In Defense of Bunny (Tiger & Bunny Episode 19)
People don't seem to understand Bunny....:(
Yeah, so after my brain ended up becoming full of fuck after episode 19, I had to go and find the reactions other people whose brains were also full of fuck after watching the episode (ie I went on Tumblr.)
And I was really kind of shocked to see all the negative reactions to Barnaby in episode 19 and the overwhelming support for Kotetsu's so-called "bitch slap."
The majority opinion seemed to be that Bunny "deserved it" (this is also what a lot of people were saying on the T&B comm.) So much so that there's been a whole slew of images like this one being posted on Tumblr:
And this one:
Wish I could find the non-animated version because this image is distracting as all fuck.
Anyways.
My reaction to seeing all this was: was I alone in my sympathy for Bunny? I felt rather sad that other people didn't understand why he acted the way he did. So I'm going to try to get a feel for what was going on in his head and in the process, hopefully vindicate Bunny's reaction, if not slightly clarify it.
Bunny:
Was obviously very hurt by Kotetsu's decision to leave
Didn't appreciate Kotetsu trying to lie about his reasons why (hence the whole "trust" issue being brought up)
Interpreted the lack of trust (in other words, Kotetsu's trying to skirt around the issue) as not being valued as Kotetsu's partner (we saw how much he looks up to Kotetsu in his interview later)
Lashed out in anger even though he was actually hurt
Basically, Bunny saying that he didn't need Kotetsu amounted to a case of "sour grapes" (the fable kind, not the actual kind.)
Bunny truly trusts Kotetsu and values him as a partner. So him saying that he'd be better off without Kotetsu anyway was not only due to anger but also because of him trying to convince himself that that's actually true. A defense mechanism if you will. Bunny was trying to protect his fragile emotions and disguise his pain...with a vicious verbal attack.
So in other words, what do we call that?
Being tsundere!
:)
Yes, Bunny was being tsun, which is keeping perfectly in line with his character. Unfortunately, he really did wound Kotetsu with his words, hence the slap. My additional interpretation, however, is that Kotetsu might actually have seen through the tsun act and that the slap was sort of a "snap out of it" type of thing.
So, in conclusion, I can't say that what Bunny did was beneficial to his and Kotetsu's relationship. Nor do I think that his words weren't deeply hurtful. But I do think that he was certainly justified in being angry.
I'd be angry too if I were in his situation. :(
Yeah, so after my brain ended up becoming full of fuck after episode 19, I had to go and find the reactions other people whose brains were also full of fuck after watching the episode (ie I went on Tumblr.)
And I was really kind of shocked to see all the negative reactions to Barnaby in episode 19 and the overwhelming support for Kotetsu's so-called "bitch slap."
The majority opinion seemed to be that Bunny "deserved it" (this is also what a lot of people were saying on the T&B comm.) So much so that there's been a whole slew of images like this one being posted on Tumblr:
And this one:
Wish I could find the non-animated version because this image is distracting as all fuck.
Anyways.
My reaction to seeing all this was: was I alone in my sympathy for Bunny? I felt rather sad that other people didn't understand why he acted the way he did. So I'm going to try to get a feel for what was going on in his head and in the process, hopefully vindicate Bunny's reaction, if not slightly clarify it.
Bunny:
Was obviously very hurt by Kotetsu's decision to leave
Didn't appreciate Kotetsu trying to lie about his reasons why (hence the whole "trust" issue being brought up)
Interpreted the lack of trust (in other words, Kotetsu's trying to skirt around the issue) as not being valued as Kotetsu's partner (we saw how much he looks up to Kotetsu in his interview later)
Lashed out in anger even though he was actually hurt
Basically, Bunny saying that he didn't need Kotetsu amounted to a case of "sour grapes" (the fable kind, not the actual kind.)
Bunny truly trusts Kotetsu and values him as a partner. So him saying that he'd be better off without Kotetsu anyway was not only due to anger but also because of him trying to convince himself that that's actually true. A defense mechanism if you will. Bunny was trying to protect his fragile emotions and disguise his pain...with a vicious verbal attack.
So in other words, what do we call that?
Being tsundere!
:)
Yes, Bunny was being tsun, which is keeping perfectly in line with his character. Unfortunately, he really did wound Kotetsu with his words, hence the slap. My additional interpretation, however, is that Kotetsu might actually have seen through the tsun act and that the slap was sort of a "snap out of it" type of thing.
So, in conclusion, I can't say that what Bunny did was beneficial to his and Kotetsu's relationship. Nor do I think that his words weren't deeply hurtful. But I do think that he was certainly justified in being angry.
I'd be angry too if I were in his situation. :(