I’m Flagmaker, a columnist.
After reading Mac’s explanation, I feel like I somewhat understand what Win was saying. I could be wrong, though ^^;
Perhaps Type B also assumes an adult relationship (intimate) to some extent, but either takes time to make that decision or is selective about who they choose. If we make that assumption about Type B, a man’s approach should not be to “woo” her, but rather to project “a certain level of cleanliness and good manners” and “a safe, decent man.”
There may not be much need to woo her—in fact, it might even have the opposite effect.
And since, if it ultimately becomes an adult relationship, the man will pay an appropriate allowance anyway, I also think that if you categorize the types based on the man’s approach, Type B is essentially the same as Type C. Personally, I’d describe it as “Type C, but one who makes her decision after the second meeting or later.”
However, there are men who dream about Type B, so I think Type B is still necessary. I mean this more from Universe’s perspective than from a customer’s.
For example, even with home appliances—say, vacuum cleaners—manufacturers encourage purchases by offering different tiers, from high-end models to general-purpose ones. I think Universe’s ranking system works in much the same way. Having these tiers may be one reason the number of offers is increasing, so from Universe’s standpoint, I think they’re necessary.
I’m a female member, Rin.
People who are good at navigating this world—those with talent and experience who have managed to avoid all the people to avoid—don’t necessarily need to compete on the same playing field as those who are willing but don’t know how to go about it, find it difficult to strike out on their own, and are just taking their first step.
Win, you’d be happier using your talent to find amazing hidden gems among the women on apps, while continuing to focus exclusively on C at the club, according to your preferences.
As for B at the club—well, true B—there’s usually plenty of room for flexibility and fun. It can become almost anything depending on the man, so I think it’s a pretty good setup.
Also, the messages from women on the apps really surprised me. I was like, “Wow, even cute girls are this blatantly straightforward?!” And they were exactly Win’s type too, offering things like one or two dinner dates…
On the other hand, I was put off because most of the men on the apps would write in their messages that they were offering a low amount for an ongoing mistress arrangement.
There was also one person I happened to meet through the app—not through messaging and arranging a date—who kept giving me all sorts of things, to the point of saying, “If I like you, that’s all that matters!”
My takeaway is that it’s probably best not to force everything into a single mold or judge everything solely by your own standards.
And as for B at the club: it’s definitely needed! (Except for the scammy, disrespectful types.)
I’m Basil, a male member.
I think Type B is necessary, and getting rid of it wouldn’t benefit either men or women.
Type B covers a wide range of women—from those who are secretly Type A, to women who are literally Type B, to those who are essentially Type C but choose B because it’s easier to turn someone down.
If Type B were eliminated, women would have no choice but to select either A or C. Once it became clear that there was no demand for A, women who weren’t prepared for that would gradually drop out.
From a man’s perspective, the odds of getting a first meeting might improve, but the excitement and sense of being moved you felt when you won over a girlfriend when you were young would gradually disappear.
If anything, I think Type B should be divided into more specific categories.
Also, I believe older men have a strong demand for simple flip phones that are easy to use and don’t require much time or effort before meeting women.
I don’t use the app, so I have no comment on its safety.
I’m Maezawa from the President’s Office, and I’ll answer this as well.
Thank you for your question.
From a man’s perspective, whether it’s an app or a message board, neither seems particularly dangerous. Men have generally had a wide range of experiences, so they can usually sense most dangers and know how to avoid them—or can avoid them even if it’s their first time.
Women, however, are different.
There are still women who end up in dangerous situations, and even among those who haven’t, I think only a small number can live safely while exposed to such risks.
These women continue their activities as usual even during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re the kind of women who think, “Even if I give a man my personal information, what can he really do with it?”
But there are also women who aren’t like that.
Some women would prefer things to be as safe as possible, and that is where Universe’s safety measures become important.
Of course, I’m sure there are dangerous men among Universe’s members as well. Even so, it’s important that Universe holds the man’s personal information in case something happens. That alone serves as a deterrent.
And if it fails to deter him, the information can be disclosed to the police through the proper procedures, allowing the man to be punished.
In that respect, Universe has advantages that apps don’t offer.
> As an app master, I’d like to ask whether Universe really needs Type B.
Let’s assume that Universe doesn’t need Type B.
In that case, women would have only three dating types: A, C, and D. (E is unrelated to how proactive someone is, so I’ll leave it out.)
A means dinner only, C means accepting with a 50% probability, and D means accepting with an 80% probability.
Now, consider women who want to meet for dinner at first, see how things go, and then decide after meeting a few times whether they’re willing to proceed.
If they choose A, they would be limited to dinner only forever, so they couldn’t choose A.
If they choose C and decline on the first meeting, that would effectively be the same as having a 50% chance of declining, so C wouldn’t work either.
The same applies to D.
That would mean these women couldn’t register with Universe Club.
The same goes for men.
Many men also prefer women who are a little more reserved and want to start with dinner.
Some men say, “A woman who wants to proceed from the very first day? I’m not interested.”
Even if you tell such men that a 50% chance means it’s different from a sex service, they won’t be convinced.
At the same time, they also don’t want someone like Type A who insists on dinner only forever.
As a result, many men would also lose interest in a version of Universe without Type B.
Therefore, eliminating Type B—which is in high demand among both women and men—would be problematic. Universe needs Type B.
> Ninety percent of app users are Type A or B.
You’re trying to steer the discussion somewhere, despite being an app master, aren’t you? (笑)
Maybe it varies from person to person, but my impression is that 90% of app users are Type A or C.
(Actually, it feels more like A or D.)
I think this is partly because a certain TV network arbitrarily defined papa-katsu (compensated dating in Japan).
There are quite a lot of women who want money in exchange for dinner only. Among them, there are just as many women who learn what things are really like and decide that H is necessary—meaning they’re also comfortable with H from the first meeting.
In fact, I think women who want dinner at first and H on the second or third meeting are extremely rare.
That’s why Type B, which is uncommon on apps, seems to hold an important position at Universe, where you can meet women of that type.
> The idea that smartphone papa-katsu apps are like smartphones, while Universe is like a feature phone.
I think there is some truth to that.
But I don’t think something that evolved independently, like a feature phone, can simply be dismissed as bad.
To use mobile phones as an example, feature phones came with waterproofing as a matter of course, as well as built-in IC functions. It took smartphones years to adopt those features.
During that time, Japanese people had to put up with the inconvenience.
(The functionality had actually regressed.)
Smartphones have adopted those features now, but it took an incredibly long time.
So when someone talks to me about apps today, I find myself thinking: if you prefer something more inconvenient, go ahead. They may have potential in the future, but that future isn’t here yet.
For one thing, Win, as an app master, may be able to meet women easily, but ordinary people have a much harder time.
If you think I’m joking, try letting someone who has never used an app try it without any instruction or guidance. You’ll see what happens.
People who know the tricks may be able to meet women easily, but ordinary men often can’t.
If you calculate the effort—or rather, the time—required to meet someone, a business owner might have to spend time worth several million yen.
If you enjoy that process, that’s fine. But people who would rather solve the problem with money are better off using a dating club.
You can install an air conditioner yourself if you want, but people who have money will usually hire someone to do the job.
The same applies to renovating an interior. For example, I imagine most people would hire a contractor to install marble-look flooring, even though doing it yourself would only cost the price of the materials.
You can tell people, “Don’t hire a contractor like you would with a feature phone—do it yourself like with a smartphone, and it’s free.” But when you factor in your own time, hiring a professional may actually be cheaper.
It’s the same thing.
If, in the future, all men become as skilled as Win, then dating clubs may no longer be necessary, just as feature phones became unnecessary.
But seeing as remodeling companies and air-conditioning contractors haven’t disappeared, I think dating clubs will continue to be necessary for quite some time.
Incidentally, I’ve installed air conditioners myself four or five times. (笑)
It’s easy once you try it, so why doesn’t everyone do it themselves?
By the way, the white marble-look flooring at the branch offices was also installed until recently by President Kida himself, working alone late into the night.
And because he likes moving offices, he did it several times a year.
He finally started hiring contractors about a year ago.
Whether you think, “I can install it myself for free,” or, “I’d be better off using that time for something else,” depends on the person.
I think people should simply choose whichever approach suits their strengths.
Meeting women is probably similar.
Besides, if Win really is an app master, wouldn’t he be able to meet women through channels other than apps as well?
Great question—I really enjoyed reading it, and it’s made me a little curious about apps too.
One of the women I was seeing happened to join a club, which sparked my interest in clubs. That led me to join Universe, and now I’ve become interested in apps as well.
I’m Paper Airplane, a male member who believes that an insatiable curiosity is essential—not only in relationships between men and women, but in everything, both inside and outside the club.
Just imagining all the passion and energy Win-san is pouring into both Universe and apps sounds exciting.
I can see what you mean about C-types being valuable and necessary.
When I first joined, I actually wondered whether C-types and D-types were even needed. But little by little, I’ve come to understand their value and appeal.
Even so, from a man’s perspective, no matter how much our desires fade with age, the wish to win over an ordinary woman—ideally an A-type, or at least a B-type—still crosses our minds from time to time.
If you prioritize time and efficiency, you’ll turn to a club (or an app), and move from A-types to B-types, or even C-types.
But as part of a man’s romantic ideal, I personally feel that B-types are still necessary on Universe.
> Even if you say, “You can do it yourself for free,”
> when you factor in the value of your time,
> it may actually be cheaper to hire a professional.
That’s so true. If you look for someone through a natural connection yourself, it may be free, but something that takes five or six years can be done through a club in just a few weeks. The way time really is money never ceases to amaze me. Apps may be the same.
