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Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Higehiro
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dm
 Subscriber Posts: 1464 |
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Some scatter-shot thoughts about this series so far:
1) What's the state of workplace sexual-harassment laws in Japan? Here in the States, I think Gotou would have been pretty-much compelled by most corporate HR policies to discourage Yoshida. The same goes for Yoshida and Yuzuha --- in both cases, these are not peer relationships, they have supervisor/supervisee relationships that make romantic involvement borderline taboo and certainly problematic (for their employer, at least), even if it is the lower-ranked person who is the one trying to initiate a relationship. Oh, yeah, plus the whole 16-year-old cohabiting with a 27-year-old thing, too. 2) I think there is something to be said for a series with a character modeling proper behavior in the way Yoshida is doing (so far). It's especially good if he's wrestling with temptation in doing so. 2.5) Yoshida's internal monologue at the end --- acknowledging that having Sayu around was a two-way street that was benefiting him as well as her --- was another fine point in the series' favor. He's not just a Male Savior/White Knight. 3) A while back there was a lot of talk about "joshi kousei" in Japan --- the term being used to refer to high-school girls making spending-money as call-girls and escorts for older men. I don't know if that is still a phenomenon, but this series might be nibbling around the edges of that issue as well. 4) Wow, that was fast. This review came up just a few hours after the third episode streamed. |
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Vaisaga
 Posts: 13240 |
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Joshikousei (or JK) is the term for high school girls. What you're thinking of is enjo kosai, or compensated dating. |
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Telu
 Posts: 130 |
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I think this will be the only series I will watch this season.
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dm
Subscriber Posts: 1464 |
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Thanks, you're right. I should have realized it didn't make sense to repurpose the term like that. Anyway, that was a social trend that gained some prominence in media at the turn of the century. Does it still provide a background context for this show and ones like it? |
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Calsolum
 Posts: 904 |
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This is definitely gonna be one of the reviews that I'm going to be looking forward to every week
I, like most viewers it would seem, was very interested in the premise since it has a lot of potential for being a heartwarming story while also tackling some very uncomfortable subjects and as long as it stays away from having the child and adult end up in a relationship. That said I've been... distraught by stories like spoiler[Usagi Drop and If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord.] The second series feels so obvious in hindsight but it started so damn adorable that I just couldn't predict it going in that direction. The setup on the other hand smells so much like it's harem anime and all these girls might all be into him just cause he's a nice guy that exists in the right place at the right time but maybe the series knows that it's what people will compare it too and is planning to turn it on its head later on. Right now with the very limited information on the characters, I think a 'good end' would be Sayu not in a romantic relationship with Yoshida by the conclusion and that she moves in with one of the female characters, goes back to school and starts making friends. She'll of course need money since she doesn't seem to be getting it from her family but over the course of the series the friends she makes along the way all pitch in on small things so that's, it's not like in the past where she was wholly dependant on one person. And in exchange, she does normal household chores or gets a legal part-time job. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18447 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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You may have missed that the title of the next episode is "Part-Time Job," so the last statement you made would appear to be happening sooner rather than later. |
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kinghumanity
Posts: 365 |
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There's a very good quality doujin with almost the exact same premise and plot as this show, which I'm probably not allowed to name on this forum.
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The Scream Man
 Posts: 184 Location: Sydney, Australia |
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Im liking the show so far, and agree the way its handling the themes is well done. I actually tried to find people talkin about the manga (But couldn't) because I wanted to be spoiled. I just didn't know if I could follow this show if the end was going to be gross. Ah well, guess Im taking the risk for now.
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PonSquared
 Posts: 246 Location: Lost in the Catskills |
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My wife and I both love this show. So, I don't think it's just for horny single losers or whatever. Though I won't deny that the 12 year difference between my wife and I might be a reason. *Cough* Anyways, right now this is my favorite new show of the season. It's so refreshing to see a guy in anime not be the horny loser trying to get every girl but to actually see the horror that the girl has gone through and instead try to be a better man and to help her not because he wants something later ala grooming but because he's genuinely doing the right thing for her because it's the right thing to do. I just love this show.
I should also note that she likes that other show which shall not be named. She thinks it's sweet. I'm not sure if that's a Japanese thing or not because she finds nothing wrong with that other show. I don't claim to understand. |
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Swissman
Posts: 793 Location: Switzerland |
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Being a high school teacher may explain your personal uncomfortableness with such a premise, but I do hope that you're not insinuating any kind of "inherent problem" with shows such as Koikimo or Higehiro. I'm a junior high school teacher and I work with teenagers every day myself. I don't have any problems with a show like Koikimo because I realize that's it's just 1) a dumb comedy at heart which doesn't want and doesn't need to be taken seriously at all, and 2) it's anime.
No, not at all. Enjo Kosai or "compensated dating" is a term which was mostly rampant in the mid- to late 90s' tabloids and newspapers aimed at male readers, who were shocked to find out that school girls, which could be their own daughters, had gained sexual independence and allegedly did things which were not "proper behavior" for girls their age. In reality, enjo kosai was a way for school girls to meet new people, usually men, which didn't belong to the circle of family and school. It was/is a way for them to expand their social relationships (not necessarily sexual). It was a behavior scandalized in aforementioned media aimed at men. In Higehiro, Sayu is a runaway that relies on trading herself as payment for some strangers. What she did in the past has nothing to do with what enjo kosai actually stands for. Sayu cut ties with her family back in Hokkaido and can't see any other way to surive in Tokyo without sleeping with men. For her it's a mean to survive, it has nothing to do with meeting new people and expanding her horizon concerning social relationships. |
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Covnam
 Posts: 3820 |
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Man, the dead look in her eyes at the beginning of ep 3 was rough.
This is about where I fell off from the manga, so I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here. |
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pikrodafni
Posts: 131 |
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From my perspective at least,I wouldn't want the 2 leads to end up together but at least even if they did I don't see a big problem with it in this scenario.What I mean is ,it's not an Usagi Drop situation,so he doesn't take the role of her father(she's too old for that anyway) just of someone who wants to help her.The only "request" I have is that any romantic developments that might happen in the future happen after Sayu is in a better emotional state or even better, independent of Yoshida.If the 2 show clears those 2 low bars I would be fine with a romantic development since I wouldn't feel that Yoshida is taking advantage of Sayu.(The fact that in the next episode Sayu starts a part-time job is a good step forward)
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1034 |
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I should probably say for the record that in the manga, during Sayu's last ditch effort to seduce him, Yoshida himself says that the age gap isn't an issue for him, or at least not the *main* issue. He simply just isn't in love with her, and isn't going to do anything with a girl like her just for the hell of it.
I myself don't see an inherent problem if the two end up together, but Sayu has a *lot* to work through before getting into any relationship with *any* guy, and that'll take a while. |
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Hal14
 Posts: 717 Location: Heart of africa |
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The reason the age difference is problematic is that it's a part of the larger power imbalance between them. She is an emotionally immature runaway minor with no money or apparent friends or family that she can turn to. It would barely be better if she was 18 but it's definitely worse that she's not, cause at seventeen (depending on where you live) you're not legally able to make certain decisions for yourself and it doesn't matter if the person is only "a few months below 18". That's like saying you shouldn't get fined for driving w/out a license because you're driving to the place to get your license.
Anyway, a romantic/sexual relationship b/w someone who, by law, can make decisions for themselves and someone who can't is inherently problematic. There are places that allow you to date or even marry a minor if you have consent from their parents. So, yeah it's really not good to be in a relationship where legally you have no or less power. |
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starbringer101
Posts: 3 |
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I strongly suggest giving To your Eternity a chance.. |
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