Ren Yamai may inspire a giggle or two from most viewers, with her dramatic and outlandish obsession with the Class Goddess, Komi, but does her character carry some harmful stigmas around with her? Class 1-1 is not just filled with heterosexuals after all, but that does not mean is the LGBTQ+ community is being adequately represented in Komi Can't Communicate.
While everyone clearly admires Shouko Komi, Ren takes her affections to the next level, subsequently putting herself on the list of lesbian creeps in the process, as the stereotypical Yuri tropes are exploited to their full extent.
What is Yuri?
When dealing with any girl-on-girl content, it is quite easy to differentiate who the target audience is, depending on how the subject matter is handled. The differences have become so distinct that specialized subcategories have been formed, which include the following:
- Shoujo yuri: Female solidarity is the name of the game, with girls as the major target audience. Gender-bending is a common trait in this genre, and PDA is kept to a minimum.
- Josei yuri: This genre holds enriching storylines focus on engaging with adult lesbians on a more romantic level.
- Seinen yuri: For the male voyeur, whereby the lesbian experience is often fetishized with exaggerated stereotypes while emphasizing a romantic storyline.
- Shōnen yuri: Being kinky is the priority here, as the male gaze seeks the excitement that comes with witnessing some steamy action, and is less perturbed by heartfelt content creation.
While many of the female relationships in Komi Can't Communicate neatly fit into the supportive, healthy category of Shoujo yuri, the same cannot be said for Ren Yamai, whose sexual advances become exceedingly inappropriate as time goes by. Clearly designs to satisfy sexual urges, Ren has minimal appeal when it comes to the LGBTQ+ audience, who have gotten quite tired of seeing deranged lesbian stalkers who are completely out of touch with reality dominating their favorite Anime storylines. Ren personifies Shōnen yuri to a tee, leaving most fans wondering why Komi is even friends with her at all.
Ren's Reputation
The first impression that fans get of Ren is to avoid her at all costs, as her potential for violence is put on full display right off the bat in "It's just a crush". In an almost hostage-like situation, Ren kidnaps Tadano and hides him in her bedroom, bound and gagged, without access to food or water. Ren wants to eliminate all competition from her path toward Komi, and although it is unclear as to how permanently she wants Tadano removed from the picture, this whole situation sends out major creep vibes. When Najimi and Komi coincidentally find Tadano later that day, Ren physically threatens Tadano (she wields a knife in the Manga), hoping to gain Komi's friendship in exchange for his life. Her plan ultimately backfires, but for some or other reason, Ren still manages to win Komi over and is subsequently given many opportunities to grope and ogle her paramour.
If it's just some 'fun' between girls, how can one tell if a lesbian's actions are inappropriate or not? Easy, just switch genders for an easy assessment. If a girl's male friend spends all his time and energy trying to touch his friend's body, look up her skirt, make lewd comments and harass the sense overall with sexual come-ons; there would be outrage all-around. But when Ren does it to Komi, viewers are supposed to just laugh it off, every single time. As the only confirmed LGB character in Komi Can't Communicate so far (Najimi's preference is undetermined, and many fans are still holding thumbs for Katai), Ren has a lot of weight on her shoulders. However, she seems more concerned with sexual gratification than giving an accurate and respectful representation of the lesbian mentality.
Pretty much every time Ren enters the scene, viewers can expect to witness some form of sexual harassment or attempted assault, as Ren relentlessly tries to get in on the (unreciprocated) Komi action. From taking a sneak peek to copping a feel or bombarding Komi with lewd thoughts, objects, and imagery, some of Ren's most offensive advances during Season 1 and 2 of Komi Can't Communicate are during:
- "It's just shopping"
- "It's just the pool"
- "It's just a Festival"
- "It's just a typhoon"
- "It's just a feeling"
- "It's just a Merry Christmas"
- "It's just the school field trip"
- "It's just Valentine's Day"
- "It's just ripped tights"
- "It's just White Day"
A Bit of Balance
After all is said and done, it would still be difficult to classify Ren's character as particularly antagonistic, as she has displayed her sweeter side in some scenes that show the audience that she does have a moral compass (even if it's a bit faulty) There have been several instances where Ren has fought for the Class Goddess's honor, such as with "It's just a snowball fight", whereby the red-head threw the game to protect Komi from a face-full of snow. Ren again saves Komi from embarrassment in "It's just ripped tights," after the extensive internal conflict of whether to savor the moment of nude flesh for herself or do what is best for Komi. She selflessly gives Komi a brand new pair of tights, and the pair share a heartwarming moment in the bathroom, as Ren shows her sensitive side (just before being inappropriate again).
Viewers are surprised once more when Ren shows further insightfulness in "It's just an oni and her club," giving Tadano valuable advice on how best to deal with Akako Onigashima. Although this is not Komi related, it shows the inner workings of Ren's little friendship group, whereby they all accept each other for who they are, not insisting on changed behavior or false pretenses and Ren displays authentic female camaraderie here. If only Ren's positive and negative attributes were more equally balanced to make her a more well-rounded character, she could possibly be a better LGBTQ+ representative.
Yuri and Yandere?
Ren fills the role of yandere quite successfully, as a potentially dangerous character with two extremely contrasting personality traits, transforming from sweet and innocent to potent and psychotic at the drop of a hat. To choose an LGB character as the official Yandere of Komi Can't Communicate is risky business, because all too often has the queer mentality been aligned with mental instability. When it comes to adding a Yuri element to a storyline, going with a Seinen yuri-inspired narrative is a safer bet, as it can still be sexually gratifying, without dehumanizing the character in the process. However, Ren's interests in Komi do not seem to encompass the desire for love and hold minimal romantic value. It is difficult to say that Ren was added for any other reason than to inspire some girl-on-girl fantasies in viewers and sprinkle some comic relief onto the scenarios along the way.