Spotlight Character: Mayuko Chigasaki (NieA Under 7) MAL Character Information Page: Mayuko "Mayu" Chigasaki MAL Favorites: 14 For the next week I would like to have everyone familiar with this character discuss what they think makes it an exceptional character. What attributes make it stand out in the ocean of interesting characters that exist in the realms of anime and manga. Unlike the other two subjects I will not force this conversation to fall into any set structure. Characters that are nominated typically get here because they are adept at breaking the existing character moulds and defying definition. Because of this freedom I encourage everyone to do their very best to stay on topic and keep any and all debate civil. Have fun and I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say about this character. RESULTS OF THE YOU DECIDE POLL Mayuko Chigasaki was NOT inducted into the club Character list: 2 Yes - 15.3% 11 No - 84.6% 55 Don't know this character - 78.5% of the total number polled 2 Abstained - 2.8% of the total number polled |
santetjanSep 26, 2012 3:40 PM
| You do not beg the sun for mercy. |
| Someone will have to explain me why ANYTHING in this series is worth of induction. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
| Oh, right, this one’s mine too. Mayuko, okay. NieA_7 is a weird little show, sticking to the slice-of-life comedy/drama format pretty clearly, yet feeling like just a little more effort was put into the little things, or just a little more strange than comparable shows (given the team, kind of a given). This is Mayuko’s spotlight though, not NieA_7 proper, but it’s worth noting what sort of show it is that the character is in to know what expectations would normally be placed on said character. Mayuko is a fairly simple character, the only really exaggerated attribute being how poor she is for the sake of viewer sympathy. Not the best start. But she doesn’t dwell on her situation, not wailing at how unfair life is and whatnot. Her dead father is a good example of how little she’s over-dramatised; she’s not entirely cool with it, obviously, but by the time the show starts she’s pretty well carried on. If anything, she seems rather content working her three jobs. Point, she’s not melodramatic despite moderately shitty conditions, and she doesn’t wail about the past every episode. She’s quiet and polite around most all characters (joke about Japanese, ahar ahar), with the obvious exception of Niea, since Niea’s a little shit. Her relationship with Niea isn’t all that uncommon, obviously, but it does tell how close she is with one parasitic little alien, given that she only fully opens up (/bitches) to Niea. So, she’s more or less a normal person, a rather simple character. And this is where I go back to what genre this is. In a genre that’s largely character based (or bases itself on characters to look at pretty pictures), there’s not many characters like Mayuko, a ‘normal’ character. There’s no quirk blown way the hell out of proportion to serve as their sole characterisation feature. Sure, she’s quiet, but not anymore who keeps to themselves would normally be. She’s hard working, but no more than is necessary. She’s saddened by a deceased parent, but doesn’t constantly cry over it (every episode). She’s a culmination of a set of traits, not a personification of one, which in a show other than a slice-of-life whatever, probably wouldn’t hold (but she would be out of place then, anyways, so I don’t know why I brought it up), but is difficult to find in a slice-of-life (+ genre). That’s all? Couldn’t bring up Noir too, or why not go all out and pull Lain out for a character res? Really though, I have (well,’ had’ now) eight more hours on this plane, totally could have done it. |
| Pants are subjective. |
| Slice of life talks about normal people that have quirks. Being a normal people without any quirk does not make anyone special. -_- |
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
ladyxzeus said: Slice of life talks about normal people that have quirks Never knew that was a requirement of slice of life. I tend to think better of the characters that aren't created around a quirk, you know, quirks serving the character rather than the character serving the quirk. And NieA_7 is anything if not quirky, it's about a poor college student living with a freeloading alien, really. You just can't sum up Mayuko as the usual anime character trope names like most slice of life do, genki girl, tsundere, etc. |
DecamperSep 16, 2012 8:35 PM
| Pants are subjective. |
| I'm not sure of the interest of observing normal people doing normal things... But now that we think about it, it could bring out a revolutionary anime. |
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
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