I have a number of posts on laid-back tough guys.
Below is my favorite example of a romantic tough guy. He is the sheriff, played by Wade Williams, from the Bones episode "The Witch and the Wardrobe" in which Angela and Hodgins get married. He is a stickler for the law, an upright noble man who believes in his calling.
He is also a romantic, so when Angela and Hodgins get married in his jail cell, he throws confetti!
The friendly judge who marries them is played by William Stanford Davis.
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Several upcoming posts will address "frenemies," a common trope in romance.
Semantic Error, of course, is a fantastic frenemies story, which I address more here: Darcy Moment in Semantic Error and here: The Teasing Lover
One of my favorite scenes occurs in the library. Sangwoo is becoming more interested in Jaeyeong and--without consciously acknowledging his own feelings--more enamored. Eyeing Jaeyeong in the library, he mutters, "He disturbs me even when he is quiet."
In a manga, Jaeyeong would be shown with ears and a wagging tail!
On the one hand, this moment can be utterly satisfying, as when Darcy tells Miss Bingley, "It is many months since I have considered [Miss Elizabeth Bennet] one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance."
It is satisfying because it reveals Darcy's growing affection for Elizabeth. It is also satisfying because Miss Bingley is the kind of sly bully who hunts for a picayune flaw and then exploits it. She needs to be stopped! (And she brings Darcy's rebuttal on herself by needling him.)
Anthony in the Bridgerton series delivers a similar set-down to a bullying socialite; the defended characters see him as entirely heroic.
1. Villainy is sometimes subjective. (Sometimes, it isn't. Some behavior is simply wrong. But often, in interpersonal communication, it is "in the eye of the beholder.")
Sharp-witted Emma gets irritated by Miss Bates's meanderings, but Emma's mocking set-down of Miss Bates in public is "badly done." Emma has become the villain.
Likewise, although the scene in the Bridgerton series is well-conveyed and quite short, Darcy's is better because Darcy concentrates on the positive--he doesn't tell Miss Bingley what he thinks of her. "Tearing a strip" off someone at a house party is kind of mean, no matter who that person is. And Mr. Knightly's scolding of Emma is only tolerable because Emma truly has crossed a line and gone all "mean girl." (And Mr. Knightly does later apologize.)
2. Yelling at people is counterproductive.
In any case, Rochester doesn't appear to notice Blanche's behavior, he is so consumed with trying to figure out Jane's. Eventually, he throws all his guests out--which is arguably rude but at least more effective than critiquing someone's character to that person's face.
Consider that Jane wishes St. John Rivers well despite his attempt to self-righteously dominate her. What good would castigating him to his face do? The guy is already a few coconuts shy of a full-load. Better for Jane to simply leave.
So the "telling off trope" can be satisfying but sometimes, it can backfire.
And sometimes, "when the going gets tough, the tough leave."
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| Real Chaplin |
Murdoch Mysteries showcases real people from history. Sometimes, as with William Shatner playing Mark Twain and Thomas Howes playing Churchill, they are part of the mystery. Sometimes, as with the Wright Brothers and Buster Keaton, they make cameo appearances.
One of the coolest lessons of this conceit is learning how many famous people from history have overlapped, worked together, worked at the same time and in the same field. I had no idea, for instance, that Charlie Chaplin was friends with Stan Laurel. But he was!
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| Fictional Chaplin |
The actor who plays Charlie Chaplin on Murdoch Mysteries captures how dapper and charismatic Charlie Chaplin was outside of his adopted persona. Matthew Finlan does a fantastic job conveying the charisma, sharpness, energy, and ambition that the real man surely had.
And that smile!
One of my favorite manga moments in Cherry Magic occurs when Kurosawa and Adachi go on their first date. They end up going into a clothing store. Adachi freaks out. It's one of those stores where people actually TALK to you.
I can totally relate. Some people crave personal attention when picking out items. Me? I prefer the relaxation of anonymity. Stop watching me!
Two of my favorite characters in BL have fantastic smiles. "Ah, there's that million-dollar smile," I say when one lights up the screen.
Can from Love by Chance is the first. In one scene, he gets Tin to buy him lunch and collects several plates of food. He smiles cheerfully at Tin as he sits down to start eating.
But the smile comes first.
In a later scene, Can smiles at Tin after he apologizes for mean things he said to Tin. He then holds out his pinkie to seal their rapprochement.
The second character, Gun, comes from My School President. He smiles slowly when Tinn kisses him on the cheek, a signal that Tinn intends to court him eventually. For all his bohemian tendencies, Gun is the less confident and more serious of the two. The pure happiness--I am loved--of his smile goes straight to the heart.
One of the funniest reactions that an actor can give a character is to nod along to craziness.
It is an entirely unconscious gesture. We all do it. When it is captured on film, it is hilarious.
That is, one person will start going on about conspiracy theories or evil co-workers or talking pets or...anything really. And the other person nods along.
In face-to-face communication, the nodding usually entails understanding, as in, "I hear you" or "I am keeping up." Consequently, you will often see people nod "yes" and then say, "No, I can't."
In Love by Chance, Season 1, when Saint and Plan as Pete and Can have their impromptu conversation about Tin, Pete continues to innocently nod to everything Can says even though Can is rambling, and Pete disagrees when Can asks him a direct question.
Then Can bolts, leaving Peter totally confused.
A related "nodding" scene takes place in My School President. Gun thinks that the student council should do something more inviting than "take a picture with the president" for the school fair. Tiwson agrees and argues that anything "would be better than this." He then addresses a female member of the student council who is sitting on the floor and basically getting on with things: "Do you agree?"
She nods nonchalantly and keeps doing what she is doing. Yeah, sure, why not? Whatever, guys. Just make a plan already.
Very good comedy.
I suggest another reason:
Darcy undergoes a change of heart and behavior.
That is, like Shakespeare, Austen wasn't afraid to have her male characters experience an inner journey of self-appraisal. In Pride & Prejudice, she balances the inner journey for both main characters. They don't occur at precisely the same time, but they do overlap.
He doesn't immediately apologize. It takes him a full night of letter-writing and longer to figure out that he was a jerk. But he takes the accusation seriously. That is, he doesn't merely concoct "wow, I ticked off the woman I love" sitcom regret. He perceives Elizabeth's hurt statement as an indictment of his behavior. He doesn't change in fundamentals but he does stop behaving like a guy whose deep feelings justify rudeness.
I was reminded of Darcy's epiphany when I rewatched Semantic Error this summer. Jaeyeong has been teasing Sangwoo. He changes his mind about the teasing and begins earnestly befriending and then courting Sangwoo when he has a Darcy-like epiphany.
Until he decides to stop being a "villain."
What motivates him?
Sangwoo's direct statement about his behavior: "You're the one acting like a villain all the time."
Jaeyeong contemplates his actions and makes changes to his dress, actions, and attitude.
Of course, Jaeyeong is somewhat more extroverted and whimsical than Darcy:
However, she also realized that Ahn, who is quite good-looking, might be snapped up by the entertainment industry. So she set out to brainwash him into being totally turned off by the entertainment industry.
She scarred him for life--but, eh, it was for his own good. And all indications are he prefers the business/salesman environment anyway. He worked very hard to keep up with Mina in school. With SJ Corporation, he not only acts as a spokesman, he prepares proposals about which he deeply cares.
She tells this story to Ahn's boyfriend, Director Kang. As she finishes the story, Ahn rushes up with free cake that he got "just because" (he is handsome and sweet and charismatic).
Director Kang sees what she means.
Dorothy is trying to explain to Blanche that she is upset and she doesn't know why--in fact, she isn't even sure if she is fearful or jealous or mad or something else.
I love Blanche's response (see video below). It is such a fantastic encapsulation of why emotions don't remain in tidy boxes and why emotional intelligence is not about having the right emotions or expressing the right emotions but about being able to handle whatever the emotions are, as Blanche does.
The second quote comes from My School President, episode six. By this point in the series, Gun is fairly certain that the person Tinn likes in the music club is him. There are no rivals. For that matter, there's no push-pull. Tinn is totally committed. And Gun is interested but wary.
After Kurosawa and Adachi move in together, Adachi discovers that Kurosawa bought him more clothes. In the series, after trying on a sweatshirt and pants, he says, "Don't get me any more clothes, okay?"
I love this line, not just because of its deadpan delivery but because I personally have never understood clothes as a gift. Not when I was a kid. Not when I was a teen. Not when I was an adult. Why would someone else try to dress me? How is spending a birthday or holiday trying something on, then checking out whether it fits or not, then discussing whether or not it should be returned even remotely fun?
Of course, Adachi wears the sweatshirt quite often--it is from Kurosawa after all.
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| "This'd better be all of it," Adachi says in the manga. |
To maintain their club and get into a music competition, Gun and his band members must all earn passing grades on upcoming exams. Otherwise, the principal will not sign off on the competition paperwork.
Tinn agrees to tutor the band members, specifically Gun. He imagines a scenario where his explanations are immediately grasped and implemented by the appreciative Gun.
Alas, if only tutoring was that easy! 
Tinn finds, first of all, that mathematical concepts don't come easy to Gun; next, Tinn isn't as patient a guy as he thought he was; finally, although Gun is fully willing to commit himself to a full night of exhausting singing performances, he is far less willing to focus on his academic workbooks.
To be "nice," Tinn has to be "mean" and insist that Gun not stop working the moment he gets bored.
In terms of romance, it is a great example of reality meaning more than sentiment. The relationship isn't built on cutesy moments (okay, not only cutesy moments) but on the young men dealing with each other as they are.
Captivated by You is not BL. It is, rather, a series of high school stories about friendship. The stories are linked by Hayashi, a true maverick who goes his own way. He isn't a rebel--he wears his school uniform with unselfconscious gravity. He is truly outside the box, not a symbolic representation of someone outside the box.
As he goes throughout his day, he forms a web of friendships of which he is partly conscious yet partly not. He amuses and energizes a directionless friend by dressing like a bear. He supports and inspires an artist precisely because Hayashi sees the world in unexpected ways. He forms a close relationship with Matsuya, who goes on to draw others into her fold through the book she loves. He helps a fellow peer stand up to a bully through a single act (and possibly a few more carefully placed actions).
His alter-ego, Nikaido (to the right in the image above), goes his own way through camouflage. Once a school idol, Nikaido has adopted a withdrawn, melancholy persona to keep himself safe. He is befriended by Medaka, who practices his friendship by protecting Nikaido's choice: Hey, if Nikaido wants to be glum, let him be glum! That acceptance, which eventually extends to include a friend of a friend of Hayashi's, gives Nikaido a chance to find a balance. He and Hayashi eventually connect through the web that Hayashi has flung out into the universe.
The series is very funny. Hayashi delivers a number of hilarious lines--"I might encounter a bear"--in a deadpan manner that is, nevertheless, not affected or belabored. Likewise, the victim of the bully, when he stands up for himself, yells at the bully for having such a terrible diet--and he means it!
My favorite line is when Hayashi is arguing with the art student who made Hayashi his model. Matsuya interprets the encounter as semi-romantic or bromantic: high school boys communing with each other from the heart!
She speaks her mind, then runs off while the two boys watch.
"She likes novels," Hayashi explains to the other male student.
Absolutely! Novel-reading is the passage to seeing the universe as a bright world of connections and magic.
CeCe, played by the talented and hilarious Melissa Peterman, confesses to Joe, played by the entirely awesome Jay Leno, that she is really a cat lady who likes to stay home. Since he "googled 'rave' and it scared [him] to death," they decide to go off and have a coffee somewhere.
Meanwhile, Ryan and Kyle, who love to talk about geeky stuff, have a falling out until Jen gets them back together. They start arguing about Frankenstein and then decide that if Frankenstein "made a man--why wouldn't he make a dog?"
And the hilarious Nancy Travis, who doesn't appear to have a self-conscious bone in her body, delivers her robot impression as Vanessa. Tim Allen as Mike counters with his Pac-Man impression.
The inner geek reigns! Big Bang Theory, of course, showcases this idea at the extreme (simply because every character in the show is a geek), my favorite being when guys in Hong Kong or mainland China turn the apartment lights on and off in the protagonists' apartment.
Last Man Standing demonstrates the truth:
Just like everyone secretly thinks everyone else was popular in high school, everyone secretly and not-so-secretly loves the geek, even if they didn't go to MIT or CalTech!
There is a simply delightful scene in Book VI in which Hector's son is scared by his helmet:
The Western writer who captures this concept almost as well as Japanese manga and anime writers is Alexander McCall Smith.
In the book Tea Time for the Traditionally Built of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe feels a sense of unease when her husband sets out on a trip away from home. There's no reason for this unease and, as we learn later, he completes his journey safely. She is suffering from the very human uncertainty that we all suffer at one time or another.
She eats dinner with Mma Matsuki, her assistant and good friend. She leaves to drive home, and her earlier unease floods back. What will happen when she returns home? Will he be there? Will he be late?
Her gate appeared before her, and beyond that, in the beam of the headlights, the four small pillars of her verandah. She swung the van round to negotiate the turn into the short drive and as the beam of the lights moved around she saw the back of the truck, the lights still glowing red. The other vehicle's lights went off, but it was now illuminated in her headlights, and she saw Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni step out and dust off his trousers, as he always did when he alighted from his truck. And she stopped her van where it was, some yards short of its normal place at the side of the house, and she got out and ran to him, the lights of the van still burning--to show the world, if anybody was walking in that darkness along Zebra Drive, if anybody cared to look, the reunion, after one day away, of a man and his wife, of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, returned safely from Lobatse, the finest mechanic in Botswana, and Mma Ramotswe, his wife, who loved him more dearly than she had ever loved anybody else before...