Noticed everyone calling every anime with girls 'waifu bait' lately

I saw like 5 posts this week calling Apothecary Diaries just another waifu show when the whole point is the historical mystery angle. My friend who only watches battle shonen dropped it after 2 episodes and said the same thing. Anyone else seeing this trend where people slap labels on shows they haven't really watched?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor77918d ago

I watched three episodes of Apothecary Diaries before I realized people were calling it waifu bait, and honestly I just don't get it. MaoMao is a well written character with actual motivations, not some cardboard cutout meant to sell figures. People throw that label on anything with a female lead these days, it's like they forgot shows can have girls in them without it being pandering. Is it really that big of a deal if some folks miss the point, or are we just looking for stuff to argue about?

piper_kim18d ago

Honestly, the part about Apothecary Diaries getting called waifu bait really gets me. Ngl, that show has way more going on with the whole political intrigue and poison mystery stuff than just a pretty girl. So when people slap that label on it, are they just admitting they didn't actually watch past the first episode or two?

charles_mitchell18d ago

The thing about Apothecary Diaries is that MaoMao is actually one of the most grounded female leads in recent anime. She's not there to be pretty and cute, she's there because she's obsessed with poisons and solving mysteries. Calling her waifu bait feels like people just see a girl with big eyes and dyed hair and check out mentally after that. Piper_kim is dead on about the political intrigue part, that show has layers of corruption and schemes that most pure waifu shows wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. I'd argue people dropping it early are missing how the whole palace plot ties together by episode 6 or 7. It's a shame because the historical setting and poison mechanics are way more interesting than the label some folks slap on it.