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Why does no-one talk about sex in anime or VNs

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May 8, 2021 2:12 PM
#1

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Jun 2020
283
As the title says.

It can't be prudery since almost all of the time the womens' bodies are sexualised to varying degrees in everything from bawdy City Hunter (admittedly there is some sex talk in that) to cutesy innocent Tamako Market.

Even in eroge VNs and ecchi anime with explicit images nobody actually talks/jokes/worries about it or even expresses an interest until the nipples are out and the panties are down. Sexual tension like they have in western media is very rare in serious romances when in reality it is the one reason why anyone has the desire for romance anyway.

The other thing that annoys me is how female personalities always go out the window as soon as soon as the possibility of sex is hinted at. No matter how brash, bossy or dominant they may be they're a back to being a blushing bride as soon as they suspect the love interest might want to do the deed.

Kyou Fujibayashi and the gym store scene in Clannad was probably the most egregious example I can think of.


I watched a hentai the other day (allegedly it was pretty hilarious. They were right!) and some of the characters actually talked and joked about sex/boyfriends and what they liked in a perfectly casual way like you'd expect a group of same-sex friends to do (especially high school age boys. Dear Lord, the absolute state of some of those conversations! XD) and it struck me how much more realistic this was.


BritishBlitz87May 8, 2021 2:18 PM
Old is Gold

"Look, look, we can do spinning shots without wasting our entire budget"
"Did you see? Look, it's all smooth and everything !"
"You're not looking, please, it's SO AWESOME LOOK AT HOW SPINNY IT IS!!!!"

- All anime animators since the invention of CGI.
May 8, 2021 2:34 PM
#2

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Aug 2020
1138
This is just a guess, but maybe it is because in Japan it is not so common to show your love feelings or something like that unlike in the West, that is why most romance anime deals with the development of the two characters until you have the courage to say "I love you" or whatever.
Maybe this also has to do with sex, maybe for them it is something more morally ambiguous and it is also difficult for them to have sex with someone, maybe they take it more as a process until they get to that and do it, that's why it should not be talked about so much in anime, although there are some who do.
a wise user of MAL said:
Just to clarify, adaptations should absolutely stand on their own
May 8, 2021 3:06 PM
#3

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Jul 2007
4681
This is one of the things I like most about anime since sex is pretty gross. I can't stand western media because of it. Even the ecchi aspects of anime feel more pure somehow.
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However, compared to the difference between
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May 8, 2021 3:13 PM
#4

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Sep 2018
14439
For the most part otakus (and most males) like the idea of a pure waifu. This is why idol fans weirdly feel betrayed when their idol gets a bf or is not a virgin. To talk about sex as experienced implies they are not virgins to begin with.
May 8, 2021 3:27 PM
#5
危ないお兄さん

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Nov 2016
3241
This is japan not western dude, anything connection have to build up with relationship before go to next stage include in sex content unlike in west u can whistle to stranger girl where japanese very rare do verbal abuse to random people publicly

May 8, 2021 3:49 PM
#6

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May 2018
12434
"Why does no-one talk about sex in anime or VNs"

Sex is overrated anyway.
May 8, 2021 3:50 PM
#7

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Jun 2020
283
ISeeLifePeople said:
This is japan not western dude, anything connection have to build up with relationship before go to next stage include in sex content unlike in west u can whistle to stranger girl where japanese very rare do verbal abuse to random people publicly

Even in Victorian England factory workers and field hands loved some bawdy banter and er...frank discussions of the female anatomy when there weren't ladies present. I don't approve about saying this sort of thing to the opposite sex but it is unrealistic to completely gloss over it.
BritishBlitz87May 8, 2021 6:06 PM
Old is Gold

"Look, look, we can do spinning shots without wasting our entire budget"
"Did you see? Look, it's all smooth and everything !"
"You're not looking, please, it's SO AWESOME LOOK AT HOW SPINNY IT IS!!!!"

- All anime animators since the invention of CGI.
May 9, 2021 5:15 AM
#8

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Feb 2021
4836
I find fan service (be it panty shots or nipslip) to be 'purer' than anything women in the Western media are wearing and I'm glad that anime is like that. Not constantly talking about sex and actually doing everything by order (not talking about sex instantly after two characters become a couple).

Of course that only applies to anime, hentai not included.
"Nobody could laugh at someone who's trying their hardest" -Machio-

May 9, 2021 5:17 AM
#9

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Mar 2015
8328
Considering how badly most sex scenes in VNs are written that might just be for the best lmao
May 9, 2021 5:24 AM
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Jul 2013
621
Authors can't even write a decent romantic story most of the time. You want them to add fake sexual tension to that? In what way would that improve their stories? Female characters are barely characters to begin with in most animes, they're just eye candy for those who the author/studio assumes will buy their product in the very end.
May 9, 2021 5:39 AM

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Jun 2016
198
Armados said:
Authors can't even write a decent romantic story most of the time. You want them to add fake sexual tension to that? In what way would that improve their stories? Female characters are barely characters to begin with in most animes, they're just eye candy for those who the author/studio assumes will buy their product in the very end.
Stop searching for your "realism" in anime fr, you have western media for that, with super interesting characters and empowered women, right?. One would thing you would know better with 500 completed anime...
May 9, 2021 5:50 AM

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Dec 2020
3855
probably bc most of the people watching it hasn't even ever had sex
May 9, 2021 5:56 AM

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Oct 2010
22030
Armados said:
Authors can't even write a decent romantic story most of the time. You want them to add fake sexual tension to that? In what way would that improve their stories? Female characters are barely characters to begin with in most animes, they're just eye candy for those who the author/studio assumes will buy their product in the very end.

kinda agree, usually most romance anime have terrible characters, creators can't write a decent love story, of course they would be bad at writing sexual tension. The only good examples I can think of that talk about sex in a way that's not forced and workds within the anime are Nana, Kuzu no Honkai and even Kimagure Orange Road
May 9, 2021 6:58 AM
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Jul 2013
621
KingCanute said:
Armados said:
Authors can't even write a decent romantic story most of the time. You want them to add fake sexual tension to that? In what way would that improve their stories? Female characters are barely characters to begin with in most animes, they're just eye candy for those who the author/studio assumes will buy their product in the very end.
Stop searching for your "realism" in anime fr, you have western media for that, with super interesting characters and empowered women, right?. One would thing you would know better with 500 completed anime...


Western media isn't even close to being realistic either.
I am not looking for "empowered women", I am looking for characters that actually feel like they characters and not "insert boobs and asses here".

Also, since I've watched this much anime, I have enough experience to create an opinion on this matter. Anime doesn't have to be realistic, but it has to make sense, it has to be believable within the rules that exist within each world an author creates. Once there is absolutely nothing and everything is just random, bullshit or is made with the only intention of selling boobs and asses, there is no point in looking for stuff like "sexual tension" that BritishBlitz87 was talking about.
May 9, 2021 7:03 AM

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Jul 2012
718
To the Japanese having aspirations beyond working as a corporate slave for the rest of your life is immersion breaking.
May 9, 2021 7:16 AM

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Jul 2015
14399
Catalano said:
Armados said:
Authors can't even write a decent romantic story most of the time. You want them to add fake sexual tension to that? In what way would that improve their stories? Female characters are barely characters to begin with in most animes, they're just eye candy for those who the author/studio assumes will buy their product in the very end.

kinda agree, usually most romance anime have terrible characters, creators can't write a decent love story, of course they would be bad at writing sexual tension. The only good examples I can think of that talk about sex in a way that's not forced and workds within the anime are Nana, Kuzu no Honkai and even Kimagure Orange Road

Gotta plus 1 that big time.

Lets start by having non-boring self-insert MCs and non-flat uninteresting tropey submissive waifu first. Can't have quality writing with shit characters.
Prophetess of the Golden Era
May 9, 2021 8:02 AM

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Aug 2020
1138
For the most part otakus (and most males) like the idea of a pure waifu. This is why idol fans weirdly feel betrayed when their idol gets a bf or is not a virgin. To talk about sex as experienced implies they are not virgins to begin with.
Authors can't even write a decent romantic story most of the time. You want them to add fake sexual tension to that? In what way would that improve their stories? Female characters are barely characters to begin with in most animes, they're just eye candy for those who the author/studio assumes will buy their product in the very end.
These two answers may only be assumptions but they can be good theories, perhaps the authors make female characters that are only a type of fanservice for anime / manga / VN fans, etc. I mean, I read a news story about a doujin artist who made a doujin out of an anime character called gabriel dropout or something like that who got death threats for this, just imagine what the extremist fans of a "waifu" would do if the author decides to put on a sex scene with that character and another.
I think the only exception I found was with horimiya, since I had heard that
, and there doesn't necessarily need to be a sex scene, with knowing that they had I think Okay, because come on, they are "real" characters that would do the same thing as real people in the real world. and I think this is a big change because most of the romantic animes are just "oh, this time if I touch your hand" or "I'm nervous, maybe this time if I can tell you I love you", do not be silly, that is not real in a couple. well I think I'm getting off the subject but it is understood what I mean.
a wise user of MAL said:
Just to clarify, adaptations should absolutely stand on their own
May 9, 2021 8:16 AM
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Dec 2017
29
ISeeLifePeople said:
This is japan not western dude, anything connection have to build up with relationship before go to next stage include in sex content unlike in west u can whistle to stranger girl where japanese very rare do verbal abuse to random people publicly


You clearly don't know the reality, Japan has a much higher rate of sexual harassment against women than the west, with up to one third of the female population saying that they've faced sexual harassment in a government survey. Relevant link https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/361/

Regardless of whether sex in media is good or not, stop pointing fingers at other people for no reason.
May 10, 2021 3:45 PM
危ないお兄さん

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Nov 2016
3241
BritishBlitz87 said:
ISeeLifePeople said:
This is japan not western dude, anything connection have to build up with relationship before go to next stage include in sex content unlike in west u can whistle to stranger girl where japanese very rare do verbal abuse to random people publicly

Even in Victorian England factory workers and field hands loved some bawdy banter and er...frank discussions of the female anatomy when there weren't ladies present. I don't approve about saying this sort of thing to the opposite sex but it is unrealistic to completely gloss over it.

Yeah couldnt aggree more but it is not really matter at all few anime also show man of culture discussion when there is no girl around them like danshi kokousei no nichijou

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