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Introduction
to Shoujo Studies: Kawaii Judgment
Welcome to my class,
students! =^.^= Over the semester, I've mentioned many, many
things that are kawaii. I will show you my personal list of
standards on how to judge the kawaiiness of something or someone.
There are more factors than the ones I'm going to mention
today, but these ones take precedence.
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Even
the mallet is kawaii!
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Level One: "Unkawaii"
In order to deem something kawaii, you must first know what
isn't kawaii. Excessive gore, violence and profanity
are in most cases very unkawaii; most anime of the shounen
genre tend to be of this nature. For example, Dragonball
Z is a very unkawaii series.
Level Two: "Kawaii"
There exists many occasions when you could say something is
kawaii. Most, if not all, shoujo anime has something kawaii
in it. Take Kodomo no Omocha, for example. This anime
has many instances where you want to leap out of your seat,
put your hands to your chin and squeal "KAWAII!!"
. If you have been known to do this, then you are truly ready
for the levels of kawaiidom that lay ahead of you.
Level Three:
"SDK"
SDK, or "Super Deformed Kawaii", branches off from
mundane kawaii levels to
something much more cute. Super Deformed characteristics include
the sudden loss of limb length coupled with the growth of
the head and eyes. Let's take a look at Dragon
Half. Some of these fight scenes are very kawaii due
to the SDK factor. Take out the Super Deformed characters
and it's not very cute anymore, now is it?
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Puchiko
for President!
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Level Four: "Kawaii
Furry Mascots"
One of the most powerful forms of kawaiiness is on display
in anime mascots. They may not have a purpose in the series
they are in nor even speak a recognizable language, but they're
always kawaii enough to make your eyes sparkle. These furry
mascots are not limited to just shoujo anime; some shounen
anime have been known to sport one or two. Some of these mascots
include: Ryo-Ohki (Tenchi
Muyo!), Kero-chan (Card
Captor Sakura), Mokona (Magic
Knight Rayearth), and even Pikachu (Pokémon).
Level Five: "Uber
Kawaii"
This stage of kawaiiness only came into existence a few years
ago. When the Di Gi Charat
series aired for the first time, it introduced a character so
impossibly kawaii. Yes, I speak of the legendary Puchiko. Puchiko
is a rare case; where no matter what she does at all, it's considered
kawaii. Puchiko could make even things on the unkawaii list
from Level One kawaii with ease. I'm sure the people
responsible for her creation took years to develop something
so cute.
That's all for today,
class. If you're still having difficulties, perhaps a few
fwaps from the shoujo anime beat-stick would help?
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