Reflecting on Shojo Corner’s post about popular characters that starsamaria didn’t like, I though it would be interesting to make my own list with my own thoughts. Reflecting on that further, I thought it would be an interesting idea to expand this into a two parter: first my own thoughts on characters I don’t quite see the appeal; and then a follow up post about manga and anime series that are popular, but I simply do not like at all and don’t quite understand the appeal behind them. As for gauging popularity, I’ll be using MAL and their rankings to gauge if a character is popular. So these are all chosen from the top 500 and are all characters I am at least somewhat familiar with. Also, I’ve listed them below in order of popularity because I thought that would be fitting.
Lelouch Lamperouge
ranked 1 on MAL
You know, I don’t really hate Lelouch all that much as I simply don’t understand how he’s the most popular character on MAL. I don’t really see the appeal of super genius ass holes (pardon my language) and I guess that’s going to be a running theme for the male characters on this list. Granted Lelouch is pretty tame compared to the next person on this list, but I never really much cared for him and I just don’t understand how he got first place on the popularity list on one of the biggest anime and manga communities in the English speaking world. He’s way too smug for someone that accidentally got the chance to challenge the empire and I really dislike how he treats other characters. His sister, for example, he pays her lip service, but I was never really convinced he cared for her (same for the soldiers he commands). He was just never a really sympathetic character and there wasn’t anything that really stood out about him, so I don’t understand why others like him to such an extent. I don’t like his design much either.
Light Yagumi
ranked 3 on MAL
This is coming from a Death Note fan, but I don’t get why people like Light. He’s integral to the story, to be sure, but he’s one of the biggest ass holes I’ve ever seen in an anime and manga. Simply put, he’s basically a sociopath with a major god complex, and I don’t quite see the appeal of that. In fact, I had felt that we were suppose to dislike Light as he’s basically a big hypocrite and does quite a lot of questionable things to evade capture. I thought it was a pretty ingenious way to write a story too. Unfortunately, the majority of anime/manga fans don’t agree and actually like him.
Lucy
ranked 22 on MAL
I don’t like Lucy and I’m really surprised at her popularity given that she is basically a mentally unstable killer. Yup. I think that basically sums up why I cannot fathom her popularity. Add the fact that she has an alternate personality that acts like she’s 5, it really kind of creeps me out that people actually like her as a character. :| No offence guys, but are mentally unstable girls who act like they are 5 and have no qualms about killing people really that appealing? This is beyond the appeal of a broken bird and more just regular disturbing character who also happens to have a sad past. Don’t get me started on the romance angle of this series. So much wrong with it, so much!
Yuki Nagato
ranking 34 on MAL
Ok, I’ve only watched season 1 of Haruhi, so maybe that’s why, but I don’t get her appeal at all. She has zero personality and presence and acts too doll like for my tastes. I like kuuderes as much as the next person, but when they are so emotionless to the point that they rarely utter a word, well I just can’t get behind that.
Inuyasha
ranked 99 on MAL
Jerks sure are popular. I don’t understand why, as I find them hard to sympathize with and hard to like. I think the thing that bothers me the most about Inuyasha is how much of a hypocrite the guy is. He gets angry when Kagome sees Koga, but it’s all ok when he goes off to see Kikyou. If you are going to tell someone they can’t do something, you better not go do it yourself or you will just look like a major ass. He really left a bad taste in my mouth.
Louise
ranked 103 on MAL
Oh Louise, ever obnoxious. Even her last name was so obnoxiously long that I couldn’t be bothered to type it all out. I usually don’t mind tsunderes too much (in fact, I prefer them to most other female character tropes), but Louise was overkill. So much so that I really dislike her. She’s too bratty, too abusive and too immature. There really are no real good points about her and I’m honestly perplexed by why she is so popular, especially since I notice people complain about characters like her (example: X is such a bitch is a pretty common complaint in anime fandom), yet she gets a free pass?
Chi
ranked 124 on MAL
People seem to love Chi and I’m honestly baffled as to why because she really doesn’t have much of a personality. She’s literally a baby that need to learn to speak and understand. Now Sumomo? Yeah, I can get the appeal, she’s adorable and spunky and mischievous. Chi? Blank stare and repeats what you say. Maybe it’s the moe. I don’t get the moe appeal. Actually I do, and it bothers me because I don’t find infantile grown women to be at all cute, let alone interesting characters. I think a lot of you will notice this is going to be another trend here.
Tohru Honda
ranked 155 on MAL
I think people are familiar with my dislike of Tohru. She’s another moe sweet thing with zero personality. She really is too bland and I personally don’t see the appeal behind total doormats like Tohru (and I don’t think I ever will). What I find ironic is that male characters who act even a little like Tohru get massive (and I mean massive) hatedoms (why hello there Raki from Claymore), yet Tohru is so popular. Why is that guys?
Orihime Inoue
ranked 210 on MAL
I’m surprised she’s so popular. I thought most people who read or watched Bleach were sick of what Mr. Kubo did to her character. I guess I was wrong. Now, I think Orihime had a lot of potential to be a pretty interesting character, but unfortunately Kubo did not develop her in any meaningful way, so she’s left as a love sick fool that constantly utters “Kurosaki-kun” to the point of absurdity. In short, there isn’t anything remotely interesting about her, so I’m left scratching my head why people like her as a character. Are generic damsel in distress characters still in? I thought we were in the 21th century.
Neji Hyuuga
ranked 218 on MAL
I’m not terribly up to date with Naruto, so maybe he gets better, but from up to where I have read (pre-time skip), he’s another super genius ass hole. Why are these guys so popular? His treatment of his cousin, Hinata, no matter the circumstances, was horrible. I just could not get his appeal, but apparently he’s more popular than Rock Lee. Why? I’ve got no clue. I thought Rock Lee was an amazing character, who encompassed that even if you aren’t blessed with talent (like our friend Neji here), you can still achieve your dreams through hard work and dedication. Wasn’t that the theme of Naruto? Did it change down the line? Is that why this guy is so popular?
Trafalgar Law
ranked 430 on MAL
I’ve got nothing against Law, but I’m really perplexed why people latched onto him. I mean even before him saving Luffy and his current spot light, people were latching onto him when they knew next to nothing about him. Hell, we still know next to nothing, except a few tidbits here and there. So I’m seriously perplexed why everyone seems to love him. I’m pretty much indifferent to him because we don’t really know that much about him. He is a major character in the current on-going arc, so my opinion will most likely change by the end, but for now, there really isn’t anything to really like or dislike about him, so I’m kind of confused why his popularity just sky rocketed out of nowhere. He is literally the most popular side character (non-Straw Hat) with the sole exception of Ace. So I have to ask, what is it about him that people like that other side characters haven’t provided? He looks cool? But so does Kidd and a bunch of other characters. See this is what I mean, I don’t get his crazy popularity spike.
Now, I hope I haven’t offended anyone and if you want to challenge what I wrote here, or just enlighten me why certain characters are so popular, please feel free. I’m always curious to see why people like certain kinds of characters and that’s mainly why I did a follow up of my own based around Shojo Corner’s post in the first place. :) Part two will be coming out in a couple of days as well.
–SW
14/08/2012 at 10:21 pm
An interesting topic soaring. Can’t say I have any fondness for most of these characters though I am familiar with most of them. Well it’s hard to deny Yuki’s adorableness at least if you have seen the Suzumiya movie, but otherwise I’d say I really like only one character on the list, and that is, amusingly enough, Lelouch.
Don’t get me wrong, if I met the guy on a street I might as well punch him in the face, he’s not what you’d call endearing. I don’t think he’s really the type you love to hate either, it’s somewhat more complex than that. Now I loved Code Geass, not because it was deep or artistic or thought provoking, but because it was so darn entertaining! And Lelouch was a big part of that. Frankly I think it was a stroke of genius to cast a lead such as him for the show, it really gave it that extra kick. I’ve actually seen someone comment that they would have liked Suzaku, that obnoxious white knight, be the lead instead. That is like the most horrible thing ever.
Anyway, I think Lelouch had moments when you felt sympathetic to him. He also had moments when you loathed him. All in all he stayed a surprisingly dynamic character in his single-mindedness, changing yet constant in his drive. I also think he really did care for Nunnally, albeit in his own twisted way, and really not much else. Or rather, although he showed modicum of emotion to other characters as well, Nunnally was his clear priority.
Now I won’t claim that any of this makes him likable, but somehow he is still one of my favorites. Jun Fukuyama’s voice work for him was also absolutely perfect, both as Lelouch and as Zero. And hey since I generally enjoy CLAMP art as well, it’s a win all around. :)
14/08/2012 at 10:53 pm
I do admit that I’ve only watched season 1, where Yuki hardly ever speaks, so that may be it. I have heard good things about the movie, so that might change my mind. I still need to watch season 2, but it’s pretty low priority for me because I was never a big haruhi fan to begin with. I think the thing that I liked most about it was it’s usual presentation and Kyon.
No worries. I don’t hate Lelouch myself and I did enjoy season 1 of the show and I agree he is definitely a better lead than Suzaku (the reason I like Light as the lead but I personally don’t like him as a character), but I just personally never had any strong emotions about him, so it’s just hard for me to see why people like him so much. ^__^;;; Clamp’s designs are really hit and miss with me too. Lelouch happened to be a miss. About Nunnally, maybe it’s just me (and I’ve only watched season 1 here), but I always felt like he was using her mistreatment as an excuse for everything he does and that just rubbed me the wrong way. So that’s why his love felt more like lip service than actual authentic feelings, especially when he wanted Suzaku to take care of her in his stead. It’s like he can’t be bothered to do it himself.
14/08/2012 at 10:54 pm
*unusual presentation
15/08/2012 at 4:36 pm
Ah well, since you have not seen the second season it’s hard to discuss this further, and either way I probably can’t really explain myself very well on this topic. I will say though, that I am not sure if Lelouch even has to be a sympathetic character. He made his choices, and that lead to the end that we got. Oh and him actually caring about Japan, I don’t think that was ever really attempted to convey to viewers. And well, despite all this I still felt bad for him on certain occasions in the story, even if those occasions were few. I still always kinda rooted for him, it’s funny how that works.
To your comment below, I just want to add that I don’t think I ever once felt sympathetic towards Akio in Utena. Or his fancy car! And to all the Fruits Basket talk, I only saw the anime version years ago and I basically remember one thing: that little tiger girl was frickin adorable! And that’s all I really care to remember.
15/08/2012 at 9:27 pm
Ok, fair enough. I was not trying to say no one should like him or anything. I guess it’s more shock at him being number 1. He wouldn’t even have made the list if it wasn’t for the fact that he was number 1.
Gah, I just realized (now that you pointed it out) that I accidentally called Akio sympathetic. D: Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to include him (or Touga) in that list (of sympathetic characters). I sort of typed without thinking there. That said, he’s on my list of better crafted morally ambiguous characters because I thought he was interesting from a lot of different perspectives (but especially the fallen god perspective). I definitely don’t like him as a character, but compared to Lelouch, he is a lot more interesting. So if people were liking Lelouch (and Light) from the perspective of them being interesting morally ambiguous characters, all I’m saying is he’s not that well crafted to warrant being number 1. I can accept Light though. I think he’s pretty interesting, but like Akio, I never really liked him because he’s just too underhanded. Hope that clears that up. :)
15/08/2012 at 10:48 pm
Thinking about it further and tying it into what I said before, it’s not that Lelouch is bad and I can sort of see why people like him now that starsamaria pointed out the conflating finding someone interesting to liking them. The reason I’m still reluctant to accept that is that Lelouch never really made me feel anything about him (not even awe at how horrible he could go). Whereas even characters I actively think are horrible, like Light and Akio, I was actively invested in them and interested in just how low they can go (and interested in just how/why they got so twisted). So that’s why I can accept people finding them interesting and conflating that with liking them. The thing I think hampered Lelouch was that the creators of the anime weren’t willing to go through with making him into a total heartless jerk. The parts where they tried to make him more sympathetic felt fake. If they had turned that into exploring his twisted logic, then I would probably have been more vested in him. As it stands, it feels like he’s trying too hard to justify what he’s doing and he isn’t convincing me one bit. So he hasn’t won me over at the sympathetic side and we don’t see any real raw hatred/evil/negativity on the other side, which led to me not really finding him all that interesting and general perplexity why people liked him so much. That said, if they did go the irredeemable evil route, I still wouldn’t like him and question why others do, but I’d be willing to accept that perhaps it was just people conflating interesting with likeable.
But I get what you are saying, people don’t just like characters because they sympathize with them. I can see that now. I guess subjectively I had a hard time realizing this because I tend to like characters more if I can sympathize with them. In fact, I don’t think any of my favourite characters are not sympathetic. I can see where you are coming from on the rooting for him. It’s nice to see the underdog win. That’s why I liked Rock Lee and why I enjoy shounen manga and anime.
15/08/2012 at 12:02 am
I only even know 5 of the characters on this list – in fact I never heard of Lamperouge till now. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? ;)
And none of the characters I know would I consider putting on my ‘top ten’ list.
I “like” Nagato, but it’s more of that I like what her character represents and how it works within the framework of the story being told. Yes her character does develop more within season two, though even with the movie don’t expect big changes.
Actually, it’s the same with Tohru – I like what her character represents and how it works within the framework of the story being told. I DO think she’d be a good friend to have around, but Kyo was spot on when he told her (more than once) that she needed to stand up for her self.
Of the other characters I know:
Lucy – like? Like hell. (good story, however)
Inuyasha – Kagome should have left him nailed to that tree and let the giant centipede eat her.
Louise – #103 ? you’re joking, right? She might make my top ten ‘most despised” characters…
Actually, I also know who Chi is, but I only watched 2.5 episodes of Chobits before I decided I couldn’t stand Hideki, so I never learned much about “her”.
15/08/2012 at 3:14 pm
I’m surprised, Code Geass was a pretty popular anime. It was hard not to hear of it a few years ago. The anime club at my university even aired episodes of it.
OK, I’ll keep my expectations of Nakago in check. :)
I didn’t even like what she represented. :( If you’ve seen that post where I compare her to other heroines, you’ll see why I felt the story would have been so much better if the author structured it differently by making Tohru less “innocent” and more spunky.
haha, yeah, I really felt sorry for Kagome a couple of times in the anime. Ms. Takahashi is usually pretty good with male characters, so I’m surprised she made Inuyasha into such a jerk. Her Maison Ikkoku is one of my favourite romantic comedies period. :3
I wish I was. I can understand the appeal of tsuderes in general, but Louise was really too much. I’m surprised she didn’t get a massive backlash for all the stunts she pulls.
Well, Chi’s appeal is based heavily in moe, so depending on whether you like that or hate that, will most likely determine whether you like Chi or hate her. Being in the latter camp, I didn’t like her. Sumomo is pretty moe too, but she at least had traits I would actually find cute, instead of just pure moe-ishness to pull the crowd in.
15/08/2012 at 6:39 pm
I’m not into mecha, so Code Geass just hasn’t been on my radar despite several people pushing me to watch it. I’ve watched a few things were mecha were part of the story but not the main point. Maybe one of these days I’ll check it out.
15/08/2012 at 9:33 pm
Good news then, mecha take a back seat in Code Geass. They are still important because they are tied to an important character, but I never felt like the main aim of the show was robot fights. They do happen, but it’s more about Lelouch trying to fight an empire and drama. There is a lot of character drama.
15/08/2012 at 10:58 pm
Interesting.
15/08/2012 at 12:21 am
I think a lot of people confuse finding a character interesting and complex for actually liking them. Both of these things can be applied to Lelouch and Light, who are morally ambiguous and the main characters who drive their respective stories.
A lot of Chi’s popularity comes from her appearance – I don’t like Chobits but I love Chi’s character design. And she is a character who appeals specifically to males – she’s vulnerable, innocent, and doesn’t really speak her mind – just like Yuki, but in a less noticable (and more sinister) way. What’s funny was that when I wrote my list, I realized that I’m a lot pickier when it comes to female characters than male ones – probably because so many of them are written in offensive and sexist ways that it’s hard to find one I can get really attached to.
15/08/2012 at 3:40 pm
Ok, Light I shall agree with because he is rather interesting at times, but Lelouch didn’t really interest me all that much. Maybe it’s because the anime couldn’t convince me that he was really doing this for the good of his sister and Japan, but I just found him really plain and not very sympathetic. I guess my issue with him is not so much him personally, I don’t really hate him, but more why he’s number 1. There are a lot of similar characters to him (and done better) that aren’t nearly as popular. Akio (even Touga) from Utena, Shuri from Basara (incidentally one of my personal favourites), Shion from Please Save My Earth, and Scar from Full Metal Alchemist, just to name a few. All these characters are morally ambiguous but they are crafted a lot better and actually earned my sympathy and in a few cases (Shuri and Scar) I actually really like them as characters. I guess that’s my issue and why I listed him.
Oh, yeah I definitely agree with you there. I definitely understand that moe is the reason for her appeal, but I personally thought if you’re going for moe, there are better characters out there and just all around she bothers me for those reasons. The odd thing is, I know female fans who actually like her and I just cannot fathom why (maybe it’s the design angle like you mention. I certainly loved all her dresses). I’m probably picker with female characters for the exact same reasons, but I try not to let male characters get easy passes either. Inuyasha is definitely one where I really hate just how popular he is when he’s just an unlikable douche.
15/08/2012 at 2:28 am
I haven’t watched or read too many of the series that these characters you have listed belong in. I do, of course, agree with you on Tohru of Fruits Basket. What I’ve read of the series, I enjoy it. However, I did find myself more interested in everyone else compared to Tohru. I also didn’t understand how she’s considered the ultimate female heroine in the series. Like you said, she has zero personality.
15/08/2012 at 3:47 pm
I’m glad you understand. I hope you don’t mind me listing it on my manga/anime list as well. ^__^;;; It’s just one of those series that bored me, so I really never got the appeal.
16/08/2012 at 2:50 am
I don’t mind at all. You are entitled to your own opinion of course. ;) I haven’t found too many popular series that I found boring. Not yet anyway. I guess I’m easy to please for the most part?
17/08/2012 at 7:41 am
Light and Lelouch- You’re 17, you’re edgy and you feel like a rebel so you choose the most hardcore ideology you can support. That’s my reason number 1. The other reason is to love them for being such an asshole. After all, I love it when a good plan comes together! Plus 1 for bad boy-ness. Plus 2 for handsome-ness
Trafalgar Law- He’s mysterious and good-looking to boot plus he has a twisted reputation. Law feels like a untapped well of potential. If only he would show us how far he went to become a Dark Doctor instead of us being told he’s done bad things. And his powers can be used either for humour or shock value. Plus 1 for bad boy-ness Plus 2 for handsome-ness.
Neji- He acts like a dick to his couisin because he’s all angsty about his tragic past and family problems. Plus 1 for bad-boyness
17/08/2012 at 4:01 pm
I sort of realizing now that I like characters for entirely different reasons than other people. Maybe it’s because I’m 25 but the so cool because I do what I want without considering the feelings of others doesn’t really appeal to me (in fact, I tend to dislike those type of characters – not that I like excessive niceness either, because I don’t. I hate the other end of the excess just as much as the total disregard of it). I like really well rounded characters that have some sort of quirk or personality that stands out. I really don’t like bad boys either and I’ve never liked any character, male or female, for aesthetic reasons. Which probably shows if I were to compile a list of favourite heroes or heroines.
Law – well he’s only mysterious because we know next to nothing about him, which is kind of my point. It’s sort of a weird reason to like a characters imo. Twisted reputation, so does Kidd and Killer and we don’t really see them having big fanbases, so what makes Law different? He’s only untapped because we haven’t seen him in action and I’d argue that all the characters outside of the strawhats (and a few strawhats themselves) are untapped potential because you just don’t see them in action enough or you only see a small fraction of what they can do. I could see people liking him for his powers through, they definitely are interesting. I don’t think he’s a bad boy though. At least that’s what the latest chapters make me think. Even before, he healed Luffy. That’s not something a bad boy would do, they’d just walk away and leave Luffy for dead. I guess he’s handsome. Well he certainly is one of the better looking 11 Novas, that’s for sure (not that there is much to compete with). xD
Well that’s true, but I still think that’s unforgiveable. It’s not Hinata’s fault that she was born into the main branch. It’s really immature of him to resent her and not her father and her father alone. Which is why I never really liked him.
19/08/2012 at 3:53 pm
You can probably tell that I used the word bad boy very loosely so heads up.
There are more level-minded characters out there but at the same time, I enjoy a good villain or at least a character with questionable morality.
And it’s odd how age effects your enjoyment of art and literature as you grow up. I would have liked Narnia had I got into it at 8 but by the time I was 16 I found it difficult to get over some of Lewis choice in words including one part which boiled down to ‘this part is too scary to describe and parents may question it, just wanted to break the wall to tell you that’.
05/09/2012 at 5:34 am
I’m not a big of Lelouch, less so of Light, but I think fans, especially Western ones, tend to like the over-the-top, genius bad asses. It’s that rebellious, deviant, and darkly mysterious air that I feel a lot of fans (particularly fan girls) are attracted too. This could also apply to characters like Neji and Sasuke.
I never put Inuyasha on the same level as “bad ass jerks” because, while he was definitely like this at the beginning of the series, during the course of his character development throughout the story, the “jerk” part pretty much fades away leaving an anti-hero bad ass who will do anything to help his friends and destroy the bad guys. He has flaws too, such as not properly establishing his relationship with Kagome like you said, but again, that changes as times goes on (not sure how much of the Inuyasha story you’ve watched/read).
For Yuki, I would definitely say watch the movie before saying she has no personality. It might not completely change your opinion of her but it could help =P (you just need to watch the first episode of season 2 to follow the movie’s plot).
I’ve always liked Chi and thought she was adorable. Perhaps it’s just a moe for the “machine that learns human emotions.”
I know a lot of people don’t like Tohru (I’m surprised she has such a high MAL rating honestly) but I’ve always liked her. Her kindness, optimism, and utter selflessness are touching to me, as is the bonds she forms with all the Sohma members. I never saw her as having no personality – she’s kind, cheerful, and so concerned about others that it flusters her. I honestly think that’s a good role model and a character to sympathize with.
Anyway, good post. I think you’ve inspired me to write a post of my own (not on the same topic but something similar)…
07/09/2012 at 5:23 pm
I definitely see it now, but I still can’t quite understand it because to me those sorts of characters are really unlikable. ^__^;;;
I finished the original tv series and I’ve only read 5 volumes of the manga, so I haven’t seen it to the end, but I guess I just can’t get over the fact that he was such a hypocrite and unless he apologizes for that, I can’t see myself changing my opinion of him. It is literally the fact that he berates Kagome for going to see Koga and then is perfectly fine ditching the group to chase after Kikyou. I mean, cannot the audience see how much of a double standard that is? It really drives me up the wall.
I’ve watched the movie now and I do get Yuki’s appeal now. I would take her off this list if I were to write it again now. Although, I do think they seriously took her shyness to an extreme in the movie. (Are people really that shy in real life?) Still, the movie did what it set out to do and that was show us a more sympathetic Yuki. I can only hope that her slow emotional growth now won’t remove some of the kuudere charm (like it did in the movie). If they can give her a bit more emotion (like I wanted originally) but keep the kuudere, then I could see her becoming a character I like (as I am a fan of kuuderes in general).
Well, I’m sure my list has made it apparent, but I don’t really like moe. Small doses are fine, but a character whose only appeal is moe. Well I find them boring and really 2D and you’re right, Chi is all about moe.
Really? I’ve had the exact opposite experiences where I’ve rarely seen anyone dislike her. I honestly thought I was the only one until I ran into a few other people who read a certain post of mine and agreed with me. My zero personality assessment comes from the fact that her so called “personality” is just one side of a human being, the positive and that she is way too submissive. No human being can ever act like her, so I found her rather shallow and boring. And after having read manga with female heroines, who do similar things to Tohru, but are more well rounded with outbursts of anger and butt heads with others, I just couldn’t ever see why everyone loves her so much, when there are other similar heroines, who have all her good traits but actually act human, with the good and the bad. To me, a perfect character isn’t interesting at all. I want to see them hate, envy, and be destructive; but through those missteps grow up and become stronger and better people. Watching a Ms.Perfect isn’t interesting and someone who cannot encompass the full range of human emotions has zero personality in my opinion. Personally, to me a good role model is someone who wants to do good, but stumbles and falls and after getting their hands dirty eventually succeeds. To me, in the anime and manga world, that would be Sarasa (from Basara). She wants revenge against the murder of her family at first, but is a good and kind person in general (hates to see people die and suffer). Her journey to realizing what she has to do is fraught with missteps and her falling into deep depressions and doing things that aren’t quite right, but she always stands up and eventually finds what she wants to do and becomes a really great person at the end of the manga. That’s how real human beings go through life and that’s way more inspirational to me than someone who is always good and kind. Sorry about this rant. This is a subject I feel really strongly about. :)
Great to hear~ Seems like everyone has been getting inspired to write about this as this post was originally inspired by starsamaria’s own post. x3
07/09/2012 at 8:19 pm
It’s been a long time since I read the latter chapters of Inuyasha, so I can’t remember if Inuyasha does actually apologize to Kagome or at least straight-up declares his loyalty to her. But you are right that he was being a hypocrite, but I just see it as a very human flaw, and other than that, he has more good qualities to me as a character than bad.
Glad you got around to watching the Haruhi movie and that you like Yuki a bit better =) KyoAni did go overboard with her shyness (it wasn’t quite as much in the novel) but I can safely say that she’s still a kuudere in future stories…but with a bit more emotion than she had at the beginning ;)
Yeah, moe isn’t really something one can defend through logic and reasoning. It’s just a feeling you either have or you don’t, which I apparently have for Chi XD
I actually didn’t think Tohru was “perfect” – she wavered in her confidence when dealing with “transformed” Kyo and even Akito. Her flaw is that she thinks too much of others over herself, which Kyo even pointed out when he said something like “It’s okay to tell others what you want.” It’s true that we never see her angry or hateful, but she’s just not that kind of person. I know some people in real life who I couldn’t imagine ever being filled with anger or envy, as well as people who are utterly selfless. Maybe not to the extent that Tohru displays, but I don’t think her personality is that far-fetched. But yeah, just my opinion I suppose.
Anyway, thanks for the post inspiration~
07/09/2012 at 8:59 pm
See, I don’t really see that as a flaw. In the sense that yeah, it is a flaw to put others above yourself to the extent that you forget about your needs, but most cultures and religions actually see that as a virtue (Japan included: Yamato Nadeshiko), especially for women. So to me, that was never really a “flaw”. I haven’t read Fruits Basket to the end because Tohru bothered me so much, so I didn’t know that. Still a momentary hesitation isn’t really much. I’d much rather see a real show of raw fear.
I don’t quite buy that. I hate feeling envy too. I absolutely detest myself when I do, but it’s not something you can cut out from yourself. It is a part of being human. The part that makes you a better person is recognizing that feeling and working past it. It’s not about being that or this kind of person. It’s just part of the range of emotions every person has. I’m sure anybody who knows me probably doesn’t think I am capable of envy because I rarely feel it and when I do, I work through it and don’t show it to others or let it affect my feelings for them. But it’s there as are all the other less nice emotions. My mom is a really good person too, but she gets angry and she feels envy too. Doesn’t make her any less of a good person, imo, but simply human. Tohru is just beyond me because I cannot comprehend such a person that only displays socially approved emotions (and hence my perfect label).
07/09/2012 at 11:30 pm
The thing about Yuki’s alternate world personality in the movie is that she created what she thought Kyon *wanted*. What she saw him do and say up to the point of the time of the movie was how she choose the type of personality for herself and the features of the world around them. A major theme of the movie was Kyon realizing what he did and said really were *not* what he wanted, and in the end that’s why he rejected her and the world she created for him.
09/09/2012 at 3:34 pm
I guess that makes sense, but wouldn’t that mean what Kyon wanted was a Mikuru type girl (as that’s the sort of girl he supposedly wants if one takes his word) and not someone excessively shy like alternate Yuki? I mean, he doesn’t hide the fact that he finds Mikuru very attractive (Haruhi notices and I’m sure Yuki must have noticed too). Not to say alternative Yuki isn’t moe to the max, but she’s still a very different kind of moe than Mikuru. I can’t help but think that some of what Yuki wanted was also at play here. Since she only made that sort of world because she couldn’t handle her newly formed emotions. So in that sense, I hope she doesn’t ever go full alternative Yuki on us.
09/09/2012 at 4:28 pm
Yes. Yuki only partially understands Kyon, and as well she doesn’t understand herself (given she’s developing emotions and she has no idea how to deal with that). His actions may have indicated a girl like Mikuru, but his words were usually along the lines of “what happened to my normal, *quiet* life?” So, her alternate world, and the personality she offered to Kyon, were flawed. Like I said, she offered him what she thought he wanted.
On the other note, however, I don’t think Kyon “wants” a girl like Mikuru. Yes, like most guys she pushes all his testosterone buttons. But, and this is brought out at the end of the movie when he is making the choice between Yuki’s world and the “real” world, what he wants is a world with Haruhi and all the chaos she brings. He’s not ready to admit it directly, but what Kyon wants is…to be with Haruhi.
09/09/2012 at 4:35 pm
Oh I definitely agree with you on the part that Kyon doesn’t really want Mikuru. He only says he wants that kind of girl (and in my interpretation because he can’t admit to himself that it’s Haruhi who he wants), but it’s hinted throughout both seasons of Haruhi and especially in the movie (like you say) that he really wants to be with Haruhi. I agree there. :)
06/09/2012 at 10:34 pm
[...] couple of blogs have recently posted lists of anime characters who are well loved among the fandom, but they personally [...]
16/01/2013 at 6:20 pm
Orihime: Having her get healing powers doesn’t make her useful when she’s too pathetic to be near fighting where she could actually use them. Having her be self-sacrificing doesn’t let her save anyone when she sacrifices herself just so everyone is put into even more danger trying to save her. It’s like they actually try to give her redeeming qualities, but then make it so she never uses them – or when she does use them it backfires so she’s even more useless and pathetic than she would have been without those redeeming qualities. It’s completely frustrating and pointless. I’d rather they kept her as a big breasted brainless (but funny!) damsel in distress and not tried to flesh her out. At least them we wouldn’t get our hopes up.
Chi: Maybe because it’s design. I must admit I like to satre at Chii artwork from CLAMP. Those dresses are so pretty.
Louise: She’s just too tsundere.
16/01/2013 at 7:42 pm
Ah, we differ on Orihime then. I personally didn’t really like her much in the beginning and I only warmed up to her around the arrancar arc where she was all jealous and depressed (which made her more human to me). I thought Kubo was actually going to develop her and yeah I definitely got my hopes up. I’m still pretty annoyed that he just pretended that never happened post time skip. Such a missed opportunity. :/ I don’t mind medic/ barrier girls. I think they have potential to be interesting and cool. I thought Naruto Shippuden did a good job of showing how professional and intelligent Sakura was precisely because she is a medic ninja. Mind you, I’m only 12 episodes into Shippuden so my opinion is pretty much bound to change depending on how it goes from here. I’m mostly bothered by healing/barrier chicks when the author only has the women do those things and if s/he reduces them to being totally helpless. Orihime is totally helpless, whereas Sakura (as far as I’ve watched) can actually defend herself with her brute strength. Likewise, Wendy is the healer chick in Fairy Tail but she has the potential to be offensive and one of the strongest characters is a women, so it balances out, I feel.
No, I’m the same. I love looking at art from Chobits too. All the dresses are so pretty, but character-wise, I don’t like Chi at all.