I caught a slight mistake, though.

When talking about the cast for Thirteen, Nikki’s last name gets switched with Evan Rachel’s.

I think I’ve figured it out; I’ve know a group or two that will defend the book with their lives, and I was forced to read the first two books by a friend of mine. As it’s been said before, Edward appears to be the perfect guy, who cares for Bella above anything else, is perfectly beautiful and attractive in the usual dark, lusty way vampires are, and, well, he’s supernatural, and can offer experiences and dreams unlike anyone else. He understands her, and loves her. Those details cover somewhere between most and all of what girls consider their *dream guy*.

More than that, though, I think this whole phenom coincides with my Japanophile theory. I’ve come to find that Japanese manga and anime are extremely popular, often intertwining with groups like the rabid Twilight fans. The art especially is everywhere; the artists my age (that I know, at least, though I know quite a few) hardly draw people any other way. My theory is that the style, having originated from Japan, reflects the culture of its birthplace. They have a very strict set of cultural guidelines and etiquette, so these art forms were used as an escape (because we all have those sorts of feelings, whether we wish to or not; the Japanese couldn’t express those feelings publicly, so alternatively, the feelings almost drip off of their art and literature). This is all well and good for them, but when the art came to America and Europe, you have all the same overly-emotive, overly-lustful art and literature, only without the built in inhibitions and social guidelines. Our culture drinks the big, emotive eyes and the not-even-remotely-proportionate anatomy like a sponge, but unlike the Japanese, we never shut off, and have no reason to hide it. Once the comics became a craze of sorts, people didn’t even notice their inhibitions lowering; suddenly, it’s fine to see girls in abnormally short skirts and various other things that defy the laws of gravity, and why? Because everyone reads these comics. Because the characters are perfect; they… sparkle. Because the characters make you want to want it, to turn out Happy, for the guy to get the girl or vice versa. it doesn’t take too long; you read too much of it, and you start thinking with your heart and your body before you think with your head, and you don’t even realize it.

So, Edward sparkles (literally, actually). He’s overly emotive, and he’s perfect; just like Kyo, Yuki, Ichigo, L, Naruto, Sasuke, on and on and on… I could go all day, listing all the characters my friends crush on, and those are just the males. In all honesty, I find Edward to be the perfect example of this; because another thing vampires are symbols of are the internal battle of right and wrong. All the power to do good, but all the desire to do evil, and the resistance thereof. But the whole story drops that in a noticeable way; the story makes you want them to give in.

But, err.. Sorry for rambling~

Stephenie Meyers uses too many adjectives, but the teens and adults, alike, love that.

Twilight is also popular because of the protagonist – err, shall I say – Edward. Girls just love him and can’t get enough of him because he’s “perfect,” tall, “handsome,” and obsessed with Bella, an “average” girl who has many “flaws” (but she really only has one flaw, which is being flighty (DUH! Mary Sue). They want a man who is as committed as Edward is committed to Bella. They want a perfect man.

And that’s the problem.

There is no such thing as a perfect man.

I cannot stand Twilight. The book is so insulting to both men and women.

Bella gives up who she is in order to be with Edward.

Edward is a creepy stalker. That is NOT love. That is a CREEPY STALKER.

And, I can go on and on about why I hate Twilight, but I’d rather not. Been there, done that. ::screams::

In a retelling of the book plot, the writer points out that the description of Edward is pretty much = the founder of Mormonism.

Compares the worldview between the ‘fairly progressive’ Harry Potter books and the ‘fairly conservative’ Twilight books. Admittedly I haven’t read either series, but found the comments on how classes are defined in fantasy worlds particularly cool.

Oh, wow. I had never thought about that, but now that you’ve said it, it makes so much sense. It’s making my brain fizz in interesting ways, but I’m having trouble making it gel, dangit.

I think the boys are drawn to the werewolves, personally.

so – there’s a trope to consider: werewolves are to boys as vampirism is to girls.