I've had to explain this to 2 separate people already so now I'm in this awkward position of having to ask the Princess Tutu fandom. Do you guys truly believe Neko-sensei is a pedophile?
Prefacing this rq: I personally don't have any big thoughts on his gag and while I do think it's a bit of a mean spirited jab at single adults, I also think it's a fun and easy way to characterize him, surprisingly subversive too (will elaborate) but it suffers from the fact that the cast surrounding happen to be kids. I might have chosen smth else to be his comedic center simply bc of the unfortunate side effect of who his joke is used on but what that alternate joke would be I haven't the faintest nor the foggiest tbh!
Now, Neko-sensei is an animal who, alongside other characters like Anteaterina & Goatette, is anthropomorphized by whatever the hell is going on in Gold Crown Town. He is an adult who teaches at the ballet boarding school the story is set in with the main cast as his students. The gag in question is that he is desperate to be married and threatens his students with marrying him as punishment for messing up. He is never really shown to be attracted to any of them that I can remember, never forces any of them to wed him or otherwise engage with him romantically, never does anything other than threaten them with marriage when they screw up and irritably move on afterwards. Actually, I'm p sure the only character he ever engaged w romantically was Miss Goatette, another adult. She unsettles him but bc of his want for marriage he went on a date with her anyways despite not being particularly enthused. The main point of the joke is that he is a single adult and wants to be married in general no matter what, not that he wants to marry the kids??? At the end of the anime when everyone is getting their versions of happy endings (no matter how bitter sweet or technically sad) he is returned to being a normal animal and gets his wish of being married, he even has some kittens. I mentioned it being subversive and while its not a gigantic thing I kind of stand by it? The 'single woman desperate for marriage' (often hand in hand w the woman who always has a good for nothing boyfriend shes always up and down with(ex. Ms. Langtree Over The Garden Wall and Saotome Kazuko from Puella Magi Madoka Magica) is the usual way this goes while men are relegated to pervert gags or the 108 of absolutely despising women, I found it kind of refreshing he was the one who was losing his mind over being a singleton.
It seems many people remember his scolding proposals but not the fact that they were being said as a threat? I've had 2 different ppl so far bring up Neko-sensei as “weird with kids” in a convo abt the trope of male leads being older (odd age gaps) in magical girl shows and I just??? He is NOT a love interest let alone the male lead?? I get the topic mentioned age gaps but it was v specifically talking abt MLs and it threw me, I can't lie!
On this topic 2 more (well one person mentioned both Mytho AND Neko sensei so ig this post is bringing up 3 ppl in the convo like a Venn Diagram? They were super nice btw interacting w the Tutu fandom is always a treat, everyone is so cutieful & sweet even when disagreeing! I love you guys a lot) mentioned Mytho and Rue which made me think bc they are wrong and right which is confusing.
Mytho is a character in universe. He is a fairytale prince who was created to be at a certain age and didn't become “real” until he and the Raven left their story. After that he remained fixed at that age as the story was halted so he was kind of existing in stasis in more ways than one (his heart being gone making him stagnate not only as a story character but as a person and living being in general, it's very cool & complicated to think abt) so while yes he is technically older than Rue he also is not at all. Had Ahiru not intervened I fear Rue would have even outgrown him and a new stage would be set once again until someone took Princess Tutu's role. Do I like that this has to be a conversation at all? No, frankly I think might slightly resent the fact that Rue met him as a child, not bc it doesn't work or isn't important to both characters and story but bc now there is this thing of people talking abt Mytho in the same breath as 90s anime Tuxedo Mask!! It rattled me when I got replies to my giggling that Tutu doesn't have that problem with MYTHO omg!
Also, Time in Tutu is a conversation for another time bc alongside age and the like, it's complicated. The anime is a fairy tale that spawned mini tales, within a fairy tale within one more I think (I'm losing myself), everyone is just in age groups and you gotta accept that where it is. There is even on character who reverts because of death! Edel and Azura are puppets, the same entity but different people! Edel was created as an adult and Azura is a child made from the remnants of Edel who DIES. Death is impermanent from the beginning (it's basically one part of the catalyst), Time stops, reverts, wobbles and characters range from normal ‘real’ human beings (Lily), ghosts (Giselle), inanimate objects given personifications (lamp), animals turned anthro (aforementioned Neko-sensei), animals given human form (Ahiru), humans given animal form (the ballet troupe leader), puppets (Edel/Azura) etc. (Choosing to only use one example for each bc otherwise its the entire extended cast and I cannot do that rn) This post kind of ran away from me and I forgot what I was talking about but uh yh! Points were said!
