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View Poll Results: Aquarion EVOL - Episode 24 Rating | |||
Perfect 10 | 15 | 27.27% | |
9 out of 10 : Excellent | 10 | 18.18% | |
8 out of 10 : Very Good | 3 | 5.45% | |
7 out of 10 : Good | 9 | 16.36% | |
6 out of 10 : Average | 5 | 9.09% | |
5 out of 10 : Below Average | 1 | 1.82% | |
4 out of 10 : Poor | 4 | 7.27% | |
3 out of 10 : Bad | 4 | 7.27% | |
2 out of 10 : Very Bad | 1 | 1.82% | |
1 out of 10 : Painful | 3 | 5.45% | |
Voters: 55. You may not vote on this poll |
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2012-06-15, 14:26 | Link #241 | ||
Six Shooter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: USA
Age: 43
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I'll also add that I find it ironic that fans dislike Mikono because they think she is cunning and two-faced, when the fans generally like (and Mikono dislikes!) Fudo precisely because he is cunning and two-faced, constantly manipulating people's feelings and hiding the true purpose of his orders/decisions. |
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2012-06-15, 14:37 | Link #242 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
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In my opinion, Mikono's "indeciveness" and "passiveness" comeback was needed in order to continue/drag on the plot. If she decided to chose between Amata/Kagura during the events of episode 21 ( The episode where she watched on top of a building while Kagura/Amata punched eachothers faces in..I think..) the conflict between Amata and Kagura would've ended right there (which is the main conflict of the plot). And then they would'nt have any material left. And I doubt they would want to dedicate the last episodes of the series to another MIX rescue mission since it would make them (Andy and MIX) seem like the main characters... More then they already do..:P So in other words, they chose plot over character developement. :/
I'm sure that once they decide this Amata/Kagura conflict has to end (and since she has to be the one to end it). She will show her active self again... since it'll be necessary for the plot.. >.> Last edited by queenSwild; 2012-06-15 at 14:55. |
2012-06-15, 14:57 | Link #243 |
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: "Sacrifice one to appease the few."
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Well yeah the writers are at fault, however that doesn't change that Zessica was set up to lose to Mikono. Thus they hate Mikono since if she wasn't there than there would be no reason Amata wouldn't be pushed to Zessica as far as they're concerned. Though it is sad the writers failed hard with this that even Amata's VA would rather Amata get with Zessica than the Lead Heroine.
Anyone else starting to believe that Zessica could very well be OVA Reika? They also have similiar names(At least Reika's "Original" Name) and a lot of bad luck thrown their way. |
2012-06-15, 15:07 | Link #244 | |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
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He said ,"Things'd be smoother if Amata and Zessica got together." Which is true. There would be no Amata/Kagura conflict. I mean, why would Kagura fight him if he already has his wench? Mykage wouldn't have a body. How could he trick her if she was already content with her life? But then, there would be no plot.(Amata's love for Mikono is the thing that got this show started afterall..:/) And we can't have that can we? :/ |
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2012-06-15, 15:16 | Link #245 |
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: "Sacrifice one to appease the few."
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It doesn't matter, she's the rival to Zessica for Amata who happens to be the winner no matter what. Fans are angry over this because Mikono has done jacksquat for the relationship she's going to win in by default while Zessica has done everything right but because Mikono has to win, since she's the end game lover for Amata, it means that Zessica must lose(And lose hard). Thus Fans hate Mikono for that since her winning by default leaves a bad taste in everyones mouth since she has done nothing to work towards her "Happy Ending" compared to Zessica and will just have it handed to her on a silver platter.
Even if Amata got with Zessica I highly doubt that he would let a strange wolf man take Mikono away to a strange planet that they later learn turns women into men. Mykage would be screwed in this but it's Mykage, he would think of something to get what he wants. |
2012-06-15, 15:52 | Link #246 | |
Carpe Diem
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ||At the edge of finality.||
Age: 34
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In the end, the presentation (word choice, ironic interference) of the rejection might have been more important than the rejection itself, and its implied (anyway) that Zessica got the idea. The problem is, as far as I can tell, that while Zessica knows how Amata feels, she knows that he is in the dark with Mikono and that there's a chance that Mikono might run off with Kagura (its the best way to really explain Zessica's confrontation of Mikono at the end of 17). So, since she loves Amata (and wants to win him anyway), she's there to support him and prop him up when he trips up, all the while she tries to get his attention and holds out hope that, while Amata is for now infatuated with Mikono, he might turn an eye to her one day since he's not yet in a committed relationship. To some degree it's also implied that she was readying herself to move on in this life but held onto hope for another life (that's a lot of love, many shittons), and, ultimately, everything got dropped her head at once with the revelation that Amata and Mikono are the destined lovers. It shatters her one hope (and future hope, so two hopes, really) that Amata might one day give up on Mikono or be turned down since they are destined lovers, so they are destined to love one another always, so, by proxy, Mikono must love Amata. Go back to the start, and basically, from the point of view of Zessica's fans, a lot of her suffering comes up because Mikono has left the door of hope open. The rest is probably confused anger at the befuddling themes in the show. Zessica's spent more time trying to fight fate (and trying to win the guy, comparable levels of Andy trying to win and save MIX) than anyone else in the show, yet it is Amata who uses *fate doesn't matter* as his way to woo Mikono even though they are fated anyway, all the while Mikono just *is* (and has put in literally the minimal one episode of effort by meetings the guy first. Just go back through the show and ask yourself, how many times does Mikono pursue a relationship vs. how many times is she put into a cute moment because of (a.) coincidence or (b.) accident or (c.) because Amata does something). So you get a perplexing case of: - Fights fate but is losing to fate. - Says he'll fight fate but doesn't really. - Is in a state of existence and met the guy first, winning. Yes, Amata could have done more (but, Zessica was avoiding him fairly obviously), Zessica could have tried to sit him down and asked him WHY he likes Mikono (and boy would that have been a can of worms, forcing the writers to give some reason for why (as I'm curious too)), Mikono could have said something or other after the confession but she neither tells Zessica nor Amata how she feels, leaving both of them in limbo (and she even admits it on her adventure to find Fudo... just doesn't do anything about it). You can stretch this to how or why Kagura is still a problem, answer? No one talks to anyone unless the plot wills it.
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2012-06-15, 15:53 | Link #247 |
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Join Date: Sep 2008
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That's not her fault, but she doesn't do anything other than maintaining the status-quo in her relationship with Amata, despite knowing full well she's hurting both Zessica and Amata in the process. That's the real problem with her character. Zessica is the polar opposite of Mikono in that regard and repeatedly tries to change her situation and make something happen, but is constantly being punished for it. It's basically exactly the opposite of what you'd expect from a show like this.
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2012-06-15, 16:00 | Link #248 | ||
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Join Date: Mar 2012
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If you can say that Amata would get together with Zessica if Mikono wasn't around, then I'm sure that Mikono would get together with Kagura if Amata wasn't around. So does Amata really have a say in regards to a guy she wants to be with? Sure, Mykage could've used Yunoha when she was depressed because of Jin's death, but he didn't. Zessica is special, to him atleast. Quote:
Last edited by queenSwild; 2012-06-15 at 16:33. |
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2012-06-15, 16:45 | Link #250 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: "Sacrifice one to appease the few."
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No one needs to convince you of anything. Fact is that many hate Mikono and that Mikono's inaction, even if it's just there to give Kagura a reason to exist and for Zessica to get screwed over so Mykage takes her body, is just not a very likeable trait at all compared to Zessica. Since this is a mostly male oriented audience it makes sense that they hate Mikono because she looks like a cheat/tease and guys dream of a girl like Zessica who doesn't beat around the bush for what seems like forever. Was surprising that many female viewers hate Mikono as well and the whole Amata x Mikono dynamic and would rather she get with Bad Boy Kagura who is like a male Zessica when his feelings are concerned.
Funny that the more open characters are the ones that both sides of the spectrum have latched on to while hating the indecisive ones because they're indirectly causing the open ones to go through a bunch of unneeded suffering. With only 2 episodes left I doubt Mikono suddenly doing "Anything" will sit will with the majority of the fanbase, especially if her anything is "Lulz, merge Amata and Kagura together so I get both for my happy ending epilogue!". And yeah, pretty much that. If Amata wasn't around than Mikono would get with Kagura who is clearly the far more popular pairing to Mikono than Amata is. Which you know is a huge writing issue when the "Losers" are leagues ahead in popularity over the 'Destined Winners" and that the fans want the Losers to Win and hate the idea of the Winners winning and getting together even though that's what the End Game plan has been set up to be outside last minute changes. Which seems unlikely since Kagura will most likely die soon or get merged into Amata and considering Zessica's state and how they love kicking her every week... |
2012-06-15, 17:37 | Link #251 | |
Six Shooter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: USA
Age: 43
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But that's how fans can be. It isn't helped that the writers apparently felt they had to have Zessica fall in love with Amata in order to keep the audience guessing as whether Zessica was the reincarnation of someone (and so Mykage could use her). I think the story would have worked much better if Zessica and Amata had remained friends, but in today's anime climate, that might not be possible. |
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2012-06-15, 17:43 | Link #252 | |||
Carpe Diem
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ||At the edge of finality.||
Age: 34
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- Has something important to say but doesn't say it. - Admits that her inaction and fear of being hurt has caused people to suffer. - She already knows what it is that she has to say but puts it off. That immediately rules out the possibility that she was going off to search for answers (about her feelings), she already knew what she wanted to say. So...? Why not say it? Its not like she didn't have an opportunity moments earlier. Its not like Amata wouldn't have benefited greatly from her saying something reassuring to him like "I love you". Does she just revel in the thought of making people continue to suffer because she didn't want to say what it was that she already knew she was going to say but didn't? (I wrote that last sentence in jest initially, but now...) Quote:
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Last edited by Vena; 2012-06-15 at 17:56. |
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2012-06-15, 17:43 | Link #253 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: "Sacrifice one to appease the few."
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However, Fans see it as Amata really wanting Mikono thus he has zero romantic attraction, other than those moments where he totally appreciates Zessica's body(And did show "some" interest in her... When Mikono wasn't around), to anything that isn't Mikono even though his attraction to her seemed pretty forced and relied heavily on the Love At First Sight which was later reinforced by "Destiny". With the reveal that Apollonius never reincarnated into Apollo and was really Pollon they have really made the whole Reincarnation and Destiny thing seem like a pile of crude to the fanbase. If that's Destiny than why isn't the cast scrambling to get Amata away from Mikono already?
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2012-06-15, 18:39 | Link #254 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
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The most blaring problem I have with Mikono is how they raised certain 'flags' for how her character would be developed over the course of the series. She was so pathetic and passive at the beginning, she got her connection power and seemed to be changing a little, they revealed that her self esteem issues are because her father put her down a lot and that's it. Her character development halted completely.
I used to think that Mikono at the end of this would be somewhat like Minmay from Macross, dumping the protagonist for another romantic interest while still being a decent character. But the big difference is that Minmay stopped a war, and the most significant thing I recall Mikono doing was the connection power during the funeral. (When last has she used her power to connect?) You can almost draw a dichotomy between Mikono and Zessica and Amata and Kagura. Well, not so much for Kagura because at this point I still don't know much about him. Right now I think he's stuck in a rut and has the mental capacity of a dog because he shows no sign of any thought or insight (besides kuso onna). I had expectations that he would have become more like a main character nearing the end of this, but to be totally honest he seems like a character with the sole purpose of getting views from rabid fangirls. Hats off to kawamori though if the last 2 episodes are amazing, but going by the track record of EVOL i highly doubt it. |
2012-06-15, 20:59 | Link #256 |
Riding the Ange Express
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sunriseland
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Amata, Mikono and Zessica: Victims of weak character development.
P.S. I'm a Zessica fan too, and it sucks to see her get crapped on but I can't blame Mikono for it. I don't think Mikono is a bad character, I do think she's dangerously bordered on being a MacGuffin at times, but my problem with her is that she is too passive and hasn't really shown why she's so important. She has shown that she is caring and nice, but aside from being Celiane's reincarnation, what is her defining trait? What makes Amata risk his life for her? What makes Kagura so obsessed with her? Why should we care about her? That is one of things that disappoints me so much about Evol. In a story that is very character driven, they drop the ball in developing the main characters. For Amata: Why should we care about his past? Why should we care about his feelings for Mikono? Why should we want him to succeed? Yes he's willing to take on the world for Mikono, and that is admirable but why should we care? Zessica's case: A lot of attachment to her could be considered pity. Yes, she did do the confession in episode 16 and the kiss in episode 21 but really a lot of the attachment and support for her could be considered out of pity. She's the underdog, the hopeless suitor. People like the underdog. She did have a good personality at first but she eventually became this chronic depressed, overly-dependent girl, that has been dragged through the dirt. This got her sympathy with the fans but it doesn't make her a good character. I would like to know how other fans feel about this. I'm sorry if my thoughts aren't organized and if this post seems like a rant. Last edited by KleenexGhost; 2012-06-15 at 21:09. |
2012-06-15, 22:29 | Link #257 | ||||
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I think that one thing that Aquarion EVOL could have probably played up a bit more is how these Vector Pilots are real heroes protecting their world. This fact is too often lost in the shuffle of Soap Opera-ish romance conflict focus. Basically, the "Power Rangers" aspect of this show could have been played up a bit more to make Amata, Zessica, and even Mikono (since she has helped out a few times at least) seem more heroic. Some of this is a simple matter of throwing in bits of dialogue to make it more clear. "You've done enough damage to the city! I'm putting a stop to your murderous rampage now!" - Possibly a good line for Amata or Zessica. "No! All those people! Stop, please!" - Possibly a good line for Mikono. Granted, this is a bit cliche, but it does get the point across that these protagonists protect their world and the people living in it. Quote:
But Zessica is hardly the first anime girl to be made into the hopeless third point of a love triangle. Many of them didn't get the level of viewer sympathy/pity that Zessica has received. Some of that is how heavily the show has focused on Zessica's plight (thus amplifying how much people feel sorry for her, and can't help but have our hearts go out to her). But a lot of it, I think, is also how Zessica seems almost tailor-made to amplify all of Mikono's weaknesses by sheer contrast. Mikono is indecisive. Zessica is very decisive. Mikono is typically passive. Zessica is typically very proactive. Mikono was initially defined by her fear. Zessica started out like the female version of a hotblooded male Gundam pilot. Mikono frequently gets upset with Amata. Zessica virtually never does, even when she has much more reason to. Mikono hasn't done/said anything all that romantic towards Amata. Zessica has. So, especially from a male viewer perspective, this is what many see: Zessica is a flirtatious, fun-loving, genki girl who is courageous in battle and in expressing her feelings. She is bold and brash but also with an adorably romantic side to her that comes out in key moments. She's highly expressive with her love, and repeatedly shows a willingness to put her own feelings aside to support the feelings of the man she loves. Now, if you're a guy simply evaluating Zessica's likability as a potential girlfriend, what's not to like? She's great. Mikono is a generally nice and friendly girl, but she also is passive, indecisive, takes offense easily, and doesn't forgive easily. She's not that good at expressing her feelings, romantic or otherwise. Now, if you're a guy simply evaluating Mikono's likability as a potential girlfriend, there's issues here. She's still a generally nice, cute girl, but she screams "high-maintenance" to a lot of male viewers, I'm sure. And "high-maintenance" combined with "not emotionally expressive" is like THE most feared personality trait combo in a potential girlfriend, for a lot of guys. Now, I can kinda get why some/many female viewers would like Mikono more than Zessica. For some of them, Zessica's flirtatious nature probably reminds them of some of their more reckless female friends that jump on guys too quickly. And Mikono does have some edges over Zessica - Mikono is more careful, more cautious, more clear-thinking dare I say. But in a really hammy show like Aquarion EVOL these personality traits don't have the same effect as they might in a more 'down-to-Earth' romance drama. In something like Kimi ni Todoke, Mashiro-iro Symphony, or even a Key/KyoAni anime, Mikono's strengths would probably stand out more. But in the hammy Aquarion EVOL, they get drowned out by Andy acting so passionately about MIX(Y), Kagura acting so passionately about Mikono, Jin and Yunoha acting so passionately over each other, and Zessica acting so passionately about Amata. Mikono is like the shrewd and cautious pilot... in a Top Gun movie. It doesn't come off as well there. Quote:
I hope my post didn't come off like a rant.
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Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-06-15 at 23:04. |
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2012-06-15, 22:57 | Link #258 |
Riding the Ange Express
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sunriseland
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@Triple_R Mikono is Iceman while Zessica is Maverick
Your response was great so I'm gonna piggyback on some points. I agree that it seems that Zessica is there to make Mikono's flaws stand out. That's really screwing over Mikono. I don't get why the writers would do that? To make them contrast even more? I would it get that if that's what they were going for but they could have done it better. Like you said Amata is a good guy, he's just too vanilla. We need a reason to get behind him. They could have definitely played up the hero aspect of the vector pilots. The fate of the world is at stake, some Power Ranger style "You're not getting away with this!" or "Leave our planet alone" lines would really have helped. However Izumo and Jin did have moments like that. Your Mikono and Zessica comparison was spot on. I know I'm sounding like a broken record but we just needed more depth to the characters. And your post was definitely not a rant. Last edited by KleenexGhost; 2012-06-16 at 00:46. |
2012-06-16, 05:08 | Link #260 | |||
Ikarechimattaze!
Join Date: Mar 2012
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