I’m back asking the important questions! Have you ever asked yourself in fact, if you ever got magically transported to your favourite anime universe, would you be an interesting character. A fan favorite? Would the audience hate you or worse, ignore you?
Don’t worry about not having any fancy powers, you’re going to discover those any second now. As for living a boring ordinary life, that’s just because you’re in that first bit of the story, before the action starts. We all know stories are always about average, ordinary folks anyways. Considering all this now, I ask again, would you make a good anime character?
The thing is, I think I would be the type of character I like the least. If I am completely honest with myself. I’m the super optimistic cheerful type, and surprisingly hardworking. I would be the cheerleader begging people to ” not give up” and rallying everyone to start another project. I’m also very short and small but still fairly well proportioned. You may think this has nothing to do with my character but design plays a pretty important role in how anime characters are perceived by the audience and what roles they are allowed to take. And let’s face it, I’m gonna be a loli…
Personality wise, I’ve mentioned before that I identify quite strongly with Miss Kobayashi. Low key, easy going and efficient. At least on my best days. I lack the deadpan delivery though and that really ruins the whole thing. I’m much more giggly and silly.
In short I would be one of those dime a dozen, nice genki girl lolis. Nothing special or even remotely interesting. I would like to think I would be a better than average dime a dozen loli, but I have no facts at all to base that on.
I came to this sad realization while walking Buddy the other day and have been fretting about it since. Should I change who I fundamentally am to become a more interesting potential anime character? Is it possible for me to wear higher heels without permanently damaging my back? (the answer is no, already looked into that one). Would it be easier to simply change my views on genki lolis? I’m pretty sure that’s also a no. It’s ok. We don’t need to figure this out right now. I’m one of those special puzzles you need to take your time putting together.
For the moment, we can just figure out whether anyone even wants to be a good anime character in the first place.
One of the big problems we’re going to have is defining the term *good*. Obviously we all like different things. Heck, some of you may even like genki lolis! I am not going to trick myself into some unwinnable argument over who is best character… again…
Instead, let’s start with most popular. Not so long ago, I did in fact try to figure out who the most popular anime character was for English speaking audiences. The seemingly overwhelming winner was “L”. Don’t get me wrong, I quite enjoyed Death Note (the manga) but I’m a little surprised by the anime’s staying power. Not disappointed, just surprised. Like I was saying, everybody loves L, but would you actually like a person like that in real life?
Superficially, L is probably more bearable than a lot of popular anime characters. A super smart but eccentric guy who’s likely to leave you alone unless you’re some type of super criminal. If you are not grossed out by bare feet or get upset when people don’t share their desserts with you, you’ll probably be fine around L. Then again, you probably will find him rather boring and super rude. Most of us simply don’t have what it takes for him to consider us worthy of the effort of interaction. As for being like L. Well you’d end up sort of a jerk.
Then again, lots of people are already jerks and not many are geniuses so you may end up better than average after all.
Ok forget L. What about Bakugo…um no…nevermind… Sadly, it seems characters that are both interesting and likable aren’t that common. For instance, I love Ryuji from Toradora and I would love to hang out with him but the character most people prefer is Taiga and no one wants to be around someone that could break their bones at any moment for no particular reason.
Hmmm….guys… Do we just like characters that are kind of jerky? If that’s the case then I guess it’s ok for me to be a boring character. But I can’t trust my own judgment on this. I know for a fact I have horrific tastes in anime people. To be honest, I have a pretty high tolerance for real life jerks as well.
Ok last try. I know what would make this better. Ryuko. You thought I was going to say Natsume…Me too. Kill la Kill’s leading lady is generally well liked (for various reasons), a total bada*s everyone at the party wants to hang out with AND a pretty nice person and sweet friend. I found one. I actually imagine a certain prolific blogger we all know to be a lot like Ryuko in my head.
Ok from now on, I’m adding a bit of Kill la Kill to my attitude. Let’s face it, I’m going to end up as Mako. Well that’s still pretty great. Back to the question at hand then. Would YOU make a good anime character? Why? Is there already a character out there that reminds you of yourself? Who? I’m really curious about this?
well I don’t know if I could compare myself to any anime character. that may be because I watch a lot of anime and I don’t remember all the characters from every anime I’ve watched. I’m not very out going and I’m kinda lazy and when I don’t have anything to do I just stay in one room and do stuff on the internet. some people call me a troll. It’s kinda hard for me to get motivated to do stuff. I really like musicals. I only ever leave the room I’m in for eating most of the time. I can be really positive and energetic and kinda brain dead sometimes and at other really negative or rude but at the same time the smartest person in the room and sometimes I’m just that one girl who’s in a sweatshirt and doesn’t talk to anyone. I think I got this trait from my dad and/or my sister but I tend to talk to myself or mumble under my breath. I have a small amount of friends and I tend to ramble on about things.and sometimes I’ll just zone out while thinking about random thing then someone will try to talk to me and I won’t here or see them till they poke me
Actually, that sounds like some great charas. Hyouka and Snafu come to mind for me.
Just noticed this was a re-post. Oh well! Some questions are worth asking more than once.
I also see myself as a cross between Hachiman Hikigaya, Haruhi Suzumiya, and Oota from Tanaka-kun… if that makes any sense at all, lol.
I’m struggling with work so I’m buying some time by reposing a few posts not many people seem to have seen the first time around
I find protagonists in shoujo manga/anime are usually as you describe yourself– diligent, genki types, humble where it counts. But then that honesty is what ends up being the glue that holds their little clique together when something goes wrong. I think we all tend to gravitate more towards characters who aren’t like us– an “opposites attract” sort of thing. Inversely, I’ve spoken to people who were like, “I HATE in “, even thought the person I’m talking to is almost exactly like that character IRL. The character’s flaws are all the more obvious, because we have those flaws too, so we get mad at them for not being as aware of them as we are. That’s how I see it, anyway.
If I weren’t just an average Joe side character myself, I’d probably be Orihara Izaya from “Durarara!!” except much shorter, less interesting, and not nearly as good at dodging flying vending machines. And yes, I hated this character type too– at least for the first couple of seasons. To take from the Wiki:
“People think of him like some cold-blooded monster, but he’s more human than anyone I know; he’s so fragile inside. If you pumped him full of love and betrayal and such, I think he’d fall apart. I think that’s why he decided to love humanity by letting everything wash over him. Do you see what I’m saying? He accepts everything, but he doesn’t take it in. He lets it wash over him.”
Sounds somewhat edgy and grandiose when it’s put that way, but it’s basically me if my personality traits were exaggerated like they are in anime. I’ll sometimes say or do stuff just to see how/if people react, especially if I find myself in a boring situation. Nothing overtly malicious, usually just good, honest fun. I like to stay behind the scenes and just watch people, trying to figure out what they’re going to do next. I only really go out of my way to talk to people who are interesting, so everyone else (90% of the world) thinks I’m antisocial. But I really do love interacting with people, even though it doesn’t usually seem that way. I’m trying to be more positive/outgoing these days, but it’s hard, considering I’ve been doing this for so long.
Anyways, I’ve been rambling for too long… Again. Thanks for another interesting post.
Lol, WordPress tried to format a part of my essay into HTML. Rookie mistake. The one quote that doesn’t make sense at the beginning *should* read: “I HATE (insert random character) from (insert random show).”
I figured it out!
I loves me a troll… And a relaxed laissez faire attitude is the main component. You sound like a way better character than me… Not that I’m jealous or anything…
Troll? TROLL?!
…Yeah. I guess I’m a bit of a troll, aren’t I? -_-
I mean, I don’t TRY to be annoying, but it probably comes off that way to some people. I appreciate the thought, though.
I mean Izaya is one of anime’s greatest trolls and one of my favourite characters
I’ve thought about this before, and while I’ve never came to a firm conclusion, I do know that I’m nothing like most of my favorite anime characters. I really tend to like outgoing and energetic types like Ritsu from K-On and Honoka from Love Live. Maybe I have a bias towards characters who have the qualities I lack, being an introvert who prefers a more deliberate pace of life.
Among recent anime characters, the one who probably reminds me the most of myself is Rin Shima from Laid Back Camp, a capably independent type who values her small circle of friends but also values her alone time just as much (we both enjoy cooking and reading too). It feels like most anime treat being introverted as a character flaw or as something that needs fixing, so I appreciated that LBC made Rin interesting and fun without taking that away from her.
I can see why a culture that value societal contribution above individuality might see introversion as a bit of a flaw…
honestly, personality wise, Kanna Kamui.
Interesting and slightly scary
I think would be teacher, or the big guy (I’m over ft tall) if I was made into an anime character.
Straightforward – i like it
No
Noted
I’m probably the weird friend of a side-character. Someone like Yuu from Tonari no Kaibutsu kun, or Fumi from Yuyushiki. Someone who likes obvserving thing and dislikes telling others what to do, but does occasionaly come out with a strange comment.
Those often end up in my favourites section
I’d end up a male version of Sawako without her redeeming qualities. I’m probably better off not being in anime.
You and me both
I’d make a good harem protagonist who ends up with a waifu in the end route…
Though I’m having a hard time believing that she’s really a 3D waifu because all she does is making cat noises.
Hmm harem protag. Bland but with a great six pack. Sounds good!
That’s a great shot you found of Kobayashi!
I’m so “first bit of the story” that I’m pretty sure I’m in the test group. Assuming, of course, that another me in a parallel universe got selected to star in an anime, and I’m the control to measure…
Yeah, the joke’s not working for me, either.
If I did manage to wind up in an anime, I’d probably be a cross between two characters. The first would be Ryuuji, and it’s not because you mentioned him! It’s because of his approach to life. Also, when I first watched the series, he responded to Taiga about the way I imagined I would. If I were indestructible.
The other character would be Takashi Matsubara from Re:CREATORS (he was Selesia’s writer). I’d rather be more like Shunma Suruga, but her dedication is way beyond mind. Pretty sure I wouldn’t risk a bullet to make my story more interesting!
Though if I somehow ended up a best-selling writer…
And by “way beyond mind” I meant “way beyond mine.” This whole English thing is getting harder…
Of course you would be Ryuji – the boy’s an angel
Tohru Honda minus the wonderful Mom, if you can imagine that. And as a loli because I’m also short. Come to think of it, I wonder if this is why people kept nudging me to watch Fruits Basket. Hmmmm…
Akari Kawamoto of March Comes In Like A Lion is probably a closer match, actually. If she happened to be a tanuki in her probably nearly non-existent spare time, and had more cats than sisters. Which brings me to Tosen Shimogamo of The Eccentric Family. Who, like me, dresses male. The whole family would turn out to save me when I see a roach, though, instead of thunderstorms.
Back in my younger days I was considered very interesting by other people – so they told me – but these days I’m far more settled and boring, at least to the outside. So it kind of depends on what part of my life you’re interested in as to whether I’d be a good anime character. I’m probably more like Tohru Honda’s mom than Tohru nowadays 😛 Given that a lot of animes revolve around teens to young adults who apparently have no parents at all – I guess my part is probably cut out! HHHH
So you’re more or less perfect is what you’re saying. I’m willing to believe it
OOOOkay Now I am REALLY blushing. No, no, no…. I’m not nearly as good as Tohru.
I don’t think I’ve ever fully related to a character before but some characters that come to mind are Tanaka from Tanaka-kun is Always Listless (but not THAT lazy), Oreki from Hyouka (but not that smart) and Hachiman from Oregairu (mainly share his thoughts, not much of a bookworm and no traumatic past experiences with girls cuz I was in an all boys school only till I was 17).
so your secret to happiness has been to avoid all girls. Sounds reasonable
Well I mean, I didn’t really avoid them specifically. It’s just that my primary school (7-12) was affiliated to my secondary school (13-16) so it was easier to get into. It just so happened that they were both all boys schools. In Junior College (17-18), there were girls but I was just more focused on studying cause I was having trouble keeping up. So my only interactions with girls was mainly for projects and stuff. Though I might have been interested in a girl at the time, it wasn’t really something I turned my attention to cause I had my hands full studying. Also, I just felt like it was a waste of time to hang around and play…. back then I really had a huge sense of responsibility and felt I needed to be productive… much better than I am now ^^”
Though perhaps I might change when I enter University this August…
Sorry for going on and on and getting all defensive, I’m pretty sure what you said was just in a joking manner but I just felt like saying all this. >~<
It really was, sorry if it hit a spot. My humour can be off. I went to an all girl’s school myself and it was fun
Nah don’t worry, it wasn’t exactly a sore spot. I just saw it late at night and I get rather talkative/rambly (is this a word?) at night.
well ramblyness is quite welcomed here… I’m pretty sure that’s not a word
Yea, I think so too ^^”
Mako is by far my favorite character from Kill la Kill so I don’t think being her is a bad thing 😛
I feel like if I were to be an anime character, I would be the shy girl who gets really loud and animated once you get her out of her shell. Like Mio from K-On! I’m even left-handed and can play the bass, though guitar is my main instrument.
Extroverted shy girls are adorable!
You as Mako. . .so many things I want to say, but then, I neither want to be banned from your site nor cause the invasion of my country by a bunch of vengeful Canadians. . .so, PASS! (It’s your fault, really, by first declaring you’d be a genki loli, then Mako to boot!)
As for what type of anime character I’d be, I’ll stick with my answer from last time (did you or Karandi ask last?): I’d remain a background character with little–probably no–screen time, a cousin of Kaede’s in Non Non Biyori who quietly slips her some money every month to help her keep herself and our grandma’s old candy shop afloat. I’d swing by sometimes for a quiet visit, and would definitely get roped into the scheduled community clean-ups, despite living and working in some other small neighboring community. . .
If it helps I don’t *want* to be a genki loli…
Background charas are often my favourites
I feel like I am a Mako as well. Rambling a lot, having this weird.. add a weird picture to tell a story thing. Though I’d be more Ace then Mako and I would be a bit like Nonon as well in terms of voice. Pretending to be a Nui.
Other characters I would be like, Yuki Takeya.
I’d also be a bit like Mikyuki Takara from Lucky Star.. hey those two names are kinda simiar too.
I can memorize small details and can sometimes recite something into the smallest details, I do socialise a bit going out for drinks and dinner with friends from time to time and I have a fair few posts where I write myself as an anime character in a certain universe.
I am fairly tall and would get a lot of Dojiko traits as well, and my being sick would probably be probably exaggerated as being unable to go out and living in a guilded cage.. because all the sickly girls are wealthy in anime! So bring on the change! I do not care if I am a good character or not I will have money! I’ll buy peoples love!
You sound like you have a good plan there Pinkie!