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View Poll Results: Charater(s) that impresses you the most | |||
Shou | 27 | 38.57% | |
Gai | 14 | 20.00% | |
Inori | 15 | 21.43% | |
Mana | 10 | 14.29% | |
Ayase | 36 | 51.43% | |
Tsugumi | 23 | 32.86% | |
Hare | 29 | 41.43% | |
Yahiro | 7 | 10.00% | |
Haruka | 6 | 8.57% | |
Segai | 20 | 28.57% | |
Other | 14 | 20.00% | |
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 70. You may not vote on this poll |
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2012-03-17, 23:25 | Link #21 | |||
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 35
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Before I get into the the discussion regarding the main cast, I'd like to address something about a certain member of the secondary one
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However, we get to how it actually played out in the show, and things start to not look as good as they should've been. Episode 10, where Shu goes into his withdrawal, was honestly painful to watch since at that point there was very little reason for me to like Shu as a character, and seeing him actively trying to get people to feel sorry for him made me throw up a little in my mouth. It didn't help when he was trying to take advantage of Hare's feelings either ... The whole bit about him becoming Führer wasn't that good either, since it came right after the heels of the premise of the need to divide the students into categories according to a device that ranked them according to arbitrary numbers (instead of how useful their voids is, or even their value as a person in labour or something more substantial) that might I add they had not a clue where it came from nor was it a good idea to choose a system that encourages the students to divide against each other (effectively putting an en to the unity you mentioned in the student body and delving the entire thing deeper down the road into further chaos). As for the Gai/Shu leadership comparison, it might look good in theory but when the actual thing is compared, it falls flat since Shu had went from his wimp stage to his nice leader stage to his Führer stage to his current Jesus one in a very, very short time to the point where I felt it had gotten lost in the middle of all the fast transitioning. Hell, the recape episode underlines the very point you brought across about Shu's hesitation about using his friends as tools better than the show did! That's how badly that sup-plot got muddled up. So even if I do agree with you that it was a good idea, I'm afraid I don't agree on that it was well done. All what you said was fine, and I agree with you completely that the course of action Shu had taken afterwards, and the F-ranks treatment was understandable. However, this all goes back into how the F-ranks were pushed into this direction after Shu had taken on a system that made the F-ranks feel effectively useless, so again, while the actual development might be sound, the way it started wasn't. Well, there was the ''MY ARM! MY POWER OF THE KING'' bit, but I do agree with you that the way the betrayal played out was good.Too bad that made him think she wasn't ''there for him'' and only Inori was the one who stood by his side. Guess she should have let him cop a feel after all
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2012-03-17, 23:41 | Link #22 |
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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@Ledgem I didn't hate Shu because he was a wimp. Unlike most people I don't hate characters because they're whiny little bitches (I like Yukiteru, I like Shinji, and I like Luke from ToA before he became nice). I hate him because he was a wimp that couldn't get out of the writer's control and become his own character. Unlike you, I didn't find it real, but more like they try to be real, but they don't go all the way. Every single action of his happens because the writers say so. I even said I would have liked him if he was in a different anime that actually took advantage of his character.
I also think you missed the point I was making with my statement when I said Gai becoming human was actually done well. My point was that Inori's change into a more emotional being wasn't convincing. Gai's change was convincing, mostly because he interacted with Shu and Mana a lot, plus the animation did a lot of the talking during those scenes. And I wasn't referring to him gaining emotions as he grew into a 17-year old, as we never saw him grow up into a teenager. I was referring to the entire flashback scene, starting from when he was discovered by Shu and Mana, and ending when Mana went crazy on him. You know, the point when he was still a kid? In other words, he gained emotions more convincingly than Inori did in the same time frame. Also, the Haruka thing is a nitpick. I believe I mentioned that Shingen from Durarara is the same when it comes to being different at work and at home. The problem is, Shingen was funny and sort of unique. Haruka wasn't. P.S. Yes, I liked Luke when he became nice as well. Edit: Also, I should make it clear that I don't hate this anime. It's characters are awful, sure, but I like what they're trying to do with them.
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2012-03-17, 23:47 | Link #23 |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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I saw you mention this before, and I'm afraid that I don't really understand what you mean. The characters are works of fiction - how can they have freedom, or get away from the writers? Can you give me some examples of characters that are the opposite? (Ideally from series that aren't from within the past two years - I haven't watched anime heavily in quite a while!)
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2012-03-18, 00:00 | Link #24 |
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 35
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The closest thing I can think off is when a VA might ad lip during his performance, or that he is playing the character to the point where he becomes so convinced he is said character (like some theater/film actors think during their work) to the point where the script writers have no choice but listen to what they have to say. I suppose that's one way where a fictional character might voice their complain.
(I think what Flawnalyst meant was that he might have found the cast better had they been in a different show and utilized in a different manner)
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2012-03-18, 00:36 | Link #25 | |
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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This isn't anime, but one show that had great characters was the 90s Batman cartoon, particularly the villains. They felt like real people with complex motivations. They felt alive because you could tell why they were doing bad things, plus the show felt like they controlled the plot rather than the writers. Okay yes, a bunch of them sort of turned generic in future episodes, but I loved how when Poison Ivy wasn't ruling the world with plants, she was hanging out with Harley Quinn to go shopping or prance around the house in just a shirt and panties. For a character that's unrealistic, but still great (and not the Joker), I would say Ed from Cowboy Bebop. She's so batshit insane, but she's comfortable with who she is, because that's how she gets by. I think that's what a lot of kooky characters lack these days. Being comfortable with being a kook. Take away that comfortableness, and you get someone who obviously exists because the writers says he/she exists. A wimp I really like is Yuki from Future Diary because he's meant to be a sycophantic jackass, plus his cowardly nature makes his relationship with the female lead more interesting. It's fun to see him digging himself deeper into a grave, plus you can actually see why he's such a wimp and the show actually uses his wimpy nature to its advantage. GC doesn't really take advantage of Shu's wimpiness other than for something comedic (that I don't find funny) and usually uses it to slow the plot down. But that's just me, as I don't think many people would consider that as a good reason to like a character. One character I really hate (even more than the GC characters) is Nathan Drake from the Uncharted video game series. Talk about Hollywood-constructed. I hated how every time a bad guy threatened him, he just made a smug face and went "Oh no, he's threatening me" to the point that I just wanted to smash his face in. And that's just one of his many MANY problems. He had no flaws that he had to overcome, he had no problem killing shitloads of people (even pulling an innocent security guard to his death in Uncharted 2), and he's always motivated initially by greed. The only time he showed depth was in Uncharted 3, but even then, that was squandered because they didn't go in-depth about it. Oh, and he never faces consequences because the game was specifically made to make him invincible. There's also a character from a movie called Airborne that I really hate. The main was a pacifist, but his pacifism wasn't the least bit convincing because he quoted Gandhi all the time, but he still talked tough to people, and then he pulled a guy's pants down at the end. And he never faces the consequences of his actions. It's like he's a pacifist because it's a fad. I think Shu shares the same problem with the kid from Airborne in that he seems to be a coward because it's a fad. I wouldn't go so far as to say as he didn't face the consequences of his actions, but it's obvious he was created just to be the character you were supposed to project yourselves onto. He also shares Nathan Drake's problem in that the only reason he's so great is because the anime treats him like he's the only character who matters while the others get bit parts that's disguised as help. I'm glad he's not Gai, because I hate the 1-D confident types more than the 1-D wimpy types, but I still can't get into him.
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Last edited by Flawfinder; 2012-03-18 at 00:48. |
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2012-03-18, 00:53 | Link #26 | |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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Before I forget (and I forgot it earlier) - Arabesque, your insights into Arisa were much appreciated! I didn't connect the ending episodes with the beginning episodes in the way that you did, but I largely agree with your interpretation. It doesn't make the idea of that scene any easier on my mind, but I appreciate her as a character (even in the second half) a bit more now.
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2012-03-18, 02:35 | Link #27 | ||
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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Last edited by Flawfinder; 2012-03-18 at 14:38. |
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2012-03-18, 03:46 | Link #28 | |
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 35
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The thing is, I feel that there were a lot of interesting plotlines regarding the secondary cast in this show, and while I don't imagine that it's possible to flesh them all out, it would've been better to address them more appropriately over the course of the show, rather than have them enter and exit the stage when ever they are needed like plot devices rather than player characters.
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2012-03-23, 23:03 | Link #29 |
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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Now that the series has ended, I think I can safely that the character I hated the most was Inori. Thinking back on Guilty Crown, I could attribute most of the plotholes to the series being a mediocre teen thing, but anything to do with Inori just hurts me. There was no reason for her to be in this series at all. Fails as a badass, fails as a love interest, fails as a human being (I know she technically isn't one), fails as a character, fails at singing (this one is debatable), fails at plot relevance...just fails.
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2012-03-24, 01:25 | Link #30 | |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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What they did with her was rather interesting, in that I can't recall ever seeing a series pull something like this before. A few days ago you gave a critique that she seemed like a total robot in the series. I think that she had a subdued but strong personality in the first few episodes - but it's true that later in the series she became pretty robotic. I don't know exactly when it started; it was definitely in the second half of the series, and maybe also in the second half of the first half of the series. (So the second quarter... yes, yes...) In my mind, Inori's screen time was cut back around that time, as well. She was featured prominently in the first few episodes, and then it's like she disappeared. When I think of the female characters for this series, I think of Inori in the beginning, and then Ayase and Tsugumi for the rest (with a little blip for Hare at the mid-point). Considering that Inori was set up to be the female lead for the series, that was a very unusual choice. I'm curious as to why they did that. Problems with Inori's voice actress, perhaps? The lack of screen time for Inori also hurt the series ending. It was a very touching ending, I thought, but I didn't feel moved by it (and I think I'm pretty easy to move when it comes to the endings of series). The reason why is because, as touching and bittersweet as the scenario was, we as the audience were never really given the opportunity to make that connection with Inori. By comparison, I might have found my eyes watering up if Ayase had somehow taken Inori's place; I'm pretty sure I teared up over Hare's last moments, as well. But Inori, hmm...
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2012-03-24, 09:30 | Link #31 | |
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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Ignoring the fact that I've seen this girl done better in other anime, I guess what bothered me the most was that people kept on saying Shu was a relatable character, yet I couldn't find a single relatable thing where Inori was concerned. This technically extends to the other characters as well, who mostly exist to make him look good, but her in particular really bothered me. Edit: Also, while they're not in my worst anime cliches list, I have a bit of a bias for girls who act like they come from space. Further Edit: Also, of all the plotholes in the anime, the ones concerning her were the ones that I actually think hurt the series. Why can she jump super high through heavy fire, only to never do it again for the rest of the series, despite having many opportunities to do so? And how did she even get in trouble in Episode 1 if she could do all that?
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Last edited by Flawfinder; 2012-03-24 at 10:41. |
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2012-03-24, 10:21 | Link #32 | |||
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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I liked Inori, but as I said, it's understandable that disliking her would result in confusion over Shu's actions. Quote:
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One of my relatives used to say something often to me when I was a young boy: "never question a fairy tale." It was what it was.
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2012-03-24, 10:40 | Link #33 | |
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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Oh, and I meant to say that they're "not" among my worst anime cliches list. After all, I do like the girls from "Key" series.
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2012-03-24, 12:44 | Link #34 | |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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It certainly makes speculation and explanations from within the series more difficult and less fun, because there aren't any "world rules" to explain by. To really enjoy the series, I think you just have to let those slide. I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters in Guilty Crown, and think that the series is ripe for speculations and explanations about character relationships and development. While the settings and powers within the series seemingly went all over the place, the characters were a bit more concrete (although there were still some confusing points). The settings and premise of the series were fantastic and I'll admit that they drew me to the series, but the major emphasis seemed to be on the characters, instead. I heard a lot of people equating Guilty Crown with Code Geass, and I think that set a lot of people up for disappointment. The two series were only really similar up to the first half of Guilty Crown. Whereas Code Geass thoroughly explained Lelouch's power and then went on to continue the political story, Guilty Crown was seemingly willing to forego thoroughly detailing Shu's power and left the power struggles and world setting behind, instead turned inward in its second half and examining personal philosophy and personal relationships. I think most people would agree that Code Geass had better execution overall, but contrary to their similar settings and premises I get a very different feel from each series. With Code Geass I think of the story and a few key characters; with Guilty Crown I think of Shu, a lot more characters, and how their relationships shifted throughout the series. Someone (maybe in this thread or a different one) criticized the series for throwing in too many characters and not having an adequate length to flesh them all out. Much as I enjoyed the series, I can't find a reason to disagree with that.
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2012-03-25, 14:35 | Link #35 | |
Licensed Hunter-a-holic
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 35
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Now that the show is over, I'm left wondering if it was warranted giving that much focus to Darly. At first I imagined that they were aiming for the typical defector storyline, where an enemy would defect from the opposing side due to some event or incident causing them to see the error of their way and join (or at least support) the protagonist side, usually finding a morality pet (normally a little kid, love interest or if the writers are feeling lazy or cheeky, a puppy) and finally being revealed to not be that bad. The way the show portrayed him, I got the impression that Darly was a trigger happy psychopath who murdered his father for having a lover (not exactly the most inhumane and heinous crime I could imagine ...) and then developing some form of crush on Tsugumi (a one sided, almost childish crush that came from him being given an apple ...) and then we are left being told that he's a good person. Is that ... really it?
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2012-04-13, 08:59 | Link #36 |
Senior Member
Artist
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: The Middle Way
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I liked Guilty Crown's cast for the most part, though I did feel some of their relations to be lacking--this is especially true for Daryl and Tsugumi, I never quite got what it was supposed to be about and the ending didn't give any closure to it. Somehow I also find Shu and Inori's interactions a bit...well I just don't think it was all that great.
My favorite characters would have to be Hare and Segai.
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2012-06-19, 22:04 | Link #37 |
Loves the Experience
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Earth...hopefully
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Don't know if anyone reads this thread anymore, but I compiled a list of the top ten GC characters that I hate. I'd like to know what people think of it. Sorry for advertising my blog on this forum, and if it's not allowed, then I apologize (although I think it is).
With that said, months after watching this show, I've seen people say that at least Shu grew and doesn't suck like Shinji Ikari. I would have preferred if he had been Shinji. Because for all the talk about how Shinji-clones are appearing in anime more and more, very few of those clones fail to represent what made Shinji a good character.
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2012-07-07, 09:28 | Link #38 | ||
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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