The List
7 Horrible Girlfriends
by Lynzee Loveridge,
The long-anticipated companion piece to 8 Horrible Boyfriends! Let's be fair, some of these women are downright nuts. The term yandere was coined for the sweet on the outside but possibly murderous on the inside girl. They'll love you forever, whether you want them to or not.
Since crazy girls rarely reveal their craziness right away, this column is full of spoilers!
7. Misaki Nakahara (Welcome to the NHK) Misaki has all the trappings of the earnest girl-next-door type. She manages to convince shut-in Tatsuhiro that she has a surefire way to cure him of his hikkokomori lifestyle, when in reality she's co-dependent, manipulative, and a liar. She takes her unhealthy need for verification up a notch when Tatsuhiro doesn't return her feelings — so she tries to jump off a cliff.
6. Misa Amane (Death Note) Misa seems like a hyper-active idol whose only folly is falling for someone as egotistical as Light Yagami. Misa isn't as innocent as she would have her fans believe, capable of murder for the one she loves and conniving to boot. Given her tragic history, Misa's less-than-stable approach to romance is almost understandable. Almost.
5. Mion/Shion Sonozaki (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) The fun-loving sempai of Hinamizawa brings a combo of mafia ties and a crazy twin sister who isn't above switching places to avenge her wronged sister. One of the anime's plot arcs recounts Keiichi getting a doll from the local toy store and giving it to Rena instead of Mion. Mion cries to her sister who goes on to avenge the slighted Mion with murder, kidnapping, and cackling laughter.
4. Kaede Fuyou (Shuffle!) As a child, Kaede tried to kill the love of her life a few times because she blamed him for the accident that took her parents. Wracked with guilt, she dedicates her life to being Rin's live-in wife and he allows it out of fear for her emotional stability. When he has the audacity to date someone else, Kaede goes into full-blown psycho mode. She attacks Rin's girlfriend, makes invisible dinners, and stands creepily under bridges during rainstorms. At the end of the series, she declares her love for Rin and everyone pretends it isn't terrifying.
3. Kotonoha Katsura (School Days) Kotonoha is really a sweet girl deep down, she just can't handle that her boyfriend is a two-timing (three-timing, four-timing, etc.) jerk who tries to break up with her. She starts creeping around his house when he leaves her for Sekai (who he's also cheating on, so..) and gets progressively deeper into psychosis. You can see how it all turns out when Discotek releases the DVD set. Needless to say, this is the show whose last episode was preempted when the plot was too similar to a real ax murder.
2. Nanako Saeki (Flowers of Evil) Saeki is Takao's seemingly perfect girlfriend who is all too understanding of him wearing her gym uniform. As Takao's relationship with the delinquent Sawa grows, Saeki grows more and more disturbed. The anime ends with Takao's attempt to run off into the mountains, before Saeki's colors really get to show through. The couple have a few more confrontations, including one in makeshift clubhouse that cements Saeki on the list of most horrible people ever. She gets extra icky points because, unlike other characters on the list, Saeki isn't in a world of death gods, had her parents murdered, or a member of the mob. Her realism is what makes her unsettling.
1. Yuno Gasai (Future Diary) Yuno wins the Worst Girlfriend of the Year award by leaps and bounds. Her boyfriend Yuki is a textbook example of Stockholm Syndrome. Yuno kidnaps and abuses him, threatens to kill his friends (and does), while swearing she'd go to the ends of the Earth to be with him. I guess she delivers on that end, so at least she isn't a liar. It's the little things.
The new poll: I'm curious what your guys' opinion is on CG anime films and shows like Captain Harlock, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, and the upcoming Knights of Sidonia. Love it, hate it, no preference? Let us know!
The old poll: The last poll asked character has the most epic mohawk? Here's the full results (anything under 1% was omitted):
- Tsumugu Kinagase (Kill la Kill) 22.0%
- Franky (One Piece) 21.0%
- Shinjirou Hayashida (Cromartie High School) 16.9%
- Android 16 (DBZ) 15.5%
- Kai Takemura (Say, "I Love You.") 6.5%
- Mickey Cryburn (Irresponsible Captain Tylor) 5.5%
- Lussuria (Reborn!) 3.4%
- Akio Fudou (Inazuma Eleven) 3.3%
- Kouji Iwahata (Ga-Rei -Zero-) 2.7%
- Zansu (Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan) 2.2%
When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as Associate Editor for Anime News Network, blogs about women and LBGT topics in anime and manga on her blog Engendered Dilemma, and posts pictures of her son on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.
discuss this in the forum (78 posts) |
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history