While a few romance anime have debuted this Spring 2023 anime season, My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv 999 has received the most attention and positive feedback. Its odd relationship between a casual and a professional gamer is a novel setting for the genre, but it also reinvents a tired cliche.
Gamer girls are not new to anime, but they have evolved into a cliché of expectations both in anime and in gaming culture. While the idea of girls and women playing video games has become more accepted in recent years, there is still a lot of pressure on them to live up to particular standards. Though anime has provided some variance in female gamers, there isn't enough of a range for all women to play and be themselves. Thankfully, My Love Story with Yamada-kun demonstrates that ladies do not have to be the perfect gamer to enjoy their favorite games.
Explanation of the Gamer Girl Trope
Typically in anime, the "gamer girl" is a female character that is either the most sexually attractive (such as Marin Kitagawa from My Dress-Up Darling) or the most sloppily clothed (such as Konata Izumi from Lucky Star), while still fitting within the acceptable body type for women. There is no in-between with these characters because they are either targeted for the male gaze or are recognized as "one of the guys" and thus permitted to look sloppy. The flawless skill levels in the video game in issue are at the heart of this cliche. These females are the top players and can go toe-to-toe with the guys, earning them their respect. While there is nothing wrong with this or the gamer girl's fascination with gaming, it excludes a significant number of women.
Not every woman plays video games to win or to fully immerse herself in every facet of the game. There are casual female gamers who are ridiculed and forced out of the community because they don't meet the stereotypes or expectations of a "gamer girl." This has maintained the gaming community as predominantly male, which is particularly troubling given the abuse of female gamers. The flawless skill levels in the video game in issue are at the heart of this cliche. These females are the top players and can go toe-to-toe with the guys, earning them their respect. While there is nothing wrong with this or the gamer girl's fascination with gaming, it excludes a significant number of women.
My Love Story with Yamada-kun Offers an Original Take on the Gaming Community
Akane Kinoshita, a second-year college student in Tokyo, battles to overcome the grief of being dumped by her boyfriend, Takuma, in this anime. During their relationship, he introduced Akane to the online game Forest of Savior, which they frequently played together. Takuma unexpectedly fell in love with another female from the same game, prompting him to dump Akane. Rather of abandoning the game, which would undoubtedly remind her of her ex, Akane continues to play, finding it more delightful than any other pastime at times. As she comes to terms with Takuma's absence, she realizes she knows little about game mechanics or strategy. With a rather unoriginal avatar, Akane sticks out like a sore thumb in her guild, where she plays side-by-side with the younger pro player Akito Yamada.
Yamada is well-known outside of the gaming world due to his ad sponsorships and, of course, his stellar gaming record. He is well-versed in video games, particularly Forest of Savior, which he began playing before becoming famous. His reaction to Akane's hardships is severe, owing to a lack of civility and possibly emotional intelligence. He blames her for not knowing gaming minutiae such as how storage systems function and is unduly concerned about her low stats, but he eventually learns to appreciate that she enjoys playing and may require encouragement rather than a lecture.
While the anime makes it apparent that Akane and Yamada are the romantic ship to root for, the series concentrates on their growing relationship as they learn to work together as friends in real life and as guildmates in their favorite online game. Because of the typical "gamer girl" cliche, Akane's character and the unusual relationship she has with Yamada hasn't really been explored before, thus it presents a refreshing view on how love and gaming can bring the most unlikely people together.
How My Love Story with Yamada-kun's Akane Subverts Expectations
Aside from Akane's typical body type and a lack of variety in body types across characters, My Love Story with Yamada-kun does a lot to challenge tropes and stereotypes. As far as appearances go, Akane isn't often dolled up or sexually objectified, but at the same time, she still cares for her appearance. On the surface, she doesn't look at all like how a girl gamer typically appears in fictional media, which is a good thing. Given how she's new to gaming but still maintains other typical interests, such as beauty and romance, she invites women of that demographic into a community that would normally shun them. Basically, she tells women they have a choice on what their interests can be.
Even her relationship with Yamada helps to encourage the idea of more variety in gamers. Though Yamada is initially apprehensive about playing online with Akane, he begins to look forward to it, which sparks their friendship. As much as Akane's character is important in diversifying representation, Yamada's role is just as important. He is essentially the poster boy for the gaming community in the anime and therefore sets an example for the community at large. Young boys who watch his example will learn that they too can play with girls or with people who might not be on the same skill level as them. The most important detail about playing video games, outside of competition, is that everyone is having fun, whether they are casually or professionally playing, and of course, regardless of their gender.
