After last week’s episode of Oreimo, where I continued to emphasize my disappointment with the show, I was advised that I should quit “torturing” myself – that I should drop it. But despite all my issues with the series, there’s one particular thing that keeps bringing me back – I really like most of the characters on this show. This week’s episode focused on Ayase – one of the show’s most surprising characters. She really cracks me up.
Ayase, who like Kirino, fronts with a “perfect girl” vibe, quickly becomes jealous when her best friend is more eager to spend time with her video game girlfriend than with her. In turn, Kyousuke tells Ayase that she should be like the Love Plus Love Touch girl, spouting similar lines in similar ways.
Of course, Kirino finds this…creepy. And in the end, despite Ayase’s breakdown, this is exactly the answer she wants, isn’t it? Kirino is telling her – don’t be like this other (digital) girl – be yourself. I love you as you.
In relationships, it’s easy to get into the mode of trying to change for someone else to gain their approval – even in long-last relationships, particularly when some challenge comes along. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t change – life is about growth and in a friendship or romantic relationships, we should grow for the sake of the other person. But as with Ayase, we shouldn’t change our very personalities to appease someone else.
When it comes to God, the normal thing, perhaps, is to try to please Him by changing ourselves. More on the point, we may do good deeds to try to curry favor, or maybe in terms that anime fans are likely to relate to, to redeem ourselves (see Kenshin or Trigun or a variety of other series). But God loves our for who we are. We will grow and we will become more loving people – this should be true of any healthy relationship. But our personality, our humor, our quirks – these things that define us remain the same, and they are accepted and loved by the Father.
Even if we have yandere tendencies.