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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Alto's a tsundere? Genearlly I'd say he's got a reason to be ticked off, not that it's his default mode of being. He had a much more normal aghast reaction to Sheryl popping up, when he had every reason in the world to take personally. Ranka though gets eye twitches?  |
Well, I suppose that I really ought to write a less flippant response on this point.
The reason that I describe Alto as tsundere is because while he generally comes off as standoffish, he really does care inside. I don't think that he really actually dislikes either girl, given the encouragement that he gives Ranka after she loses the Miss Macross contest, or the fact that he's quite bothered by seeing Sheryl look so down when she hears that Galaxy is under attack. But he hides away that side of himself unless its really needed. His tsun is just a front that he puts on.
You're right about the fact that Alto's expressions seem flipped, though. But then again, he had a similar expression on his face when Sheryl first showed up on campus ("W-Why are you here?") so perhaps there wasn't a mistake. Weird.
Let me run through the first eight episodes again. Perhaps there's something that I missed out on in how he interacts with each of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wesley84
Was that a vieled Simpson's reference?
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I don't think that it was really veiled. Either way... not everyone loves ninjin, yeah?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wesley84
I think the smirk and the car speeding up is a good indicator of exactly what kind of entrance she wanted to make.
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It's hard to pin down which smirk you're referring to, since there are so many.
She initially grins when she notes that the academy is interesting and the car seems to accelerate, but that's while they're still on the road, a while before the car appears on campus. The second smirk takes place a few moments after the car after she's spotted Alto, although the predatory element of that glance seems entirely directed towards Alto, rather than anyone else.
There's no shot of Sheryl in between those two moments, since they cut to Alto and company in between. I'd be inclined to believe that theory if there was a shot at some point of her standing on the roof yelling "Full speed ahead!" (which, oddly enough, is something that I could very much picture her doing
) but as it is, we can't reach that conclusion without assuming the worst of Sheryl to begin with.
That being said, I suppose the scene in part was meant to highlight Sheryl's carelessness; she seems to leave most of the details of what she does in the hands of her employees. With regards to Ranka's television program, for example, Sheryl might have been in a better position to help with Ranka's problems had she been more aware of when and how her own show was airing. She seems to unknowingly step on people's toes from time to time, even though her own intentions are the very best.
But keep in mind that this last quality is merely the flipside to how refreshingly blunt Sheryl can be. It's interesting to note, though, that just as Ranka could stand to be much more successful were she to spend less time second guessing herself and were she to simply listen to her heart like Sheryl does, Sheryl too could be much more successful in building friendships were she to become slightly more cautious about accidentally provoking people's ire, following Ranka's example. But I expect that change will only come about through continued interaction between the two characters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wesley84
She pulled some strings so she can continue stalking Alto. She always intented to enroll, but scoped out her new habitat while the paperwork was filed. That's my guess anyway. Campus be damned, what Sheryl wants, Sheryl gets.
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Sheryl's not quite so good at planning. Generally, this principle applies to anyone who jumps off a roof to catch something
before determining their next course of action.
Remember, Sheryl didn't realize how fun flying could be until Alto took her up that first time, and even her request to try it out was very much a spur of the moment thing: "Let's see... that?" I don't think that she knew what she wanted until she actually took that flight with him.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Are you kidding? Most of the Tsunderes I know off the top of my head abuse their friends/love interests, and never take shit from anyone.
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Well, a tsundere can only be tsun only so far as they are in control of their emotions. As such, in moments of comedy, the tsundere tends to act as the foil/feed in any double act (by virtue of taking themselves and the rest of the world too seriously). Alto's done a fair bit of this already.
Keep in mind that while the definition of "tsundere" is really quite broad, you can't have a tsundere who is exclusively tsun. As such, a tsundere will always have holes in his/her armor that can be easily exploited for comical purposes, should the occasion arise.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Sheryl/Alto moments are far too orchestrated, if very entertaining, and it's the Earring's fault. I hope we never see any mention of it again, else I'll never be able to take Sheryl's character seriously.
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The problem, though, is that Right Earring never did anything wrong. While Left Earring caused all sorts of chaos before going MIA in war, Right Earring stayed at home very patiently, waiting for the moment that they would be reunited. I can understand that Left Earring made some bad decisions, but that doesn't mean that their love story needs to end in tragedy!
There are many things in this series that are very orchestrated, ninjin included. But it seems to me that the real charm of this series is character, moreso than plot. So I for one don't mind letting it slide.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
What do you mean? Alto never has the advantage.
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It may be rare, but it does happen. Some notable examples include when Alto tells Sheryl that he's got a place that he wants to show her (the Zentradi mall) during episode five, or when Alto tells her off for being too graphic, near the end of this episode. It's rare for Sheryl to lose her momentum, especially when you compare it with how she handled both Nanase and Mikhail in this episode without even skipping a beat.
That being said, I don't think Alto knows how he pulls it off, yet. But he's paying attention enough to catch little things about her character, such as her love for novelty, so I'm sure that things will balance out between them soon enough.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Thank goodness for small favors. I still wish they'd never been important (to the storyline) to begin with.
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Well, it does go hand in hand with the whole "mysterious heritage" routine. It's kind of similar to coming from a special bloodline or going from zero to hero after discovering the latent powers buried deep inside of you. At the end of the day, it's still entirely up to the characters to make these tropes work.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Yes, we know Sheryl's the picture of confidence. If she wasn't so fun to watch, I'd want to see her broken and ruined.  |
She's already ruined for marriage, or so I hear. Alto must take responsibility.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
What crush? I know I suck at picking these things up, but come on, where's there been even an inkling of that seen anywhere, aside from being a girl who just so happens to know Alto?
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It's all in her reaction to Sheryl's question in the washroom. She wouldn't have started blushing and stammering had Sheryl not have hit home. Surprisingly, Nanase had a much bigger reaction than even Ranka did when Mikhail asked her the same question while the RFC was eavesdropping. There's also the fact that Nanase is the first one over to listen in.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Underhandiedly you mean. Nanase made some good points, especially about Sheryl's treatment of Alto, while Sheryl completely deflects it by accusing Nanase of having feelings for him.
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Well, I'm not so sure about that. Playful banter adds a lot of fun to any relationship. Alto is rather introverted by nature, and the way in which Sheryl teases him and drags him around really pulls him out of his shell.
I think that Sheryl was right to deflect it. Getting into an argument with Nanase would simply reinforce the negative impression that Nanase has of Sheryl. It also places Ranka in a rather awkward position.
There's nothing really underhanded about what she did. It's all part of being charming.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
Oh great. Nanase is now simply jealous of Sheryl.  |
Jealous isn't the right word. That careless behavior that I mentioned earlier has a tendancy to rub some people the wrong way, especially when combined with the stigmas associated with her star status. Until they see that Sheryl really is good natured at heart, there's bound to be some hostility towards her. But they have to give her a chance first, before they can begin to see that side of her.
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Originally Posted by Wesley84
I think the positive inspiration part is over. Sheryl is simply in the way at this point.
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Not deliberately, though. While I can agree that had Sheryl had a more active involvement in the management of her shows, she might have been able to help Ranka out, I don't think that's the real problem here.
They're both in a competitive industry. Even though they are friends, I don't think that either would want to recieve a concession from the other. Is Sheryl supposed to cancel her shows and concerts so that she can lower herself to Ranka's level, or should Ranka develop the confidence and the work ethic to build herself up to Sheryl's level?
While Leon's interference provides an additional obstacle for Ranka to overcome, there's nothing to say that she can't shine in spite of it. At least part of the problem comes from the fact that, as Ranka says in episode 2, she wishes that she could be like Sheryl. Even the "Will you listen to my song?" at the start of Aimo in this episode carries a hint of that. As long as Ranka seeks stardom just to be like Sheryl, at best she'll only become Sheryl's shadow. She's going to have to be Ranka Lee first and foremost if she wants to enjoy the same level of success.
The other issue is her work ethic. I understand that it's tough being a singing carrot, but it still is a job and as such nothing to look down upon. If you only throw your heart and soul into your work when you've got an exciting gig, then you aren't going to get those chances to begin with. That's why Mikhail makes such a big deal of "Singing when there's nobody there to listen," in episode five. By now, there's probably nothing particularily novel or exciting about doing a new concert, but she still throws herself into it, heart and soul; anything less wouldn't do her fans justice. That's also why she stubbornly refuses to cancel her concerts, even though it's easy enough for her to do so when she isn't in the mood. That's the sign of a strong work ethic.
This is the best time for Ranka to explore why she wants to get into the industry. Write songs: singing isn't merely about raw vocal talent, it's about your ideas and how you express them. She won't have as much time for this sort of growth after she becomes famous.
I'm hoping that Ranka starts to internalize some of these things before fate (i.e. the storyboards) conspires to elevate her status. If she undergoes that sort of character growth, then even a million Leons (+ 1 dog) wouldn't be able to stop her.
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Originally Posted by Prongs
2. I think Her Voice is Better Than Sherrly (Ranka is Sara Type and Sherryl is Minmay Type)
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That's just a consequence of singing a cappella; you're naturally going to hear a more pure sound than you would when there are blaring instruments in the background. The choice of song is important as well; phonetically, I think that Aimo is slightly more suited to that classical style of singing than are some of the more poppish songs that we hear. It kinda reminds me of Latin.
I'm not sure if May'n was the one who was singing at the end of episode two, but it's much more fair to make a sort of comparison based on that scene, since they both sing the same song a capella. While I do suspect that Ranka was deliberately supposed to have a more shy quality about her than Sheryl, I did feel that Sheryl's delivery was much more powerful in that scene.
Snatch Alto from under Cathy's nose.
IT Support
However the ending scene made it worthwhile for me Alto and her flying with Alto carrying her just like when they first met. It was a nice scene and at this point i think Sheryl might need Alto more than Ranka does. Its almost like they are destined to switch roles Ranka becomes a star and Sheryl wants to be a normal girl.
