But there is something that lies beyond that appeal; an addition to it, if you must. Something so amazing, that it sets the hearts of men on fire. Something so spectacular, that when you see it, your legs will soften like jelly in wonder.
What is that addition to the appeal, you ask?
No, it's not something that you have to buy from some well-known dress designer or a classy fashion store.
No. It's just plain long, thigh-high socks.
Yep, that's right. The only thing better than seeing a girl wearing a short skirt is seeing a girl wear thigh-high socks along with the skirt.
So what are we gonna talk about? Simple; we're gonna talk about, well, socks.
But what exactly is Zettai Ryouiki?
Zettai Ryouiki (絶対領域) literally means "absolute territory". Before, the term was referred to as "Absolute Terror Field" or "AT Field" as used in Neon Genesis Evangelion as the force that powers the Eva units. Although now, the term is pretty much used differently.
At present, Zettai Ryouiki refers to the area of skin revealed between a short/mini skirt and thigh-high socks. Some say that there is "A god between over-knee socks and the miniskirt", and in my opinion, I think there really is some sort of divine entity there. There are also so-called "ranks" present in Zettai Ryouiki, which will be explained later on.
Take a look at this.
An example of an excellent Zettai Ryouiki user. I don't exactly know who she is, but damn...
Do you see it? It is there; the sheer appeal of it all. I do think a "divine being" exists in that absolute zone between the skirt and thigh-high socks.
So, what makes Zettai Ryouiki so attractive?
Just think of it this way: Let's say you were walking along a hallway lined with a lot of doors. And then you run across... one room with its door slightly ajar! Most likely, you will be more interested in what's inside that door and your instincts will probably tell you to take a peek inside. In this case, you become more excited to peek into the ajar door as compared to the closed and open doors in which you aren't as interested as you were in the said door.
The same could be said on how Zettai Ryouiki manages to be so appealing to us.
It's the expectation of seeing... something... that can make you really, really excited. You don't know exactly know what you're wanting to see, which is probably one of the main focal points of what makes Zettai Ryouiki attractive. It's when we can't see something much that makes us want to look at something more and more. In this case, we are curious of what is hidden from us; we begin to think of what could be hidden, and in the end, we are attracted.
But are there actually rules to be followed in Zettai Ryouiki?
And the answer is yes. It isn't just as simple as just wearing some thigh-high socks and a mini-skirt. There is a definite rule that must be followed. There exists a golden ratio for Zettai Ryouiki, actually. 4:1:2.5 (length of skirt: zettai ryouiki: length of socks above the knee) with a margin of error of ±25%.
“Memorizing this formula is as important as knowing that ? = 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510 or 22/7.” -Anime Desho Desho?
And is he ever right.
Now, what are the so-called "ranks" of Zettai Ryouiki?
Now, we move on to more in-depth information about the ranks.
Or if you want, you can just refer to this link for the information. I talk too much.
- Grade F: Ankle Socks
This is by far the lowest one can get to achieving Zettai Ryouiki perfection. This type tends to stick to the ankle which is a joint. Believe me, socks that stop and cling onto a joint tends to not look so good.
- Grade E: Crew Socks
Higher than Grade F lies this. It goes up about 16cm up the legs, but leaves a lot of flesh exposed. For some reason, it seems less appealing than having longer socks.
- Grade D: Three-Quarter Socks
These socks are raised about 25-26cm up the leg. When this is worn, it means that one strays away from the (kinda) dreaded Grade F. Surprisingly, quite a number of people have actually worn this and is seemingly accustomed to it already.
- Grade C: High Socks
Ah, high socks. This is where things get interesting. Zettai Ryouiki starts to take shape by this time, although on a quite unattractive level. Though, the feeling of having socks stop right below a joint can become quite uncomfortable. High socks are raised in an estimated 35cm above the shoes.
- Grade B: Over-knee Socks
Grade B is the time when you know that Zettai Ryouiki perfection starts to take place. Wearing these doesn't mean you've bought too long of socks; perfection is being formed and there is no stopping it. For some weird reason, seeing legs covered with long socks is far more attractive than seeing naked legs. Although I've already discussed something about that, haven't I? Over-knee socks usually rise 50cm up the shoes.
- Grade A: Thigh-high Socks
Grade A. Oh yeah... this is the highest form of Zettai Ryouiki, where the divine ratio of 4:1:2.5 takes place. Perfection is formed, and it already is too late to stop it. The most covered, but surprisingly the most attractive of all the ranks! This is where the "door ajar" comparison comes to play; the expectation of seeing something draws you to its mind-boggling power; the same Earth-shaking power that is Zettai Ryouiki!
Apart from this, there exists a special rank - Grade S.
And no, you don't get it by pulling the socks until it becomes like a stocking. It won't be Zettai Ryouiki anymore when that happens; the door is closed completely. The wearer becomes an office lady, therefore it becomes something completely different.
Grade S actually combines three important components:
* The Ultimate Twin-tails hairstyle
* Grade A Zettai Ryouki
* Tsundere attitude
If Grade A shakes the Earth, then Grade S shatters it. When Grade S comes to play, you'll never know that the wearer has actually taken the world under her control already. You'll never understand why men are so attracted to the wearer.
On a side note, Grade F to C can be worn by both males and females. Grade B to A/S can only be applied to females, obviously.
Again, I talk too much.
Special thanks go to the Anime Desho Desho blog and its moderator and Hera in Burogu Blog for their articles on Zettai Ryouiki. Until then, spread the Zettai Ryouiki love!
Grade S does not even count, as the additional factors are not directly related to zettai ryouiki. Some guy who happens to prefer that character type just threw it in there to promote his own preferences.
ReplyDeleteOver here in reality, a cute shy girl with zettai ryouiki is every bit as perfect as a tsundere girl. In fact, tsundere is only great in 2D in the first place. Tsundere in real life will only piss you off.
Imagine a Yandere girl in Zettai Ryouki... O_O
ReplyDeleteActually, I totally agree with the class S thing. True, it's a matter of taste at times.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to pull off a real tsundere, of course due to a person obviously not being cookie-cutter characters unlike in fiction (where you can balance the tsun and the dere). However, I actually met one girl like that before, and she had her own charm. Overly shy can be boring, OTOH a biatch is, of course, a pain in the neck.
What the Animedesho author probably intended was to say Zettai Ryouiki + tsundere = win. And apparently, it's a bit of an in-joke in the otaku world as well, as characters seem to be designed around the archetype, like Rin, Nagi, and Shana.
On a pure speculation point in connection to above, it seems strange that although Shana is portrayed occasionally with twintails, she is never seen with both twintails AND a Grade A ZR. And on the scenes that she is drawn with TTs and ZR, her ZR is lowered to Grade B.
Perhaps the universe never wants to show the perfect ZR for fear of ruin?