I cut torches' paragraph on Yuki, and one on Haruhi's "agency" that isn't. Re Yuki: if a poorly socialized fanboy tries hard enough, and gets into as many compromising positions as possible, he'll be able to get the Rei-stand-in to fall for him.
Re Haruhi's "agency": even within the story named after her, Haruhi's own agency is an afterthought and always treated as a threat and something she has no control over herself, she needs to be taught how to be a better person, she is out of control, and thus even legitimate criticism of her character for being a gleeful rapist of her friends becomes suborned and undercut by the sexist treatment of her as "Woman with more power than a man, therefore creepy and must be muffled for the good of all".
It's misogynist because it treats women as lesser, as objects, as things that exist solely for male wish-fulfillment and wank fantasies. There's a lot of anime that does that (and a lot of Western media; I'm looking at you, Transformers).
Something doesn't have to feature people exhorting women to get back in the kitchen and have babies to be misogynist drivel.
no subject
Re Haruhi's "agency": even within the story named after her, Haruhi's own agency is an afterthought and always treated as a threat and something she has no control over herself, she needs to be taught how to be a better person, she is out of control, and thus even legitimate criticism of her character for being a gleeful rapist of her friends becomes suborned and undercut by the sexist treatment of her as "Woman with more power than a man, therefore creepy and must be muffled for the good of all".
It's misogynist because it treats women as lesser, as objects, as things that exist solely for male wish-fulfillment and wank fantasies. There's a lot of anime that does that (and a lot of Western media; I'm looking at you, Transformers).
Something doesn't have to feature people exhorting women to get back in the kitchen and have babies to be misogynist drivel.