Nose-bleeds?

[mbarker]

In many anime, manga, even some TV shows in Japan, boys get nose-bleeds around pretty girls. Depending on the show, it may be a simple small curl of blood, or a firehose blast of blood, but... see a pretty girl, have a nose-bleed.

What's that all about?

The nose-bleed... If I said his tongue flopped out of his mouth and he started drooling, or perhaps he had to yank at his pants to loosen the sudden tightness, it would be similar. Lust, my friend, wild raging lust causes men to have these sudden nose bleeds around pretty girls.

This almost makes sense to me? I mean, you get excited, your heart pounds, your blood pressure goes up, and if you happen to be prone to nose bleeds, I suppose you might have one. It's also highly visible, and embarrassing for a Japanese young man.

I've wondered about the poor fellow who has a natural tendency to nose bleeds. I'll bet they get ragged about it, especially in Junior High or High School, when kids often pick on anyone and everyone.

Just a symbol...but not one that's familiar to most Americans.

Comments

[dialyn.livejournal.com]

Wow, that does clarify something I'd wondered about. I can't imagine a young man having a nose bleed in the U.S. over a young woman unless he was in a fight or she slapped him. Thank you for the insight. I always learn a lot from your cross-cultural postings. :)