One of my pet peeves is seeing instances of ad hominem. And unfortunately, some members within the anime community can and will stoop to such tactless tactics.
For those of you who are unaware, the term ad hominem refers to a “strategy” that’s deployed during discussions or debates. Instead of attempting to address people’s positions, these individuals opt to criticize or belittle the aforementioned opposition.
Now, all of this is definitely not a new thing. Just pay attention to politics and you’ll realize this has been around for quite some time. In regards to anime, however, more instances (and instigators) of ad hominem always pop up whenever a new season rolls in. Series that are noticeably divisive and controversial will often prove to be a favorite platform among hatemongers to climb onto so they can lob insults. And from what I have seen, Netsuzou Trap is currently a hot topic that’s topping the charts.
I think long-time followers of The Lily Garden are aware that I’m not a fan of Netuzuou Trap. Personally, I consider the show to be tasteless and shallow. I also believe that anything the series attempts has already been done before in a better way, that the series is going for a fetishistic/taboo approach that I don’t appreciate, and that we already have an excess of series and media where homosexuality is condemned and shamed. Yes, such discrimination is very much a common occurrence in some parts of the world, which somewhat supports the inclusion of such developments in series for the sake of realism.
However, I do believe the yuri anime genre as a whole has little to offer when it comes to the portrayal of healthy relationships, which makes me less than enthusiastic for Netsuzou Trap and other like series. The roots of yuri anime originated from Class S, which consistently featured two female lovers acknowledging that their relationship is transient and is only suited to be mere practice for “real” relationships (i.e. heterosexual relationships) later down the line. What I’m trying to say is that I believe that yuri has long been associated with tragedy and the genre should try to move away from the trappings of Class S, which is inherently heteronormative, close-minded, and bigoted if one reads between the lines. Alas, Netsuzou Trap stays entrenched within “tradition” since the female characters claim their interactions only amount to “fooling around” and Hotaru always insists that her time with Yuma is merely practice for when Yuma becomes intimate with a man.
Please note that I never insulted fans of Netsuzou Trap even once as I talked about my personal opinion of the series. I may disagree with their preferences, but NTRap fans should be allowed to like any series that they want to like and they should not be persecuted for their tastes.
Do not automatically assume that fans of the series in question are wicked people who support cheating on their partners or that they lack a moral compass. Some fans may simply be fascinated with series that feature dark, mature, and explicit themes while others may be curious about how the setting shown in NTRap differs from their own personal experiences. While there probably are a few fans who are into cuckolding, that’s definitely not the majority. So please stop incorrectly labeling NTRap fans like that.
I’ll be talking about two more subtopics before I conclude this editorial.
The Compulsive Need for Categories
I’ve touched upon this before, but I think people are prone to clinging onto categories. The fear of the unknown is potent and people attempt to quell such anxieties by throwing everything into categories. As a result, people tend to adopt this sort of self-centered Sith Lord mentality where everything is black or white.
This forms the basis of my pet theory regarding individuals who berate NTRap fans. The series is bound to make viewers uncomfortable, which can turn off viewers. But some of said viewers seemingly do not understand the concept of individuality and do not comprehend that others can and will have different opinions. So seeing others who disagree with their beliefs regarding Netsuzou Trap might cause some degree of dissonance for the nay-sayers until they realize that they can seemingly justify their position by taking the moral high-ground. “Yeah, only corrupt and immoral people can like NTRap,” they cry as they lift their pitchforks towards the sky. Little do they know that adopting this sort of mindset only proves that they lack a sufficient argument, that they fail to realize insulting others is not a valid way to hold meaningful discussion, and that they mistakenly believe their opinions are more “real” than others.
So, folks, please make things easier and just accept that not everyone will disagree with your opinion are villains.
Generalizations Generally Suck
At least two of my blogging friends, Lethargic Ramblings and Rai, are very much into Netsuzou Trap. According to the haters, my friends are thus despicable degenerates who enjoy the idea of infidelity due to their taste in anime. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth since both of them are normal individuals and both are in loving and healthy relationships. So why are you assuming things about people solely because of their personal preferences again?
Granted, most supporters of NTRap have to defend themselves because haters will take potshots at their morality. So I’ll provide a counter-example to show that believing NTRap fans are wicked is a nonsensical conclusion. As stated earlier, I’m not a fan of Netsuzou Trap so that automatically makes me a nice person with good morals in their eyes, right?
Well, I’ve actually been hooking up with random strangers for the past two years on numerous occasions and I’ve been in situations reminiscent of the ones shown in NTRap or worse. Sometimes I’ve been the other man, in fact (which probably explains why I hold weird feelings towards NTRap and Kuzu no Honkai because I’m resonating with the controversial characters due to my decadent life). I’m opportunistic, I have poor self-control and I have a compulsion to sleep with strangers who are only interested in me due to my ethnicity so I can raise my self-esteem. I had flunked 2 years’ worth of classes out of laziness and crippling depression. I had erroneously thought that gay marriage shouldn’t be legal until middle school because I was raised in a religious home where I was taught that homosexuality is a sin.
By most accounts, I probably wouldn’t qualify as being a good person. And yet I hold little love for Netsuzou Trap. What’s going on? It’s almost as if there’s no correlation between stances on Netsuzou Trap and moral character!
I’m just trying to say that judging others based on preferences is meaningless. Attempting to invalidate other’s opinions through insults is pointless. So stop with the juvenile defamation directed towards NTRap fans. Talk things out, instead, and try to hold a civilized discussion, please. The anime community should be one of love, not hate.
And remember that at the end of the day, the blogger or vlogger or fan you’re rebuking is a person just like you.
Stay woke.
The Lily Garden 
Even though I know nothing about this anime, people shouldn’t be bashing fans and what they like by insults, ad hominems, and strawmen. I do confess that I’m guilty of insulting fans of media I don’t like as retaliation for them insulting me in real life, but I have to keep calm in these scenarios despite being bullied for what I’ve liked in my past. Sure, I can critique things and do my best to explain why I do or don’t like something, but I have to prevent myself from bashing others. It’s hard enough not being a fan of mainstream movies or TV and having some people freak out about it in real life, but I’ve accepted that it’s their problem and not mine. Although if they do want to get movie or anime recommendations from me, then I’ll happily give them a few flicks to try out if they’re genuine.
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Hi Remy, sorry for the very late response. Thanks for defending me and other fans of the series. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don’t think it is fair to automatically label and insult people who like a certain series.
I had no idea my rant was going to get such a response ^^; I was just upset because I am extremely faithful in my relationship. Just because I like Netsuzou Trap doesn’t mean I condone cheating. On ANN, I literally saw a post that said, “People who like this show want to be in a bad relationship.” Like, really? -_-
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Heya Rai. No worries, no worries. I wasn’t really trying to defend anyone. I was just saying what was on my mind. I was actually working out a post about the unhealthy black-and-white mentality when I saw your passionate speech, so I guess I was inspired to some degree!
Well, those are the sort of people who struggle with critical thinking from my experience. It’s a shame they think that way since it’s a rather silly mindset.
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It comes down to just one thing: respect. As with any piece of entertainment, it’s a thing of personal preference. What may be liked by someone, could absolutely be hated by someone else. But that does not mean that you should insult people just because they have a different opinion. Alas. Not everyone seems to understand this. Great post once again 😀
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Mmm it’s something I wish some people understood. Thank you!
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Heeey, so, this is possibly geared towards me since I’m the one who made a podcast about Netsuzou Trap and had a long conversation about the show on twitter with some of the guests who were on the podcast, which you were tagged in. That being said, let me clear things up.
What I said was:
Netsuzou Trap and the NTR genre are mean-spirited genres that are for a niche audience. They exhibit dark and disgusting human action and interaction within fiction, which I am not the audience for.
I feel like people are mischaracterizing what I said and feel about the two because of my heated expression and frustrations with them. Just because I don’t like something doesn’t automatically make me one of these people who “generalize” or “hate”. I honestly don’t get why people are getting so hung up over this; the show is shitty and I don’t even think anyone is watching the goddamn show. I feel people just need to calm down and take my opinions for what they are: My thoughts on something and nothing more.
But hey, if I am getting in way over my head here and if I am not the person this post is gearing towards, then no hard feelings.
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No, this post is not directed towards you. I have yet to watch a single episode of your podcast, actually. This was written in response to Rai’s tweet/rant (in which she tagged me) and to some of the feedback I have personally received (from fans who consider me a hater for not liking the show).
That being said, I do agree with your sentiments. I consider the show to be bottom shelf yuri romance and am only covering it since my blog specializes in yuri. You’re definitely entitled to your opinions and you’ve expressed them in a frank, curt manner. I feel sympathy for your plight in which people twist your words, but you should understand that you’re barking up the wrong tree in regards to this particular case.
Sure, no hard feelings.
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Actually, I’m looking at the Twitter thread right now and I think you’ve made it a little easy for people to misinterpret your words with your aggressive language, unfortunately.
I had no idea about said Twitter thread since I’m always a few days behind on Twitter due to work and my own busy blogging schedule. So I guess this doesn’t really apply to you. But yeah…
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Even so, I stand by my stance that I mentioned here in this post.
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I don’t think criticism of any show (or anything) should ever be done through insulting the fans. While I may not get what is appealing about something, I fully understand that everyone has their own tastes and reasons for watching things.
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Exactly. I only wish everyone was this respectful.
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People are dumb
I like shows that depict some pretty horrible stuff but wouldn’t go out and do it myself or wish it onto an actual person. It’s entertainment… Thanks for the post though 🙂
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Wahaha yeah.
Mmm of course not! It’s just fiction. Thank you for dropping by.
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No problem 🙂
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Any rational person would understand that the type of fiction someone chooses to consume has no bearing on the type of person they are, but then again I’m not sure that rational people think to make these sort of attacks, or if it’s even reasonable to expect people to be rational.
The need to categorize in this sense comes out of the innate need to separate and create a distinct boundary between oneself and the thing they disapprove of. It doesn’t even have to be disapproval but just petty rivalry that compels people to draw that hard line between “us” and “them.”
I’ve long since given up on dealing with people who can’t be civil or are disrespectful. Still, I appreciate the spirit of this post, as well as your call to action for people who love anime to embrace each other rather than build this kind of hate.
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Mmm good point. They might just want to spout hateful words and walk away without harboring any intention of having a meaningful conversation. I guess not everyone can be rational or responsible.
That sums it up quite nicely. Very disappointing, to be honest.
Wahaha yeah I realize this post won’t really do much. But I still wanted to get it off my chest. If I can make at least one person realize that insulting others is not the proper way when it comes to talking about things, then I’m content.
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It all seems so ridiculous to me. There have been plenty of shows that i’m not fond of, but i’m not going to instantly label fans of the shows as all sorts of negative people. By all means, slam different parts of a show, maybe even explain to fans of the show why you don’t like it if they’re interested, but don’t immediately start throwing insults without rational basis. Sigh.
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It is ridiculous and I wish this would stop. I’m very glad you are of the same mindset. Ah, well….
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“It’s almost as if there’s no correlation between stances on Netsuzou Trap and moral character.”
Exactly. It’s simple logic but apparently far beyond the reach of an unsettlingly large group of people. I wish I could say I was surprised to see this kind of mentality but I’ve been hanging out in a less savory part of tumblr recently and oh boy, there are scores of people – usually young teenagers but also adults – who will resort to ad hominem ranging from pedophilia accusations to suicide baiting over taste in fiction.
It’s fucking fiction. Let it be.
/rant over.
Sorry, and great post, Remy. I was catching up on posts but then I saw this and had to click. Will go read the rest now.
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Mmm it’s rather depressing. Ah, that’s not a good look for tumblr. They should knock it off, really, but that’s easier said than done when we’re only observers to shit-flinging.
Yes! I’ll drink to that.
Ah, no worries. Glad you enjoyed it.
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I haven’t watched Netsuzou Trap, but I have come across this kind of thinking for other series, and it’s ridiculous! It’s incredibly narrow minded to judge fans based on what they watch, the point of watching series is to enjoy stories and characters – see characters within fictional situations and how they react to the people and issues around them. I think people are very quick to jump onto things and scream “it’s wrong!” and point the blame at other people. As you said, this kind of thinking stops any form of discussion, there’s no opportunity to learn, and people just end up hurling insults and shaming each other.
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Mmm it’s unbelievable. It’s as if some people forgot the point of a series or a story.
I guess it’s a knee-jerk reaction, but it’s destructive rather than constructive and contributes nothing. I hope one day rheotic in general can move away from such an approach (no, you were the one who used such words and I’m jealous since you phrased things succinctly and elegantly).
Thank you for dropping by and for bothering to read.
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