There’s a class of four-kanji compound word called yoji-jukugo which are used in Japanese quite a lot. Rather than disliking these complex words for their difficulty, which is considerable when coming from a language like English, I found myself enjoying them quite a lot because they are so poetic and beautiful. One such a word is ichigo-ichie (一期一会, ichi-go ichi-eh), which describes a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that should be cherished forever. Another is onko-chishin (温故知新), translatable as developing new ideas by looking at the past, or issho-kenmei (一生懸命), meaning “trying as hard as you can,” which is more or the basic state of working in a Japanese company. One word that comes up in just about every love comedy anime series ever made is yuju-fudan (優柔不断, you-joo-foo-dan), which means someone who is chronically indecisive and unable to make up their mind. The male character’s inability to decide which girl he really loves is an important plot point in a wide number of anime and manga stories, including my current favorite, Amagami SS.
The main character trait of male anime characters is indecisiveness.
