Recently, Yumeka wrote a post about Guilty Pleasures. I was writing this as a reply to that post, but as you can see, things got out of hand, and I decided it was better to just write a reply post. So yeah. Here it is.
So Yumeka (I’m assuming you read the post by now, but if not, no big deal, talks about guilty pleasures, and wouldn’t you know it, she mentions my exact feelings about them!
“For example, a 40-year old male anime fan might not feel any guilt about enjoying Cardcaptor Sakura, since most other anime fans do, but he certainly might feel like calling it a guilty pleasure amongst his male coworkers who aren’t into anime and would raise an eyebrow if they knew he enjoyed a cartoon about cute little magical girls”
Cardcaptor Sakura sucks, but other than that, this paragraph is dead on. There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure, because frankly, I never feel guilty enjoying something. However, the term “guilty pleasure” is a great way to make something that isn’t socially acceptable completely normal and within reason. For example:
Scenario 1
A: “I like Strike Witches.”
B: “Whoa whoa whoa. What the fuck?”
C: “Dude you’re fucked up man…..what are you some kind of freakish perv or something?”
D: “Yeah they don’t even wear pants in that show! DIDN’T YOU READ GLOTHELEGEND’S POST!?”
B: “Pedophile…”
C: “I’m calling the cops you dirtbag.”
D: “Anime sucks anyway you asshole! We all hate you now, we’re gonna spread it around that you touched a child innapropriately.”
B: “Get the fuck out of town; and never show your face here again!”
D: “Yeah, go kill yourself you dumb asshole.”
Notice in this scenario, which is completely accurate 100%, how the so called “friends” of person A turned on him upon learning that he watched a show featuring lolis with no pants. Now let’s see the second scenario, where the term “guilty pleasure” is used.
Scenario 2
A: “You ever hear of Strike Witches? It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. In fact, so is Anime in general.” (looks away sheepishly and kicks the ground in embarrassment)
B: (chuckles) “I know what you mean. Did you ever see that OVA called Megane no Kanojo? Those girls in glasses man I’m tellin ya .”
C: “Yeah I like those yuri manga, but I’m a guy!”
D: “I know what you guys mean. My guilty pleasure is that I like to fiddle around with my asshole when I masturbate sometimes.”
B: “I’m not sure that’s the same thing.”
C: “Yeah, that’s kinda weird.”
B: “Why would you tell us that?”
D: (looks at the ground) “I…was joking.” (tries to write it off as a joke)
B: “Boy, I’m glad we were all able to talk about our guilty pleasures!
C: “Yeah, I feel better about myself now! It’s good to know that it’s not wrong to have a guilty pleasure!”
D: “Yeah!”
A, B, and C all look away from D.
Wow, that went a lot better. By using the term “guilty pleasure.” You can make anything socially acceptable! For example:
A: “I killed someone.”
B: “What the f-”
A: “It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. (looks away sheepishly and kicks the ground in embarrassment)”
B: “Oh haha, That’s fine then.”
Indeed, “guilty pleasure” is a very powerful phrase. (for the record, I did end up liking Strike Witches a lot after I tuned out the pantslessness.)
Eye Sedso 
Well, I guess I won’t be using that phrase anymore. Thanks to you, it now feels dirty and below my status as awesome person.
Oh, but I still have one guilty pleasure:
“I know it is totally unacceptable for a sane human being to do this, but reading Glothelegend’s blog during my spare time is a guilty pleasure of mine”.
Hahahahahaha I was actually going to use “reading Eye Sedso” as the guilty pleasure that person D used in the 2nd scenario instead of that weird masturbation thing. It IS totally unacceptable, isn’t it? haha
The way I see it, people just use the word guilty pleasure to say that even though they do watch they show, they are in a way disassociating with the show so that other people won’t look down on them for watching such show.
I personally think that the term guilty pleasure is stupid. Are people not brave enough to just admit that they like watching something, instead of hiding it behind such a phrase? It’s obvious that if your friends shun you just because you watch something questionable, they ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS. True friends should be able to accept you for whatever hobbies you have, unless of course the hobby is morally questionable. (So far I haven’t meant anyone who kills people as their guilty pleasure, and hope I never do.)
I have no problems saying to anyone that I watch and enjoy something like Highschool DxD, I do not feel the need to call it a guilty pleasure, I mean I enjoy watching it like any other show, and I don’t feel guilty at all. I mean, one of my friends openly admitted to me and another guy that Yosuga no Sora was one of his favourite animes. (We obviously burst out laughing, but I don’t remember killing him for liking the anime)
I may actually watch Yosuga no Sora apparently it’s good?
I don’t think I’ve actually ever used the term “guilty pleasure” in a conversation ever in my life. I’m trying to think of a time when I did and I honestly can’t. I typically just let people laugh at me, and then usually I laugh too.
Yosuga no Sora? That’s fucking terrible. If one of my friends said that Yosuga no Sora was their favourite anime, I would stop being his friend. Don’t pretend that admission didn’t negatively colour your perception of him.
Could it be? An Anime that I will finally give a rating of a 1 to??? I’m excited now! (probably never going to watch it though).
Strange enough. I rarely interpret the term ‘guilty pleasure’ like that.
To me, I usually called the show ‘guilty pleasure’ when I admit to other anime fans that I love certain shows which are known to be crappy. So that they won’t think I have a lowly taste -_-
ps. I think scenario 2 was no less disastrous compared to the first 🙂
Only if you’re person D.
Strike Witches is simultaneously under- and overrated. Stupid plot, pedophilic PLOT, great characters and interactions.
I agree sort of….for me it was:
Pedophilic Plot as the only thing that really bothered me, and I had to downgrade it simply because of episode 7, aka the worst episode of anime ever (coincidentally, episode 7 of season 2 was equally as terrible. They’re probably 1 & 2 as the worst episodes of anime I’ve ever seen). The non pants factor was pretty dumb, and the fanservice in season 2 was especially off-putting for me, yet…
I actually liked the general plot, and I thought the seasons both ended pretty awesomely in terms of the fights and stuff.
The panty chase episode was bearable because of the humor. That episode with the vagina rubbing though… NOOOOPE.
http://slackiance.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/erica-hartmann-slack-master/
“The panty chase episode was bearable…”
STOP
NO
Loll… True. But I’m not sure if it quite worked for D in that second scenario, although it’s not like I don’t understand… It’s a pleasure I’d imagine~
No, he did not understand.
Me: “I read anime blogs.”
Childhood Best Friend: “What the f-”
Me: “It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. (looks away sheepishly and kicks the ground in embarrassment)”
Childhood Best Friend: “Fuck you creeper! Die forever in a well off the coast of Finland!”
-suddenly, ten giant dogs jump through the window-
Dogs: “I AM THE ANCIENT BEASTS OF THE DIVINE INTERVENTION AND GOD. WE ARE HERE TO EAT THE SIN. WHO IS SIN?”
Childhood Best Friend: “THIS FUCKER READS ANIME BLOGS!!”
Dogs: “die forever”
Me: *dies forever*
doesn’t work 100% of the time sorry
That well in Finland ACTUALLY holds not only the secret to wealth and happiness, but when someone tells you to “die forever” in said well, it’s actually Finish code meaning, “there’s sooo many hot girls who want to bang you in that well.”
So they were actually trying to help you. You blew it.
Finnish anibloggers hate Finnish anibloggers too. Case in point: Nova
(they’re just so FINNicky aren’t they)
pffffffffffffffffffffff
Seriously, Strike Witches would get much more respect if THE GIRLS WORE SOME DAMN PANTS! Screw it, the show rules and I’m still waiting for the movie.
Guilty pleasures, eh? Does picking both Hyperdimension Neptunia games over Skyrim count? I’m so going to get heat for this.
There’s a movie coming out? Could be good.
I have no idea what any of those games are Skyrim looks fucking stupid though I’ve watched my friend play it.
For now, no need to concern yourself over the games I mentioned. They aren’t your cup of tea.
As for Skyrim, lesbian marriage. That’s all I care about in that game and..it’s not enough to get me to buy it.
Yes, there is a Strike Witches movie coming out…I think this season or the next. Not sure.
Wasn’t there a Hayate movie that came out a year ago or something? Fuck I need to see that.
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