Character Spotlight: Takeo Gouda

I may be only seven episodes into My Love Story!! but those seven episodes were more than enough to propel Takeo Gouda straight to the very tippy top of the list of my favourite romcom heroes, before Toradora’s Ryuuji, Clannad’s Tomoya, or even Ouran High School Host Club’s Tamaki (whose reign as my favourite romcom hero has gone unchallenged for a whole 10 years)!

I’d like to begin this blog post, where I list Takeo’s strengths, by discussing the more superficial stuff… Your average romcom hero will usually fit into one of two categories, in terms of their appearance: bland, boring, self-insert protagonist or drop dead gorgeous bish dish. Takeo, however, is neither of these things. He’s not bland or boring by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s not exactly handsome either (unless gorillas are your thing. Hey, no judgement. You do you)! This means that, visually speaking, Takeo is one of the most interesting looking romcom heroes in existence.

Takeo’s, er, unique appearance is not just interesting, it’s also hilarious! His thick, bushy brows, intimidating physique, and resting bitch face (if there’s a male equivalent to that expression, I’d love to hear it!) are so incongruous with the anime’s pink, sparkly vignetting, you can’t help but laugh! Not to mention, he pulls the best facial expressions!

On a less superficial note… Takeo is one of the kindest heroes out there. Throughout his life people have poked fun at his peculiar appearance, sometimes behind his back, sometimes in more obvious, less subtle ways. Despite this, Takeo continues to be an active member of his school and community, form friendships, and seek love connections. Some might see this behaviour as naive (why continue to open yourself up to people when they continue to hurt you?), but I prefer to see it in a more positive light. It is simply Takeo’s nature to see the best in other people. For instance, he goes ahead with Yamato’s group meet, despite Suna’s warnings that they may not be as sweet as his girlfriend, and, as a young boy, he comforts Suna’s elder sister, Ai (who was often teased about her height), by saying that she reminded him of a beautiful orchid. D’aw.

Another of Takeo’s awesome qualities is that he helps other people without so much as a second thought and always puts himself and his own needs second. In just seven episodes he, paying no heed to how he, a shady looking guy himself, might look, guarded a preschool upon learning that there was a sketchy character on the premises, put himself in danger by rushing into a burning building to save Yamato’s friends, and, with no thought of the consequences, KO-ed Yamato’s assailant when he had the gall to suggest that she was asking to be groped. Takeo was even prepared to set aside his own feelings to help pair up Yamato and Suna when he, mistakenly, believed that they liked one another. These are just a few of the ways in which he has demonstrated his kindness, selflessness, and consideration towards other people.

Finally, Takeo’s just heart-meltingly sweet! In spite of his appearance, he’s a sensitive soul who’s very much in touch with his emotions. I adore his little internal monologues in which he reflects on just how much he loves Yamato, how happy she makes him, and how enjoyable his life has been since they began dating!

Thanks for reading! But before you go, I’d love to know – what do you think of this big softy? And who’s your favourite romcom hero? I’d love to meet them!