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Originally Posted by Triple_R
As far as protagonists are concerned, I disagree.
100% comedic villains is about the only character type that can get away with a complete lack of redeeming qualities, imo.
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Perhaps, complete is too much. But what about bad traits overwhelming the good so that it's hard to really take the redeeming qualities seriously like our poor Einshi before this episode?
I don't understand why redeeming qualities are prerequisite to having a good character. Sometimes, you can make a good story by having a failure of a character learn from his mistakes or gain some redeeming qualities. Or least try.
Some may argue that if they eventually do grow into better characters that the redeeming quality was there all along, but I reject this kind of thought, because it takes away credit from them in earning said development.
The anime Kaiji is a good example of someone who is utterly pitiful, selfish, and pathetic, but the anime is about him molding to something else.
Or there's the whole bunch of so called "anti-heroes" that lack redeeming qualties but are intresting characters in their own right. Asuka Langley Soryuu from Evangelion most certainly has competent traits, but she's utterly terrible as a person and arguably rotten to almost the core. But her character works because of the circumstances that surround her.
Essentially, a bad character is someone that not only lacks redeeming traits but is poorly justified, weaknesses are for comical reasons, and empathy is requested (obviously ending in failure) Any good things about them are typically only on paper. Basically, the female lead of Ore Imo.
Einshi is like that, just much less obnoxious.
Does he learn? On paper yes. Do we care? Probably not.
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None of Anohana's characters are "pitiful". No, not even 'Manma'.
Yukiatsu works precisely because he appears to be highly successful and 'with it'. Hence, his major hidden weaknesses and flaws serve as a great contrast to his outward image of the successful and popular high school student.
Jinta and Poppo have some knocks against them, but both are given moments to shine, and that helps immensely for both.
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I dunno... I tend to remember Yukiktsu's flaws more. I like Yukikatsu's character. As a person, eh... I can't say I like him very much.
As for Jintan, he would be regarded by many as a complete loser just because he could not get on with his life and just did nothing with it. But at face worth, while everyone thinks he is such, it's his friends and eventually the audience that views his growth into an actual person. But at the start, he really is selfish, apathetic, and unable to do anything.
But within a few episodes, he proves that he is a much better character than any of the Hana Iro cast save for Ohana, because well... they gave a damn! He's... actually a person.
TL;DR
My main concern is for characters to be human. And some people are seriously flawed; that's fine. Einshi... I'm not sure what he qualifies as, but to me he's more of a cardboard prop for comedy. Same goes for Jinomaru.