Down

Please like this post if you enjoyed the title of this thread and don't forget to subscribe to my channel and click the bell butt(ry

Please like this post if you enjoyed the title of this thread and don't forget to subscribe to my channel and click the bell butt(ry

Catgirls (and anthropomorphic humans in general) are a big fetish in the otaku media. The cat ears have become a staple of moe culture, a status symbol of what defines cuteness. Yet, whenever I play an eroge featuring such creatures, I often times find myself not enjoying a lot of the cutesy physical attributes of these specimen. Why is that?
As I delved into my thoughts, I finally pieced together the reason for these feelings: catgirl discrimination
What do I mean by this? It's simple. Catgirl discrimination is a common phenomenom in eroge (and even non-erotic titles) whereby catgirls are introduced as being an important part of a fictional setting, yet they are treated as less than humans throughout the story. Through my hours of research, I  found that often times, animal girls in eroge are introduced as mere plot devices for sexual activity rather than fleshed out characters you can emphasize and form bonds with.
Now this by itself isn't too surprising. After all, even when there's no catgirls involved, a lot of these games tend to focus on achieving a relationship status with another female human character. However, the difference between the latter and the former is that when humans are involved, they are treated as beings with intelligence. They are equal to the protagonist who wants to romance them. Yes, one can argue about the inherent misogyny in a lot of these titles, but that's beyond the point I'm making. The fact is, human girls are treated, well, like humans (as they should). But when it comes to catgirls, they are typically treated as less than human. They are dehumanized and turned into a creature akin to a pet.
"What's the problem with that? They aren't humans, so of course they're not treated as such" you say.
Ah yes, a fair point my dear reader, but let me ask you this then: Would you have sexsual intercourse with your cat or your dog?
The answer is most likely "no" (if it is yes, please seek counceling. I heard PETA fines aren't anything to scoff at.)
Therein lies the issue I have. Catgirls have primary human features, and yet they're often times treated as pets in most games. Why would you date someone who you treat like a pet? It makes little sense to me.
Now you might say "it's just a porn game, it's for fetishistic purposes". And of course I can 100% concede to that. In fact, I myself find it to be a nice fetish to have somebody submissive to you act like a pet. There's nothing wrong with that. However, humans are more than their genitals, and their personalities go beyond the confines of the bedroom. In real life, even when we're talking about people who are into things like BDSM, there is still a human connection beyond their sexual life. No human *literally* becomes slave to another human, they mutually agree to have this type of relationship, and they ultimately see each other as equal in the relationship. Yet with catgirls, they are introduced as nothing more than instruments for sex 90% of the time, and even beyond the bedroom they're still just a pet that will obey anything and everything their owner tells them to. I can not concede that this is a healthy form for a relationship at all.
Think about it. What is the point of dating somebody that always sees themselves and acts as inferior to you? Where is the happiness in dating someone with no consciousness, who's joy comes from eating food and sexually pleasing you? That is why I can not get behind most games featuring catgirls.
To me, a relationship partner must be equal to me in status. I don't want to treat my significant other as a pet, but as a human being. I don't want to take them out on walks with a leash, I want to go on dates holding hands with them and eat a giant parfait together, and then pass out on a bench because the parfait was too big and we now feel like throwing up.
I want script writers to write visual novels about worlds where catgirls are just like other humans. They just so happen to have cat ears and a tail and sometimes say "nya". I want them to be more than things you own that can't live by themselves without you taking care of them. That's what babies and dogs are for, not girlfriends.
This is not to say I want the end of all games featuring submissive cat girls, that's still a very valid fetish, but I believe it's unfair to treat them like that in almost every single game, especially games where the focus is supposed to be the story and the characters. How can you say you have a game with great characters when those characters are seen as less than human?
Games like nekopara thrive even though every single catgirl in it is portrayed as a brainless creature that goes into heat at random times and can only survive if the protagonist "relieves" them. Why must they act like animals this much? Why can't they just be regular human beings who you form a real bond with instead of an "owner x pet" relationship?
In conclusion, I believe catgirls are heavily discriminated against when it comes to visual novels. They are beings that need to be given a conscioussness and a will to act on their own, not to become mere cheap tools for one's sexual pleasure. They have a lot of love to offer to the world, and we should start appreciating them for that, because who knows when they'll go extinct.
Let's make the world a better place and stop catgirl discrimination. Every catgirl deserves to be portrayed as a being with a brain and a heart. 

nice

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

where the hell is this thread going
How about calming down for a few hours and then we'll re-open for more sensible discussions?
edit: thread has been (somewhat) cleaned.

Ren for Prez @OriginalRen
Credits to nosebleed for making this poster 
 

Arguably Rumiko Takahashi was already doing harems in the 80s (Ranma 1/2 for example). And there's always the (fairly probable) possibility that some obscure manga author did it before.
 
Oh, I forgot FMP! indeed. Fumoffu is funny as hell and Second Raid was awesome. The first series is far from being bad either.

Hm. In no particular order I'd say:
Evangelion
Yamato 2199
Patlabor (everything)
Gunbuster
Harlock 78
Gurren Lagann
GaoGaiGar
Planetes
Rahxephon
Zeta Gundam
And worth seeing movies include Macross DYRL, Waga seishun no Arcadia, the two Galaxy Express 999 movies, the three Gundam 0079 movies... I'm probably forgetting stuff.
Of course you've seen some of those already, but well.
 

Hm. In no particular order I'd say:
Evangelion
Yamato 2199
Patlabor (everything)
Gunbuster
Harlock 78
Gurren Lagann
GaoGaiGar
Planetes
Rahxephon
Zeta Gundam
And worth seeing movies include Macross DYRL, Waga seishun no Arcadia, the two Galaxy Express 999 movies, the three Gundam 0079 movies... I'm probably forgetting stuff.
Of course you've seen some of those already, but well.
 

Hm. In no particular order I'd say:
Evangelion
Yamato 2199
Patlabor (everything)
Gunbuster
Harlock 78
Gurren Lagann
GaoGaiGar
Planetes
Rahxephon
Zeta Gundam
And worth seeing movies include Macross DYRL, Waga seishun no Arcadia, the two Galaxy Express 999 movies, the three Gundam 0079 movies... I'm probably forgetting stuff.
Of course you've seen some of those already, but well.
 

It's... It's back! It works! My eyes no longer suffer as they go from a completely black theme to other, regular sites! The glorious, fabulous pink is back at last!
Thank you, o glorious leader!

 

It's... It's back! It works! My eyes no longer suffer as they go from a completely black theme to other, regular sites! The glorious, fabulous pink is back at last!
Thank you, o glorious leader!

 

Back in the cavemen days, rocks and sticks also never had any kind of failure.  They always did what rocks and sticks were supposed to do. But I think we're all better off now. 

It's... It's back! It works! My eyes no longer suffer as they go from a completely black theme to other, regular sites! The glorious, fabulous pink is back at last!
Thank you, o glorious leader!

 

Yes.
Hi no Tori, Budda, Black Jack, Ayako, Metropolis among other things (I'm just listing things off the top of my head here) are pretty much timeless classics now. I have no idea what you like and what you have already read so I can't tell you that you're gonna like them but they're not cornerstones of the history of manga for no reason.

Yes.
Hi no Tori, Budda, Black Jack, Ayako, Metropolis among other things (I'm just listing things off the top of my head here) are pretty much timeless classics now. I have no idea what you like and what you have already read so I can't tell you that you're gonna like them but they're not cornerstones of the history of manga for no reason.

But I can't say for sure I won't ban everyone who posted in this thread once I sober up tomorrow

But I can't say for sure I won't ban everyone who posted in this thread once I sober up tomorrow

But I can't say for sure I won't ban everyone who posted in this thread once I sober up tomorrow