Jul 7, 2016 9:58 PM
Favorite character from animes 6-10
Hello, my name is Dancewithknives and I have decided to make a type of self check on my adventures into Anime. After every 5 reviews, I plan to go back and write up a list of my favorite characters from the previous shows I have watched. This will contain spoilers to their respective shows. Also, some reasons may seem arbitrary.
The following character will be from:
6. Angel Beats!
7. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
8. Future Diary/ Mirai Nikki
9. Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
10. Gunsmith Cats
The following character will be from:
6. Angel Beats!
7. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
8. Future Diary/ Mirai Nikki
9. Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
10. Gunsmith Cats
[12]
Irene “Rally” Vincent from Gunsmith Cats
Although being a few episodes long, Gunsmith Cats did a good job of showing how Irene “Rally” Vincent really was an expert with firearms. Not by giving off some long winded monologue about guns, or by making a few insane crack shots, but by demonstrating and using actual firearm safety and techniques that only the most diligent of shooters would be able to demonstrate. Also, she’s pretty soft on the eyes as well.
[11]
Rei Amano (Yuki’s Mom) Future Diary
“Have fun storming the castle!”
Yuki’s Mom was not a well made character, she was basically designed as a checklist for all the things a young man would want in their parents: gamer, knows how to cook, is completely fine with your Girlfriend, etc. But what she lacks in actual character she more than makes up for in pure entertainment value. I thought that the Abridged Diary version of this character was a joke of the “Mom who wants grandchildren” trope, but they weren’t kidding, Yuki’s Mom openly encourages the two to have sex. That’s when I lost it and had to stop the video until I could breathe again.
[10]
Haruhi Suzumiya from MoHS
As I said in my review, I did not like Haruhi Suzumiya in regards to what she did in line with the storyline of her show, but at the same time, what I think was so very well done was the attention to detail and mannerisms that not only the animators, but also the localizers and the voice talent had to go through to really capture who Haruhi was. I think that you could take a few lines out of context from the show and ask a random person to describe Haruhi’s personality, and they could do a pretty accurate job at it.
[9]
Miho Amakata from Free! Iwatobi Swimclub
I have to say I kind of liked this character because she reminded me of an out of touch History teacher I had in Highschool who would try to find ways to make old quotes and sayings and try to apply them to real life with limited success. I was funny because I really reminded me of how irrelevant I thought that class was and how much of a waste of time it was. On the other hand, the fact that she was constantly trying to avoid the fact that she was a swimsuit model to get through college was pretty funny, it reminds me of the stories of female teachers in their 40’s having the secret that they were porn stars or strippers in their golden years come out.
[8]
Kyon from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
That salt… The only reason why Kyon stuck out to me as a character was how sarcastic and salty every one of his lines were. Without that, I would have forgotten about Kyon like the rest of the cast from MoHS, but the voice work and effort put into this show makes it an undeniable diamond in what I thought was a lot of rough.
[7]
12th (Yomotsu Hirasaka) from Mirai Nikki
He is literally a Blind Power Ranger.
I love 12th, because he is kind of funny, kind of sad, and kind of ironic all wrapped up into one character with a criminally short amount of screen time.
He’s funny because he is a person dealt with a very bad hand in life, being blind, and must have lived vicariously through TV, namely, Power Rangers. But with that being said, he is very optimistic and easily does more in life to fulfil his dreams than most people. He starts a shop selling memorabilia based on his own likeness and after he somehow is able to disarm a heavily armed serial killer, visits him regularly in prison in order to gloat over his success.
He’s sad because he is literally a blind power ranger. He has a childlike personality and just wants to use potential god powers in service of good and justice. In his After Credits shorts, I really think that the use of stop motion to describe how he sees things in his mind is really hearthrobing because of his disability.
He’s ironic because like most vigilante in media, he breaks as many rules and goes to as many extremes, and even more, than the people he is trying to fight. He tortures Minine, He hypnotizes the cultists, and brainwashes 4 other people to be in his power ranger team with him.
[6]
Deus Ex Machina from Mirai Nikki
“I didn’t ask for a snack… or did I?”
This is literally a person who gives 0 Fucks. Most of the time that expression is regulated for who don’t care about most things, or is a badass, or etc. But this is the first time that I have seen some who really embodies that mantra perfectly.
He start’s a war because he can.
He decides to start a battle royale with god powers to 11 maniacs and 1 pussy ass teenager because he can and can’t be bothered to pick one himself.
He lets people break the rules and doesn’t give a shit.
And he himself even breaks the rules of the game when he figures out Mur Mur’s a cheatin’ Ho so he can get back at her.
Seriously, No Fucks.
Also, I think that Kent Williams did a very good job of voicing him, he really made him sound like a god much more so than the Japanese VA.
And on a final note, I think that this is probably the god that atheists believe in.
[5]
Tk from Angel Beats
“Knock Knock Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”
I’m honestly not sure if TK was supposed to be an American who is trapped in Afterlife High and the Engrish is just him talking English, or if he is a westaboo who is just using American pop culture references out of context because he thinks it’s cool. The only thing I know is that he’s hilarious, and I regret saying in my review that TK’s hilarity is why I would recommend watching it in Japanese. On the flipside, though, I wonder if Shiaa, the Ninja warrior trapped for 200 years would be voiced in Japanese in the English dub?
[4]
Iwasawa from Angel Beats
*Crying*
Why god why? Bwaaaaaa ha ha ha…. Waaaa ha ha ha…
[4.B]
Iwasawa’s Guitar from Angel Beats
“There you go; Best seat in the house.”
*Sounds of person trying and failing miserably to hang themselves by their shoe strings in the back ground*
[3]
Yuno Gasai from Mirai Nikki
The epitome of Bitches Be Crazy.
What else could be said about Yuno that hasn’t already been said? People can call Future Diary a trainwreck as much as they want, but they can’t deny that Yuno carries most of the show and is hilarious. Especially in the beginning before she went completely psycho, she really embodies the reasons why younger teens need to think of things besides trying to find their Girlfriend/Boyfriends.
After watching Higurashi, a horror anime, I will say thtat she show did not scare me, but there was a moment in Mirai Nikki, at a little past the half way mark I think, that the show legitimately made me freak out and jump at the screen.
It was after their quasi breakup when Yuki admits that Yuno is unstable, Yuki is called down to dinner by his mom and is eating and for some reason Yuno is mentioned, and it was at that moment that I realized that, from the perspective of looking at Yuki, Yuno was standing right behind him before she vanishes.
[2]
Rin from Free!
*sung to the tune of Sound of Silence*
“Hello, gay thoughts my old friend… What are you doing out of the closet again?”
Gay Jokes aside, after watching Free! Completely, my attitude on Rin changed dramatically. Yes, it he still was a little bitch and needed to grow the fuck up, but to be honest it is so true how frustrating and depressed it can be swimming when you can’t improve, or you work your ass off just to find out that you are in the same exact place where you started. I think it is a good reminder of how young men need to put sports into perspective with their lives and realize that at the end of it all, its just a game.
Although I had some issues with times, I was never able to reach state level competition in my own independent event, I did not allow it to ruin my life. I really can’t explain why, maybe its telling as to why I didn’t succeed being that I lacked drive (Cock sucking motherfuckers who keep decreasing the qualifying time each goddamn year) but to me it was just a pastime and when it was over it was over. I had the opportunity to continue, but I decided it was time to hang up the speedo and goggles and move on in life.
And Finally:
[1]
Chaa From Angel Beats
*Hardly audible grunt and small smile off into the distance*
Like the other characters from Angel Beats! On this list, I wanted to make a depressed and crying joke instead of actually trying to make a point. But I really need to talk about this seriously.
Angel Beats! Was the Passable Tranny of all the anime I have seen so far. It drew my simple mind in with the pretty allure of guns, but at the end of the day left me depressed to the point that I wanted to use a toaster as a floatation device.
Like it or hate it, one thing that I think Angel Beats did very well was use subtle storytelling to allow you to fill in information about characters without directly telling you. Yes, they did this with a few, ie Iwasawa, yui, yuri, the Vice President, and I think that it is a legitimate point that the show really used force to make you feel emotions about a few of these characters, but I really think it shined with a few of its side characters.
The big problem with only being 13 episodes is that they could have had side stories or character development episodes, but if they did this I think they would have spoiled a few characters. Although there are many who are left without closure, I think that a few characters in this show can show enough information based on a few traits that can allow volumes be inferred on their personality.
So, why Chaa?
Chaa was one of the lesser of the side characters in the show, but I felt that every scene he had really gave us all the information we needed to know about his character.
He is the gunsmith, he discovered that metal can be made from dirt if the summoner knew enough about what they were doing, he ran the guild and supplied the Afterlife Battlefront with guns and ammo for their fight against god.
But why was he there? Afterlife Academy is for souls who felt cheated and were not prepared to move on with their lives, and so the limbo was made for them to come to peace with themselves? He’s a grown man who does a good job of making guns and seems to enjoy being in charge? Why hasn’t he passed on?
Most of this is inference, but I bet the problem with Chaa is something that I find as a flaw with myself; He’s too good at what he does.
He probably went through his whole life not taking time out to meet and become valuable as a person to other people. He was probably a mechanic, and he probably was the best person at his job, but whenever someone came in to enlist his service, they saw him as a tool, not a person. All they saw was a grease monkey in oil stained overalls and not Chaa, the person.
He saw people and wanted to meet them, wanted to talk to them, he probably wanted to be the hero for every pretty girl who stopped by the shop in fear of what the check engine light meant, but at the end of the day, they always left him standing there waving, telling them to come back the next time they needed an oil change.
So when Armageddon happened in Afterlife High, and Yuri ventured alone into the catacombs to strike at the heart of the corruption, he took his chance and did the thing he was best at and crafted her the most ungodly abomination of an M4 I have ever seen.
She took his Magnum Opus and told him it was perfect, and thank him, and like that he was at peace.
It wasn’t a kiss, a peck on the cheek or a long winded show of admiration, all he needed was for a pretty girl to say Thank you, and as I stated above, he grunted in return and made a small smile off into the distance, and he was gone.
Almost all you read above was my personal interpretation of who Chaa was, and after discovering the Angel Beats! Wiki, I learned that I actually wasn’t too far off.
So… Yeah, That’s why I really enjoyed Angel Beats! And gave a hardly relevant character my top spot.
So lets wrap this character audit off with a prayer to the Gunsmith up in the sky:
Chaa, who art gunsmitthing in Heavan, Ridiculous be thy M4.
By Afterlife Come, Guns will be done, with dirt and other materials.
Give us this Beretta, in Inox or Naught, and reload our casings so we may fire them again.
Lead us not into Malfunctions, but Deliver us from Knock Offs,
For thy shall make thy Handguns, thy Automatics, and thy rifles until episode 12.
Amen
Posted by
Dancewithknives
| Jul 7, 2016 9:58 PM |
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