AnimeSuki Forums

j0x · 2011-02-09, 20:55

bad, it affects the viewers greatly imo, because while your watching a lead anime character you tend to personalize that character as though your that character and so if the character is indecisive you tend to blame yourself as though your the one who is indecisive lol

Guernsey · 2011-02-09, 23:02

One of genres main criticisms is who in the right mind would fall for people?

Sheba · 2011-02-10, 04:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guernsey

One of genres main criticisms is who in the right mind would fall for people?

There were often bullshit excuses. Such as, "It is Fate/Destiny", "The Power of Time Paradox/Reincarnation", "He is actually a prince from another galaxy", "He saw that girl naked. However, according to her country's customs, she must marry any man who have seen her naked.", "He have a special chikara/power/magic!", "He was an elf/youkai/magical poney!"

I can count many more excuses that falls in the been there done that category, and that is enough to make my eyes roll enough times that they start rolling on their own.

More often than not, those excuses are weak. He have gotten the girls falling from him from the get go just because. He have done nothing significant to earn their affection, other than stopping them from crying when they met as children. I mean come on, that's just insulting the female gender and the spectators' intelligence right here.

Archon_Wing · 2011-02-10, 05:30

That's definitely the worst issue. WHY would they bother with this guy?

At least he's a nice guy, or has a charming personality. Or some kind of redeeming quality. Oh wait... of course not. He can't possibly be competent or likable.

ChainLegacy · 2011-02-10, 13:03

I wonder if the reason you have these extremely weak-willed, and honestly, in most cases, pathetic main leads, especially in romance/harem/etc, is because they are meant to represent the escapist otaku watching the show. Most people who really want to live vicariously through the characters, as opposed to just watch for entertainment value, are these indecisive people themselves. Now don't get me wrong escapism is healthy in small doses but I am referring to those types of Japanese otaku you read about that sleep with anime pillows because they accept the inevitability of never having a girlfriend/boyfriend.

To get to that mindset, you have to be pretty indecisive and weak-willed in the first place, and I would guess a large part of the Japanese market that consumes these harem/romance anime are very much like the main characters. I sympathize with these people, for what it's worth, so I don't want to come off as too insulting to them. Their lives are bad enough as it is. But that seems as logical a reason as any for this cliche.

IronHeart762 · 2011-02-10, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

That's definitely the worst issue. WHY would they bother with this guy?

At least he's a nice guy, or has a charming personality. Or some kind of redeeming quality. Oh wait... of course not. He can't possibly be competent or likable.

you said it! i wonder if the indecisive main character cliche could become a more interesting persona. anyone think this type of character could be done if there wasn't fan service involved?

roriconfan · 2011-02-10, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by IronHeart762

anyone think this type of character could be done if there wasn't fan service involved?

What could he be indecisive about if not for... everything?

Anyway, not indecisive + girls = hentai
... or the world's shortest romance.

idiffer · 2011-02-10, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by roriconfan

What could he be indecisive about if not for... everything?

Anyway, not indecisive + girls = hentai
... or the world's shortest romance.

His and her circumstances.

Qikz · 2011-02-10, 17:00

To be honest, I kind of like it. Without an indecisive protagonist, you'd have less of the bickering and constant point scoring between the girls which always leads to some good service.

Hooves · 2011-02-10, 17:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qikz

To be honest, I kind of like it. Without an indecisive protagonist, you'd have less of the bickering and constant point scoring between the girls which always leads to some good service.

This is true

in a harem situation it sorta is good to have an Indecisive main character so we can keep the action going and the server going

only the clueless, and very dense main characters are what make it bad for me.

IronHeart762 · 2011-02-10, 17:27

hmm dense main character= lovable, smart main character= mean and manipulative?

Hooves · 2011-02-10, 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by IronHeart762

hmm dense main character= lovable, smart main character= mean and manipulative?

I'm not saying they have to be very smart, but just not as dense to the point where they can't see clear signs of harem going around them.. But nothing you can really do about that it seems (if you can refer to Ichika from Infinite Stratos). But I do agree that dense main characters can be lovable if I think about it.

DragoZERO · 2011-02-10, 17:46

It's annoying sometimes, but it is a necessary evil if you want a harem of girls vying for the guy and competing. If he chose, the fun would end.

It's when he is dense beyond comprehension that is get's aggravating.

IronHeart762 · 2011-02-10, 18:44

yeah it would be less fun. i'm not saying i don't enjoy harem/indecisive characters its just that all the anime's that use these themes start to run together. so far Infite Stratos has my attention though and i do look forward to friday's episode.

Guernsey · 2011-02-10, 21:19

Sooner or later said harem lead will inevitably become a badass where he realizes his true power and become God's gift to women. Seriously, it really doesn't matter how the story justifies it, it is still the same tale but with different flavors.

IronHeart762 · 2011-02-11, 15:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guernsey

Sooner or later said harem lead will inevitably become a badass where he realizes his true power and become God's gift to women. Seriously, it really doesn't matter how the story justifies it, it is still the same tale but with different flavors.

lol, God's gift to women, like in "The World God Only knows" hehe
main characters like that really add some spice to genre

Hooves · 2011-02-11, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

It's annoying sometimes, but it is a necessary evil if you want a harem of girls vying for the guy and competing. If he chose, the fun would end.

It's when he is dense beyond comprehension that is get's aggravating.

This is completely agreeable... There is a meter in my books on how dense a harem male lead can get, but when things are just flat out smacked on your forehead and you still don't notice... I find something wrong with that male lead...

Quote:

Originally Posted by IronHeart762

yeah it would be less fun. i'm not saying i don't enjoy harem/indecisive characters its just that all the anime's that use these themes start to run together. so far Infite Stratos has my attention though and i do look forward to friday's episode.

I can sorta sympathize with Ichika from Infinite Stratos, but something else is setting me off to the wrong course about him

Quote:

Originally Posted by IronHeart762

lol, God's gift to women, like in "The World God Only knows" hehe
main characters like that really add some spice to genre

Keima was certainly interesting I must say that much, especially when he learned that he can go all out in his romance since there is a after-effect to it

IronHeart762 · 2011-02-15, 15:23

So does anyone have a series they just love because of the indecisive main character?

for my this theme is played out much better in manga form like To-Love Ru <3

Darklord_bg · 2011-02-16, 04:44

Hmm...I did not expect this thread to be revived, although it seems to have gone a little too one-sided, i.e. limited to "pick your girl" type shows. I really meant the topic to be broader about indecisiveness in romance in shows where romance isn't the primary genre. For example, why are Alto Saotome from Macross Frontier or Inuyasha still hated for their "indecisiveness"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darklord_bg

Another point I wanted to make is that often the main character has a reason to be indecisive and I don't see why he should be forced to choose. I'm not saying he should date several girls at the same time, but he can certainly interact with all of them without committing to one. Why should he be blamed for that? Also, in action shows, where the romance is not the primary driving force of the plot, I don't see at all why the protagonist should be hated for not making a choice.

In any case, it just bothers me when an otherwise cool and/or nice character who is obviously made to be a good guy (i.e. not a villain) is hated by most of the fans for this reason.

Any thoughts...?

IronHeart762 · 2011-02-16, 17:16

oh i see what you mean with the "pick your girl" type set up. those do tend to be annoying because the one i pick is never the one who the main character picks

in many anime there is no clear reason why the main character should be indecisive (action stories aside) but when there is a good reason like in "The World God Only Knows" it almost shifts the genre to something else entirely because the character who would be indecisive has no love interest yet.

2011-02-09, 23:02	Link #42
Guernsey The GAP Man Join Date: Jun 2008 Age: 36	One of genres main criticisms is who in the right mind would fall for people? __________________

2011-02-10, 17:46	Link #53
DragoZERO Spoilaphobic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Age: 37	It's annoying sometimes, but it is a necessary evil if you want a harem of girls vying for the guy and competing. If he chose, the fun would end. It's when he is dense beyond comprehension that is get's aggravating. __________________ • Anime List \| Manga List \| Manga Thread Template •

2011-02-10, 21:19	Link #55
Guernsey The GAP Man Join Date: Jun 2008 Age: 36	Sooner or later said harem lead will inevitably become a badass where he realizes his true power and become God's gift to women. Seriously, it really doesn't matter how the story justifies it, it is still the same tale but with different flavors. __________________

2011-02-09, 20:55	Link #41
j0x Giga Drill Breaker Join Date: Jan 2009	bad, it affects the viewers greatly imo, because while your watching a lead anime character you tend to personalize that character as though your that character and so if the character is indecisive you tend to blame yourself as though your the one who is indecisive lol

2011-02-10, 13:03	Link #45
ChainLegacy 廉頗 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Massachusetts Age: 34	I wonder if the reason you have these extremely weak-willed, and honestly, in most cases, pathetic main leads, especially in romance/harem/etc, is because they are meant to represent the escapist otaku watching the show. Most people who really want to live vicariously through the characters, as opposed to just watch for entertainment value, are these indecisive people themselves. Now don't get me wrong escapism is healthy in small doses but I am referring to those types of Japanese otaku you read about that sleep with anime pillows because they accept the inevitability of never having a girlfriend/boyfriend. To get to that mindset, you have to be pretty indecisive and weak-willed in the first place, and I would guess a large part of the Japanese market that consumes these harem/romance anime are very much like the main characters. I sympathize with these people, for what it's worth, so I don't want to come off as too insulting to them. Their lives are bad enough as it is. But that seems as logical a reason as any for this cliche.

2011-02-10, 17:00	Link #49
Qikz Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Age: 33	To be honest, I kind of like it. Without an indecisive protagonist, you'd have less of the bickering and constant point scoring between the girls which always leads to some good service.

2011-02-10, 17:27	Link #51
IronHeart762 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011	hmm dense main character= lovable, smart main character= mean and manipulative?

2011-02-10, 18:44	Link #54
IronHeart762 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011	yeah it would be less fun. i'm not saying i don't enjoy harem/indecisive characters its just that all the anime's that use these themes start to run together. so far Infite Stratos has my attention though and i do look forward to friday's episode.

2011-02-15, 15:23	Link #58
IronHeart762 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011	So does anyone have a series they just love because of the indecisive main character? for my this theme is played out much better in manga form like To-Love Ru <3

2011-02-16, 17:16	Link #60
IronHeart762 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011	oh i see what you mean with the "pick your girl" type set up. those do tend to be annoying because the one i pick is never the one who the main character picks in many anime there is no clear reason why the main character should be indecisive (action stories aside) but when there is a good reason like in "The World God Only Knows" it almost shifts the genre to something else entirely because the character who would be indecisive has no love interest yet.