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alterkrmnI’ve been watching Sanrio Danshi for a while now, ever since I stumbled upon an episode at Citrus Con (yes, I know, it was ages ago… but what can I say?). I haven’t finished it yet, but overall, I like it. The series follows a group of high school boys who love Sanrio characters, even though their tastes aren’t exactly embraced by some of their peers. The character who brings the group together is Hasegawa Kouta, a guy who adored Pom Pom Purin as a kid because his grandmother gave him a plushie he deeply cherished. But then, some cruel kids mocked him for it, and ever since, he felt ashamed of his preferences. Years later, in high school, he meets Mizuno Yuu and Yoshino Shunsuke, two cool guys who also enjoy Sanrio characters, with one key difference: they aren’t embarrassed by what they like, even if society deems it "unmanly."
Sounds like an allegory for something bigger, doesn’t it? For all those things society tells us we should hide, when there’s really nothing wrong with them. Yeah, I know Sanrio Danshi is basically one giant Sanrio ad, but it’s cute and easy to watch. Plus, if I hadn’t seen it, maybe I wouldn’t have reflected on what I’m about to share.
A few weeks ago (two? More? What even is time?), on a social media platform that shall not be named, a video popped up featuring an argentinian* comedian I don’t know much about and don’t particularly care for. But for some reason (maybe I was cooking or washing dishes, I don’t remember), instead of scrolling past, I let the video play.
The comedian was inviting the audience to share something that annoyed them about someone close to them, like a public venting session, and he’d give them advice based on some anecdote. Not a format I love, but that’s not the point. The story I heard went like this:
A woman recounted how her husband was on a video call where he won a giveaway. He got really excited, and she asked him what he’d won. She told the comedian, sarcastically, "Ten Pom Pom Purin products. You know, Hello Kitty’s friend. It’s a yellow dog." Then she continued, saying she asked her husband, "For our son?" to which he replied, "No, for me! I love it!"
The comedian cut in: "And what’s the issue here?" The woman hesitated, and he added, "You just wanted to embarrass him," with a condescending look. "I don’t see anything wrong with him liking a character."
The husband then spoke up, explaining that in that moment, he’d been happy about his prize… until his wife questioned whether it was a joke, whether he was really excited over winning products featuring a character meant for little kids. He responded, "I work hard for this family. I’m not an alcoholic, not a drug addict, not a gambler. I have every right to buy my little Pom Pom Purin figures!" The audience erupted in applause.
The woman tried to justify herself by saying he was a lawyer and the principal of a school. "So?" the comedian shot back. She finished with, "As long as he doesn’t go out in public with me carrying his Pom Pom Purin, it’s fine," which drew disapproving murmurs from the crowd.
The video doesn’t end there, but that’s the most important part, imo.
At first, my reaction was, "What the hell? Why is this woman acting like that?" Later, the audio went viral, and tons of people (adults, of course) started sharing their own collections of "unusual" interests, turning it into something very relatable.
But beyond my initial outrage, the video left me thinking (even now) about why it bothers some people when adults enjoy "childish" things, especially when those adults are men (in this case, at least, women are very often judged too if they have interests that don’t align with the norm). There’s this social expectation that at a certain age, we’re supposed to outgrow cartoons, toys, comics… anything perceived as immature. But in this case, as I see it, there’s an added layer: masculinity.
The woman mentioned her husband being a lawyer and school principal as if that obligated him to reject what he loved. "Isn’t it ridiculous for a man like him to enjoy something so childish?" she seemed to be saying. Ugh…
Obviously, this reminded me of Sanrio Danshi. In the anime, several characters outright call the protagonists "gross" for liking something considered feminine. Men cannot be kawaii or like kawaii things, apparently… which also makes me think about Old-Fashioned Cupcake and, more recently, 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40. Gosh, I remember reading articles and posts about this topic, but that was before I started keeping track of the things I read regarding fandom discussions… they’d be so handy right now. Alas…
The other day, while cooking with the kid, another video on this same topic popped up on the unnamed social media platform. He overheard it and at one point asked me, "What's wrong with someone liking Pom Pom Purin?" I told him: "Nothing... that's exactly the point." And he agreed, even showing his distaste for how people judge others over things like that. After all, he has a Hello Kitty plush (among others) and loves decorating his stuff with kawaii stickers without a second thought.
But I’m getting sidetracked. What really sticks with me is how machismo is also ingrained in many women’s expectations. I don’t know if this is part of the current conservative wave or what…I’m sure there are a lot of factors, a lot of intersecting issues that end up making people think like that.
I don’t have a clear conclusion, just a lot of questions: Why do we keep perpetuating these ideas? How do you reconcile demanding men be "sensitive" while ridiculing and rejecting them when they actually are?
I guess the issue has many layers. And maybe I wrote all this just because I needed to get it off my chest. I wish I had the brain to turn this into a serious essay/analysis, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
*Also... I just learned that there are different ways to refer to people from Argentina??? Argentine, argentinean, argentinian? WHY?
Sounds like an allegory for something bigger, doesn’t it? For all those things society tells us we should hide, when there’s really nothing wrong with them. Yeah, I know Sanrio Danshi is basically one giant Sanrio ad, but it’s cute and easy to watch. Plus, if I hadn’t seen it, maybe I wouldn’t have reflected on what I’m about to share.
A few weeks ago (two? More? What even is time?), on a social media platform that shall not be named, a video popped up featuring an argentinian* comedian I don’t know much about and don’t particularly care for. But for some reason (maybe I was cooking or washing dishes, I don’t remember), instead of scrolling past, I let the video play.
The comedian was inviting the audience to share something that annoyed them about someone close to them, like a public venting session, and he’d give them advice based on some anecdote. Not a format I love, but that’s not the point. The story I heard went like this:
A woman recounted how her husband was on a video call where he won a giveaway. He got really excited, and she asked him what he’d won. She told the comedian, sarcastically, "Ten Pom Pom Purin products. You know, Hello Kitty’s friend. It’s a yellow dog." Then she continued, saying she asked her husband, "For our son?" to which he replied, "No, for me! I love it!"
The comedian cut in: "And what’s the issue here?" The woman hesitated, and he added, "You just wanted to embarrass him," with a condescending look. "I don’t see anything wrong with him liking a character."
The husband then spoke up, explaining that in that moment, he’d been happy about his prize… until his wife questioned whether it was a joke, whether he was really excited over winning products featuring a character meant for little kids. He responded, "I work hard for this family. I’m not an alcoholic, not a drug addict, not a gambler. I have every right to buy my little Pom Pom Purin figures!" The audience erupted in applause.
The woman tried to justify herself by saying he was a lawyer and the principal of a school. "So?" the comedian shot back. She finished with, "As long as he doesn’t go out in public with me carrying his Pom Pom Purin, it’s fine," which drew disapproving murmurs from the crowd.
The video doesn’t end there, but that’s the most important part, imo.
At first, my reaction was, "What the hell? Why is this woman acting like that?" Later, the audio went viral, and tons of people (adults, of course) started sharing their own collections of "unusual" interests, turning it into something very relatable.
But beyond my initial outrage, the video left me thinking (even now) about why it bothers some people when adults enjoy "childish" things, especially when those adults are men (in this case, at least, women are very often judged too if they have interests that don’t align with the norm). There’s this social expectation that at a certain age, we’re supposed to outgrow cartoons, toys, comics… anything perceived as immature. But in this case, as I see it, there’s an added layer: masculinity.
The woman mentioned her husband being a lawyer and school principal as if that obligated him to reject what he loved. "Isn’t it ridiculous for a man like him to enjoy something so childish?" she seemed to be saying. Ugh…
Obviously, this reminded me of Sanrio Danshi. In the anime, several characters outright call the protagonists "gross" for liking something considered feminine. Men cannot be kawaii or like kawaii things, apparently… which also makes me think about Old-Fashioned Cupcake and, more recently, 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40. Gosh, I remember reading articles and posts about this topic, but that was before I started keeping track of the things I read regarding fandom discussions… they’d be so handy right now. Alas…
The other day, while cooking with the kid, another video on this same topic popped up on the unnamed social media platform. He overheard it and at one point asked me, "What's wrong with someone liking Pom Pom Purin?" I told him: "Nothing... that's exactly the point." And he agreed, even showing his distaste for how people judge others over things like that. After all, he has a Hello Kitty plush (among others) and loves decorating his stuff with kawaii stickers without a second thought.
But I’m getting sidetracked. What really sticks with me is how machismo is also ingrained in many women’s expectations. I don’t know if this is part of the current conservative wave or what…I’m sure there are a lot of factors, a lot of intersecting issues that end up making people think like that.
I don’t have a clear conclusion, just a lot of questions: Why do we keep perpetuating these ideas? How do you reconcile demanding men be "sensitive" while ridiculing and rejecting them when they actually are?
I guess the issue has many layers. And maybe I wrote all this just because I needed to get it off my chest. I wish I had the brain to turn this into a serious essay/analysis, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
*Also... I just learned that there are different ways to refer to people from Argentina??? Argentine, argentinean, argentinian? WHY?
(no subject)
Date: 2025-08-18 08:14 am (UTC)(Re: referring to people, isn't this true for a lot of nationalities? Finn/Finnish and Brit/British comes to mind...)
(no subject)
Date: 2025-09-08 04:24 am (UTC)yes, definitely... and it's the reason the rising wave of conservatism is so scary... :/
re: nationalities: yeah, but I suppose I never came accross the one for Argentina in english because whenever I've had to talk about argentinians it's been in Spanish. It's kind of funny, using two languages to communicate
(no subject)
Date: 2025-09-09 03:08 pm (UTC)Ahh, makes sense!
(no subject)
Date: 2025-11-13 02:22 am (UTC)Sorry I'm just really passionate about this topic. Thank you thank you for rambling about it!
PS. If you're interested in other wholesome boys show, may I suggest "Play It Cool, Guys"? It's about a group of guys who share the trait of being a bit clumsy.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-11-18 02:18 am (UTC)It definitely made me think about these kinds of issues too, as a masc-identifying person myself. Toxic masculinity is a very limiting frame that ends up affecting everyone. It was so interesting how it connected with that random video I saw because it's so prevalent everywhere.
I still need to finish watching Sanrio Danshi, but I'm totally adding "Play It Cool, Guys" to my PTW list!