Is it OK to call fictional characters "sexy"?

Sebastian Michaelis: Hot or Not?

I was talking to a friend recently, and my anime reviews came up in conversation.  My friend criticized my "The Gay" section as paraphrased here:

And when there's nothing specifically gay, you start talking about how attractive characters are, or you call them "sexy."  No - you're not allowed to say that.  Calling animated people "sexy" is not acceptable.  That's just creepy and wrong.

Now, I understand what he's saying, but I disagree with the premise of his argument.  Don't get me wrong - actually finding a cartoonish depiction of someone sexy, as in, "I am sexually attracted to and could find sexual gratification from said digitally-rendered or animated character" ... I agree - that is legitimately creepy.

However, that's not what I'm saying when I refer to an anime or video game character as sexy.

She's so cute!  ^_^

We talk about fictional characters all the time as if they were real.  Master Chief (Halo) is bad ass.  Rika Furude (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) is adorable (albeit at times creepy).  Link (Legend of Zelda) is clever and highly capable.  I could go on and on.  Attributing human characteristics to fictional entities is nothing new.  However, when I say zombies are scary, am I implying I experience a fight or flight response when I turn on Left 4 Dead 2?  No - far from it.


Therefore, how is calling Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler) hot somehow weird or unreasonable?  When I make such a remark, I'm merely implying that I find his animated rendition attractive (not to mention his personality).  The mere sight of Boba Fett (Star Wars) does not make me hot and bothered.  I do, however, find him sexy.

I could go on and on.  But rather than beat a dead horse, I'll simply end with this:

Yeah.  I'd let him collect my bounty.

Part of being a fanboi is developing an intimate connection to the fictional people, places, and stories we encounter when - say, reading a comic or playing a video game.  While we (generally) retain a grasp of reality, we do genuinely immerse ourselves in the fantasy worlds created by artists, designers, and writers.  Their universes become real to us.  Thus, attributing human qualities (including "sexiness") to an anime character should not be met with hostile apprehension.  Rather, it should be met, at the very most, with indifference, because it's something we all do.  And for those of us who are fanbois - well, we may get smirks from common folk when we dress up as a Jedi for Halloween, or cry at the end of a Final Fantasy...  But that's what makes us awesome.


So, yeah.  Don't get all in my face just because my flux capacitor is bigger than your quantum recombobulator.  Suck it, n00b.  You've been pwned.