The Paradox of Kotori

Being lethargic at work and uninspired to finish projects can lead to random distractions and thoughts such as this.

There's a description of Kotori inside My Anime List as having the main character, Juinichi, become a good friend of Kotori mainly because Juinichi doesn't idolize her. Of course, this leads him to have the idealistic relationship with the idol just because he looks at her as "normal" and, well, of course you get the idea. The paradox comes into the play when we play the character Juinichi (or follow his adventures along in the anime or something) and then grow attached to Kotori, eventually reaching the point which Kotori was always trying to avoid: we begin idolizing her. (My own blog was a partial victim to this.) So here, we're playing a game with a character that's only able to become friends with her because he acts cool and DOESN'T idolize her, and then us players in the background say "Hay Kotori is cute!" And eventually we get pulled into her moe and at some point we become no different than the faceless fanboys inside the game itself, who sees Kotori as this majestic moe beauty that can sing like a siren, causing many to worship her.

So, it becomes somewhat embarassing as a Kotori fan that, the one thing Kotori doesn't want, is us being a fan of her. And yet, its because of Kotori's traits that we ARE fans of her. So, which is truer devotion to Kotori? To worship her like an idol which she doesn't want, or to not worship her which then we pretty much do not acknowledge her at all?

...Maybe this is why in the anime Juinichi does not go after Kotori. :V

Let's consider if I WERE actually playing Juinichi inside the game, but as myself. Would the scenario be different? Most likely. I imagine that my own character would not be the type to go and worship any character seriously and (since in this point I will not know Kotori's true colors) although I would find Kotori cute I probably would not approach her or make any contact with her. Unless its an accident, which happens to Juinichi. Well, maybe, if its an accidental encounter like that, it might be able to work. But for the most part I think Kotori would just be a character I'd miss, just like that potential girl in high school I MIGHT have dated if I by chance ran into her accidentally and started becoming friends!

...probably not.

This paradox makes my head go in circles. Da Capo. Well, it certainly has a new deeper meaning now. Then again these games act so serious at times but are meant to not be taken seriously. And yet there are people who take these visual novels way too seriously.


ARGH! PARADOXES! *explode*