2012-08-13, 13:03 | Link #1241 | |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 41
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But, by the same token, one of the things that I think is key to the portrayal here is that they're not really trying to humanize him. I personally don't want to see him "personified", nor see the characters put up a fight against him in the direct sense. I think that's sort of trying to shoehorn an action plot into this story, and it just becomes another "humans struggle to overthrow god" story. I don't foresee the author going in this direction. I think it's more likely that the experiments will reach a "natural" conclusion. Yup, that's pretty much my point too. Personally, I think "Good Writing (TM)" is overrated. Sometimes what moves us and causes us to think and feel the most are things that are "flawed", whether deliberately or otherwise. What's most important isn't whatever happens in the story, but its effect on each of us in the audience.
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2012-08-13, 14:06 | Link #1242 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Age: 31
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2012-08-13, 14:48 | Link #1243 | |
Sharing my world thru art
Artist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Anywhere I can draw inspiration from
Age: 41
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Plus have read the manga (only the first 4 chapters), I've noticed how rushed the story is: meaning some of the dialogues of characters and monologues have been cut or omitted that could've added more to the development of the characters. I'm an artist after all and I tend to nitpick at the finer details. Lastly, the character development (surprise, surprise). I know the show geared towards male dominate audience and female characters sell the series. But c'mon! Development the guys for crying out loud! Yes, I know the girls are the star attractions and they have to be center stage, but did we forget they share the stage with two others. I just have this bitter taste that we have two characters that have been horribly underdevelopment, one thats MIA and the other playing Dr. Phil. Having a all around cast is key for me, because I can relate to the characters and can enjoy the story more. With Aoki, for example, know nothing about the guy but that he loves Yui with his everything. But where does this utter devotion come from? I'm noy buying the 'love at first sight" excuse. There's gotta a better reason why she caught his fancy other than that. Taichi is a 'selfless freak'. But why is he? Is really helping others is his really own purpose. Sorry, but not buying that either. There's no way someone can be selfless without being selfish either. We're all human and we all have selfish desires even if we don't express them. This arc will finally show what he's really hiding. Yui, with the exception of ep. 3 as for the most part, like Aoki, been MIA. Whats her purpose in the story? Spoiler for Inaba thougts:
Spoiler for Iori thoughts:
So those are my impressions of the series up to now. It's been very entertaining and forward to each new episode. But like most people I have gripes over certain aspects of the show.
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2012-08-13, 15:15 | Link #1244 | ||
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 41
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Speaking purely for myself, I thought the development for the two male characters is fine. It's being told primarily through their actions and the consequences of their actions, with a little bit expanded through their conversations -- mostly with each other. I don't think they necessarily need deep traumas or complex emotional issues just so they can have an arc to themselves... but by virtue of not having these sorts of deep-set issues, they're perhaps easier to understand (for now). That makes them well-suited to be the avenues through which we explore the other characters. But that doesn't mean they don't have personalities and issues; each character has a role to play in this story. Quote:
In any case, we've only seen one arc out of a story that has so far spawned 8+ novels (only one animated so far). The importance and relevance of some characters, and the full extent of their backstory, isn't going to be revealed that early, or else there'd be nothing left to say.
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Last edited by relentlessflame; 2012-08-13 at 16:35. Reason: corrected typo... |
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2012-08-13, 15:53 | Link #1245 |
Sharing my world thru art
Artist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Anywhere I can draw inspiration from
Age: 41
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True, true. I'm going wait until the series is over and finish reading the remaining novels (however long that takes) before I pass any final judgement on the series as a whole.
The points I made are things that I made off the up of my head and what I could remember (writing and psychology weren't my best subjects in college).
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2012-08-13, 16:43 | Link #1247 | |
Seishu's Ace
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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I definitely do think this has gotten worse in the last ten years (to use the timeframe you chose). A decade ago there were many more character-driven series that either primarily focused on male cast members, or on a gender-diverse cast. Nowadays when a series like Tsuritama or even Hyouka comes along it's like a white buffalo in that respect. Lastly, I have to disagree with your point that the males in KC have received adequate development - but even more, with the standard you use to measure adequacy. Why is it acceptable for male characters to be explored only through the consequences of their actions? Or to have no traumas or complex emotional issues of their own (or arcs built around them)? Do males in real life not have these things? And why should we be satisfied with a medium where anime males exist only as avenues to explore the female characters? I don't think I'm asking for an impossibly high standard here. In RL males and females both are emotionally complex, and I'd l'd like to see anime be a medium where they're both treated as such. It's not going to be every series - but if not an ensemble series built around exploring psychological traumas than where, for Jeebus' sake?
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2012-08-13, 17:43 | Link #1250 | |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 41
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As I said before, in fact, the first arc did do a fair bit to develop Taichi's "white night" complex, and illustrates quite clearly why this is winning him the affection of the girls around him (sometimes despite their intentions). They are contrasting this with Aoki; his steadfast but hopeless dedication to the one girl he's in love with. Meanwhile, Taichi's own (hidden?) romantic feelings came to the surface and resulted in his confession actually working out, though he's still getting closer to the other girls than Aoki has been able to (including Aoki's own crush). This is setting the stage for a major conflict that is doubtless coming down the road. When that conflict occurs, expect there to be a lot more explanation of both of these characters. But for now, they're still in the "building" stage. For the time being, while their issues are still building beneath the surface, they can be used to help us explore the other characters whose issues are taking center stage. Everyone has a role to play. That doesn't necessarily mean they all need to have the same role or be developed at the same time in exactly the same way. As for the rest... I'm not going to go there in this thread, as I think that it'll just derail things even more than they already have been.
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2012-08-13, 17:44 | Link #1251 | |
<(゜∀。)
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Flying in the Air
Age: 36
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Move along, keep up the speculations. |
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2012-08-13, 17:57 | Link #1254 |
We're Back
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Redgrave City
Age: 35
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I too would very much like you all to focus solely on Heartseed- That way I wouldn't feel compelled to kill myself because I can't use/hint classified information about the 5 characters.
That one is going on the list
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2012-08-13, 18:34 | Link #1258 |
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
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These ideas of too little development of male characters and "emasculation" were interesting observations at first, but now they seem to have taken on a life of their own. I agree with relentlessflame that concentration on the female characters is nothing new...since 2004, which is when I started watching anime. It's because the majority of Japanese viewers are male and are more interested in female characters. The emasculation thing feels like it says more about the viewers than the shows. Heck, I'm proud and insecure, too, but get a grip. Or watch shounen adventure.
To me, Taichi is getting reasonable development. I have a fair idea of who he is: compulsively avoiding conflict and trying to shift discomfort from others to himself, while diverting his natural impulses toward conflict into a fixation on pro wrestling. He's a really good guy, and quite strong in his way. I wouldn't be surprised to find out in due time that his neuroses reflect neurotic behaviour by his parents: perhaps a put-upon mother who is always trying to placate an irascible father. Or vice-versa. Aoki thus far seems like a recognizable type, if little more. But this is hardly something new for an anime character. And being in love with a beautiful girl needs little explanation. As for "good writing," this is entertainment, not an English class. I have seen shows that may have ticked off all the boxes to be academically acceptable writing, but were quite dull (in my opinion). I'd rather see something unique and interesting but academically unacceptable. Something like, say, an anime. And conventional storytelling is not the only good kind of storytelling. This show brings in situations quickly and tells some things it might spend time showing, but it's working for me. I admit that the critics sometimes make me feel like I must have poor taste (that's my own insecurity), and I don't read much high-class modern fiction. But I have recently read and loved Jane Austen, Tolstoy, and Lady Murasaki, so my taste can't be that bad. Or can it? Lol. Anyway, I like popular literature, too, and that's what anime and manga are. As a big fan of Noe, I remember the True Tears shipping wars well. Here, however, for some reason I like everyone. I kind of doubt passions will rise as high: there seems to be a lot more here to worry about than just who is with whom. This first arc made me feel, in a way, that the five main characters were blending into one person.
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2012-08-13, 18:36 | Link #1259 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: UK
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Unlike say...Toradora. The ending there annoyed me more.
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2012-08-13, 18:41 | Link #1260 |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 41
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I think we should probably not go too deep into discussions about the romantic pairings at the end of other unrelated shows, because it'll head down a tangent really quickly. If the comparisons are relevant and on-topic, please remember to use spoiler tags.
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Tags |
body swapping, comedy, drama, romance, shounen, slice of life |
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