Bengoshi no Kuzu, Episode 1

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Unknown (perhaps Sano Shiro) ♂
Rape-Huggee: (Yasu Megumi) ♀

The Context

Although I take the business of rape-hugs very seriously, it does mean that I have to pore over hours and hours of terrible doramas. Often I call the acto of watching a dorama 'rape-hug mining'. I especially dislike rigidly episodic doramas such as medical, detective or legal doramas with one case per episode. Because each series is only about 10 episodes long, they hardly have any depth and they seem like crappy knock-offs of American shows which aren't eve that good to start with. Bengoshi no Kuzu is about a lawyer whose name is Kuzu (meaning "trash"). Oh the hilarity. So imagine my delight when this dorama presented itself with a rape-hug in the first 10 seconds of the first episode! That's got to be a record. It's like when footballer Vinnie Jones got a red-carded right after the opening whistle - that's true commitment to being an asshole. Although there probably are some more rape-hugs to be mined in the later episodes, there was no real reason to watch any further. Basically, the rape-hug occurs in the opening scene which turns out to be a sexual harrassment case that will be solved over the next 45 minutes.

In the interest of journalistic integrity, I continued watching, and it turns out that the incident above was in fact not sexual harassment, but part of a consentual relationship between the OL (office lady) and her boss. She was suing for a pay-out. This, however, is not consistent with the scene shown above. Unless they are into kinky role-playing, it seems odd that she would squirm and shout "stop". So, the only explanation for what we see is that this is the explanation she gave, although there is no indication that that was the case. Hence, this is not a very high-quality dorama.

So in summary, although we see a very disturbing case of sexual harrassment via rape-hug, she was asking for it? Again, not a very good dorama.

The Result

We learn that she is actually a greedy conniving whore, and Mr. Kuzu solves the case with his unorthodox but effective lawyering ways.

The Depiction

The drama opens with a first-person view of the offender as he appoaches her in the deserted open-plan office. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first instance I am aware of where there is a "rape-hug-cam". Then she drops the papers she is holding. This filming technique is usually applied in detective-style dramas in order to mask the offender until the big reveal at the end, but the next scene just shows the guy ravaging the girl, hugging her from behind with his hands groping at her hand which she is holding in front of her breasts, because they wouldn't actually show the guy squeezing her like he was testing fruit at the grocer.


Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆☆



Although we later learn that this is not a case of sexual harrassment, the treatment of the issue is way off-point. It basically tells us that what we saw was not a rape-hug, even though it clearly was - and a violent one at that. The awkwardometer can be seen as how unaware the people involved in the making of the dorama  are in realising the gravity of the issue. How do you explain this to the children? Think of the children! It's like rape-hugs are either a girl is asking for it, and/or she wants money. Japan may be able to produce top-class sex-bots, but they are still 50 years behind the modern world in terms of gender equality. 

Video

Here is the entire 20-second start to Bengoshi no Kuzu. I don't think this is what they mean with by "start with a bang".

 

Nemureru Mori, Episode 9

 

We continue Rape-hugMas by going back to the classics. Here we present the pre Japanese Dorama Golden Era Nemureru Mori (Sleeping Forest). It's like watching crappy Peanuts Specials every year. You don't really enjoy it, but surely someone at some point enjoyed it, right? Right? Otherwise why would it still be on TV? Do programmers really not give a crap for the last few weeks of the year? Or am I just a Grinch? Do I maybe just need a hug? Anyway, on to the rape-hugs!

 

 

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Honjo Manami ♀
Rape-Huggee: Kimura Takuya ♂


The Context

They are an ex-couple that is going through a rough patch because he loves another woman and doesn't really like her. She is kind the crazy ex who desperately wants him to love her, so at this point she decides to go all-in, literally throwing herself at Kimura.

The Result
His hat falls off. Also, soon afterwards she is murdered. 

 

The Depiction

Relevant to this scene is that Kimura's character works as a genius event-lighting expert (and all of his events seem to include solely With or Without You by U2), which gives the spectacular backdrop for this rape-hug. She visits him on set, they have a heartfelt chat from an uncomfortably long distance, and as he walks away we see him getting tackled. It's just uncalled for. We don't even see her approach. It reminds me a little of this commercial:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tbSpAsJSZPc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Other special touches to this rape-hug are the slow-motion whiplash of Kimura, the shot of his stylish lighting-director hat falling to the well-lit cobblestone ground, and the closeup of her hands in what appears to be a heimlich maneuver.

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆
This is one of the creepiest female-on-male rape-hugs in recent memory. There is not only the nighttime rear suprise-attack, but also the creepy things she says as she hangs on.
"If I do this... You will become warm. And I won't be cold."
If that was whispered by a man wearing another human being's face, it would still be in character.

Video
Enjoy the force of impact in real time. It's something you just can't prepare yourself for. You know it's coming, but then BANG! Every time.

Manhatta Love Story, Episode 3 - Double Header!

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Funakoshi Eiichiro ♂
Rape-Huggee: (prob.) Morimoto Yuko ♀

The Context

As can be gleaned from the above GIF, this is a meta-rape-hug as this is a small scene on TV within the dorama. So within the vacuum of the meta-dorama there is no context. But again, the one small snippet they show of a fake dorama just so happens to be of a rape-hug. In this, the male character is actually playing himself in this dorama as a famous actor, on the other side of the TV screen in the father of the female victim.

The Result

Predictably, the father watching his daughter get ravaged on TV gets angry tries to break it up, which only makes his daughter get angry at him for butting into her career.

The Depiction

This is a rear-attack, and a prolongued attack from the technically difficult kneeling position. It is made especially creepy by the end part where he sniffs her hair. 

Some may argue that this scene errs more on the rape-side than the hug side, but since this is a dorama for all the family, it stands as is. 

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆
I don't know about other people, but watching this makes me very uncomfortable. Actually, I do know about other people who are Japanese - they're immune to seeing things like this. That's why I believe that rape-hugs are a gateway rape. In this scene the female even tells him to stop as he keeps rubbing and grabbing at her as if it's turning him on even more. I understand that this scene is supposed to add humour watching the father go insane, but wouldn't it be funnier if, instead of her being sexually assaulted, if his daughter was being a total slut? Just a thought. 

Video
Watch the reaction of the father as he realises what he seeing on TV, and another character trying to tell him to calm down as it's only acting. On the one hand, his reaction is the correct on, but the overall message from the dorama is defintely not.

 

 No.2

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Matsuo Suzuki ♂
Rape-Huggee: Morishita Aiko ♀

The Context

This is an extremely complex dorama in the pretty much every character at some point falls in love with another character (and by extension, rape-hugs). This particular trist is of one such doomed relationship where they have an argument outside the cafe. Then she says "What do you want?" and apparently the correct answer is a rape-hug.

The Result

Still in just the third episode it's a doomed relationship, but it leads to some extra drama as another character oversees them. It's not quite explained why he is creepily spying on them from behind a telephone pole, but they're got 42 minutes to fill every episode dammit!

The Depiction 

There's not much to say here, as the focus isn't really on the rape-hug, but rather on the fact it is being spied-on. The are no cuts and no real reactions shown as the camera zooms out on the lifeless hug to the profile of a downtrodden character standing alone in the dark.

Awkwardometor ☆☆

This is a rather bland depiction of rape-huggery, and feels almost like A) he only did it to make her shut up, and B) she was actually inviting it. Yes, that is what all rape-huggists say, but in this case she is being cute-angry, stands in close range and coyly starts rearranging her shawl within arm's reach. This is not condoning his actions, but rather condemning hers for accepting it without reciprocating. Alternatively, if she didn't want it, she could have shrugged him off. We need answers!

Video
Here's a video of one of the most boring rape-hugs you will ever see.

Yume no California, Episode 2

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Kaito Ken ♂
Rape-Huggee: Shibasaki Kou ♀

The Context

They are a couple who have been dating for quite some time, and it is quickly established that the reason they are dating is only because he has money and she doesn't... have a personality. Before and during the rape-hug he talks trash about her friends, but because he is from a good university he does it in a way that kind-of makes sense to a weak-willed female who is a model and makes it clear that she isn't very smart. Because from the outside, this is the perfect Japanese relationship: A rich, older, jealous man and a dumb, younger beautiful woman. This scene comes when she is starting to make other friends - one of whom owns a penis - so he becomes extremely posessive and forbids her from seeing them again, and suggests that she stops working so she never has to go out into society again. You know, "love".

The presence of a rape-hug in this particular dorama could have been fortold by glancing at the title of this episode which is 「君を抱きしめたい」 "Kimi wo dakishimetai / I want to hug you". That's a red-flag right there. Actually, I think this establishes prior intent.

The Result

They soon break up. Good. However, as profiled in episode 7, she rape-hugs another character. See, it's a vicious cycle like bullying where the victims then become the assailants. We must break this cycle.

The Depiction

 

 

This rape-hug is structurally extremely similar to the previous entry in J-Dorama Rape-hugs (Sleeping Forest Episode 7). They are both of jealous men who are trying to prevent their partner from leaving them. They are at home at nighttime. Their victims are both emotionally-dead and they approach them from behind while saying very creepy things. Compare and contrast the two.

Again, it is very difficult to really get a grasp on domestic rape-hugs, but I do know one thing for certain. That, if you are hugging an emotionless person from behind while saying anything, it will sound very creepy. Come on "Work with me and I'll encourage you?" Sure, that's an awkward translation by a fan-subber, but context is everything. He could be singing the Lion King sountrack and it would sound creepy.

Awkwardometor ☆☆
This gains one star more than the Sleeping Forest episode 7, based on the motives of the males. In Sleeping Forest, he is trying to hide the fact that he murdered her entire family before her eyes when she was 11 years old. In Yume no California he is trying to make her withdraw from society so she will be entirely his. Okay, when I put it like this, it almost sounds like I'm trying to make an argument that subjugating women is worse than multiple homocide. But in terms of the actual contact, in the first rape-hug they are both hysterical, where in the second he is complete, douchebag male tarnishing the good name of the hug.

Video
There's not much to see that wasn't in the GIF, but try watch this video and read the subtitles without thinking "Wow, this guy is a total psychopathic douche-nozzle."

Nemureru Mori, Episode 7

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Nakamura Toru ♂
Rape-Huggee: Nakayama Miho ♀


The Context

 

The two of them are engaged to be married within a few months, and they start hitting troubled times when she gets flashbacks of her childhood. She is having thoughts that she killed her entire family as an 11-year-old and wants to call off the wedding incase she is a cold-blooded killer. Yes, the storyline is as convoluted and ultimately silly as it sounds. Being the man, he takes matters into his own hands and strides over for an uninvited hug. 

The Result

She doesn't return any pressure, but I guess the rape-hug was successful as the wedding goes ahead as planned. But [spoiler alert] it turns out, obviously, that he was in fact the killer all along! Oh the plot twists!

The Depiction

The filmography is quite typical for an interior rape-hug - namely a long shot as the rape-huggee strides/runs to the victim, and then an extended shot of their expressions. Here, the attack is from behind, and then they rock like a pirate-ship as he whispers really weird things into his ear.

Awkwardometor ☆
Domestic rape-hugs are often difficult to judge, especially true in this scene. His intentions are seemingly pure in trying to assuage her fears, but her expression and the fact that he suddenly comes in from the rear makes it all decidedly less romantic.
I have a theory that most rape-hugs in Japanese doramas between people that are already a couple is a desperate attempt to make up for a total lack of chemistry. Whenever these two are on-screen together, they seem to be controlled by dyslectic puppeteers. They never share a smile, or a look, never have any physical contact, and they are always sad. Sure, this is supposed to be a dark/mysterious dorama, but I feel that people should still act like people. Perhaps this is deliberate to forshadow that he is actually the murderer of her entire family, but more likely is that they are both poor actors. (Having seen both in other doramas, I vote for the latter.)

Video
Sometimes the animate GIF doesn't allow you to fully appreciate the speed of approach and the impact upon contact. Also, the fansubs show some of the excellent dialogue that do not make the rape-hug any less odd.   

IS, Episode 3

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Inoue Masahiro♂
Rape-Huggee: Fukada Saki♀♂

The Context
This dorama centres around Fukuda Saki's character who is an intersexual - as in s/he has no defined gender. At first I thought this would be a very serious dorama about a very difficult topic -- especially in Japan. However, it quickly devolved into pretty much every crappy dorama full of bad acting, stilted dialogue, predctable plot-twists and the occasional rape-hug. In this scene - Fukuda's character (who feels like a boy but has been forced to go to her school as a girl) is at a boy's house. They had gone to a football (soccer) match and afterwards went to his house to watch more football videos. Until now they had been hanging out as friends, but after an awkward topic was breached, the camera zooms into his face. Yes, a rape-hug was inevitable. 

The Result
As you see in the GIF above, she/he did not accept the rape-hug, and immediately after runs away. He runs after her (probably not the most non-rapey option) and confronts her. They then agree it was a mistake and decide to simply be friends. 

The Depiction

The sequence begins with a very creepy slowmotion zoom-in shot of his face as he decides to rape-hug her/him from behind while s/he is looking through the box of VHS's. The impact is shown a couple of times from different angles in slow motion with fade-cuts, along with closeups of both their faces. It is a relatively long drawn-out sequence. Then, the slowmotion stops and contrasts with the sudden burst out of the rape-grapple.

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆
I hesitate to award this a full 5-stars based solely on the fact that they are both minors and it would be difficult to convict the perp. However, we have to congratulate I.S. for combining several of the awkward markers:

• The reverse attack
• The incredibly creepy closeup as he pre-determines his rape-huggy actions
• The sitting-down position which just looks wrong 

Then of course add to it the fact that he has no idea that the person he is compelled to hug is actually a he-she. See, we could all learn from this that our actions have consequences.


Video
To truly appreciate the sheer unwatchability of this scene, here is the video with the excruciating slow motion and mockingly romantic music. 

Manhattan Love Story, Episode 2

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Bruiser Brody ♂
Rape-Huggee: Sakai Wakana ♀

The Context
This dorama centres around several characters involved in the TV industry, and in this scene some characters are watching Sakai's character - who is a TV presenteress - give some kind of report on live TV. They are casually watching and commenting on the events on TV while she is screaming "help" and trying to escape a giant Professional Wrestler who is shouting things like "I'm going to eat you".

Note: This is Bruiser Brody's only appearance in the entire dorama. So there truly is no context to speak of. 

The Result
There are no consequences of this action, presumably because everybody thinks that both the professional wrestler and the TV presenter are faking it. In fact, the man watching TV is commenting on how cute she is as she is literally being assaulted on live TV.

On the one hand, I would like to think that this is a meta-commentary on Japanese television and the inequal gender relationships that make such shocking abuse seem so normal in Japanese society, but on the other hand, this is so disturbing - and there are many other rape-hugs in this dorama that I no longer think it is likely. It's a shame because Manhattan Love Story does a good job of pointing out the sillyness of Japanese TV on many occasions. However, this is probably intended simply as some comic relief, because you know how hilarious a giant foreign man pillaging an innocent Japanese lady is.


The Depiction
 

Everything about this rape-hug is so completely overboard. Come on, he is running towards her from behind while screaming how he is "going to get her".

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆☆
This is easily a 5-star quality rape-hug. There is the attack from the rear - but not because she isn't expecting it -- but precisely because she is and she is so terrified and is screaming for help. Also, the fact that he is an enormous professional wrestler who also happens to be white - it's probably the most terrifying prospect for any Japanese woman. 

Video
To truly appreciate the wrongness of this scene, watch it in real-time and see how non-chalant the men watching the TV are. Also observe the terrible acting of the Pro-wrestler - he makes the Japanese dorama actors look amazing.

Tiger and Dragon, Episode 4

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Ito Misaki ♀
Rape-Huggee: Odaka Junichi ♂


The Context
The above GIF says about everything that needs to be said. He's simply not confident enough to make a move on the girl he likes to the point where he avoids her, and then the girl he likescomes out of nowhere to attack him from behind. You can see the instant where his face changes from "Loser" to "Mojo"

↓

Oh how quickly a male temperament can change with femular attention. 

An extra bit of context can be provided by the previous episode where she rape-hugs another guy simply because she tought it was cute he was a virgin. We may have our first female serial rape-huggist (with different victims) on J-Dorama Rape-hugs.


The Result
They end up together, although it becomes a running joke that they don't consumate despite the fact she is a notoriously loose woman. It's funny how rape-hugs can actually be funny when it's perpetrated by a female.

The Depiction
Here we see a sponateous from-behind attack. Also note how she tries to be too cute by burrowing her face into his shoulder-blade, even though he can't see it. This also hides her face, allowing us to focus on the pinnacle of this portrayal - his change of expression. Usually rape-hug expressions go like this:
1) Shock
2) Staying still
3) Acceptance

(*Note: this is pretty much the same reaction you would expect by someone being mauled by a grizzly bear during mating season)

However, the portrayal of rape-hug in Tiger And Dragon is perfectly executed and perfectly acted-out. This is one of the reasons that Tiger And Dragon is one of the few Japanese Doramas that is genuinely funny from beginning to end. 







Awkwardometor ☆
This is a very unawkward rape-hug because of his expression that almost says "Oh yeah, I planned this all along." even though he obviously didn't.

Video
See, you can joke about rape-hugs!

 

Buzzer Beat, Episode 7

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Mizobata Junpei ♂
Rape-Huggee: Kanjiya Shihori ♀


The Context
He is a professional basketball player on the verge of being cut from the team, and she is a college student studying to be a flautist. The end up moving in together - making it clear that they are just friends - to save money. Then suddenly, he starts feeling hug-rapey. and she feels the creep of evil about to happen. She gets up and flees, however she is a woman, and he is a professional sportsman so he quickly grabs her.


The Result
They end up together. I mean, you knew this would happen all along, but I was just hoping that the rape-hug would be the deal-breaker rather than when friendship blooms into love.


The Depiction

 
The opening act of this scene begins with them talking on the floor. This is when his conversation gets creepy, he says that he likes her, and she says "What is this? It's a strange situation", as she gets up and tries to flee. Like a greyhound at the track, as soon as the prey moves he also gets excited, chases her and grabs her from behind, wrapping his arms over her arms and holding her firmly around the stomach. 

"Wow."

That is the word she utters. "Wow". My thoughts exactly. Only, whereas my "wow" is more to do with the fact a man is chasing a woman to rape-hug her, hers is "wow, I just made a boyfriend."

They stand there motionless as he whispers in her ear his case for them being together. I have to give him credit for this, as if he is unsuccessful, instead of having a girlfriend he would be kicked out of his house, and have a criminal record and a restraining order. That's one hell of a risk. 





Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆☆
I'm giving this the full level of awkwardness. For one, it is from behind and there is the typical blank look of fear on her face. Also taken into consideration is the extremely awkward conversation (also, thanks to the fan-subber for the stilted English translation that adds to this) and there is the quotable "wow" to keep this rape-hug extremely fresh in your mind. I guarantee you that this will not be easy to unremember. But then, any time a man is literally chasing a fleeing woman to rape-hug her you're probably looking at a 5-star on the awkwardometor.

Video
"Enjoy" the gut-wrenchingly awkward conversation and the pathetic attempt to flee. Also pay attention to the placement of his hands - they almost brush the underboob - and in his attempt to minimise surface-area contact he clasps his own fist on her midsection which makes it look like he is giving her the heimlich. 

 

Mitsu no Aji, episode 2

 The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Kanno Miho ♀
Rape-Huggee: ARATA ♂



The Context
The onscreen couple are in one of those weird TV relationships that will clearly never work out. He doesn't really appear to love her but still wants to get married, and she only wants to get married when another girl starts looking at her man. This rape-hug comes at that point. It's one of those "claiming your posession hugs". It's like after having a fancy dinner with your friends and the host brings out a box of fancy chocolates, so you quickly lick the caramel ones so you aren't left with the crappy fruit-flavoured ones.


The Result
As you can see in the above GIF, after a moment he puts down the book he is holding and turns around for a legitimate hug. Also, they end up getting married. Also, they end up breaking up again, which only goes to show you that a rape-hug is never a good foundation for a relationship. It is interesting though, as most rape-hugs come near the end of a dorama series - or at least the 'successful rape-hugs' end with a happy-ever-after scene. It would be interesting to take a look back after, say 10 years, to see what the long-term success-rate of those relationships are.


The Depiction
 
 He is minding his own business with his book while she stands there staring at him like a serial killer. [Note: in this dorama, Kanno is prortrayed basically as a serial killer.] She sneezes, as in the previous scene she got wet and in the world of dramas the rule is that if you stand in the rain, at the start of the next scene you will have a cold. He makes an inane comment, and her face changes to an expression we like to call "hug-rapey". 
Once she has her prey in her arms she makes a demand "Hug me tightly", and he slowly puts down the book not to startle her, turns around and makes a consensual hug.




Awkwardometor ☆
This rape-hug gets the lowest rating possible primarily because they are in a committed long-term relationship. Now, I'm not saying that I condone spousal rape-huggery, but it is very difficult to argue in the courts. Also, the context of this scene comes after they return from saving a little boy's life, so it's almost okay that she is so vulnerable. I would still prefer it if she advanced from the front. Finally, this is quite a rape-huggy dorama, and awkwardness is amped up. Stay tuned!




Video
Watch the scene in real time, paying close attention to how incredibly sad the whole atmosphere is. Remember kids: "Rape-hugs destroy lives."

Love Shuffle, Episode 1

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Tamaki Hiroshi  ♂
Rape-Huggee: Kanjiya Shihori ♀

The Context:
 He is dating a girl with zero personality, and in a last ditch attempt to prevent her from leaving, he goes in for the kill.

The Result
As would be expected of a rape-hug in the first episode, this misguided display of affection was not received as he would have liked, thus setting up the premise of the dorama to have several people switch partners over several weeks.

The Depiction
Tamaki Hiroshi is a true professional at Rape-hugs - and it's amazing that he is still only 32 years old! He has still to his his rape-hugging prime. We here at J-dorama Rape-hugs.com expect great things from him in the future. Here, he is in top form.
First, he completely misreads the situation where a girl is trying to distance herself from him.
Then, he stands there motionless, staring at her like he has been lobotomised.
He runs up to her and attacks her from behind, which is all the more amazing since he approached from the side.
Then he doubles down and professes his love into her ear while he has her encased in an unwanted hug.

What annoys me the most is how he couldn't quite get the arm motion right. I appreciate that he was carefully trying to avoid touching her boobs. Speaking from experience, it's always difficult for a taller man to hug a girl from behind without at least brushing her breasts. Instinct tells you to go above the breasts, but in reality your arms could slip down a few centimetres into the erogenous zone. In reality below the breasts there is less chance of inappropriate contact, but in that case you definitely need to be sure that the hug is consentual.

Here, we see Tamaki Hiroshi straddling that no-fly zone, as if the script doesn't specify whether the rape-hug should be above or below her boobies (or perhaps doesn't even specify that it needs to be from behind). This makes me think that we are probably witnessing a method-acting rape-hug here. Usually we could entrust Tamaki to the task, but there is that split second before impact where he thinks he might be going too low to the boobies, so he recalibrates his arms and grabs the safe areas of her shoulders, ending up in a hug that is far too high, almost an atttempt at strangulation.





Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆
This is a startingly awkward rape-hug for one in the first episode. It is from behind, he has the crazy eyes, and nothing about the situation suggests that a hug would be approriate.

Video
See the crazy eyes, the speed of approach and the slight hesitation of the arm placement. So much going on in such a short amount of time. 

Hana Yori Dango (Season 1), Episode 4

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Matsumoto Jun ♂
Rape-Huggee: Inoue Mao ♀


The Context
He is an incredibly rich douchebag who is a douche to the girl he likes despite her being poor. In other words, he is the guy every girl dreams about (if you are to believe anything that has ever been on TV). Anyway, so he tells her to meet him for a date, and she has no intention of going, so he just ends up standing in the rain for the entire day. I know, it's so romantic, but it doesn't make any sense if you think about it above the level of teenage girl. At the very least he could have gotten his limo driver to buy him an umbrella or something. Seriously, he is so rich in this dorama that he could have gotten someone to build a giant roof over the city. But no, standing in the rain makes for a better drama.
Eventually, for some reason, she decided to go down to the meeting place at the end of the day, and when he sees her... Well, that's when angry aggressive rape-hugs happen.

The Result

I guess they eventually get together, and this was their first "romantic moment". So you know... Call me old-fashioned, but when I'm half of an old couple, I'd rather that our first romantic moment didn't include the words "get off me".


The Depiction
The production values of Hana Yori Dango are incredibly high, and that is in full effect during this scene. Lots of wide angles and over-the-shoulder shots, and the artificial rain is getting some good use. The actual mechanics of the rape-hug are less admirable, however. First she calls his attention by shyly saying the very Japanese "anooo...". He, shivering wet, looks up and goes into attack mode. She tries to escape, but he is too fast and snatches her from behind. The contact is made so forcefully that she drops her umbrella, and she now also gets wet.

There is a long awkward pause, and then he whispers in her ear "I'm cold." At least we can be sure there's no poking going on, which is reassuring when watching a rear-entry rape-hug.




Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆
I would have given this another awkward star, but this whole series is so rape-huggy that I can't start with a perfectly awkward score. But it is a very good effort. There is a lot going on here - the going from behind, the agressiveness, the crazy eyes (and the fact that it is happening in the rain only adds to the crazy). 

Video
Enjoy the visual spectacle, along with the romantic silence as all is drowned out except for the pattering of the rain and the romantic music.  

Tokyo Dogs, Episode 10

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Matsunaga Yuki ♀
Rape-Huggee: Oguri Shun ♂

The Context

This was the final scene of the entire series, and as soon as the scene began I was obviously concerned that they would ruin a perfectly acceptable dorama. And then this happens. It was epic. I wish every single rape-hug attempt would end up like this. It's what the rape-huggist deserves - yes - even if they are a woman. There is a little-known condition tied to the saying "Never hit a woman" which is "unless she attacks you first." In fact, I find it much funnier that he not only flips the girl, but he then stomps on her face.

The Result

Over the entire series, the girl had been throwing herself at Oguri Shun. Sure, it might be because he is one of the most loved boy idols among girls despite his kind-of weird-looking upper lip, but it's mostly because his character is a detective who is an overachiever at his age - a real catch. I love the fact that he didn't cave to her advances - running at full speed.

The Depiction

Initially the depiction complies to many rape-hug standards:

1. It begins with her looking longinlgy before making her advance
2. The long-shot of the space between them closing
3. The pre-rape-hug shots of both of their faces
4. It takes place at the end of the dorama at an airport

 And then, out of nowhere - BOOM! Face stomped, you stupid rape-huggist. Maybe this is signalling the start of self-awareness of rape-hugs by Japanese dorama directors.

Awkwardometor N/A

Not awkward at all - this is just pure awesome. 

Video
Enjoy the unnecessary - yet very necessary violence in real-time.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, Episode 4

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Kamenashi Kazuya ♂
Rape-Huggee: Oomasa Aya ♀





The Context
This is a lame teenage-based drama where a good-looking popular guy tries to turn a socially awkward female into a confident woman, and they end up falling in love (*Note: I got so fed up with it that I stopped watching after the first rape-hug. So technically, I don't know if this is what happened... but I still know.) He will get free rent at the mansion he lives in if she turns into a lady, so when she agrees to go meet a man for an arranged marriage, he gets so excited that he rape hugs her.

The Result
As you can see in the video below, the rape hug only confuses her, since she is so socially awkward. Eventually they probably share a mutual hug and/or kiss in about the ninth episode, but the effect of this particular rape-hug is quickly forgotten.

The Depiction


What you have to understand about this dorama is that it is terribly overacted. He is so popular that crowds of women literally fall over when he passes by, and she is so socially awkward that she sleeps in a coffin. I am not making this up. I guess teenage girls like this kind of crap, but I digress. This rapehug begins with him pacing slowly behind her like an American lawyer from the South in a 1950s TV drama. Then, without warning he rape hugs her and whispers creepily in her ear. Then he begins dancing around because he thinks he will get his free rent. I guess this is a lame attempt at humour, but I firmly believe that you shouldn't joke about rape-hugs.



Awkwardometor ☆☆
In general, this rape-hug is not overly awkward because it is a terribly acted drama, and you know from reading the introductory blurb about this dorama that there will be many rape hugs anyway. It's just a shame that I had to watch four episodes to find the first one. Then again, do not confuse a paltry 2-star awkward rape-hug with implicit approval of rape-hugging a socially awkward female from behind in her own bedroom. If a girl can't be safe from rape-hug-attacks in her own room, what has the world come to?
 
Video
Observe the incredible overacting from Kamenashi with his sneak-attack followed by his stupid dance. Also pay attention to her face when she realises she has been rape-hugged in the behind. It's like rape-hugs are a standard excercise at Japanese Drama Acting school, because they all seem to do it the same way. 

Proposal Daisakusen, episode 8

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Yamashita Tomohisa ♂
Rape-Huggee: Nagasawa Masami ♀





The Context

It was clear by the name of this series ("Operation Love") that there would be at least one great rape-hug scene. The drama is basically about a guy who travels back in time to woo the girl he really liked, and it is a brutal viewing experience of inept wooing-technique ("woo-nique"). This even includes a rape-kiss. Then, by the eighth episode he pulls off the classic come-from-behind rape-hug in a park at night immediately after being turned down.

The Result
I am pleased to report that this rape-hug did not go down well. Ideally she would have fought him off first (and/or given him a slap), but at least this behaviour was not encouraged by a successful outcome.

The Depiction



As is the convention, the rape-hug is preceded by a close-up of the rape-huggists face as he/she decides to go for it. Then, after he takes off towards his target, we are treated to the victim's perspective. The camera follows her as she walks away, and suddenly the rape-huggist appears from the right of the screen, grabbing her tightly around the shoulders and just below the neck, presumably to avoid touching her boobs. Then we see the classic early symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome spread across her face.

It's amazing that a rape-hug can make these two very good J-dorama actors look extremely average. That's the power of the rape-huggery.



Awkwardometor ☆☆☆
All signs point to 'awkward'. You have the 'from-behind' and the 'in the park at night aspects', as well as the conversation that happened prior to this event which basically had her saying:"we will never be together", and he decides to double-down. Although you can't see the long-shot of the event, I have the impression that his genitals may have been, lets say "too close for comfort", which is often the risk of a reverse-hug. However, we the viewer have been waiting for the rape-hug for the entire series. You know it's coming, and I would honestly rather had had it earlier in the series just to get it over with.  So when it finally happens, I almost felt relieved. It's like pulling a plaster - it's better to just do it right away because the suspense is not enjoyable.


Video
Enjoy this rape-hug in real-time, along with the sounds of rapist-footsteps followed by the awkward silence broken only by oblivious cars driving  by.

Nodame Cantablie, Episode 11

 The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Tamaki Hiroshi ♂
Rape-Huggee: Ueno Jiri ♀







*Remember the name Tamaki Hiroshi. By my own anecdotal evidence, he is by far the rape-huggiest J-actor around. Every dorama I've seen of his, he commits rape-hug, and often this includes some of the most violent and inappropriate ones. This certainly is a great introduction to his body of work. 

The Context
They are both music students, and she has been chasing him like a pack of rabid dogs after a terrified 6-year old carrying a bag of dead kittens. She even rape-kissed him earlier on, but he couldn't take a hint - all the way until this - the last episode. Like many final episodes of Japanese doramas, the girl gives up on the guy and goes to her hometown. In this case, it is in Kyushu - the very bottom island of Japan. While she is there, he realises that he likes her and takes the bullet-train, local train and taxi all the way from Tokyo. This is a very long trip and prohibitively expensive so it cannot possibly be spontaneous. Then, from the taxi he gets a phonecall from her, and the taxi passes her walking alongside the river. He gets out of the taxi without her knowledge and just watches from afar. If he were wearing a rubber mask, this would have changed the context completely. Then, he begins a confident stride and rape-hugs the crapp out of her.

The Result
She is shocked, and he doesn't help the situation by making thinly veiled threats ("If you reject me again..."). After about 90 seconds, she touches his arm to make the rape-hug legal. Then he is introduced to the family, and you'd think everything is fine between them. But no, they never really get together - at least not until the 2nd special episode.

However, the biggest apparent result of this rape-hug is thousands of girls wetting themselves at this special moment. Seriously, there are message boards talking about how "suteki" and romantic this moment was. All I have to say is: Really women? Really? Really? And that is why I began this website.

The Depiction



We have a dramatic sunset backdrop, and a series of sweeping shots. Also, the point of impact is so violent that it reminds me of this nature video. But visually this rape-hug is most notable for the range of facial expressions. You can clearly see his expression when he decides he's going for it. Then his face truly gets scary.  Tamaki at his rape-huggy finest.
As great as his face is, I can't get enough of her sheer state of shell-shock. I mean, she has been rape-hugged in the behind from a guy who has literally travelled half the length of Japan to commit this act.
Then, after they stand there for a long time, a boat goes by with her father on it.



Awkwardometor ☆☆☆☆☆
This rape-hug gains the full 5-stars for awkwardness. In fact, it was this very rape-hug that sowed the seed for J-Dorama Rape-Hugs. For the full awkwardness and sheer-dragged-out-ness, do check out the video below. 


Video

Bonus: 

Like many dorama's Nodame Cantabile is a remake of a manga and anime. Either way, here is a cartoon version of the same incident. Some may say that this dorama was merely being true to the original, but that doesn't make it any less rape-huggy. Yes, it is very faithful. Faithfully hug-rapey.

Discuss: Is a rape-hug better or worse when it is in animated form?

Jiu, Episode 4

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Shirota Yu ♂
Rape-Huggee: Kuroki Meisa ♀


The Context
They are both elite police-force members. Basically, think of the Samuel L Jackson film S.W.A.T. where the guy is Colin Farrell, and she is Michelle Rodriguez. In fact, ever since first making this obvservation, I cannot look at Kuroki Meisa without thinking that she is the Asian version of Michelle Rodriguez. They are both incredibly attractive, but they always take on roles that make them butch, they always wear tank tops (or "wifebeaters) and they often die.

Here is a quick comparison I microsoft painted-up:

Although Kuroki takes the glamour edge, this is just ridiculous - these are the exact same jackets and low-cut wife-beaters they are wearing. I wonder how many times Rodriguez has been rape hugged over her acting career.




The Result
This is a very successful rape-hug, as later in this episode they are shown in post-coitus before she gets up and leaves him when you can tell that he really wants to spoon.

The Depiction
This is a fighting rape-hug. A bit earlier on in the series she destroys three of her elite police force male colleagues (breaking of of their arms in the process), so we all know that she can fight - and unlike most female actresses Meisa is actually convicing as a quality fighter. However, she tests her luck again, and he fends her off like a small child, wraps her up so she doesn't end up hurting herself, and rape-hugs her against her own free will. This makes it one of the rare rape-hugs in Japanese doramas where the rape-huggee is actually stuggling.



Awkwardometor ☆

Yes, this is a from-behind rape-hug that happens at night which usually would jack up the awkardometor a few stars. This scores low on the awkwardometor because she kind of deserved it by throwing a punch at an obviously superior fighter, and unless you are a total badass who is willing to punch a female in the face, the only acceptable way to fight a woman is by wrapping her up. (The other "options" are to take a beating, or to fight using another female's fists Jet Li & Aaliyah style.) So, really he did exactly the right thing, right up until the moment that he thinks "she's throwing a punch on me, that must means she likes me." Well, unfortunately his hunch proved correct, but I'm going out on a limb to say that he hit the freaking jackpot. The odds of this working were astoundingly low, and seriously, if Meisa stopped taking on roles where she is trying to be a bad-ass tom-boy, she would be the hottest J-dorama actress, so screw this guy. But in the end, this is a rape-hug merely due to him extending a counter wrap-up long enough for it to be awkward and him to get a boner. So as much as I hated this rape-hug and everything it mis-represents, it scores a measly one star.

Video
A most disappointingly short fight-scene that quickly turns creepy.

Tiger And Dragon, Episode 3

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Ito Misaki ♀
Rape-Huggee: Arakawa Yoshiyoshi ♂

The Context
Misaki's character is that she is a ditz, and he is one of the students living in the house who are studying the art of 'rakugo' (Japanese sit-down comedy). They are not involved - in fact she is dating the son of the master, and has slept twice with a different student. Anyway, at this point in the dorama it comes to light that he is a virgin. He then says how his only love is the theatre, which is her cue to say "Aww, how cute" and rape hug the virgin from behind.


The Result
Negligible. There is never any romantic or aggressive intent between the two characters, and her reaction is almost dehumanising him into a teddy-bear-like figure, as in "virgins still exist?"

The Depiction
The depiction is actually quite shocking, combining some of the most sinister rape-hug elements in quick succession: she runs out from behind the bookshelf on the left to rape-hug him from behind mid-sentence while six people simply look on and do nothing. This is a prime example of the bystander effect.




Awkwardometor ☆
Having once been a virgin myself, I know how incredibly awkward situation this must be for the male victim. The last thing his confidence needs right after exposing to everyone that he is a virgin is an attractive female fe-man-handling him out of any emotion other than lust, especially in a roomful of people he knows. However, the overall awkwardness of this rape-hug rates low because:

• Rape-hugs are nearly always less awkward when the female is the perp.
• There is obviously no malice intended by this action.
• Tiger and Dragon is a genuinely funny comedy, largely because it creates these awkward moments.

So basically what I have just said is that this rape-hug is less awkward because it is awkward. This makes sense when you remember that the awkwardometor is a gague of the awkwardness the viewer, not the characters. So basically, I might be implicity condoning rape-hugs - or willing to turn a blind eye - if the intent is only to embarrass male virgins.


Video
"How cute! Lets violate it!"