If you’re just joining the party, this is the fifth post in my Character Archetype series, where I spotlight five otome LIs from each of the major character archetypes. These posts are a complement to my Beginners Guide to Otome Games posts, particularly the one on Common Character Archetypes in Otome Games. There I give a very general rundown of the most common character archetypes that appear in otome games with a few examples of characters that fit each trope.
I know it’s been about a year since my last archetype post (my bad), last time around I covered one of my favorite character archetypes, Kuudere characters. Which you can check out by clicking the link: ‘A Little Tough Love: 5 Kuudere Otome Guys’. This time around I’m covering the cute and shy dandere character types!
The Basics: What Are Dandere?
Dandere comes from the Japanese word “danmari” (黙だんまり) meaning “silence”, and “deredere” (デレデレ), which means “lovey dovey”. These characters are quiet and antisocial, and are often described as being emotionless. Dandere characters are often confused with the kuudere character type, as both archetypes describe characters that are perceived as being distant. When pushed a kuudere character has absolutely no problem talking, usually in a very direct manner. On the flip side, dandere characters will go out of their way not to talk and when they do talk, they become extremely flustered and it can be hard to make out what they’re saying.
The big take away from dandere characters is that their aloofness stems from their shyness. They are typically, very slow to open up to people, especially strangers and it can take quite some time for a dandere to warm up to a heroine. Dandere are often described as being gloomy and may have a low self-esteem.
Continue reading “Shy Cuties Need Love Too: 5 Dandere Otome Guys”
