Do I hear wedding bells?
I started watching a new show recently, of which I started watching solely because of a picture I saw of the main character wearing thigh highs. As I watched the first episode, I found myself analyzing the female lead’s looks, personality, and actions, and decided she passed my standards. Then I thought to myself why I was doing that and decided it was simply waifu selection related…which got me thinking about waifus themselves. What exactly is this obsessive notion of waifus?
For those that don’t know, a waifu (which is a rough version of saying “wife” in a Japanese accent) is an anime character, video game character, or generally any fictional character that a person becomes emotionally attached to despite the character being fake. What exactly is the motivation for people for the otaku crowd to look for a 2D waifu? Does it stem from loneliness or roneriness (there is a difference)? I’m a single guy. Do I search for a waifu in order to fill some void left in my real life, or maybe because it’s easier to become attached to a character in a show than a real life person? I’m starting to consider it being some kind of instinct, in that whenever I see a female I must consider her qualifications for being my partner, whether she be real or fake. Maybe it’s just another way to enjoy the show. Who knows. And another thought that’s been bugging me: do female viewers search their favorite shows for husbandos (if there is such a term)? (I’m thinking it’s a male thing)
There are a number of limitations on the waifu search as well. The most prevalent is age. I’ve spent enough time on the internet to have been called a pedophile for watching an anime about high school girls (which is even funnier considering there are people in high school which are of legal age). But what does the age of your perspective waifu really mean? When I’m analyzing a potential waifu, I’m not taking into account the age given to her by the context of the show, I’m thinking of her as a normal adult. It’s only after that I remember contextually speaking what her age is. Even so, if by some miracle she were to materialize in the real world, if it were my real choice as a waifu it wouldn’t be a problem waiting for her to age a few more years before starting any kind of relationship.
Which raises an interesting question: what do people actually expect should their waifu suddenly appear before them in real life (ignoring the obvious impossibility)? Does a materialized character automatically fall in love with you when she appears? What’s the point if the girl just falls in love with you as soon as she shows up, that’s just a fake love forced upon her by god you whatever force brought her into this world. I would much rather spend time with her real self (figuratively speaking) and see if the love doesn’t form on its own. What are the rules for her suddenly appearing in a completely new world? If it were a normal person, they would flip their shit about being removed from their normal life and placed in a brand new strange world. Does that mean being brought to the real world comes with a rewriting of her mind/memories to accomodate her for being in a new world? That of course just begs the question of how similar that is to the whole instantly falling in love problem. Maybe it’s just best if they can’t be brought to us in reality and we continue just admiring from afar.
In the end, no matter how futile, having a waifu can be a very uplifting and calming thing. In dire times when everything in your life is going wrong, sitting back and watching an episode of the show your waifu is from can really calm your mind and grant you a momentary respite from reality. Or maybe coming home from a hard day’s whatever-it-is-you-do to a picture of your love as your computer’s desktop. That’s the real message in all of this. No matter how strange people may say it is, fact of the matter is that choosing a waifu is a harmless gesture that can improve a person’s well-being. It’s all in the name of love.
P.S. The timing of this post and Navy’s is purely coincidental.
P.P.S Since I’m sure you’re all wondering: Tomoyo(CLANNAD), Miyako(Hidamari), Yomiko Readman(ROD)/Cheska(FMA, they are too similar to separate), Ninamori(FLCL), Kiri Komori(SZS). No particular order.
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