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Context: a couple is checking out the otters while visiting an aquarium.

Boy: 苗代【なえしろ】はカワウソが好きなの?

Girl: うん!動物で一番好き。食べる時とか時々ブサイクになるギャップがたまんないの。

What is the meaning of ギャップ in this sentence? Since she says "食べる時", I think maybe she is referring to the "gap" of an otter's slightly open mouth, but I am not sure. Here you can see the whole page. Thank you for your help!

2 Answers 2

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It's from English "gap". She is referring to the large difference of an otter's face between when it's not eating and when it's eating. I guess she regards the former face as "handsome/cool" and the latter face as "relaxed and cute, although goofy in a sense". ブサイク is normally a negative word, but it's not always negative at least to some young girls...

Related:

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I think the "ギャップ" is used as more of a colloquial usage than dictionary usage. I found the link : "かわうそファンが6年かけて発見!可愛いすぎる4つのポイント"

I borrow the different sentence how "ギャップ" is used from the site. The excerpt is

個人的にはアクリル板をカリカリする仕草がツボです。かわうそのやんちゃさが良く出ています…! しかも、可愛いだけではないのがかわうそのすごいところ!水中をカッコよく泳いだり、時には野性味たっぷりに魚にかぶりついたり。さっきまで、あんなに可愛くしていたくせに…!でも、このギャップがかわうその魅力なんです。

I guess the author wants to describe in a same way. They always seem to behave cute and cool, but when it comes to eating they don't mind eating brutally. I think she wants to call the change of behaviors as a "ギャップ" rather than open of mouth.

Normally they are used in a positive way like "ギャップに萌える".

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