#likability

People often say that heroes need to be complex and deep. But their actual purpose is to be the characters we root for. So above all else, they need to win everyone over. To make that happen, storytellers portray them as sympathetic, selfless, and novel.

“Lookitthat. A real high school girl.”

High school is a trying time for many adolescents. While cliques and gossip are things in elementary and junior high school, they become super relevant in high school and more youth start to pay attention to various social cues around them. It’s one of the initial steps into the “real outside world.” Masaoki Shindo’s RuriDragon is a comedic take on high school life for an introverted girl with a very noticeable trait. It does provide some subtle commentary for youth who struggle to fit in or find friends.

The story is about a young girl named Ruri Aoki, who suddenly wakes up with dragon horns on her head. Her mother casually explains to Ruri that she’s half-human and half-dragon. Ruri does cause some attention and breathes fire onto a fellow student by accident. She becomes scared to go to school, but her mother and her classmates all try to encourage her to interact with people despite being a hybrid.

I think this series is a nice change of pace from the regular Shonen Jump titles. This is mostly because of Ruri’s perception of how other people would view her. It’s something that’s very human. We’re all afraid of how other people perceive us. We greatly underestimate how much other people like us. Even if you’re not in high school anymore, we somewhat judge ourselves harshly - re: relationships.

Ruri, like many of us, experiences a “liking gap.” In psychology terms, this means that we really under-value how our friends/partners feel about us. The more shy you were, the more you would feel that you seem awful to them. Another thing is that if we get too wrapped up in our heads about our likability, the more we don’t notice subtle signs from the other person that they don’t mind talking to us. There’s been many studies that explored the “liking gap” and how to shorten it. 

A big key that researchers note is conversation. It’s been noted that communicating with strangers can lead to benefits and may be just as rewarding as talking to friends. But we get so caught up with how to come across to someone and often, we shy away. Sometimes, there’s a good reason to, but I think people would welcome it as long as you’re respectful.

Ruri thinks about her own views of other people after realizing that her school doesn’t mind her being a half-dragon. She almost was willing to become a shut-in after her dragon traits hurt someone. After hanging out with new friends at a Starbucks and having proper conversations with them in Chapter 4, Ruri thinks to herself.

“They’re all so decent. Which I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t put myself out there.”

It helps that Ruri’s mother is an absolute saint who’s willing to get her daughter out there to make relationships. She doesn’t see Ruri as a tragic figure or some weapon waiting to be taken advantage of; she just empowers her any way she can. It’s nice parenting.

We definitely put up walls to protect us from emotional vulnerability. But sometimes, our brain does play tricks on us. They’re usually concerned with our safety to a detriment. Of course, there are people who judge harshly. And will tell you there’s people who are willing to become friendly rather than become enemies. What RuriDragon does say (this is nicely told in Chapter 4 by one of Ruri’s new friends, Kashiro, and also Ruri’s teacher in Chapter 3) is that we’re all stuck in uncertain circumstances despite our differences, so why not make the most of them and get along as best as possible because in the end, we may be all we got. 

And I think that message is a flame worth harnessing that melts down cold walls for a warmth we all could use.

Unlikable.