Second Round Shikimori Micchon vs. Marin Kitagawa

[Demonspeed]

Shikimori Micchon Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san		Marin Kitagawa Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru

 

[Hermit]

Oh nice, I was just about to head to bed But I can spare an extra half hour before bed today.

Ok, let's do this:

CAMPAIGN

So, a bit of background information on my candidate (Since she is a bit underknown). The series she is from is called 'Shikimori isn't just a cutie.' It's a romantic comedy manga, which also got an anime earlier this year (Just this spring actually). However, despite being a romcom, it's a bit different from other titles in the genre like Kaguya-sama:Love is War, or Komi-san can't communicate. In Shikimori, the two main characters are already together as a couple. We don't follow their journey from friendship to romance like in a good number of romcoms. No, here from the very first chapter of the series, Shikimori and Izumi are already an item. Admittedly, that is a bit of an unexplored gem in the genre. But the series is worth the read. After the anime ended I binged the manga (Currently in the 150s), one of my favorite binges this year actually.

As the titular character of the series, Shikimori can be described with a few words.

She's loving and caring. Tender.

Spoiler

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Serious, when the situation calls for it.

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Has a teasing, playful side to her personality.

Spoiler

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What makes her a good waifu candidate though? Sure we can look at attributes of her personality, but her behavior around Izumi is where the manga shines.

She's fashionable. Always dresses to kill, no matter the occasion. The manga has her go on quite a number of dates with Izumi, and in each occasion she has looked dashing.

Whether it be simple attire:

Spoiler

Or its winter season, and she wants to guard herself from the cold:

When you and her want to go the amusement park, on a weekend where both of you are free:

Even when you're walking to school together:

She's a person who pays special attention to how she presents herself. And not in a superficial manner.

Another aspect of her personality I'd like to touch on is how immersive she is. She takes an active interest in your life. Your hobbies, extracurricular activities, and wants to be a part of your life. You get to have fun doing stuff together.

F.e, let's say you want to watch a movie together. A horror movie, to be specific. But you're not a fan of horror movies. That does nothing to change how she feels about you. You get to try out new stuff together, and so your relationship strengthens.

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Or if you want to spend Christmas together, and want a fresh change after all those years of spending Christmas with your family

When you want to greet the New Year together

Or even energetic stuff like trying out new sports together. E.g snowboarding in winter:

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Or bowling with your friends after school:

She's interested in the same things as you, but not in an obsessive or an intrusive manner. And of course, she still gives you your own personal space. Time by yourself, to do stuff with your friends. Or even just when you want to chill by yourself.

To conclude on this, I'd say she's just a very loveable person to be around. And loveable enough to get your vote as well

Vote Shikimori for this round, and she'll show you why she isn't just a cutie

Hope the page is not lagging a lot due to the multiple images ​

 

[Brandish μ]

CAMPMARIN
2nd campaign post for Marin Kitagawa

If you have missed the first round, do not know of Marin, or would like to refresh your memory of her, please read these first round posts:
PREVIOUS COSTUMES
1. CAMPMARIN - costume 1 - a brief overview of Marin
2. A waifu comparison - completed by an opposing husbando
3. A waifu comparison - completed by her husbando
4. More Marin

And some more...​

Waifu Type

This topic discusses the type of waifu Marin falls into. This topic does not discuss various waifu types, or if type matters, or is one type better than another - those I will leave alone and to you.

Marin can be most aptly categorised as a gyaru. For those of you who may not know, a gyaru is a 'gal' that bucks traditional fashion trends in Japan. They are the girls dolled up with different hairstyles, accessories, piercings, make-up etc that you're used to seeing in anime or manga.

There aren't many notable gyaru characters? I googled 'gyaru in anime' and could not find a gal that I was particularly interested in outside of Marin. Wracking my brain, I do love Ayane from Kimi ni Todoke (Pin x Ayane shipper), and I adore Minami Fuyuki from Hokkaido Girls are the Best. I can only make a speculation that there aren't many high quality gyaru out there.

However, the gyaru type does not hinder Marin. If anything it is an advantage.

Marin's dip dyed hair and ear piercings (gyaru traits) draw attention. She is the female lead and will receive a fair share of attention - but I feel the appearance adds to that. Because, we are assessing and making judgements of her. We may have formed expectations based on how we interpret this type of character. And when you form those expectations, and those expectations are wrong - in the best way - the impression of the character is greater and deeper. I experienced that in a small dose when I first encountered Marin mainly because you don't get much time to contemplate who she could be, you warm very quickly to her. Upon reflection, her character breaking the mould holds greater impact to me. I guess when you really like something you will see every little aspect with more beauty the more you revisit. Just thought this topic is worth contemplating as it may offer another perspective.

There are many strong female lead characters these days, but I would wager that there are fewer of those by proportion in the category of 'female highschool student'. A lot of female leads are similar in age but are put in a fantasy setting or put in a testing environment to bring out attractive qualities. Marin is essentially in a slice of life. She is young lady with a cosplay obsession and embraces it and those around her. Marin's strength is of an inspirational kind closer to home than bravery or badassery on a battlefield, and that is part of Marin's appeal as a waifu. In that regard, does she appeal to you?

I acknowledge that Marin is a genuine contender for best girl in anime 2022. That kind of popularity does have a slight disadvantage for a few reasons, but overall, Marin has a handy advantage due to her recency in anime and that she is popular for good reason. My focus is to ensure my waifu (Marin) is represented faithfully, and my hope is that you allow her thoughtful consideration.

Thank you for your time.

Next post for Marin will be a quick skim of some panels. A waifu comparison will then follow.​

--- Double Post Merged, Sep 8, 2022, Original Post Date: Sep 7, 2022 ---

Did you know that Marin is a part-time model? And highly sought after at that?? Well she is, and she only takes enough jobs to fund her cosplay.

Here are some recent and private snaps~

Spoiler

 

[Hermit]

CAMPAIGN (Part II)

What are some qualities of a good partner? Well, to explore them, we can look no further than Shikimori's name itself . From the very beginning, we have:

S for serene. Meaning calm and tranquil. A serene love means a nurturing love, one that leaves you feeling content:

H for hearty. Meaning cheerful. Someone who is happy to be around you, and who it doesn't take a lot to make them laugh:

I for intense. Meaning showing strong feelings; extremely earnest or serious.

K for kindhearted. Meaning someone who is caring, tender. Has a big heart, with most of its space reserved for you

Spoiler

Also refers to someone who's a good kicker. Need them around to kick away anything that might trouble you

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I for innate. Referring to a natural state of things. An inborn nature. There's no need to fake anything about yourself.

M for messy. She's not perfect, she makes mistakes. But you'll never doubt how much she loves or cares about you:

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O for observant. Meaning quick to notice and observe things, especially when they concern you.

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R for romantic. A self explanatory meaning, in the context of this event

And the final I, stands for 'I love you.' Which she will, when you give her your vote

 

[Brandish μ]

I only have seen a handful of Shikimori-san episodes so here's my attempt at comparing Marin to Shikimori (if I said unbiased comparison, how many kappa emoji's would I need?). Where I separate them clearly, as a waifu, is that one is primarily designed to be a waifu and the other is not.​

Shikimori Micchon Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san		Marin Kitagawa Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru

Shikimori

Shikimori is designed to be the male leads' waifu. This male lead has some kind of issue with bad luck, and Shikimori saves him, watches out for him, protects him. She is honestly amazing as a Prince Cutie, I wanted to be bridal carried by her. And while I cannot speak to the scale of her qualities, my read of her is that she is created as a waifu first, Shikimori Micchon second. She is a knight in shining armour converted into a waifu for this world; and in the anime I saw there wasn't much time to observe Shikimori without the knight role.

There isn't a right or wrong answer as Shikimori is endearing and warm, and we might all want to be protected by Shikimori from time to time. I don't know why Shikimori is devoted so much to the male lead, he is a kind boy so I suppose Shikimori's interest lies there.

Marin

Marin is designed to be her individual character without any features that are intentionally waifu-istic.

Did you expect more on the Marin point? There isn't more as Marin is no special case in this regard, many female characters have school or a job, she has the good looks afforded to many anime females, she has hobbies, friends and a personality we have a degree of liking for.

She is special because she is Marin.

Marin loves anime and manga and the characters within.
She cosplays because she wants to appreciate her favourite characters.
To cosplay it means putting your identity as an otaku into the world.
When you dress up, you cannot keep the anime or manga behind closed doors, or online, or only with close friends.
You take the risk of being exposed and vulnerable so that you may feel a part of something great.
It takes courage.
Marin has that courage because of her love for anime and manga.
How do you feel about anime and manga?

 

[SirSamuel016]

Great campaigns here! Personally from what I've watched and read of both series, and factoring in campaigns, it's gotta be Marin for me here Best of luck to you both though!

 

[Demonspeed]

Voted for Shikimori because I can't forget that GIF Hermit posted in the AL...

I didn't watch the series although I planned to because of lack of time + I feared that the MC would be extremely annoying and looking at these pages really makes me think I made the right choice but thankfully this is not about him. I watched Bisque Doll however and it was pretty good, Marin was great and so was Gojou.

I was torn and the two campaigns are pretty good so I voted Shikimori because I find her prettier.