Yeah, it IS wish fulfillment. Any harem anime where the nondescript but generally nice guy is surrounded and pursued by a gaggle of beautiful girls is wish fulfillment. And while this may result in a poor commentary on the state of Japanese society and the generic anime audience, the fact that it is wish fulfillment is not the sole basis on which a show should be judged. But keep in mind that THIS IS A TV SHOW. Just because people derive enjoyment from watching this type of show doesn't necessarily mean they believe that this is the way life is or that they are gung ho in favor of subjugating the female populace. Maybe that's not what you're trying to imply, NineBirds, but that's the way you're coming off.NineBirds wrote:So obviously we are not understanding me when I say "wish fulfillment". I am not saying Hideki used Chii as a sex slave, I am not saying he abused her. I am saying a great part of the attraction to these types of anime is a "loser" male holding some sort of power over an attractive female--what he does with the power is irrelevant, it is the power itself that pulls in many viewers. Much anime is based on a weird gender power-structure in Japan, and many of the hardcore anime fans (otaku) in Japan are, frankly, dateless losers. Chobits-Tenchi-etc is made for these otaku--male characters they can relate to being put in positions of desirability that they would never obtain in real life. Hence the wish fulfillment. Chii is a more extreme case of this--the "loser" male being put in control of a gorgeous, sweet female who is completely willing to do whatever he wishes. The concept is the wish fulfillment, the fanservice adds to it. We're talking concept here, not actual characters. Don't worry--I'm making no assault on darling Hideki except to point out his relatively low status in the society he lives in.
I found nothing wrong with your argument near the beginning of this thread about Chii not having any choice about who she was going to end up with, but then you went down this wish fulfillment tack which frankly is going nowhere unless your whole point is that, because this show's premise is based around male wish fulfillment, that there can be no redeeming qualities to it.