Kamisama Mou Sukoshi dake, Episode 5

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Nakama Yukie ♀
Rape-Huggee: Kaneshiro Takeshi ♂


The Context

 

He is a famous songwriter and she is his top popstar. She was friends with his deceased wife and he has since gone into a deep writer's block. Nakama Yukie's character has fallen in love with him and is jealous when he starts banging a 17-year old girl with AIDS. Yeah, it's a pretty heavy dorama in the "Dying girl" genre, but it's a shame that statutory rape aspect is mostly overlooked - probably because he has great hair.It's so wavy!

So as a last desperate attempt to steal him while he is freaking out and tearing up some paper with failed lyrics on it, Nakama makes a running rape-hug.

 

The Result
Sadly, on so many levels, he choses to keep banging the 17-year-old AIDS girl.

 

The Depiction

 

We are treated to some really dramatic action-pack closeups. First he tears up the paper and his face, and then we see her rage face as she runs towards him like Braveheart in the final battle. Just before contact we get a long shot, just as she almost slips over on the paper scattered over the floor. I'm convinced that this wasn't intentional, but this dorama was from the late 90's when it was probably too much effort (or too costly) to re-shoot a scene. I love Yukie Nakama as much as any heterosexual, but honestly, she isn't a great actress. Or at least, she is always cast as a hardass and good at everything when she quite clearly isn't. She is much convincing as in Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake as a shallow pop-star and I truly love the fact that in this scene she stuggles with a primary form of human locomotion.

Look at Nakama with her legs akimbo, rescuing her balance with the rape-hug.

Awkwardometor ☆☆

For some reason I don't find this scene very awkward, despite the whole statutory decision and the AIDS girls thing. Maybe it's the lack of balance that brought in some unintentional comedy, or maybe it's the fact that the victim is a guy. Or it could be that being rape-hugged by Yukie Nakama - probably the sexiest woman in Japan for a solid decade - doesn't seem like such a bad deal. What I'm saying is, for so many reasons, he made the wrong decision, this should have been a regular hug and the drama could have ended right here.



Video

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.

Hotaru no Hikari, Episode 8

The Actors

Rape-Huggist: Ayase Haruka ♀
Rape-Huggee: Kato Kazuki ♂

The Context

These two have been dating for a few episodes and have carefully followed the J-dorama relationship curve. 

• They are awkward together
• He 'proclaims his love'
• They hold hands and go to the amusement park
• He kisses her while she imitates a mannequin

Then he jumps the gun and asks her to move in with him. She eventually agrees and the rape-hug scene comes when they are looking for an apartment. By "they are looking for an apartment" I mean "he decides the apartment and announces it to her because she doesn't have an opinion". She was extremely worried about the fact that she likes to wear jerseys at home, and when he tells her that despite her love for wearing jerseys he still wants to move in with her - she strikes with that rape-hug.

The Result

They do move in together, but because their relationship is so perfect and so polite you know it will never work out. I guess it should be a hint when the only real emotion that is shown is expressed by rape-hug, you're in trouble.

The Depiction

The room is sparse and the light streams in through the apartment window. She drops her head and runs three pathetic steps toward the light/her boyfriend, and dips her head, nestling it in his armpit upon impact. 

It's quite disturbing too that A) she has to make a run-up to hug him and B) that he totem-poles himself. I mean, he just said something very sweet to her so he should be expecting a hug. Also, he is facing her and she sucks at running. He could at least raise his hands to stop his girlfriend from being a rape-huggist.

Awkwardometor ☆☆
I don't know which of the two is more awkward. On the one hand, she is completely justified in hugging him but turns it into something weird, but on the other hand he asked her to move in with him yet he doesn't have the balls to reciprocate a measly hug.


Video
Rape-hugs really are a litmus test for bad acting. Firstly, any actor with an ounce of dignity would steer clear of them - or at least find that rare context where it works. Here in this tiny 8 second clip is all you need to know about the acting performances in this series. [Note: Ayase Haruka won awards for this role. Awards! How?]

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.   

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.

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. 

 

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. 

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.

Yume no California, Episode 7

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Shibasaki Kou ♀
Rape-Huggee: Domoto Tsuyoshi ♂



The Context
In this dorama, Domoto is the classic "dick in a glass case" / eternally in the friend-zone. She is an old classmate and who happens to be a model (and way out of his league). She is dating another man who she doesn't really like, so when they have an argument, she immediately arranges to meet the friend-zoned friend. Spurred by her weakness, she pulls a hideous face and takes a huge run-up for the dramatic rape-hug.


The Result
This rape-hug results in him being totally confused and her feeling guilty because in Japan inter-gender friendships cannot allow any physical contact - inluding accidental hand-brushes when opening a door. It would have been an inconsequential event, however, this was also overseen by a mutual friend who instead of being shocked at a violent rapey-hug, assumed that the two were having freaky monkey sex at any opportunity and was too embarrassed to mention it.

The Depiction
The cinematography pulls out all the cliche stops for this rape-hug including Shibasaki's hideous face of torment as she makes the decision to rape-hug, then a sweeping long-shot as she makes violent contact and he stands his ground like a loyal (and dead) British soldier in the Boer War. Then, upon contact we hear the beginning of the dorama's theme song 'California Dreaming' to indicate the magnitude of this shocking overseen event, and see the very different emotions on both their faces.

Contrast the Ali-like speed of her hands, with his daytime gargoyle defenselessness against her. 

Awkwardometor ☆☆☆
This is extremely awkward for a female-instigated rape-hug due to several factors. The facial expressions lend some credibility to my suspicions that Shibasaki is kind of crazy. He is playing a character who seems to be a virgin - or at least acts like one - and has absolutely no idea what to do. He's basically in a prison of rape-hug. Add onto that, the setting of a park at night (prime raping real-estate) and that they are overseen by a mutual friend. It would have been a four-star awkward rape-hug if this wasn't so obviously a device to extend this dorama a few episodes-worth of superflous forced dorama airtime.

Video
Enjoy the rape-hug in real time, along with the annoying introduction to California Dreaming.  

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!"

 

Good Luck, Episode 1

The Actors
Rape-Huggist: Yoon Soo Ha ♀
Rape-Huggee: Kimura Takuya ♂

The Context
Kimura is a pilot who is single, and is therefore extremely eligible among women (pretty much exactly how it is in real life). Most of the females in the dorama are stewardesses who constantly praise him and try to act cute in front of him. However, his neighbour has a different plan of attack - literally. As soon as he comes home, she ambushes him and pretends he is someone else that she is dating.
Note: this is a rape-hug that crosses national borders, showing that Koreans are also partial to the aggressive suffocating behaviour of rape-huggery. Either that, or she's taking symbolic national revenge for the years between about, say, 1905 and 1945.  

The Result
The rape-huggist is obviously mentally unstable, and Kimura spends the entire dorama avoiding her. The entire storyline involving this neighbour is completely irrelevant to the dorama, and appears to be there only for comedic effect for all those who enjoy watching unsolicited physical contact. 


The Depiction
As soon as he inserts the key in the lock of his house, the sequence begins. We see the neighbour's door open, running footsteps, and she attacks Kimura. For comparison's sake, let's pretend that she was holding an axe and it quickly becomes a completely different dorama. Kimura is pushed back by the force of impact, and left swaying as she talks nonsense.

Awkwardometor ☆☆
The fact that the storyline of the dorama concerning the neighbour has completely nothing to do with the rest of the dorama makes it less awkward. Yes, she is basically a stranger, a foreigner, and a lunatic, and the hug includes a run-up and nonsense talking. However, in the greater scheme it is relatively less awkward than it might seem largely due to the fact the attacker is female - usually the smaller of the sexes in the human species.

Video
Watch the crazy Korean lady come flying from her room like an evil flying monkey, in real time.