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.

Buzzer Beat, Episode 5

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Yamashita Tomohisa ♂& Kitagawa Keiko ♀
Rape-Huggee: Yamashita Tomohisa ♂& Kitagawa Keiko ♀





 

  










The Context
He is a star basketball player who has gone on a pre-season camp. While away, she realises that she likes him and travels across Japan to surprise him. When she arrives, he is alone in the gym crying about being cheated on, which obviously gives her 2nd thoughts. But as she is about to leave he regains his manly status by rape-hugging her, only to realise that it is extremely awkward. Then, he lets go and as he is about to leave, she retaliates and rape-hugs him back.

The Result
This rape-hug comes halfway through the series, and it kicks off their official relationship. In this sense it can be seen as a successful sequence of rape-hugs. It shouldn't be, but it can.


The Depiction
The rape-hug scene is in an empty gymnasium and on both rape-hugs it clearly shows the shocked expressions on both of their faces. These are notable not only for the near-immediate retaliationm but also for the high degree of difficulty of the rare kneeling rape-hug. Upon the impact of the first rape-hug the soundtrack falls dramatically silent, as if someone is just fainting. And on the 2nd one we also see the double-shot - the knockout punch, as the annoying end theme song starts to signal that everything is okay and we don't need to call the police.

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆
This sequence in Japanese Drama history really illustrates the lack of romantic awareness in the genre. It would have been incredibly easy to make this a genuine romantic moment simply by having her return the hug the first time. Why wouldn't she happily return the hug - after all, wasn't she the one that travelled all the way across the nation to express her love? So instead of one great hug to consecrate this inevitable relationship, we have two incredibly awkward rape-hugs. Secondly, why wouldn't he return her hug after just rape-hugging her? Admittedly he does slightly return the hug but not to the level to erase the awkwardness. Perhaps there are couples who are genuinely this awkward, but wow. 




Video
Watch the entire sequence, along with the impressively bad soundtrack.