soggycherry

Little has been written about Kuromi’s sexuality. In this post, I argue that Kuromi is bisexual and explain my reasons for that.

It is not entirely appropriate to categorically infer a person’s sexuality, so, as a caveat, I must say the impetus for this post is only of light hearted curiosity and to collect my thoughts on this topic thus far. I am also aware, while acting like a human, Kuromi is not human. I consider it less derogatory to openly opine about private affairs of personae.

For present purposes, I assume Kuromi has reached the age of consent (thus the improved suitability of my comments). She debuted in the 2005 anime series Onegai My Melody, which would ideally make her 20 years old this year. There has been opposing theories that she has remained five/six (her debut age), though the prevailing view appears to be that she has continued to grow since that time (see Reddit post).

It may be that this reflection also forms part of my bigger aspiration to holistically understand mascot characters, including the different ways in which their audience may relate to them. But my aspirations tend to fade in the process of writing (or, more accurately, living), so I’m not confident in it coming to fruition. In any case, this post has a narrow focus, as set out above, and it does just that.

For those who do not know who Kuromi is, I am growing tired of having to explain this. I have been repeatedly blown away by the Australian population not having a clue about her. It must be the geographical isolation of this country. Shockingly enough, Kuromi is Japanese.

Kuromi is created by a capitalist, Sanrio, a Japanese company making billions of dollars a year (here). Since her debut, she has been adapted across a wide range of media and merchandise. She is “presented as a rebellious character with a criminal streak and a hidden girly side” (here). And she is more formerly known as the “self-proclaimed doppelgänger rival of My Melody” (here). She is a rabbit. Her favourite colour is black.

It is undisputed that Kuromi is female (see, eg, comments that “Kuromi is definitely a girl”). It is also undisputed that Kuromi adopts the pronoun she/her.

What remains ambiguous is her sexuality, on which she has not officially commented.

Being bisexual means “sexually or romantically attracted to people of your own gender and people of a different gender” (Cambridge Dictionary). So it would suffice for me to demonstrate that Kuromi has, in a sexual or romantic manner, been attracted to both men and women.

As to men, it is well established that she has had a crush on a male character called Bad Badtz-Maru. He makes her blush, they say (see, eg, here). I do not doubt her fondness for cute boys.

As to women, I see the following matters as supporting my view of her inclination toward affection for women, in addition to men.

First, she looks bi. She “look and act tough and punk”. This is how Sanrio describes her on their official website (here):

Kuromi is a tomboy, but behind her tough appearance, she is actually very girly. She enjoys writing in her diary and reading romance novels. (emphasis added)

To be exact, looking like a masc does not make her a masc. But in the context of interpreting a persona as inherently superficial as a cartoon character, whose defining traits are largely visual, it is notable.

Secondly, any keen observer can easily tell she (secretly or not) likes My Melody, a woman. They have had interactions as such (here):

My melody calls for both Ruby and Kuromi’s attention, and asks them “We’ll always be friends, right?” to which Kuromi agrees with a cheeky “I guess!”, while the skull on her hood appears to be blushing. In the background of this scene, a duet between My Melody and Kuromi can be heard.

In these moments of intense attention, her interactions with My Melody have gone beyond mere playful teasing and suggest a special emotional attachment.

In various episodes, Kuromi has also exhibited body language and reactions that could be read as flustered around My Melody. Those included blushing, pouting, lingering looks and exaggerated responses to My Melody’s presence.

On the matter of exaggerated responses, it should also be noted that, when hanging out with My Melody, Kuromi is often shown to be more focussed and have a desire to impress and engage. That is atypical for her, who is usually mischievous and unbothered. This selective attention indicates an affectionate interest.

Furthermore, Kuromi is often irascible when My Melody hangs out with others. Kuromi keeps a notebook where she filled with over 6,324 instances of times My Melody has “wronged her” (see here). Many of those wrongs stem from jealousy over My Melody spending time with others, eg with My Sweet Piano.

Lastly, among fan communities, Kuromi has been interpreted by some as having romantic feelings for My Melody (see, eg, here). While fandom interpretation alone isn’t proof, it shows my understanding is not unsupported.

For these reasons, I am convinced Kuromi likes both men and women, and is, accordingly, bisexual.

I should add, in summary, that since I cannot be certain whether Kuromi’s attraction to Bad Badtz-Maru or to My Melody is influenced by their sex or gender identity, I do not rule out the possibility that Kuromi may identify with a different sexual orientation, such as pansexuality. However, based on the available behavioural cues, the evidence I have considered points most strongly toward her bisexuality. This is also because Sanrio characters are often portrayed in binary gender terms in their stories. I have thus assumed Kuromi’s romance operates along these gender lines.