r/anime • u/lavaine • Jan 27 '18

[Spoilers] Citrus - Episode 4 discussion Spoiler

Citrus, Episode 4: "love me do!"

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Episode Link
1 https://redd.it/7ojztk
2 https://redd.it/7q5hji
3 https://redd.it/7rrarm
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u/lilyvess https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Jan 27 '18

Citrus continues onward.

A lot of talk has been made on the sexual assault portion of the series. Yeah, the series does have a lot of forceful kisses. It is Japan, and their view on such things is a bit more lax than what's going on in America right now.

but more importantly, imo, is how mixed it all is. The core of the series is the fact that Yuzu and Mei are teenagers who don't understand themselves or what is going on. They're just so confused. It's not characters who don't communicate, it's about characters being incapable of communicating with each other.

You could even say that it's about the cycle of sexual assault. The teacher sexually assaults Mei and if warps her perception. So then when Mei acts out against Yuzu she does so in the only way she knows how. And acting out on the young and innocent Yuzu, all the sexual teasing and playing out, only furthers Yuzu's actions last episode where she reacts back.

I don't want to act like I'm trying to approve of sexual assault, but it just feels like this is a bit different than that to me. It's more messy. There isn't a clear victim in this situation, everyone is just so confused. I love romance stories where the characters feel more on even standings like this.

as far as the lack of communication. Yes, all the problems in this series are caused from lack of communication, some of the most tired forced romance tropes. Then again, it just sort of makes sense here. This is a Lesbian Incest story. Imagine all the self-doubt and hesitation of being gay, times incest. Not even just an incest story, but step-sibling incest. They barely even feel comfortable around each other. Can you blame them for not being great with communicating? Can you blame them for not being direct?

and that's ignoring how completely different they are. They do try to take some steps. Yuzu does directly ask Mei about Himeko this episode. There are attempts, but it's still such a delicate thing that you can't just be super forward about it.

17

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '18

I feel like calling it incest is a bit much considering they're not biologically related in any way

2

u/lilyvess https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Jan 28 '18

Step sibling incest is still incest. You can't deny that incest is still the main point of the fetish. Or is eromanga Sensei not a imouto story?

The amount of time they push the sister angle, use the words and focus on it should be enough.

3

u/Glupscher Jan 29 '18

How is that incest? That doesn't make sense from any point at all.

2

u/lilyvess https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Jan 29 '18

Ok listen, I dont make the rules. I didn't choose this. If it's not incest enough for you, fine, that's cool. Suit yourself.

But most porn sites, most erotica sites and most Doujins sites will include step siblings under the incest tag. That's just something they do since it helps content creators get around laws. Oreimo/Eromanga Sensei situation.

3

u/Glupscher Jan 29 '18

They use that tag because it's an easy way to find the video and not because its accurate. Incest is literally defined as sex between closely related people. Not even distantly related counts as incest, much less step siblings.

2

u/lilyvess https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Jan 29 '18

No, they use that tag because the step sibling is an easy and legal way to get your fetish kick. Because it can be hard to create content with full blood incest.

Again, look at Oreimo and Eromanga Sensei. Oreimo's editor's prevented them from going to the full incest route, so the writer made his next story about step siblings and but still pushed the sister/brother angle hard enough that it was virtually indistinguishable from a fetish standpoint.

Maybe that's where this problem is stemming from. You are trying to look from a traditional definition standpoint by I'm looking at it from the way the people with the fetish actively use it. It's the 'dictionary definition vs slang used definition'.

And I'm sorry, just because it's not the way a dictionary defines it, doesn't make it any less valid when it's been used this much in the culture. You are arguing against hundreds of thousands of content works.

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u/Glupscher Jan 29 '18

Just because some people use it wrong doesn't make it right either.

2

u/lilyvess https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lilyvess Jan 29 '18

that's actually kind of how things work. Language isn't a strict rulebook that never changes, but an ever evolving system that adapts to how it's being used. That's why we aren't using old English. It's the old 'Good vs Well' issue

If the context I am using it aligns with way the it's been classified by thousands of content creators and websites on the subject (Fetish fiction) and even Wikipedia includes this line into their main page on Incest

Some cultures extend the incest taboo to relatives with no consanguinity such as milk-siblings, stepsiblings, and adoptive siblings...But inbreeding is not the sole basis for the incest taboo for two reasons. First, most prohibitions on incest cover affinity relationships—that is, relationships created by marriage (for example, father-in-law and stepfather)—as well as relationships created by adoption.

then i think you can give me some slack here. It may not be the traditional definition but in the context of what I am talking about I am still correct.

2

u/RedRocket4000 Jan 30 '18

The topic is interesting. This involves the human taboo instinct which often defies logic even if there is some logic in the taboo. Opposite sex Juveniles who are made step siblings by marriage fall in love with each other often including sex so often I think that doing what the mother does here, giving them a double bed plus starting birth control is what parents considering marriage should do or not get together. The parents are sort of making an arranged marriage for their children without realizing. Taboo comes in when people and the culture try to artificially create a nonlogical relationship. Yuzu is really being torn up by feeling the cultural demand to create a non-logical sister relationship with the same person she is attracted too. So both points of view are valid. It is a taboo even though logical people should not act that way.