Love Shuffle, Episode 10 (number 1 of 2)

We continue Rape-hugMas with yet another spectacular performance by our favorite repeat offender.

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Tamaki "Heavyweight Rape-hug Champion of the world" Hiroshi ♂
Rape-Huggee: Kanjiya Shihori ♀

The Context

These two characters have a history of rapehuggery, outlined in a previous post about the first episode. And after separating and "shuffling lovers" for the middle eight episodes, Tamaki decides after all that she is the only person he wants to rape-hug. He's such a romantic.

The Result

This is the resolution for their relationship, which is that she is the lucky lady to have been selected by this fine gentlman. See that's the thing I hate about Tamaki Hiroshi - every character he plays is a successful man who is incredibly popular with women, but he posesses zero charm and always has to resort to rape-hug to seal the deal. This just doesn't quite fit with the personality of someone who is supposed to be successful and popular with women and he keeps trying to force the issue - in several different ways.

The Depiction

Often Christmas rape-hugs come in the Fall broadcasting season, making the finale close to actual Christmas (which, remember, in Japan is not a time spent with family, but is the most romantic time of the year for couples who go and watch Christmas illuminations.) However, Love Shuffle was in the Winter season making this a March airing, and not specifically during Christmas. Still, someone has forgotten to take down the illuminations, giving the viewers something interesting to look at while two bland characters share a miserable happiest moment of their lives. 

Awkwardometor ☆☆

This is relatively low on the awkwardometor scale - as she is sobbing and some may think that all she needs is a hug. Also, Hiroshi does not precede this rape-hug with a menacing glare or threatening words as he usually does. However, as we have discussed, there is a precedent here and we of the Rape-hug Community watch must stay vigilant when serial rape-huggists are about. If you make yourself a reputation, you're going to have to live with it.

Video
There's nothing much else to see here people. Move along.

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.