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Coolest Character Tournament - Post-Mortem


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Generic #757858



Joined: 03 Nov 2008
Posts: 1354
PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:08 pm Reply with quote
Agreed, and on that note I'll be changing my vote to support Nana. Also Kenshiro.
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Ggultra2764
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Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 3907
Location: New York state.
PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:39 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Discounting Kenshin on Reflections alone is silly especially when he's facing a character that makes a choice that doesn't just show weakness, but robs the character of everything that makes that character cool in the first place. After Oscar spoiler[marries] her character becomes bland and lose almost all of its appeal.


How does Oscar's spoiler[marriage to Andre] kill her character when Kenshin is spoiler[a shell of his former self] when he is portrayed in Reflections? She was still committed to helping the revolutionists overthrow the French royalty and even with spoiler[Andre's death during the attack on the Bastille, she was still able to work up the resolve to attack the prison before being mortally wounded in battle.] Meanwhile with Kenshin, spoiler[Reflections has him still angst over his tragedies during the late Tokugawa period and he still performed government missions which went against how his settling with Kaoru allowed him to move on from these problems during the TV series. While Oscar was able to die a hero's death while fighting the battle that turned the tide in the French Revolution, Kenshin died a lowly death in Reflection having struggled his way back to Kaoru before dying from a terminal illness.].
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mow123



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 339
PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:04 pm Reply with quote
Group B-17
D, Vampire Hunter D vs.
Kirika Yumura, Noir
Choosing: D
Because Kirika is too machinelike, emotionally stunted, and one dimensional for me to give her a nod. Sure, sure is excellent assassin and a killing machine, but that's about all she has going for her.

Group B-18
Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry) vs.
Ginko, Mushi-Shi
Choosing: Harlock
Because Harlock has a much more constant and intensely cool aura about him. I wonder if Harlock's sternness and strictness will be seen as weakness later on in the tournament.

Group B-19
Kisuke Urahara, Bleach vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit
Choosing: Balsa
Because Yeah, Balsa has Urahara outclassed. She's much versatile and original in the way that she personifies anime cool. Urahara relies mainly the usual anime goofiness while Balsa is more profound and much more impressive the anime veteran. And she isn't too shabby on the badass front either. Her fights are some of the best anime has to offer in both quality, execution and style.

Group B-20
Kenshin, Ruroni Kenshin vs.
Oscar Francois de Jarjay, Rose of Versailles
Choosing: Kenshin
Because Both characters seem to have fairly major weaknesses. I am more forgiving to Kenshin since his weakness is revealed in a separate OVA while Oscar's is revealed in the main series. Sure, it's splitting hairs, but neither one will have a chance at winning next round.

Group B-21
Lelouch Lamperouge Code Geass vs.
Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke
Choosing: Lelouch
Because Lelouch is probably one of the coolest characters that relies on melodrama. He is a persuasive rabble-rouser and he's willing to do anything he wants for his noble intentions even if his means have to be less than noble to get there. Sure he has his flaws, but I think Eboshi was rather bland, and less interesting that the more flamboyant and bolder Lelouch.

Group B-22
Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop vs.
Nana Osaki, NANA
Choosing: Faye
Because Faye was one of my first exposures to anime cool, and sure she has her insecurities but I found Nana to be underwhelming, and just not that cool. Plus Cowboy Bebop just radiates awesomeness and it rubs off on Faye. Both characters have a tough persona that falters when you learn more about them. They both have their issues, but I think Faye sells me better on her cool vibe even if it just a mechanism that she uses to cope.

Group B-23
Suzuka, Outlaw Star vs.
Revy, Black Lagoon
Choosing: Revy


Group B-24
Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star vs.
Celty Sturluson, Durara!!
Choosing: Kenshiro
Because Hearing Celty's inner thoughts make her more interesting, but it creates huge cracks in her "cool persona".
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:52 pm Reply with quote
Group B-17
D, Vampire Hunter D
vs.
Kirika Yumura, Noir

Voting for: D

I'm afraid that I didn't think much of Kirika back in the day. Granted, my support for D is relative rather than absolute.

Group B-18
Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry)
vs.
Ginko, Mushi-Shi

Voting for: Captain Harlock

Ginko is indeed a good character but not necessarily cool enough to beat someone as iconic as Harlock. The difference between them in terms of presence alone is astounding. That said, I expect that during the later rounds Harlock will start to stumble a bit.

Group B-19
Kisuke Urahara, Bleach
vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

Voting for: Balsa

This match brings memories of the last couple of tournaments, to be sure, but in the end I was never fully convinced that Kisuke's aura of mysteriousness would end up leading to something better and greater in the long run. On the other hand, Balsa ended up scoring, both directly and indirectly, quiet a few points in her favor.

Group B-20
Kenshin, Ruroni Kenshin
vs.
Oscar Francois de Jarjay, Rose of Versailles

Voting for:Oscar Francois de Jarja

Tough choice. I like both characters, but since we aren't supposed to be talking about Kenshin from the TV series as such...I have to say that Oscar, despite a couple of previously mentioned flaws, comes across as not only a more versatile character but also happens to be a rather progressive role model as far as female protagonists are concerned. That's cool enough for me.

Group B-21
Lelouch Lamperouge Code Geass
vs.
Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke

Voting for: Lelouch Lamperouge

I believe I've already said more than enough about Lelouch himself during my previous posts, to be perfectly frank, so I'll talk a little more about Lady Eboshi here...particularly considering the dearth of arguments -as opposed to the abundance of votes- in her favor.

It's unfortunate that outside of this tournament she tends to get a bit of unfair flak from some people on occasion...but Lady Eboshi is a good example of how to make a sympathetic antagonist who, no question about it, manages to effectively combine an air of superiority and boldness with a fairly understandable if slightly misguided motivation. In this sense, she fulfills her intended role about as well as you could possibly imagine. It's no surprise that we are talking, after all, about a Miyazaki character.

Having said that, on a purely personal level I find that she doesn't really provide enough long term fodder for analysis nor sufficient entertainment value. Once you understand the essentials of her story -or, perhaps more accurately, the story she's involved in- that pretty much wraps everything up. Great execution pushes her forward...at least while it lasts.

Which is something that others could ostensibly consider a virtue, I guess, because this state of affairs also has the side effect of enhancing her positives as a character and leaving her less exposed to potential criticism. In other words, it's fair to say Lady Eboshi doesn't overstay her welcome.

However, I don't necessarily believe in the implication that giving a character more time to develop or reveal more flaws makes him (or her) inherently "uncool" when all is said and done, so you could say my vote tends to reflect that in this specific case. Is Lelouch a better person than Lady Eboshi? Surely not. Nevertheless, I do think he's more interesting as a fictional subject of study and, as far as I'm concerned, quite cool in his own right.

Group B-22
Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop
vs.
Nana Osaki, NANA

Voting for: Nana Osaki

The winner is almost certainly going to be Faye but I think she gets a little too much credit. That being the case, I suppose I might as well vote for her opponent given that, either way, I'm not particularly concerned about the outcome of this fight.

Group B-23
Suzuka, Outlaw Star
vs.
Revy, Black Lagoon

Voting for: Revy

I'm not sure if she is still my favorite character from the actual show or not, in retrospect, but at the very least I found Revy to be more memorable than Suzuka and certainly capable of quite a number of impressive feats without compromising her obvious attitude.

Group B-24
Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star
vs.
Celty Sturluson, Durara!!

Voting for: Kenshiro

Considering Kenshiro's been able to make it this far, I guess he'll put up far more of a fight than what I initially imagined. Which isn't unwarranted, mind you, but still a bit of a surprise. In this particular match, however, I do believe he has the edge over Celty. Not so much because of what others have said, to be completely honest I'd be willing to give her the benefit of the doubt there, but more because Kenshiro simply is one of the all-time badasses in anime. It would take an impressive set of arguments -and visual evidence- in order to find someone else who can beat him in that category.
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Mad_Scientist
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Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 3011
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:22 pm Reply with quote
Don't have a lot of time, so only one of these is getting a justification written.

Group B-17
D, Vampire Hunter D
vs.
Kirika Yumura, Noir
My vote: D

Group B-18
Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry)
vs.
Ginko, Mushi-Shi
My vote: Harlock

Group B-19
Kisuke Urahara, Bleach
vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit
My vote: Balsa

Group B-20
Kenshin, Ruroni Kenshin
vs.
Oscar Francois de Jarjay, Rose of Versailles
My vote: Oscar

Group B-21
Lelouche Lamperouge Code Geass
vs.
Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke
My vote: Lady Eboshi

Group B-22
Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop
vs.
Nana Osaki, NANA
My vote: Nana

Group B-23
Suzuka, Outlaw Star
vs.
Revy, Black Lagoon
My vote: Revy

Group B-24
Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star
vs.
Celty Sturluson, Durara!![/quote]
My vote: Kenshiro
I love Celty, and I hate voting against her, but... she's got some personality quirks. She's scared of aliens, for example (seems a bit obsessed with them), she's got a fair amount of angst related to issues involving her head (complicated, and justified, but it's there), she has a weird issue with the traffic cops in the second part of the series, etc, etc.

I think all these things add to her character and make her funny and awesome (she's my favorite Durarara character), but they aren't really "cool" character traits, and they certainly aren't bad-ass ones. Thus, I just can't justify voting for her against Kenshiro.
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The Naked Beast



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: A Blue Planet
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:43 pm Reply with quote
Group B-17
D, Vampire Hunter D
vs.
Kirika Yumura, Noir

My vote goes to: D.

Group B-18
Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry)
vs.
Ginko, Mushi-Shi

My vote goes to: Ginko.

Group B-19
Kisuke Urahara, Bleach
vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

My vote goes to: Balsa.

Group B-20
Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin
vs.
Oscar Francois de Jarjay, Rose of Versailles

My vote goes to: Kenshin Himura.

Group B-21
Lelouch Lamperouge Code Geass
vs.
Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke

From a lowly high school student rises the charismatic leader of a rebel group fighting for Japan's liberation. Of course, the power of the Geass had something to do with it. You really do not see this kind of transformation often. Then again, his flamboyant entrance announcing the arrival of Zero might be over-the-top but it achieved its purpose: to make an impact.

Lelouch sought to do what which must be changed: the world. Though he had to use people, deceive his friends and sister, and put on his Zero persona, he truly wishes for a world of equality. His genius-level intellect gives him the ability to formulate plans on the go and revise them as so. I mean, he formed the Black Knights, instigated a coup in another country, and was a pivotal figure in starting a UN-like entity.

Is there any other high school student out there that can say they have challenged the most powerful force in the world?

My vote goes to: Lelouch Lamperouge.

Group B-22
Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop
vs.
Nana Osaki, NANA

My vote goes to: Nana Osaki.

Group B-23
Suzuka, Outlaw Star
vs.
Revy, Black Lagoon

My vote goes to: Revy.

Group B-24
Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star
vs.
Celty Sturluson, Durara!!

My vote goes to: Kenshiro.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18252
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:15 am Reply with quote
Round 2 Group B: Mixed Group #1 is now closed.

With 23 votes in, the results:

B-17: D struck down Kirika Yumura, 20-3.
B-18: Captain Harlock menaced Ginko into submission, 18-5.
B-19: Balsa's spear destroyed Kisuke Urahara's sword, 21-2.
B-20: Kenshin does his (wo)Manslayer thing on Lady Oscar, 14-9.
B-21: Lady Eboshi proved well able to resist Lelouch's Geass, 16-7.
B-22: Nana Osaki slipped by Faye Valentine, 12-11.
B-23: Revy crushed Suzuka, 18-5.
B-24: Kenshiro overcame a slow start to explode the rest of Celty's body (since he obviously couldn't do her head), 18-5.

And yes, it was remarkable to me that Celty was leading 5-1 at one point and still got blown own that badly (there was one vote change, so Kenshiro only took the last 14 in a row). Seems like things turned decidedly against her once people finally started making comments. The one close match, B-22, actually wasn't for most of the round, as the votes for both sides came in streaks.

So D/Captain Harlock and Revy/Kenshiro next round, eh? Both of those should be very interesting to watch. But we have plenty more action coming up before then. . .

Oh, and start submitting clips for scene recommendations for winners of this Group, too. So far I've gotten one for Izumi Curtis but that's it.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18252
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:18 am Reply with quote
Round 2 Group C: General Cool Dudes/Dudettes is now closed.

Results can be found here.

This time this group is numbered and labeled correctly. We have several interesting matches here, including a three-way in C-22 because of a tie last round. I will be especially curious to see how that one goes, but C-23 might be particularly interesting, too, since those contestants seem to have similar fan bases. And which way will Yuuko vs. The Count and Kino vs. Spoor go? Time to find out!

Group C-17
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise

Group C-18
Allen Schezar, Escaflowne franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

Group C-19
Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHolic, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
vs.
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Group C-20
Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Group C-21
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Fee Carmichal, Planetes

Group C-22
Kyouraku Shunsui, Bleach
vs.
Rin Tohsaka, Fate/stay night
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Group C-23
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Group C-24
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes
vs.
Roger Smith, The Big O


Last edited by Key on Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:36 am; edited 2 times in total
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LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5633
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:29 am Reply with quote
Group C-17

Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise

Group C-18

Allen Schezar, Escaflowne franchise

Group C-19

Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHolic, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Group C-20

Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Group C-21

Fee Carmichal, Planetes

Group C-22

Kyouraku Shunsui, Bleach

Group C-23
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena

A guy that is able to negotiate naked or a girl who wants to be a prince...sorry, Utena but in the matter of Coolness I have to go with November 11

Group C-24

Roger Smith, The Big O
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7358
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:32 am Reply with quote
C-17: Kino
I'm quite familiar with both competitors, but Kino's ability to keep a cool head definitely makes me vote for her over Spoor

C-18: Medicine Seller
Another two I'm familiar with, I just never found Allen Shezar overly cool, maybe it was his nose, but I like Medicine Seller's abilities too much to not go for him.

C-19: The Count
Sexy dub voice certainly helps Razz but yeah he just acts like he owns the upper class I love that!

C-20: Taichi Keaton
I finished Trigun a few weeks ago, sorry, I don't think Wolfwood was cooler than Kurama (in hindsight or anything), I more see him as the second fiddle to Vash, but I don't think he's super cool on his own. Keaton on the other hand, awesome guy with a wide variety of skills, disarming bombs, finding killers, you name it, he does it all and he's pretty modest about it too, unlike a lot of other geniuses.

C-21: Fee Carmichal
I know I said last time that I saw Akira as the kid with all the cool toys who himself is not as cool as his toys. I've seen EotE, but I dunno, he just never struck me as cool, just someone with a very big wallet. I mean, I don't consider the brats on My Super Sweet 16 to be cool and their parents certainly have a wallet size comparable to Akira's. Akira might not be as much of a waste of flesh as the kids on My Super Sweet 16, sure, but he's not much cooler than them either. So Akira vs the coolest salary worker ever? Easy pick for me on Fee. Fee's dedication to smoking, while a nasty habit, is just awesome, going so far as to save all of space travel to get a pack of smokes! And no one had to get naked for no apparent reason.

C-22: Roy Focker
He's awesome as a mentor, a pilot, and a heart throb, what more could you want?

C-23: November 11

C-24: Reinhard von Lohengramm
Wants to take over the world, sure, but he's so good about it! Not only that, but pretty much every subordinate the guy picked was also cool (and in the case of Bitenfeld, hilarious!), I like his tastes!
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Crisha
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Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 4290
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:38 am Reply with quote
Well, fudge, look at that. During the course of time it took me to type this up, the voting was closed. Oh well. Better luck next time, kid. Please don't erase this post, it took me a long time to type.

Group B-17
D, Vampire Hunter D
vs.
Kirika Yumura, Noir

Vote: D

Group B-18
Captain Harlock, various (see Guide entry)
vs.
Ginko, Mushi-Shi

Vote: Ginko

I feel like I should vote for Harlock (I mean, dude, he's iconic... I haven't even watched the series and even I can recognize that)... but I can't vote against Ginko. He's not gonna win anyways, so I'll give my vote to him.

Group B-19
Kisuke Urahara, Bleach
vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

Vote: Balsa

Duh.

Group B-20
Kenshin, Ruroni Kenshin
vs.
Oscar Francois de Jarjay, Rose of Versailles

Vote: Oscar

I guess I'd like to preface this by just reminding everyone that Oscar is in the General Cool category and not Bad-ass. Because a couple of arguments from people almost sounded like if a battle were to occur between Oscar and Kenshin that Kenshin would whoop her ass, and therefore she's nowhere near as cool as him. Um... two different categories here. Yeah, I don't doubt Oscar would lose in a one-on-one match, but then a lot of the fighting techniques in RK are very extraordinary in comparison with the RoV world.

I was going to write a long-ass write-up for this, but then I came to my senses when I realized that I was making a fun, little popularity game into a chore.

Regardless, my vote is still going to Oscar. She is one of my favorite characters ever, and I really admire her.

But just to make certain I wasn't looking at her through rose-colored glasses, I went back and rewatched episodes 38 and 39, which is where I'm guessing a majority of complaints for her come from. And I guess I just fail to see eye-to-eye.

And as a warning, I'm not going to hide spoilers.

Okay, in regards to episode 38, where she confronts her men and tells them that she's Andre's wife and will follow his decision... I see that as a show that she is willing to have a relationship based upon equals. There was an inequality to their relationship in the fact that she was a noble and he wasn't. By giving him an important decision, she's showing that she trusts his judgment completely and will not consider herself a noble separate from him. They're equals in the matter. Which is especially important considering the revolution going on at hand and the increased tension between the nobles and the commoners.

I did not see her words as ones of utter submission. If it was utter submission, every act that would have followed would have been her constantly looking to Andre to ask for his opinion. But her men and Andre still continued to follow her and look for her direction, she was still the one to instigate matters and face issues head on, she was the one who walked into a mob of distrusting people to convince them that her men were fighting on there side, and she was the one that lead her men into battle. I just don't see it.

Andre and Oscar had a sincere devotion towards one another, and I think they would have given equal effort and sacrifice to their relationship had it been allowed to continue. That is more than what we can said about Kaoru and Kenshin's relationship in the final OVA. Kenshin leaves on a personal quest of redemption, and Kaoru is left to raise their son. Yeah, real equals there.

And in episode 39... yes, she does break. Andre's death hits her hard. She has one bad night where she wanders in a dazed state of mind and breaks down crying a couple of times. When Alain comes to get her the next morning, she recognizes that she still has a duty and needs to be strong; and so, just requests one more time to cry, which he allows while holding her. Afterwards, she snaps out of it and leads her men into a final battle, which ends up being a victory for all of the commoners in France. Without her and her men, the Bastille likely would not have been seiged.

Going by the final OVA, Kenshin has several years of depression which he never truly escapes. His guilt eats him alive until his death.

Of course, many people want to ignore this and consider what Kenshin was truly like (i.e. in the original canon). In which case I would only like to bring up one thing. What did Kenshin do for a while when he thought Kaoru was dead? What was that? Oh wait, was that something about falling into a catatonic depression and leaving his friends behind? Huh, why look at that. It seems losing a loved one is really hard no matter who you are. In which case, both characters are on equal grounds for pulling themselves out of it and doing what needed to be done.

And that's all I'll say about that.

Oscar is an honorable, noble person who gained many admirers and who really grew over the course of the series. She initially ran away from matters she didn't care for (or for things she thought didn't concern her) by hiding behind an impassive, stoic facade or just plain ignoring everything going on around her. She was proud and bullheaded to a fault (which I guess was also an attraction considering she was a woman amongst men in a man's world). Over time, she allows her inner compassion and passionate fire to show through more, which is not a weakness. In fact, it helps her confront her inner feelings, which is the one area she had the hardest time struggling with. It helps balance out her stoic, proud side until she becomes a more well-rounded individual.

And it's not like facing her feelings head-on suddenly made her weak in other areas. She was still just as bold, brave, and noble. Her skills with the sword and gun did not falter. She retained her leadership skills and presence, and her men stayed loyal to her until the end. Yes, she became more humbled and more willing to compromise, but those qualities do not make a person uncool. In fact, I think knowing when to back down and knowing when to take charge makes one even more cool. And yes, she had moments of weakness, as already discussed, but she overcame all of them in the end.

Overall, I think Oscar is a really admirable person, and is a progressive role model. I could only hope to aspire to be half as cool as her.

Oh, hey, look at that, I still wrote a long-ass argument. Hmm... passion of the moment. Oh well, Oscar won't win anyways, but now I feel good that she got a worthy argument.

Group B-21
Lelouche Lamperouge Code Geass
vs.
Lady Eboshi, Princess Mononoke

Vote: Lady Eboshi

Group B-22
Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop
vs.
Nana Osaki, NANA

Vote: Faye Valentine

I really don't think she should be in the tournament much longer, but I'll let her pass this round.

Group B-23
Suzuka, Outlaw Star
vs.
Revy, Black Lagoon

Vote: Revy

Group B-24
Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star
vs.
Celty Sturluson, Durara!!

Vote: Kenshiro

Haven't seen FotNS, but the arguments for him have convinced me. Besides, he does have quite a manly presence.
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DerekTheRed



Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 3544
Location: ::Points to hand::
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:15 am Reply with quote
Hmm, there are some tough ones for me in this group.

Group C-17
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise

I expect that Kino will win because, I think Kino's Journey has more of a following, but I am picking Spoor over her. I prefer the way Spoor acts over Kino. When presented with a decision, Spoor immediately decides her course of action, and speaks without a filter. Kino would be more likely to ask questions, learn about the circumstances of the situation, weigh the repercussions of any actions she might undertake, and then act. Definitely more responsible and mature, but not as cool as saying "Eff it, lets take this scout fleet and attack those unidentified ships that grossly out number us, some of them might be supply ships anyway."

Group C-18
Allen Schezar, Escaflowne franchise
Cool in the classic sense I guess, but I am not really fond of him. I don't think he's uncool though, so he doesn't deserve a vote against, but at the same time I am not familiar with the Medecine Seller (and not persuaded by his entry) so I'm not voting for him.

Group C-19
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Group C-20
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton
This one sucked, I ended up voting for Master Keaton (against my bracket, even) after comparing them. Wolfwood's biggest cool points are his expert gunplay and the quirkiness of dressing like a priest and carrying around a huge cross. I have to believe that Keaton's skill with a gun in the real world roughly equals Wolfwood's in his world, so we'll call that point a wash. Keaton was an SAS commando, he was advanced enough to be a survival trainer, and he worked in an anti-terror unit, he is plenty good with a gun. Now I have what boils down to Wolfwood's appearance against Keaton's MacGuyverness, and general skill at life.


Group C-21
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
Another tough one. Takizawa wins because he and Fee are similar, but he does it better. Razz Basically, neither have special powers (the phone doesn't count) and Fee's only skill is that she is a space pilot. However, at her point in the future, flying her space ship is kind of like driving a non-standard wheeled vehicle today, like a big rig, zamboni, or dump truck or something. Takizawa has crazy negotiation skills ( do you know anybody who can convince a man on the street to give him his pants?), can convince people to work together en masse (spoiler[he gets thousands of NEET to come out and orchestrate a mass evacuation of a wide expanse of Tokyo, an evacuation that proved to be thorough enough for the city to take ten missile hits with no loss of life]), but I think that his attribute that seals it for me is that he is an optimist. He is willing to think differently, and to consider any ideas.

Group C-22
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech
I guess Roy because he has mad guitar skills?

Group C-23
Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Group C-24
Roger Smith, The Big O
Eh, I guess robo-batman.

BTW Key, Reinhard's link leads to Kaji's guide entry.
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 3:33 am Reply with quote
Group C-17
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise

Kino. Mainly because although I have seen Crest of the Stars i did not enjoy a bit of it, and to be fair, I remember nothing of the main characters except that they were really irritating me. Kino on the other hand- well, I must say she has an irritating side to her as well, but she has an amazing fighting/interpersonal skills that help her survive in a world full of some very, very weird people.

Group C-18
Allen Schezar, Escaflowne franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

Medicine Seller. I liked Allen, but all in all I think Kusuriuri wins thanks to the air of mystery that surrounds him- we dont know what he is and why he does not age. A mix between he is skilled in fighting and his technique is, just as himself, impressive but mysterious, and what adds to his coolness for me is that...in a way... he is like an anime Sherlock Holmes (well, kind of, but you must admit, he does a lot of intricate detective work). He deals with malicious spirits on a daily bases and never looses cold blood, regardless of how dangerous the situation is.

Group C-19
Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHolic, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
vs.
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Gankutsuou

Group C-20
Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Nicholas Wolfwood. Wolfwood for me was actually cooler than Vash (who surprisingly enough was not even nominated!), he is a complex character with a lot of charisma. I have not seen master Keaton, but looking at the write up, I doubbt whether he can beat a guy who rides a motorcycle with a massive gun shaped like cross.

Group C-21
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Fee Carmichal, Planetes

I think Akira, judging on popularity, will go through, but my vote goes to Fee Carmichal. Mainly because Akira started off very well in the series, but then became more irritating than cool really, and even spoiler[his saving Japan] did not redeem him in my eyes. All there seemed to be to him was someone else's money, really...

Group C-22
Kyouraku Shunsui, Bleach
vs.
Rin Tohsaka, Fate/stay night
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Rin Tohsaka

Group C-23
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena

November 11

Group C-24
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes
vs.
Roger Smith, The Big O[/quote]

Reinhard von Lohengramm
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:57 am Reply with quote
Group C-17 Kino
I really like Kino's neutrality and the way she sticks to it. She often comes across dangerous situations without losing her cool.

Group C-18 Medicine Seller
The other guy shouldn't stand a chance.

Group C-19 Gankutsuou
Probably the toughest choice for me. The Count happens to be extremely cool at times, and very tempered at others, but he still beats Yuko, since he does have more of a marking presence.

Group C-20 Nicholas Wolfwood
Not a big fan of Nicholas, but I can perfectly understand why he's popular. Either way, whoever wins won't get my vote over Gankutsuou, so I'm not that bothered.

Group C-21 Akira Takizawa
Fee was more of a tough girl rather than cool. If I were to pick a cool character from Planetes, that'd have to be Yuri.

Group C-22 Rin Tohsaka
Surprisingly...

Group C-23 November 11
Never seen Utena, but from what I know and read on her entry guide I'd say she's the type of girl who is very popular amongst girls. But then again, even if she weren't.

Group C-24 Reinhard von Lohengramm
A match between Reinhard and November 11 should be very interesting and biased.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:37 am Reply with quote
Group C-17
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise

Kino no Tabi is one of the best anime I have ever seen. I like all these thought-provoking stories that this series consists of, but Kino is a passive observer, everyman. I prefer a more colourful character like Letopanyu Spoor.

Group C-18
Allen Schezar, Escaflowne franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

I have seen both and Allen is not impressive enough to beat enveloped in fathomless mystery Medicine Seller. His calm and confident behaviour, even in most perilous situations, simply exudes coolness and charm with which Allen doesn't stand a chance.

Group C-19
Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHolic, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
vs.
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count

Group C-20
Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Nicholas Wolfwood

Group C-21
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Fee Carmichal, Planetes

Akira Tokizawa

Group C-22
Kyouraku Shunsui, Bleach
vs.
Rin Tohsaka, Fate/stay night
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Roy Focker

Group C-23
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena

I don't have such a high opinion of November 11, as many others here seem to have. I have seen DtB and I don't even remember him all that well. On the other hand, Utena Tenjou left an ineradicable impression on me, especially at the end of the series when she tried to save Anthy and spoiler[took the swords of hate on herself, even though Anthy had stabbed her in the back.]

Group C-24
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes
vs.
Roger Smith, The Big O

Reinhard von Lohengramm


Last edited by Aylinn on Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:00 am; edited 3 times in total
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