Talk:Mantis/@comment-72.233.169.67-20141201061757/@comment-25035274-20141202142554

It's a part of what's called "moe", actually, which is...kinda hard to describe/explain. It's what you might call a Widget(WJT - Weird Japanese Thing).

Moe's sort of a category of... "Cute," I guess you'd say, but more specific than "kawaii." And all of those assorted -dere types tie back to it.

Aaaaand, actually, let me just drop you some good, ol' TVTropes links. TVTropes is a pretty good source for explaining all things bizarre and Japanese.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Kuudere - As you can see from the TVTropes article,kuudere refers to a person who seems to have an emotionaly cold and dissociated chocolatey shell at first, but who eventually lets you get at her cutesy, cuddley, nougatey center. The Mantis, Sahuagin, and possibly the Jinko would fall into this category. Probably the Cancer, too.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tsundere -  Tsundere, on the other hand, act all disgusted and sometimes downright mean, but over time wind up admitting that they really care for the person they were being mean to. Elves and Centaur would fall under this category.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Yandere - A person who's yandere would normally seem all sweet, friendly and cheerful, but may turn ax-crazy at any instant. Typically, their murderous intent is triggered when they feel that an individual or group is trying to get between the yandere and the person they're fixated on. Copious amounts of bloodshed and horrible, horrible maiming are the usual results.

Good MGE examples would be...pretty much any and all Lamia. Though they don't literally kill, they will flip their shit to an irrational degree if they think their man has cheated on them.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Dandere - Lastly, danderes tend to be shy and mousey. Around certain individuals, however, they just sort blossom and become bubbly and cheereful. The best MGE example I can think of off the top of my head would be the Doppleganger.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Moe - This's a better explanation of Moe than I could ever give. But basically, it amounts to being that special kind of endearing cute that just makes you want to protect someone; the kind that triggers "Big Brother to the Rescue!!!" mode. It can apply to a woman of pretty much any age, mind. MGE equivalents who don't really fit a -dere stereotype but would still be considered moe might include, for example,  the Alice or the Kikimora, for completely different reasons.

Note that the -dere personalities aren't always just linked to romance in anime and manga, though that is the most common usage. Any shy person who just happens to suddenly get all talkative and outgoing would qualify as a dandere, for instance, and anyone who acts all aggressive and disgusted with a person but then later starts showing a lot of affection(whether romantic or not) would be considered tsundere.

Also, TVTropes doesn't have an article on it, but the basis of the -dere personality types is "dere dere", which might loosely translate to "lovey dovey".