In Defense of Bunny (Tiger & Bunny Episode 19)

[frogally]

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

Comments

[taithe]

You aren't alone. When people were in a rage about Barnaby becoming deredere instead of tsundere I wrote a tl;dr essay about his character development and why it made sense for him to be a lot more relaxed and friendly. It's sad how he seems less liked by fandom than Kotetsu in general -- or at least people are less tolerating of his behavior/attitude.

Agreeing with you here that he's using "tsun" as a way to cover up his hurt. Barnaby still doesn't have a lot of people he's open with and Kotetsu is one of the few he trusts, which is why it's so painful for him to think their relationship is one-sided and superficial.

For me the slap said more about Kotetsu than about Barnaby deserving anything. Honestly, slapping someone in RL doesn't actually calm someone down; in fact it can make them even more upset. I liked how Barnaby basically ran away because it seems like a realistic reaction.

[frogally]

Eep, I was one of those people who was ranting about the disappearance of Bunny's tsun. But in hindsight, it makes sense now ^_^;; I think it was just the abruptness of the timeskip that made Barnaby's mellowing out seem much more jarring

[frogally]

Sorry to have barged in like this.

Oh no, no, I'm quite happy you came by-!（´∀｀）

Yeah, I agree that it's a communication issue for them. Kotetsu seems to have a self-esteem problem (which I didn't completely realize until I read This is Sternbild's episode 19 write-up,) not to mention he's got his whole "protecting people thing," so he's really reluctant to burden other people with his problems. Bunny, on the other hand, completely trusts Kotetsu, but snaps back into tsun mode when he thinks that that trust isn't being reciprocated.

Oh, oh oh I really hate seeing them fight like this...can't they kiss and make up? :(

And it makes me sad that people don't like Bunny (is a Bunny fan (´･ω･`)) but I think it's mainly because his character is much harder to read than Kotetsu's, and it's easier to see him as an asshole, whereas everybody just wants to hug Kotetsu, haha.

[frogally]

I think Bunny needs to understand

I'm assuming you meant Kotetsu here? :3

Yeah, Taigs and Buns are best as a pair. Even if you're not wearing yaoi goggles (like me, ahahahahaha) they still have a really great dynamic and play off of each other really well. Which makes me wish for the two daddies ending. Make it happen PLEASE, Sunrise >O

[ukisama]

Really? people react like that?
I totally understand Bunny reaction! And after episode 19 I was feeling so bad for him. Even if I don't blame Kotetsu for the "bitch slap." cause well he regret it right after
1st he was already really confused and hurt with all that memory stuff and then he heard that Kotetsu's gonna quite...
He is obviously really hurt but he don't want Kotetsu to see it so he react that way!
I guess communication is really a problem between those two. (Well it's more interesting that way no?!)

Anyway I love the two characters the way they are but I seriously hope they make up in the next episode cause seeing them fighting really hurt -______-

Sorry for the mistakes ((Not so good with english...^^)

[frogally]

Oh I know! I was feeling really bad for Bunny too T__T Imagine learning that you've spent 21 years of your life chasing after a lie...And not to mention finding out that your adoptive father killed your parents and has been screwing with your memories since the age of 4...

I think finding out that Kotetsu's quitting was sort of the last straw for Bunny, so he just kind of snapped.

Well it's more interesting that way no?!

It...it does make it more interesting...but it also makes my heart ache ;___;

Oh and don't worry about your English-it's quite good! ^0^

[ukisama]

Well mine ache too but... Call me masochist but I kinda like that...^^

For me a good episode is an episode that make me laugh and cry. And also that make me giggle every 5 second like a fangirl XD So...episode 19 was a really really good one!

[kalbim]

Majority of this fandom seems to be Kotetsu fans, so it makes sense there would be more rabid fans of him. Don't let those 12-year-old idiots upset you, though; they are too blinded by their love/hate to actually think about the characters' personalities, motivations.

*stalk stalk*

[joopawoopa]

(late comment is late, but screw that, I got stuff to say)

I think a lot of people failed to look at the situation objectively (that's one of the reasons why I hardly post in the weekly episode discussion posts on lj--as much as I like Kotetsu, there's too much Kotetsu bias). Both parties were wrong, but I can see why Bunny was hurt and why Kotetsu slapped him. For this reason, that scene was pretty hard to watch for me.

I still thought the macros were funny when taken out of context of T&B, considering that Bunny's suffering has been routinely parodied on pixiv and imageboards.

Re: *stalk stalk*

[frogally]

there's too much Kotetsu bias

I agree with you completely about this, but then again, in almost every T&B fancommunity (be it from livejournal, the blogosphere, tumblr, 4chan, etc.) there are many, many more Kotetsu fans than there are Barnaby fans. So as a Bunny fan, I feel the need to stand my ground and, uh, provide a counter-opinion.

Both parties were wrong

Of course that doesn't mean that I'm placing all the blame on Kotetsu, though! While I do feel that the actual slap crossed the line a bit, it was more a result of Kotetsu being seriously hurt by Bunny's words, rather than the "shut up, bitch" reaction like many fans made it out to be.

Re: *stalk stalk*

[joopawoopa]

I believe /a/ complained about how a lot of people missed the entire point of that scene, so you're not alone with the counter-opinion. Kotetsu may be more likable, but he's pretty damn flawed.

Eep, I didn't mean to imply that you were placing all the blame on Kotetsu :O. Frankly, I think both Kotetsu and Barnaby crossed the line, and they both hurt each other. Sunrise, at this point you better give us a brohug ending

Re: *stalk stalk*

[frogally]

Eep, I didn't mean to imply that you were placing all the blame on Kotetsu

Oh, no, no I didn't think you were implying that at all! I just thought maybe I was coming off as too one-sided in my entry and wanted to clarify.

Sunrise, at this point you better give us a brohug ending

Damn right they better.
I'm personally rooting for the two daddies ending, but sadly, the chances of that happening aren't very high *sobs*