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Shelf Life - Color Theory

So I haven't watched KotS yet (it's on my list, I swear!). But I wonder if part of this are they/aren't they gay thing has to do with masculinity in Japan?

I've read that Americans who go to Japan to teach English are often surprised at how straight male highschoolers do things with each other that we would consider romantic, like holding hands. And one time I read a comment by a (gay) Westerner in Japan that they can't tell when someone there is gay or "just Japanese". (This was all years ago, sorry I can't provide links)

Or maybe (as I believe came up in a previous discussion on this topic) the female author of this story was trying to depict a platonic relationship, but didn't have a good feel for how guys actually act.

I just wanted the show to be honest with itself. Honesty is important, and cutting the baggage would have tightened up the writing considerably.

Kaoru and Sentaro's friendship was not of two guys being friends, more like two guys going through a stormy emotional relationship. We got all the jealousy, all the snarkiness, all the fighting and ignoring one another and making up with each other and all the rest as with a proper relationship.

But they certainly acted like they did. And that pissed me off, because they were straight but acted gay. My argument was why not just make them gay? Would have been a much more streamlined and tighter-written story, plus actually honest to how they treated one another.

Good catch and I concede the point. But I find it interesting that all three examples are female-to-female. Lesbian pairings seem to be recognised far more easily than gay pairings.

I definitely think dtm42's confusion stems from cultural misunderstanding. American culture, especially among males, tends to value independence and personal space over close platonic relationships. There are many reasons for this-the romanticism of lone heroes, homophobia of young males afraid of being perceived as gay to their peers if they get too close to another male, etc.

This is absurd. You can't claim something isn't being honest with itself, when the "truth" is only something that YOU perceive.

I guess I'm not seeing how that's exclusive to romantic relationships. I've been jealous when I felt like I was getting ditched by a friend for a cooler friend; I feel left out when a close friend starts hanging out with someone else more than me. I have had fights with friends that have ended in tears. That's the nature of close friendships.

This is where I fundamentally disagree with you. I do not think they "acted gay" at ALL. You are saying that it's not possible to have a tumultuous, close, personal, emotional friendship between two men without saying that they're acting gay. Why? That's absolutely ludicrous. What's a normal, straight friendship supposed to look like? Dudes punching each other and shrugging when emotional stuff happens?

Is my tumultuous, emotional, sometimes-jealous, sometimes-angry friendship with my female best friend more straight because we're both women, and that's acceptable for women?

It's not that the show isn't being honest with itself. It's that you can't conceive of a friendship between two hetero men that's this emotionally involved.

Plus, I still find nothing wrong with guys talking, like actually talking, with each other. Call it wimpy or whatever, but it's refreshing to see two males not put up a front when it comes to familial problems, having fun, and, of course, playing music.

Reading all these comments about how Kaoru and Sentaro are gay are making me wonder if I was watching a different a show, because I never viewed their relationship in that way