#please be nicer to yukimura he deserves the world

[phoenixkaptain]

Kaichou wa Maid-sama is the funniest show, if only because it’s about a flirtatious demi falling for an accidentally charming pansexual. Usui gives off such ace vibes, whenever he is with literally anybody other than Misaki, he just does not care, he does not see them, he has a one-track mind and the track its on is Misaki.

But then there’s Misaki, who is just… she’s perfect. Her favourite days are ones where more girls come in, because she likes girls. She actively enjoys crossdressing because she likes that she can charm girls. She flirts with and takes care of and just genuinely seduces all the girls and she loves it because she loves girls. She isn’t shy about it, either! But, she also likes boys! She takes care of everyone, and while she doesn’t mean to, she charms boys just as well as she charms girls! She’s a casanova-

Usui and Misaki are such a duo. You have Usui, who is willing to kiss random people just because he wants Misaki to stop being incapable of looking him in the eye. He is just really not interested in girls or boys, he just zones tf out whenever people speak to him and honestly same. You have Misaki, who is effortlessly charming with girls and begrudgingly charming with boys and who likes to crossdress and supports other people crossdressing. You have two flirts, neither of whom are actually good at relationships, and it’s just really fucking funny to watch.

It’s a duo I’ve thought of: pan/demi. Just the opposites attract sort of thing, you know, but taken to the extreme. (As a side note, I really wish Usui would crossdress, can you imagine? All he had to do was crossdress and Misaki would have fallen for him immediately, she loves girls, okay, she just loves girls so much-)

This show isn’t for everyone. There is sexual harassment and dark themes and the regular early-2000s view of romance which is very… interesting. Also, it doesn’t feel like a show about teenagers, honestly. It feels like a regency show, sometimes. The school is really only there for the Student Council President aspect, as well as a few storylines about Misaki trying to get along with boys. That isn’t to say they don’t utilize the setting, they really do, it just feels like forty-year-olds in sixteen-year-olds’ bodies, if that makes sense. The characters are all so oddly jaded, it’s fascinating.

And it isn’t very kind to queer people, despite having one of the most openly bisexual characters of all time as the protagonist. Misaki’s attraction to women is played more as a joke, or we’re supposed to think she is only platonically interested in women. I’m pretty sure her attraction is sexual though. I mean, she doesn’t realize she’s into Usui for months. Would she really understand that she’s into girls? I think she thinks it’s just normal to occasionally think about making out with your friends. But aside from that, Aoi is treated quite poorly at times. I don’t know what they were going for, honestly, because it seems like a trans story but also seems like they just wanted him to crossdress for the fun of it, kind of like Princess Jellyfish style.

And, it’s really strangely sexist, at times? Most of the time, actually. It’s fascinating. It’s so sexist, yet so empowering at the same time? Or, at least, they were trying really hard to make it empowering and they occasionally stumbled pretty badly…

Anyway, all this to say, I really like the dumb romance show about a guy falling in love with a girl who scares the shit out of people with her violent tendencies. The romance is honestly legitimately sweet at times, especially further in. They learn what each other likes and they treat each other better. It’s nice. It has such intense scenes and then cartoony scenes, back to back. Usui is like a puppy. Misaki is the best. I like the show a lot but would advise patience with anyone who wishes to watch it.