[Essay] On Girls Falling from the Sky in a Country Where 'Boy Meets Girl' Doesn't Work

Why do girls fall from the sky in Japanese light novels and manga?
You open the fridge and there's a spirit, and at night, a succubus climbs in through the window.
At first glance, it's an absurd 'Boy Meets Girl' scenario, but
it reveals Japan's unique view on romance, the difficulty of meeting people,
and the desperate circumstances of the creators.

In this article, I want to examine the 'phenomenon of girls falling from the sky'
with a good dose of humor, while digging into the male desire, the female psychology, and the reasons why it's just too convenient for the story.

1 | Why do girls fall from the sky in Japanese stories?

Japanese manga, anime, and light novels have girls falling from the sky all the time.

A beautiful girl falls from the sky.
You open the fridge, and a beautiful girl-like spirit is grilling and eating short ribs.
Night after night, a succubus-like beauty breaks in through the window, eats only the chocolate, and leaves.
If you think about it calmly, all of these are pretty terrifying. In reality, it's an immediate police report.

2 | The strange rationality of coming from the sky, being in the fridge, and leaving at night

First, a girl falls from the sky.
This isn't romance.
It's the total omission of the process.

Meeting?
Unnecessary.
A conversation starter?
Unnecessary.
Adjusting the distance between you?
Unnecessary.
Along with gravity, the relationship is already complete.
It's too convenient.

Next, there's a spirit in the fridge when you open it.
This is also amazing.
A cohabitation event happens in an instant.
'Where will we live?'
'What about rent? Living expenses?'
'What about your parents?'
Such realistic talk usually disappears along with the meat.
By the time they are in the fridge, they have already invaded your living space.
No explanation needed. No objections.

And the ultimate example is the succubus who comes in through the window night after night,
eats only the chocolate, and leaves.
It's perfectly convenient.
There is a relationship.
There is no responsibility.
They aren't there in the morning.
The ideal form of human relationshipsthat modern society craves
is right here.

Coming from the sky = No need to start.
Being in the fridge = No need to continue.
Leaving at night = No need to end.

This isn't romance.
It's a fantasy of avoiding procedures.That's why, even though it's unnatural, it's incredibly rational.
It fits the current atmosphere so well it's scary. There's no reason not to use such a convenient device in a story.

I, myself, have also... done this...

3 | Japan, a country where it's too difficult to just meet someone normally

To begin with, in Japan, just meeting someone normally is quite a high-difficulty task.

Talking to a stranger. Just doing this makes the word 'suspicious person' cross people's minds.

Closing the distance. Getting the timing wrong. Out. Doing nothing. Nothing starts. It's checkmate.

A group date is not a party.
It's a multitasking interpersonal battle. Read the room, don't ruin the atmosphere, don't hurt anyone, and yet, leave an impression. The difficulty level is too high.

Matching apps are no longer about romance. They are about submitting a resume. Photos. Annual income. Hobbies. Writing ability. Only after passing the primary screening do you finally get the right to converse.

As for confessions, they are
public executions. If you succeed, it's a beautiful story. If you fail, it's treated as if it never happened.

That's why no one makes a move. Even though they don't move, they say, 'I have no opportunities to meet anyone.'

And here, a girl falls from the sky.

…Well, of course that would become popular.

It requires neither effort nor courage. You don't fail. Before you can be disliked, the story begins for you.

This isn't a dream. It's
difficulty adjustment. Perhaps 'Boy Meets Girl' in Japan isn't romance, but the result of choosing Easy Mode.

4 | The Men's True Feelings (The Wish to Start Without Moving)

To be honest, many men don't want to be 'popular.' They don't want to stand out, nor do they want to take the lead. They just

don't want to fail.

They don't want to be thought of as weird. They don't want to be feared. They don't want to ruin the atmosphere. We live in a society where if you mess up even once, it lingers for a long time. That's why they become cautious. They become too cautious and end up unable to do anything. In such a state, even if they are told to 'make the first move,' it's impossible.

That is where the story of a girl falling from the sky comes in.

You don't move. You don't make judgments. But the relationship begins. This is neither cowardly nor spoiled. It is

the minimum choice to keep one's heart from breaking.

Men know. They know there are nights where nothing happens after they muster the courage. That's why, in stories, they at least want things to start once without having to do anything.

That is all.

5 | The Girl's True Feelings (I don't want to fall, but I won't deny it either)

First, let me be clear.

Girls, fundamentally, do not want to fall from the sky.
Falling from the sky is dangerous,
a stranger's refrigerator is scary,
and entering through a window at night is out of the question.
For real women, meeting someone isn't a romance.
It's risk management.

Is this person safe?
Will they get angry?
Will they misjudge the distance?
Will they force me into a role I didn't choose?

I check all of that first.
Because it's my lifeline.

That's why the world of stories where they are
'favorable from the start,'
'no room for refusal,'
and 'the assumption that you'll just understand' is, honestly, a bit scary.

……But.
Even so, girls don't completely reject these kinds of stories.
Because in reality, we are constantly on guard.

Being vigilant,
being considerate,
reading the room,
ensuring safety.
Sometimes, it's okay to have a place where you can be caught
without having to think about anything.

That's why girls fall from the sky.
Not as a convenient existence, but as a
fantasy that serves as a resting place.

However, there is a condition.

After I fall,
you have to let me live my own life.

Thinking,
hesitating,
acting on my own,
sometimes being a troublesome existence.
Just like Miyu in my work.

Otherwise,
the girl just ends up as a plot device.

I don't mind falling.
But what happens after is what matters.

6 | The reason girls still fall from the sky is because it's easier for the story

Up until now, I've lined up plausible reasons about society and psychology.
But finally, I will write the most helpless and honest reason.

It is overwhelmingly easier to write a storyif a girl falls from the sky.

I won't deny it anymore.
You don't have to design the meeting.
You don't have to build up the initial stages of the relationship.
There's no need to worry about it falling apart due to a mismatch in personal space.
The moment you make her fall,
the story has already crossed the starting line.
Drop her from the sky, and that's episode one.
Put her in the refrigerator, and that's episode three.
Have her come through the window, and you've got a series.

It's just too convenient.

This isn't a problem of romance. It's not a social issue either.
It's a problem of the author's workflow.
You're tired.
You have no time.
You have no ideas.
But you still want to write something.
On nights like that,
the setup of a girl falling from the sky
becomes a salvation that says, 'You don't have to think.'

That's why I use it.
There's no reason not to.
If I want to sound noble, it's creative freedom.
If I'm being honest,it's the optimization of operational efficiency.

And the author knows this sneakiness better than anyone.
Because I know it, I feel a bit embarrassed, but
I still make her fall again. I can't stop.
Because, after all, it's easy.

7 | If the writer falls, the story begins

By now, I think you've already realized.

Whether a girl falls from the sky or not, it actually doesn't matter.

Whether it's from the sky,
the refrigerator,
or through the window.
What is really happening is
the fact that the author has fallen one level lower.

The moment you discard logic, discard appearances, and give up on 'trying to write well.'
That is when the story starts to move.
The girl starts talking on her own, getting angry on her own, and stirring up the world on her own.

Just like in my work (blush)

I think I'm holding the reins, but in reality, I'm being dragged along.
But that's fine.
The girl who falls
is not a miracle. Nor is she salvation.

She is an excuse for the author to fall.

That's why today, too, I
look up at the sky,
open the refrigerator,
and check the window lock.
……knowing that nothing will come.

Even so, I write. Even so, I fall.
Because that is
much better than nothing starting at all.

The reason there are so many stories in Japan where girls fall from the sky?
It's simple.

There are just too many people who can't get started.

I don't know, though (lol)

Afterword

Thank you for staying with me until the end.

Declining birthrates, aging populations, falling fertility rates. The news presents these numbers every single day, but they aren't stories from some distant world that suddenly appeared out of nowhere; they are simply the quiet, cumulative result of the lives we lead right here.
Becoming timid about meeting new people, freezing up due to anxiety about the future, or even having the desire to cherish someone else washed away—each of these things is just taking the form of a birthrate statistic.
The characters in this story walk on the same ground. The paths not taken and the futures that couldn't be chosen are all continuous with reality.

That is why stories are not meant to be a way to escape reality.
I believe they exist so that we, who are living in the present, can confirm, if only a little, where we are standing.