Sorry to break it to you, babe.
Now that the Nisekoi anime has finished airing, allow me to state my opinion on a matter of national importance: Onodera sucks. She might not be the most annoying character in Nisekoi, but she’s up there with the most boring.
But, hell, what do I know about what makes an attractive woman? I may as well ask the man himself what he sees in Onodera. We might gain some sparkling new insight into the thought processes of harem lead characters.
So let’s give a hand to Mr. Raku Ichijou!
So, Mr. Raku Ichijou, what do you like about Onodera?
“H-how did you know I like Onodera? Uwaaaagh! What was it that obvious?”
Supremely, Mr. Raku Ichijou. Now answer the question.
“What I like about her, huh…? Well, she’s very kind-hearted and sweet and, uh…”
Can you briefly describe to us her hobbies?
“Uh…”
What about her anxieties? Her fears? Her hopes?
“I don’t really know…”
Do you know anything about Onodera, Mr. Raku Ichijou, besides her phone number which you obtained after two whole years of knowing her?
“Er, uh, um…
Hey, can you stop calling me Mr. Raku Ichijou? And who are you, some kind of FBI agent?”
Mr. Raku Ichijou, we are having a serious discussion about Best Girl here.
“There are more important things than Best Girl!”
Like what?
“Uhhhhh…”
Look, Mr. Raku Ichijou. All I ask is that you tell us why you think Onodera is better than Chitoge.
“That’s an easy one. Because Chitoge isn’t ladylike or feminine at all! I prefer pure and sweet girls, like Onodera!”
By “sweet”, do you mean submissive?
“I guess that’s another way to put it…? I never really thought about it like that.”
So what you’re saying is that you like girls whom you feel you can protect?
“That’s right! It’s a man’s duty to protect a woman!”
So what you’re really saying is that you feel emasculated in the presence of independent-thinking girls like Chitoge and you only find her romantically attractive when she is made vulnerable at your convenience.
“Stop psycho-analysing me, you jerk!”
I’m right, though, aren’t I.
“No, you’re not right! Aren’t you reading too much into this?”
Okay, so what do you think of Tsugumi?
“Er, uh, um… she’s been cute ever since she’s started acting more like a girl. It seems like she’s more comfortable with herself now!”
Last question. How would you feel if it turned out Onodera wasn’t as pure as you thought she was? That she wasn’t a virgin, for instance?
“WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT ONODERA?! SHE’S DEFINITELY PURE! THERE’S NO WAY IN THE WORLD SHE’S NOT!”
I was only hypothetically speaking, you know.
“It was a bad joke.”
So you don’t plan to make any moves on her yourself? (This really is the last question!)
“Of course not! Onodera’s just meant to be admired from a distance! I try to be a gentleman, okay?!”
tldr; Onodera sucks. Ruri Best Girl.
Frogkun.com 
“tldr; Onodera sucks. Ruri Best Girl.”
At least Haru Onodera is the best. http://i.minus.com/itaGCKgsEa8w0.jpg
Eh.
Funny thing is I can tell without even watching this anime past episode two that I wouldn’t like Chitoge. I don’t mind tsundere characters that much, I even like some of them. Chitoge is just annoying to me. I don’t know if I would Onodera or not…
I can’t help feeling like having attractive characters is the whole point of something like this. Does it even have a message beyond pick your favorite girl? Be it the tsundere, the ideal wife, the supportive friend or the surprisingly feminine tomboy.(did I get any of those character types wrong?) Take your pick because the story won’t dare to make your choice the wrong one, at least not until the author tires of writing it. I would need to watch it to have a solid opinion on Nisekoi’s lack of message, but I doubt it has one. In fact I’m pretty sure the next part of the story just introduces more girls.
Having read the whole manga, I agree with you that the point of the story is to sell the girls, first and foremost. But we need to be careful at drawing the line and saying there are “no messages”. The story has been pro-Chitoge from the start. When (if) the story ever ends, Chitoge is obviously going to win and Onodera is obviously going to lose. And given all the chances Onodera and Raku have squandered to confess their feelings to each other, it’s not so much of a leap to assume the story is telling us their naivete about relationships is the reason it won’t work out. Of course, since the rest of the manga is about being as trashy as possible, that little message kind of loses its impact.
On another note, Chitoge’s really not that bad! A bit unpleasant at the start, but she’s more of a tomboy/genki girl than a tsun at heart.
Chitoge may win, but is that a “message” or just an obvious setup as part of the plot. The first girl to get any sort of development almost always wins so if someone is going to be picked it will be Chitoge. That is not even an anime thing, but a general storytelling thing. We can’t really know without the author coming out and stating his intentions. I do get what you are saying and after giving it some more thought I am probably not giving Nisekoi enough credit. I’ve just also come to find that many modern harem series have abandoned the notion that one of the girls needs to win and just leave it open to allow the fans to imagine whatever they want.(see To Love Ru) That mentality changes the game a bit.
You know, the section in which Raku reveals he knows next to nothing about Onodera makes me think of how dedicated romance stories rarely work unless complemented by something else, some other thematic or plot-based narrative to flesh out the couple in question in directions other than ‘who likes who’. I’ve noted that I’ve generally liked ‘pure romances’, i.e. romances that do not have a secondary genre attached, like mystery, sports, or historical fiction far, far less than ‘semi-romances’ where the romance comes with another genre, even the ones which had relatively sparse character development.
So, Hyouka has thematic threads about geniuses and applying oneself, Spice and Wolf has a few about the decline of animist religion and loneliness, Yamato 2199 has a lot of ‘other’ threads, and Gundam Unicorn is a hulking mass of them. The last two are plot-based anime, not character based, yet I find that they have more compelling romances than is average for dedicated romances.
Perhaps, then, harem is simply a later stage of ‘pure romance’ anime, where the author realises that one girl doesn’t have enough personality to carry the whole show, at which point he decides to add more, and more, and more. Where did the harem genre come from anyway? I don’t see it in western media.
Yeah, I noticed the same thing. I enjoy stories which put romance into perspective with a broader theme rather than just romance for romance’s sake. I think those sorts of stories do better at showing that love is more than the sum of its parts. I personally think that all great stories are love stories in some way – they’re just not necessarily stories about romance.
As for the origins of the harem genre, we do have variants of it in our culture with dating shows and whatnot, but I suppose the nuance is so much different because there’s a definite “romance is girly” undercurrent in western culture. I actually find myself attracted to the harem genre in anime because of the lack of romance stories aimed at men in my own culture. Pity harem stories are so problematic in their own way, because having more male-targeted romances is a good thing, imo.
Exactly why I disliked Nisekoi and dropped it like a hot potato two episodes in. I’m relieved to see that my instincts pointing at Onodera’s role as romantic plot-device were correct. Characterization really does carry the narrative and the blandness of thinly-disguised plot devices is enough justification for me to be leery of run-of-the-mill rom-coms.
My question is whether or not we’re supposed to take Raku’s offensively sexist view of women and relationships seriously? Are we supposed to see him as the “ideal guy”? Because I don’t know why we’re even supposed to root for him. I would not want a guy like him dating any of my female friends that way.
I’d hesitate to call Raku the “ideal guy”. Like many harem protagonists, he’s not exactly a popular character with the readers. I suppose, if anything, you’re supposed to identify with his “average Joe” qualities, but then the girls need some reason for liking someone boring like that, so they put it down it down to him being a “nice guy”. But, well, we all know about how some so-called “nice guys” can be the biggest assholes on the block lol.
Basically, I think harem shows like Nisekoi try to tell you that girls like guys who you are nice, without showing any understanding of what it really means to be nice.
Interesting take on the general dislikability of harem protagonists. I’m working on a piece on reverse-harem protagonists at the moment and in contrast, reverse-harem protagonists, although arguably just as “average joe” as harem protagonists, tend to be quite likeable (i.e. of course Fujioka Haruhi from Ouran comes to mind).
Any thoughts of this?
Reverse harem protagonists… erk. Personally, I find them about as likable as male harem protags. Depends if you’re talking about otome game heroines (they’re usually incredibly bland), manga protagonists (usually incredibly submissive). Characters like Haruhi are outliers from my experience with the genre. It depends on the examples you draw upon, I suppose. I’m interested in seeing your post on this!
Hello Frog-kun! Never commented here before but I really like what you’ve done with the place. Really enjoy your editorials =3
I completely agree with your assessment. Outside of nice, Onodera is characterised entirely by the fact that she likes Raku. Wish-fulfilment of the highest order.
Also.. Ruri best girl, Shuu best boy! Aaand Ruri/Shuu otp! =3
Haha, thanks! Looks like you’ve got some mighty fine taste there yourself. Shuu x Ruri OTP 5eva!
I read the new chapter randomly. That was a bad idea. I got extremely offended. I actually did have a friend that wanted to be a housewife, but she at least went into university and put effort into a back up plan starting with a field she’d like to work in… rather than just working on her cooking skills. I can’t say I really understand the ideals of being a housewife, as a woman who’s attempting to get a career and take care of herself first off, but that’s why I’m 5ever alone according to anime, and who can argue with that! To be honest, I was angry at the chapter and angry at the “this is the type of woman you’ll actually marry”-type comments in the manga site where I read the chapter. Ugh.
Actually, not knowing any hobbies, skills, etc. of Onodera reminds me of a few BL series, because that actually becomes a problem in their relationship (where I’ve seen it end with “well what do you wanna know?” and a flurry of responses about hobbies, hometown, etc.). Although I can’t say the author not addressing it until they’re in the relationship is ‘good’. I’ve also read better graduation stories in BL… because they at least figure out a field they want to go in based on their hobbies/skills.
Holy crap, I didn’t read any comments about the latest Nisekoi chapter, but if I saw people going on about how they want to marry a girl like that, I would have gotten even MORE pissed. Yeek.
I haven’t read much BL, so I don’t really know much about the genre, but what you said is interesting. It seems as if BL artists are more aware of the psychology of the relationships they’re portraying. Are these relationships often portrayed as dysfunctional in general? (As opposed to, say, Nisekoi, where everything is sugary sweet.)
Onodera definitely is the closest thing to a Yamato Nadeshiko type character in Niekoi. She isn’t a perfect fit for that role, but she clearly is designed to be the more traditional “feminine” woman. I do think this is why Onodera is so very popular. I also think that she is popular because, if we are to be honest, she would probably be the easiest person to be in a relationship with in real life. I don’t mean “easy” as in “easy to get” or whatnot – I mean that most people would rather go out with Onodera than with a tsundere type character whose actions – while comedic in a show like Nisekoi – would really be classified as physical abuse in real life.
However, while I do think Onodera is largely popular because people like the idea of the traditional feminine girl, I also think that Nisekoi does something interesting with that idea – it is the fact that she is so influenced by notions of innocence and modesty and what have you that torpedoes her chance of an actual relationship with Ichijou. Her personality helps her win tons of fans – and I will admit to being one of those fans. It doesn’t win her the relationship that she desires. Perhaps this is just due to the fact that the Raku x Chitoge couple is more dramatic and therefore the better couple for a manga/anime, of course. But maybe Komi Naoshi wanted to say something about the effectiveness traditional ideas in modern society. I don’t know, really.
I definitely noticed that subtext! I think that’s the most interesting part about Onodera’s character – that it’s her silly, naive ideas about romance that’s stopping her from getting with Raku. But it’s kind of lost in how she and all the other girls are objectified by the story. I feel as if her purity is portrayed as her charm point and it’s a good thing Raku is too afraid to go after her seriously even though he thinks she’s so great – because that’s how we’re meant to feel about her too. So I dunno.
She’s definitely a nice person and probably the easiest person in the series to get along with in real life for sure.
Marika is best girl
Shuu is best character
[…] attractive animation can make up for its sorry excuse of a plot, poor humour, annoying characters, sexist attitude, and completely forgettable soundtrack. The only things I will take with me from Nisekoi are my […]
I think this post sums up exactly why I didn’t feel much of most of Nisekoi’s characters, not to say I hate them, since as “base” characters, they are all fun characters in their own rights.
For the most part, I think Onodera’s character is created mainly in order to complement Raku’s “average Joe” qualities. Having a heroine with realistic, ordinary and traditional views combined with a protagonist who we are seemingly supposed to relate to makes the pairing between the two that much matching. In contrast, Raku and Chitoge’s almost “de-synchronizing” chemistry (and it’s also something even specifically mentioned in the show) makes it a great contrast when compare to Onodera. Then again, I think such issue isn’t only apparent in Nisekoi, most harem I think, would had a character (or two) uncannily similar to Onodera.
I do agree that Raku and Chitoge make a better couple in terms of chemistry, although I think one of the clever things about Nisekoi is that the “false love” in the title refers just as much to the relationship between Raku and Onodera. Part of the effect is intentional, but I can’t help it if it rubs me the wrong, I guess.
Anyway, thanks for the comment!
[…] for me to pin down what made Kusanagi Yui so likable. After some thinking and a comment made by Frog-kun made me realize that Yui wasn’t so much as likable as she was deliberately bland. And by […]
My god. How do you mention Tsugumi in passing and not even acknowledge Marika. Wtf ribbit-kun. Respect points -3
Silence, you! Let me whine about Onodera in peace. Get back to editing, slave
I think I’d really like it if Nisekoi was to completely deconstruct itself in the end. The harem all realise they love Raku for mostly shallow reasons, and that their obsession with him has stunted their growth as people. They all eventually get fed up with his lack of romantic guile or initiative, then get over him, move on with their lives and end up better off for it. Probably (definitely) a stretch for this series, but part of me thinks that it’s SOOOO generic that it could actually pull it off pretty well.
rofl your comment reminds me of something I wrote in an unpublished fanfiction for another series:
“It was around six months before my high school graduation when [SPOILER] told me that she wanted to be my girlfriend. I said, “No,” and it was there my ‘Moteki’ period ended, relatively speaking. No girl has ever fallen in love with me before or since. I experienced the fate that I have always felt is inevitable of a protagonist from a harem anime. He picks no one, the heroines come to their collective senses, and the protagonist is forever alone.”
I agree that this turn of events is highly unlikely to happen in Nisekoi, alas.
Silly un-named protagonist. Everyone knows that the correct answer in this situation is to say “…Uh …Uh?!” then trip and fall, accidental grabbing her breast. You’re guaranteed at least a four-girl harem with that manoeuvre.
I’m curious about the first part of your fanfic. Did the protagonist reject [SPOILER] because he was expecting a harem?
Ah, but wouldn’t the answer also be a spoiler? ;)
[…] behind this is that female characters in anime are very poorly written and/or fetishised – which is an undeniable truth. So yaoi fandom becomes a way of exploring what is basically a heterosexual relationship but […]
[…] all explains the gradual shift in my recent posts towards more feminist critique. I criticised the sexism in Nisekoi and wrote sympathetically about bishonen and female fans. But actually, I’ve […]
Sums up why I dislike Onodera (and Raku, yeah). All I can remember Onodera is frequently doing is blushing around Raku. All I can remember Raku doing are blushing around Onodera (and other girls if they happen to wear revealing and cute clothes) and being the “hero” of every girl in the series whenever these girls are in a pinch. (Well, it’s also the other girls’ fault for falling for his tricks and gentle gestures.)
Yep, Onodera sucks. Judging from your avatar, though, you seem to be more of a Chitoge fan? She’s pretty awesome.
Yes. It’s obvious, eh? Hehe. I really like Chitoge despite her ‘flaws’ that Raku has been pointing out every now and then. What actually made me like Chitoge even more is that she certainly has changed for the better. She is less “violent” in the previous chapters, and her “gorilla” nature is almost gone, if not completely. She is a great example in rom-com where the heroine is undergoing a character development in line with the “love can make you a better person” life lesson.
:D
I completely agree with you!
Finally I found someone that thinks the same: Onodera sucks. That’s the truth. I think I just hate “perfect” characters and Onodera shows exactly that. I just can’t like characters without flaws, is like “OMG, nobody can’t be this perfect, without flaws and all!” And after all Onodera is just… boring. I just think that Chitoge is funnier and more interesting, with her flaws and qualities, that make me think in a real person that I could be friend of mine.
Alright, sorry for my bad english, anyway I tried to edit it but it didn’t work lel
Moe girls…….
[…] Oh, and Onodera sucks. […]
[…] …ex aequo avec Onodera (Nisekoi). Tout ce que vous avez besoin de savoir est dans cet article. […]
Oh please. Not every female can be “strong” and violent like Chitoge is. Shy, cute and girly women like Onodera exist and there’s nothing wrong about them. And Raku might be a little bit sexist, but at the same time he’s the punching bag of the tsundere and isn’t allowed to hit back since that’s “unmanly”. In other words: This manga is also sexist to men. Also, if Raku prefers the kind and gentle type of girls, then I don’t see any problem with that because everyone has a different taste and I don’t know if you have noticed this, but Chitoge isn’t better than Onodera in terms of strength. She’s always protected by Tsugumi and her other bodyguards, and also by Raku who saves her whenever she can’t solve a problem at her own and suddenly starts to cry. She has only a bad mouth and a rude attitude to the main character, while her “strength” is only a mask to hide her own weakness. You are not better than sexists if you can’t accept girly and shy girls.
Way to miss the point, man. I didn’t say girly girls were bad. I said Onodera’s character revolves entirely around appealing to Raku, which is why she has zero personality. And I didn’t say Chitoge was a good character either. The whole manga is sexist towards everyone; Onodera’s just the one who comes out looking the worst.
[…] Onodera is the worst girl, but I have to admit that she is pretty cute. I prefer the Onodera doujins over the Chitoge ones. I […]
Oh, how funny! A Shitoge fan is hating on Onodera! Everyone knows the worst girl is Tsugumi, dude. Seriously, the Tsundere trop sucks butt.
Just wait ’till Chitoge gets friendzoned by Raku AGAIN!
Shitoge is the worst girl, not Onodera
Hi! I’ve been a long-time lurker at this blog of yours, and for once, I’ve decided to post my opinion. Please bear with me. English isn’t my first language.
In this article of yours, I feel as if you’re criticizing RakuSaki rather than Kosaki as a character. Raku acts like that typical English knight saving women, and he has the personality of a rock. I think that love doesn’t need to have a legitimate reason. Kosaki’s love for Raku is what I’d call ‘puppy love’. From what I’ve observed, teenagers do tend to fall in love easily. It’s perfectly normal. I disagree with Kosaki’s character revolving around Raku. She likes him, so it’s understandable she would try to appeal to him. I wouldn’t consider blushing and being shy around him ‘revolving around him’. It’s how most teenagers would act around their crushes.
Personally, I love Kosaki. Ruri is awesome. I actually dislike Chitoge. People blame Kosaki for being flawless, though I consider that ‘blondie bishoujo who’s half foreign’ trait a little too close to perfection.
Keep up the good work. I’d be honored to receive a reply
First off, thanks for the comment, Random-kun! I’m happy to hear your opinions (even if I disagree ;D).
I agree that I’m mostly criticising Raku and Onodera’s relationship here, but that’s rather understandable considering that Onodera’s primary interactions are with Raku. Characters are defined by their relationships with others, are they not? If the only side of her that we see is the puppy love side, then as far as the plot is concerned, the rest of Onodera’s personality does not matter. Also note that even when Raku is not onscreen, Onodera only ever thinks or talks about him. Even teenagers in love have other sides to their personality, you know?
I think it’s understandable that you dislike Chitoge. I don’t think that she is a well-written character either. She does edge slightly ahead for me because she has the better reaction faces, though ;)
Anyway, I’m glad that we can both agree that Ruri is awesome. Thanks again for the comment!
i really liked ONODERA :)
I mean THEY could have been a COUPLE long ago if not just because the TWO OF THEM are AFRAID to confess.
still, I do not hate all other girls and I just want ONODERA and RAKU to be together FINALLY in the end. :D
I agree. Onodera sucks. She’s boring and all she does around Raku is blush, it’s so annoying.
I DISAGREE! The one character that sucks is none other than your precious violent gorilla CHITOGE. She talks trash, she treats Raku like shit and calls him bean sprout, she throws a big fit if Raku dosen’t agree with her crap and she is so goddamn violent. Who in their right mind would date a girl like this?
Why the heck people like call Onodera ‘boring’? It’s because she’s the only girl who has Raku likes romantically. Ha! Boring my ass. Onodera is obviously better than the wild gorilla named Chitoge Kirisaki.
well raku might not look at the bad sides of onodera but you have to keep in mind this is a anime series they are things we do not know about the charecters the might be times were they go on walks and she tell him about her life and hobbies your just protecting the fact that you probably ship him with another girl and you feel threatened by onodera because she and chitoge are possibly going to end up with raku and as much as i respect your opinion i think your wrong she isn’t a boring character her relationship with raku is simply beautiful and awkward which is why onodera and raku are such a cute couple and onodera is super adorable i`m sorry to sound a bit rude but onodera is a sweet heart.
You don’t sound rude to me. I think your opinion is perfectly fine. I have nothing against Onodera fans!
hahahahaha first time commenting after reading this manga.
I would NEVER like a girl like Onodera, to me she is boring. There is nothing more to her besides being kind, sweet and boring.
Fact that her character does not evolve means to me that there is nothing more she can offer besides all that, meanwhile Chitoge evolved from being a brute to a fine woman who understood love and transformed herself.
Well I would never like retarded gorilla like shitoge.