He’s great, you’ll spend time with him, you’d set your friends up with him, but you’ve just got no romantic interest in him; yeah the poor boy has definitely been friend zoned. He’s the anime boy you like; just not like that.
This was much harder than I thought to narrow down mostly because I don’t often develop real crushes on fictional characters so the vast majority of characters would end up here. That said, there’s one character I’ve talked about a lot that kind of defines this category for me.
The Anime Boy You Like But Would Definitely Friend Zone
Rei Kiriyama
March Comes in Like a Lion is an anime I am in love with. A large part of the reason I was drawn into it was because of Rei. His original bleak outlook on things and his slow climb out of depression with his two steps forward one giant step back approach to moving forward made him a character I could really relate to.
I also have massive respect for Rei Kiriyama and his dedication to his craft, even when he isn’t really sure he even likes it. However, even if Rei were older, if I knew him in real life, he’d definitely be friend zoned, and not just because I’m pretty sure he’s already going to be taken in the future.
Reason One: He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.
While this is part of who he is, I find people who do this exhausting to be around. Even if they are an anime boy I like. That’s probably because I also do it in my daily life and the combination of two people doing that is exhausting because neither one is really looking at the glass being half-full. Rei is a nice guy and all but the two of us together would be a terrible combination because neither one of us can be the bright spot that lifts the other.
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Reason Two: I’d be annoyed at him every time he put himself down.
Let’s be honest: Rei is brilliant. He’s dedicated. Once he’s managed to move mentally to a place where he’s able to focus on others, he’s incredibly empathetic. Rei’s great. Yet he is incredibly critical of himself. The only reason I’m not calling him his own worst critic is that I’m pretty sure there are other people in his life that have put him down more which certainly didn’t help his mental state. Whichever way, it would aggravate me every single time he put himself down.
Reason Three: How many hours does he spend on shogi?
I think the number one problem with the idea of forming a romantic attachment to Rei is that he spends an enormous amount of time either playing shogi or studying it. Either way, that isn’t leaving him a lot of time to go hiking, watch TV together, or just chit-chat. I can only imagine as he rises through the ranks how much more time he will spend studying in order to maintain his rank.
Basically, Rei is great and a character I have a lot of respect for but if I knew him in real life we’d be friends. Kind of. Assuming either one of us took enough initiative to actually have a conversation.
Rei is the anime boy you like but romance is probably off the table. Unless you are Hina in which case please go for it.
Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James
I agree with you on Rei. He would drive me crazy or drag me into depths I’ve been able to avoid for a few years. And would like to avoid forever, thanks. I have to say, surprisingly enough, I’d friend zone Natsume of Natsume Youjin chou. I know. I love him. He is so sweet. And passive. What a great friend. But I think in the long run, a day to day life with him…I’d end up poking him with a sharp stick just to get some sort of reaction out of him. I’m bad. I seriously think he would start to bore me. And then I’d feel bad, because he IS so sweet. But…bored now…
Natsume is an excellent pick for friend zoned. I’m with you, not necessarily about poking him with a stick. But he’d be the guy I went to in order to process my actual relationship issues, not the guy I want to be in a relationship with.
Yes, perfect description. I could certainly see sitting on the rooftop, looking at the stars, and solving all the worlds problems as we talk all night long. But boyfriend? Nah.
Ok, I’ve never seen this anime but the main character sounds a lot like me 😅 I tend to be very hard on myself, carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, and get really invested in my hobbies and passions (though for me that’s music and writing instead of shogi). Jeez, I think I need to start taking some happy pills or I’m gonna be single for the rest of my life! Jk
I am jonesing for another season of this!