I don't know myself why. So lets just this metter go move on.

Anyway my favourite girl is definitely Misaki I just loved her puns in first episode.

edited 17th Oct '12 8:49:10 AM by Tenzen12

Thanks for the info. Quite a surprise, considering the type of show this is, it looks like the author actually did his research. Consider my curiosity piqued.

It's actually possible to make the official couple clear while still making it a harem series.

Back to the show: I like her cabbage path to glory.

edited 17th Oct '12 9:06:12 AM by fillerdude

The way the writer took meticulous care on the symptoms of autism is actually scary IMO.

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova

Kanojo doesn't only mean girlfriend, and the official translation goes for the alternative translation of, simply, "Girl".

Why is it scary?

I don't think it's particularly wrong (though not exactly correct either) to call this a harem show, as the only thing it lacks from the genre is the actual harem, and some people would call three people a harem anyway. The rest of it seems to play out exactly according to the dotted lines.

Also, for any actual "taking advantage of a mentally disabled person" there needs to be an actual "taking advantage of" part.

edited 17th Oct '12 10:26:55 AM by AnotherDuck

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Last I checked, the requirement for a harem as opposed to a love triangle was 3 or more girls who like the protagonist romantically. I only saw two potential girls in the first episode (waiting for the Crunchyroll simulcast for the second episode, which doesn't run until an hour from now).

If we pain everything as "harem" with too wide a brush, the term will lose its meaning as a genre.

edited 17th Oct '12 10:30:37 AM by burnpsy

Thank you for your correction.

Shown Their Work is usually a good thing, but after all Light Novels tend to emphasize on speed rather than writing quality. So I would more likely to expect a case of Ambiguous Disorder or something slightly clearer than that, rather than one that looks ripped out from a textbook about autism.

edited 17th Oct '12 10:46:56 AM by SamCurt

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova

This show has an accurate portrayal of autism?

Yeah, that would be a first, though I suppose I could at least check it out.

So because it's more accurate than you expect, it's scary?

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Aaaaaaand watched the first two episodes.

Yeah, kind of what I was expecting. She may not quite be Rain Man, but you can see it from here. Completely helpless with some Disability Superpower to cover it up. On top of that, I certainly don't like her being referred to as a "pet" in the title either.

I mean, sure, I get why this is the typical portrayal of autistic spectrum disorders. It makes for good stories. But I have to actually life with the stereotype, you know? Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be asked on job interview whether I can solve a rubix cube? Or people shoving math problems my way? Or people in general, my freaking parents included, assuming that I have to be some kind of genus at something in the first place? I hate being autistic, but I hate being stereotyped far more. People are not supposed to look disappointed if I can't recite pi.

So yeah, that was the rant. As for the actual show, I like it. It's good comedy, got nice animation, the main couple if cute, the beta couple can be pretty interesting (I see a Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest coming, which is a trope I haven't seen in far too long), and I already care enough about the characters to feel sorry for Aoyama for her inevitable disappointment (though she could have considered taking the shot while she had the chance).

I'll be watching this. Just don't expect me to show it during an awareness event.

edited 17th Oct '12 1:53:59 PM by Kayeka

I can relate to being stereotyped like that. Not in the same way, though, as I'm a twin, but people expect me and my twin be exact copies (we're not even identical twins), and looked at me funny when I wanted to work with someone else in school assignments. Had a pretty negative impact on my social life.

I mostly see people who're not "normal" as not normal, and I like not normal. Makes people more interesting, and less predictable. Less predictable usually means less stereotypical. Autisim can mean a lot of things. I usually think "less collective, more focused". In what way? Depends entirely on the person. I've only known one autistic person I'm aware of, who I think currently works as an editor, since she's better at reading the words than the meaning of a text. Otherwise no one who sticks out in any way, and had pretty average grades in all subjects.

People in stories, however, as you said, are almost always on the more extreme ends of the spectrum. Anything that's less "normal" makes for a more interesting story. Supposedly. Personally I prefer subtle details. In this case, I'd like to see subtle shifts in her personality to indicate some growth and development. Large changes would just mess things up.

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Apparently this series has a very unfortunate title.

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova

I don't think Pet no Kanojo is so bad. ït describe plot nicely.

Thats not necessary true either, there are many cases of mildliers disorders, but cause it's not so extreme it's not pointed on.

edited 17th Oct '12 11:16:09 PM by Tenzen12

Kinda, yeah. It doesn't bother me though.

EDIT: Missing an arrow.

edited 17th Oct '12 11:51:32 PM by fillerdude

...right, it would be understandable if you know the plot, plus a bit of Fridge Brillance (Temple Grandin once mentioned—IIRC—that autistics' mind actually work more similar to other mammals). But taken in isolation it is describing a woman as a pet, which even the Japanese found offensive.

edited 17th Oct '12 11:14:25 PM by SamCurt

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova

Lost And Found provided two options for the title thing: Unfortunate Implications and Intentionally Awkward Title. Have your pick.

Now a practice of Values Dissonance: As you know, among the English-speaking fandom, the fact that Mashiro is an Idiot Savant is...fundamental. Japanese don't like talking mental illnesses at all, as you know. As for Chinese... this issue was not raised at all either, despite the incidence of autism in large cities are close to developed country levels.

edited 19th Oct '12 7:13:42 PM by SamCurt

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova

Episode 3. "You're weird."

Someone's a lot more perceptive than she appears.

Nanami makes me sad.

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Well that's a surprise. Looks like this is challenging Psycho-Pass for Fall 2012's "bad show that you'll be watching just to see how worse it could get that it would probably reach So Bad, It's Good levels" award.

edited 22nd Oct '12 11:52:22 PM by entropy13

I'm reading this because it's interesting. I think. Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, over.

Not realy, I find it very good. Its worse than Senkyo to Chocolate (though I like it slightly more), but still best romance of this season.

edited 23rd Oct '12 7:00:45 AM by Tenzen12

I wouldn't go that far. There are a few decent Shoujo series currently.

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