×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Best Hero/Heroine Tournament: Finished!


Goto page Previous    Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Contests and Games
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:50 pm Reply with quote
I'm too tired to come up with commentary, so here's the detailed mini-game results. Enjoy, and double check.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime My Manga
Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:01 pm Reply with quote
Group D-25
Ashitaka, Princess Mononoke
vs.
Kikuchiyo, Samurai 7

Ashitaka. I think he is the type of person to not make too much of his heroics, probably in his mind he was just doing what he thought needed to be done, and what he does is quite impressive and enough to defeat this opponent.

Group D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic franchise
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Tough choice for me.
I think Mahoro is a great hero. But... she is an android (not human) and outclasses most opponents, points off. But.... when faced with an equal or superior opponent, she fights at the expense of her life force, and shortening her remaining time with Suguru, points for.
Kamina is a great hero. He never gives up, never retreats, points for. But at times, actually having a plan, not charging in blindly, seems like a better option (not a better story though). Reminds me a lot of Gene Starwind from Outlaw Star, points off.
Kamina will easily win this, but I will throw one last vote Mahoro's way.
Vote: Mahoro

Group D-27
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye

Once again, I choice I do not want to make.
I have lent my set of the Third dvds out to two more than casual anime fans, and both were highly impressed (as was I) with Honoka, and the story. It is an easy series to get into that tells great stories.
But she is up against Simon, a person who inspires another worthy hero from this round, Kamina. For what Simon becomes he gets my vote.
Vote: Simon

Group D-28
Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
vs.
Juna Ariyoshi, Arjuna

Not much familiarity with these two, so going by the guide, clips, and comments:
Vote: Youko


Vote Change Simon to Honoka


Last edited by Gewürtztraminer on Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:58 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mow123



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 339
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:41 pm Reply with quote
Thank you Dorcas_Aurelia for your effort with the detailed results. They are a treat every week that you post them.


Group D-25
Ashitaka, Princess Mononoke
vs.
Kikuchiyo, Samurai 7

Voting for: Ashitaka

Reason: While Kikuchiyo's clip was good, Ashitaka has the edge. I haven't seen either series so it may be hard for me to judge, but based on the heroics demonstrated in the clip alone Ashitaka is a strong choice. And it also doesn't hurt that it appears that Ashitaka has the majority of the support from people who are familiar with both series.

Group D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic franchise
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Voting for: Kamina

Reason: Perhaps one of the most purest and rawest heroes in this tournament, Kamina would be the group's front runner if it wasn't for his brother. Kamina is the essence of burning manly passion, and testament to bravery and dedication. He spoiler[ fought with his might and valor to his very last breath.] And what's best of all is that he has no regrets, an unshakable will, and the willingness to do whatever it takes even it means putting himself in a situation that is certain to lead to death -- surprisingly -- these are both two characteristics that one of group A's remaining contenders sorely lack.
Group D-27
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye

Voting for: Simon

Reason: Simon has the one thing that Kamina lacks to a certain extent, development and growth. Simon's journey from lowly admirer of Kamina to powerful, charismatic, and fearless hero is not only heart wrenching, but a tribute to how a true coming of age hero story should be. Simon is a top caliber hero, and it wouldn't surprise me if he had the potential to win it all.

Group D-28
Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
vs.
Juna Ariyoshi, Arjuna

Voting for: Youko

Reason: I still believe that Juna should have loss last round. That being said, Youko is not a weak heroine either. Well, Youko may not start out very strong, but her growth and what she becomes is not heroic, but also unique and a refreshing reprieve from the stereotypical anime hero. Sadly, I believe that in the future rounds she will be decisively outclassed.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Sophisticat



Joined: 29 Oct 2008
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:26 pm Reply with quote
Group D-25
Ashitaka, Princess Mononoke
vs.
Kikuchiyo, Samurai 7

Ashitaka. It's been quite a while since I've seen PM, but I seem to recall this guy as being pretty heroic. My vote goes to him.

Group D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic franchise
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Kamina, of course. The inspiration of many, he keeps people going even when he doubts himself. He keeps them going, and puts his own life at risk to help others. An epic personality.

Group D-27
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye

Honoka. This is a hard one, given Simon's pedigree, but as one of the few to have seen The Third, I think Honoka wins by a very slight margin.

I've nothing to add that Key has not enumerated, really. She's simply a very well-rounded, genuine heroine.

Group D-28
Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
vs.
Juna Ariyoshi, Arjuna

Youko. Going off the guide and comments here. She seems to have the edge, so Youko gets my vote.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:27 pm Reply with quote
D-25
Ashitaka, Princess Mononoke
Kikuchiyo, Samurai 7

Ashitaka
I like Kikuchiyo; he's got a big heart and plenty of guts. Unfortunately, at this point of the tournament, the competition is fierce. Even considering spoiler[Kikuchiyo making the ultimate sacrafice to save the village later in the series], he just doesn't quite have the stuff to outshine Ashitaka.

D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic
Kamina, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Kamina
Without Kamina, there would be nothing. He created team Gurren, and he is recognized by everyone as its leader. He is a constant inspiration to humanity, and without his bull-headedness, no one would have even thought of taking the fight to a seemingly insurmountable foe. Kamina does, though. He battles through impossible odds through sheer grit. Mahoro is a decent choice as well, but she can't really compare to a man who gets a city named after him and a towering monument built in his honor.

D-27
Simon, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Honoka, The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye

Simon
Some very good things have been said about Honoka, but she's up against Simon here. Simon rises from a lowly digger with no self-esteem to a towering hero who surpasses his big bro Kamina.

D-28
Yoko Nakajima, Twelve Kingdoms
Juna Ariyoshi, Earth Maiden Arjuna

Yoko
Juna barely made it this far against weak competition. Yoko has been winning fairly easily against slightly more difficult opponents.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime My Manga
Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:13 pm Reply with quote
Aylinn wrote:

Group D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic franchise
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Kamina because I have read a lot about how great he is. Plus, his opponent is a moe, I refuse to vote for a moe.


Mahoro Moe? She may come across as that, but she can handle herself. Besides you voted for Duck twice as far as I can see (not Tutu). Duck is so much more moe than Mahoro. Silly reason in my view (regardless that Duck is my pick to win), but the whole I refuse to vote moe thing.... not holding much water. spoiler[She defeats the greatest power the earth has faced through brute strength at great personal cost.] I think it just bolstered by Kamina's manliness. I have laid out Kamina's credentials, and my view that he will prevail here, but please do not brand Mahoro with a moe label. She can protect herself.

*edited* IE 8 is not made for forum postings
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:51 am Reply with quote
Gewürtztraminer wrote:

Mahoro Moe? She may come across as that, but she can handle herself. Besides you voted for Duck twice as far as I can see (not Tutu). Duck is so much more moe than Mahoro. Silly reason in my view (regardless that Duck is my pick to win), but the whole I refuse to vote moe thing.... not holding much water. spoiler[She defeats the greatest power the earth has faced through brute strength at great personal cost.] I think it just bolstered by Kamina's manliness. I have laid out Kamina's credentials, and my view that he will prevail here, but please do not brand Mahoro with a moe label. She can protect herself.

Well maybe I jumped to conclusion, because Mahoro looks like a moe. However, she is still from the show I will never watch. Being from an ecchi show is also enough for me to vote against her.
Quote:
I refuse to vote moe thing.... not holding much water.

I know, but people don’t vote for Miyazaki’s character because they are Miyazaki’s character, so I don’t see any problems, especially since I have explained why I have chosen Kamina. Plus, in this situation even if I wasn’t biased, I would vote for Kamina just because of the overwhelming support given to him in previous rounds, which makes him appear as a strong contestant.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Dorcas_Aurelia



Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:30 am Reply with quote
Aylinn wrote:
Gewürtztraminer wrote:
I refuse to vote moe thing.... not holding much water.

I know, but people don’t vote for Miyazaki’s character because they are Miyazaki’s character, so I don’t see any problems, especially since I have explained why I have chosen Kamina. Plus, in this situation even if I wasn’t biased, I would vote for Kamina just because of the overwhelming support given to him in previous rounds, which makes him appear as a strong contestant.

As little sense as I think there is in the anti-Miyazaki voting, not voting for Mahoro on grounds of moe is worse (Voting for Kamina because he is awesome is fine). Calling Mahoro moe seems to misunderstand what moe means: it is not just a synonym for cute, it implies a desire to protect something that you cherish. This would make it a reasonable argument against a character, but Mahoro pretty clearly demonstrates that she doesn't need protecting. The little girl with the teddy bear in the clip, that would be moe. Mahoro is a badass in a fetish costume.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime My Manga
Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:21 pm Reply with quote
Dorcas_Aurelia wrote:

As little sense as I think there is in the anti-Miyazaki voting, not voting for Mahoro on grounds of moe is worse (Voting for Kamina because he is awesome is fine). Calling Mahoro moe seems to misunderstand what moe means: it is not just a synonym for cute, it implies a desire to protect something that you cherish. This would make it a reasonable argument against a character, but Mahoro pretty clearly demonstrates that she doesn't need protecting. The little girl with the teddy bear in the clip, that would be moe. Mahoro is a badass in a fetish costume.


That’s why I said I jumped to conclusion. I forget that moe implies a desire to protect something that you cherish, since moe girls usually just annoy me.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:38 pm Reply with quote
Aylinn wrote:
Well maybe I jumped to conclusion, because Mahoro looks like a moe. However, she is still from the show I will never watch. Being from an ecchi show is also enough for me to vote against her.


Fair enough, being turned off my the ecchi is fine. They could have taken the teacher character out of the series totally and it would have improved it in my view. When the same exact character turned up in DearS.... I groaned. This anime trope needs to die.

The rest of the ecchi was pretty funny and not over the top, and added to the Mahoro/Suguru dynamic. I will admit at being surprised how good of a story was told, and the depth of Mahoro's dedication to what she perceived as best. It is a weird blend of styles, and topped by what I consider one of the best anime ending episodes ever (More than a few will claim it to be one of the worst though).

In the end, I will admit to having a thing against "the rush in without a plan, get bailed out by luck char". but I also put more weight behind humans, their equals or lessors (Duck) displays of heroicism. My admiration for both is great, but in the end, I gave the smallest of nods to Mahoro.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Animeister



Joined: 19 Nov 2008
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:11 pm Reply with quote
kikuchiyo because he uses a sword

kamina because he uses a sword

honoka because she uses a sword

youko because she uses a sword


Last edited by Animeister on Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:52 pm; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7358
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:19 pm Reply with quote
@Animeister, you'll need to put reasonings for your choices if you want your votes to count.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Olliff



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 550
PostPosted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:34 pm Reply with quote
Group D-25
Ashitaka, Princess Mononoke
vs.
Kikuchiyo, Samurai 7

Voting for: Ashitaka

Reason: Kikuchiyo is clearly outclassed. Ashitaka may not be one of the strongest contenders if he advances, but it's clear to me that Ashtitaka is the better choice based on what is accomplished in such a short period of time.

Group D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic franchise
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Voting for: Kamina

Reason: Brimming with courage and bravado to the point where it becomes almost too ridiculous to handle -- Kamna is a larger than life hero. He's over flowing with manly passion, he never yields on his principles, and lastly he never backs down. Reckless he may be, but he is equally heroic and probably the second strongest character in this group. It's a shame that he has to face his brother next round -- I could easily see him taking down many of the other remaining contenders.
Group D-27
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye

Voting for: Simon

Reason: Honoka sounds like a great heroine from the guide and what I have read in the comments, but Simon is just too strong of a choice for me to vote against him. Like others have said, watching his transformation from weak kid to powerful commander not only has a strong emotion impact, but it adds a distinctive edge to his standing as a hero. Not only that, but Simon proves that he wiling to do whatever it is best for his people no matter what the risk may be.

In the end, Simon surpasses his brother as a hero; he becomes equally courageous, charismatic and inspirational, but at the same time far more grounded and less caustic. Kamina is great guy and a great hero, but at times his personality is a bit irritating and a little too prideful. Simon manages to capture all of the strengths of Kamina without any of his flaws; I am sure his brother would be proud of him.

Group D-28
Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
vs.
Juna Ariyoshi, Arjuna

Voting for: Youko

Reason: Juna has barely edged by her last few rounds, and I believe that she is lucky to even to have made it this far. I have heard great thing about Youko. Her clip was impressive and unique. And this reminds me, I need to get around to watching Twelve Kingdoms; I have heard many great things about it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mad_Scientist
Subscriber
Moderator


Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 3011
PostPosted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:51 pm Reply with quote
Group D-25
Ashitaka, Princess Mononoke
vs.
Kikuchiyo, Samurai 7
My vote: Ashitaka
Kikuchiyo had a nice clip, but it would take a lot to get me to vote against Ashitaka. I'm not even sure there's anyone in this bracket I'd pick over him. I've already gone on about Ashitaka a little bit in past rounds, and Key gave a nice summation of his deeds this round. Ashitaka is an incredibly heroic person who finds himself caught in the middle of two opposing sides, and works his hardest to save lives and bring peace to the warring factions, risking his life in the process, all the while struggling with a curse that is tearing apart his own body. If that isn't heroic, what is?

Group D-26
Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic franchise
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann
My vote: Kamina
When it comes to the inspirational part of heroism, Kamina is one of the strongest candidates here, as the effect he had on Simon and the rest of the brigade is striking. And Kamina did more than just inspire, he had plenty of direct heroic actions himself. He has his flaws too, but they aren't enough to make me vote against him... this round.

Group D-27
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye
My vote: Simon
Nice clip for Honoka, who has always impressed me as a strong candidate, even though I unfortunately have not seen her series (I definitely want to.) But she is up against Simon, unfortunately. Even Key, one of Honoka's biggest supporters, reluctantly admitted that Simon should probably win, and having seen Gurren Lagann, I can understand why.

Simon might start out as something of a wimp, but he develops into an incredibly heroic figure, and becomes superior to Kamina in terms of overall heroics, in my mind. The clip shown for Simon shows when he starts to develop into the heroic guy he becomes, and it's just the tip of the iceburg for Simon... he does so much more. He definitely deserves this vote.

Group D-28
Youko Nakajima, The Twelve Kingdoms
vs.
Juna Ariyoshi, Arjuna
My vote: Youko Nakajima
Youko's clip was a bit more impressive than I expected just from the description, actually. Yuoko's always seemed like a strong but unusual candidate, but I've had a few lingering doubts in the back of my mind about whether she's really as strong a candidate as some of her supporters say. This clip makes me lose most of those doubts. Overcoming a sadistic tormenter who can read your thoughts and use your own doubts against you can't be easy. Overall, from what I've read and seen, Yuoko seems to be more impressive than Juna by a fair degree.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:56 pm Reply with quote
Gewürtraminer wrote:
Group D-27
Simon, Gurren Lagann
vs.
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye

Once again, I choice I do not want to make.
I have lent my set of the Third dvds out to two more than casual anime fans, and both were highly impressed (as was I) with Honoka, and the story. It is an easy series to get into that tells great stories.
But she is up against Simon, a person who inspires another worthy hero from this round, Kamina. For what Simon becomes he gets my vote.
Vote: Simon


Once again after reflection, I am going to change my vote. I love Gurren Lagann, but to me it seems a lot like a cartoon, where as The Third, seems like a more important story. And when I get right down to it, that carries more weight with me.

After seeing both, (the third via netflix), and Gurren Lagann via Sci Fi, I own the boxset of the Third, but am waiting on a seaon set of GL.

Honoka is great, dub and sub. I will make her loss less one sided.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Contests and Games All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous    Next
Page 52 of 77

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group