Romance? This is a SATIRICAL comedy!

normie-sama said:
I absolutely hated this series and couldn't make it past the first episode until someone suggested I should instead view it like an absurdist comedy that satirizes all the typical shitty shoujo romance tropes and to not take any of it seriously.

When I approached it like this, all the stupid, irritating, nonsensical character behaviors and story developments suddenly made a lot more sense and I was laughing my ass off. For example:



It's easy to miss this aspect of the comedy because it is subtle and forfeits many of the normal elements one might expect would be present to cue the viewer to the irony on display. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of much more salient comedic cues that mislead one into thinking the show has nothing else to offer in the way of humor beyond generally unfunny, standard issue rom-com jokes.

It's cruel, really, how the author/director (not sure who bears responsibility here) makes us suffer for not being patient and/or sophisticated enough to recognize the subtlety at work on the first pass. But now that I have, I'm glad I gave it another shot and recommend anyone who has struggled with this series to do the same.


Now, I haven't yet finished this series (just 4 episodes in) so I'll freely admit it's possible that I'm way off the mark here and am giving this work far more credit than it deserves - and all this hidden satire I and others are perceiving is just a product of our desperate imaginations.

Also, I'm not familiar with the source material, so maybe the manga was indeed an earnest and forthright attempt by the author to portray a legitimate romance. But it seems at least the anime adaptation has made a deliberate point of being ironic under-the-radar.

So, what do you all think? Is 3D Kanojo: Real Girl just a conventional shoujo romcom, or does it subtly and cleverly satirize the genre and its numerous clichés?

normie-sama said:
I absolutely hated this series and couldn't make it past the first episode until someone suggested I should instead view it like an absurdist comedy that satirizes all the typical shitty shoujo romance tropes and to not take any of it seriously.

When I approached it like this, all the stupid, irritating, nonsensical character behaviors and story developments suddenly made a lot more sense and I was laughing my ass off. For example:



It's easy to miss this aspect of the comedy because it is subtle and forfeits many of the normal elements one might expect would be present to cue the viewer to the irony on display. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of much more salient comedic cues that mislead one into thinking the show has nothing else to offer in the way of humor beyond generally unfunny, standard issue rom-com jokes.

It's cruel, really, how the author/director (not sure who bears responsibility here) makes us suffer for not being patient and/or sophisticated enough to recognize the subtlety at work on the first pass. But now that I have, I'm glad I gave it another shot and recommend anyone who has struggled with this series to do the same.


Now, I haven't yet finished this series (just 4 episodes in) so I'll freely admit it's possible that I'm way off the mark here and am giving this work far more credit than it deserves - and all this hidden satire I and others are perceiving is just a product of our desperate imaginations.

Also, I'm not familiar with the source material, so maybe the manga was indeed an earnest and forthright attempt by the author to portray a legitimate romance. But it seems at least the anime adaptation has made a deliberate point of being ironic under-the-radar.

So, what do you all think? Is 3D Kanojo: Real Girl just a conventional shoujo romcom, or does it subtly and cleverly satirize the genre and its numerous clichés?

Aesethyr said:
This anime has 2 seasons and just what you said, youre just not even halfway thru the first season. There are some unnecessary and hard to watch episodes on both season, that is true but it is largely better all thru out.

The last few episodes and the ending are what carries this anime much like most romance animes.

Cross_2D said:

If I remember correctly the ending was trash (or maybe that was the manga I read) I don’t remember. What I do remember is that it felt extremely rushed to conclude the story and a lot of the stuff didn’t make any sense.

Aesethyr said:

I am not really sure about trash. It is by far better than what I saw on the previous episodes. What I can say is "Its better than what I thought it is than what I expected". i had set a very low standard for this anime prior to ending and I can say that is.

Its decent and had some tense parts but there are so many crappy arcs and fillers that annoyed me.

normie-sama said:

Aesethyr said:
This anime has 2 seasons and just what you said, youre just not even halfway thru the first season. There are some unnecessary and hard to watch episodes on both season, that is true but it is largely better all thru out.

The last few episodes and the ending are what carries this anime much like most romance animes.

ElmoBoredAsf said:
My thoughts on this anime:-
Ehh so i dont know what satrical is but if it’s something to do with this anime being only funny then no.
I really liked this anime a lot idk why people have it such a low rating it is true that some episodes it was annoying that tsutun couldn’t understand the Irohas feelings but even still he tries his best to understand them later on. Funny ? Yes some scenes had good humour but stuff like arisa keep desperately looking for a boyfriend despite getting cheated on several times, and ishino while knowing how her boyfriend is cheating on her and still deciding to stay with him I find them honestly just plain sad and somewhat anger far from being funny.
But tbh season 1 was just fine however season 2 really was something else I loved it a lot, especially the way they end it.

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues

normie-sama said:
To those who say this is a straightforward romance/romcom and not satire, out of curiosity what was your reaction to that scene I mentioned in the spoiler:



Did it come across as a moment of genuine, heartfelt encouragement? Was it a serious moment? Was it meant to be funny? Did it resonate with you? Did it annoy you? Something else?

I ask because I'm trying to figure out what to take away from an exchange this absurd if not viewed in a satirical context. When taken seriously, then the message is essentially:

If you're "truly happy" being with an emotionally abusive, cheating, sexist asshole who publicly shames and disparages you to his friends (even as you stand there visibly upset by his hurtful words), then it doesn't matter what people think of you or your relationship. Ignore the haters.

This is a pretty cynical message for a standard romcom. Is this really what the show is about? To me, it's much more gratifying to appreciate the irony in this scene and see it as intentional.

kcvthewrld said:

Yeah, as a piece of advice it's absolutely awful, and personally would never let someone I know stay in a situation like that... But I know a ridiculous amount of people who would give advice like that, and think it's honestly the majority, if anything I think it's poking fun of younger people, it seems like such a dumb scene but this happens all the time, to me it's just realistic

kcvthewrld said:
Yeah, as a piece of advice it's absolutely awful, and personally would never let someone I know stay in a situation like that... But I know a ridiculous amount of people who would give advice like that, and think it's honestly the majority, if anything I think it's poking fun of younger people, it seems like such a dumb scene but this happens all the time, to me it's just realistic

normie-sama said:
I absolutely hated this series and couldn't make it past the first episode until someone suggested I should instead view it like an absurdist comedy that satirizes all the typical shitty shoujo romance tropes and to not take any of it seriously.

When I approached it like this, all the stupid, irritating, nonsensical character behaviors and story developments suddenly made a lot more sense and I was laughing my ass off. For example:



It's easy to miss this aspect of the comedy because it is subtle and forfeits many of the normal elements one might expect would be present to cue the viewer to the irony on display. Meanwhile, there is no shortage of much more salient comedic cues that mislead one into thinking the show has nothing else to offer in the way of humor beyond generally unfunny, standard issue rom-com jokes.

It's cruel, really, how the author/director (not sure who bears responsibility here) makes us suffer for not being patient and/or sophisticated enough to recognize the subtlety at work on the first pass. But now that I have, I'm glad I gave it another shot and recommend anyone who has struggled with this series to do the same.


Now, I haven't yet finished this series (just 4 episodes in) so I'll freely admit it's possible that I'm way off the mark here and am giving this work far more credit than it deserves - and all this hidden satire I and others are perceiving is just a product of our desperate imaginations.

Also, I'm not familiar with the source material, so maybe the manga was indeed an earnest and forthright attempt by the author to portray a legitimate romance. But it seems at least the anime adaptation has made a deliberate point of being ironic under-the-radar.

So, what do you all think? Is 3D Kanojo: Real Girl just a conventional shoujo romcom, or does it subtly and cleverly satirize the genre and its numerous clichés?

astralkill00 said:
Hmm, I'd rather save those texts in the review thread but if you enjoyed it, nice.

normie-sama said:


Not sure I follow. Are you saying I should've written this as a review instead of making a forum post?

astralkill00 said:

Probably. It's your choice though since I think it's worth it.