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Coolest Character Tournament - Post-Mortem


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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:51 pm Reply with quote
Past wrote:
I'm confused, what particularly, if anything is cool about Reinhard? If I had seen the video clip sooner, I would have voted against him to help prevent him from even getting past the nomination stage. I've watched Legend of Galactic Heroes and the only reason I didn't pay attention to his nomination was because he was so completely uninspiring and forgettable as a character, even though he's one of the main characters. He's ugly, boring and immature.

Do you realise that it's your subjective opinion, not a fact? Rolling Eyes
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@



Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 3498
Location: IN your nightmares
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:08 pm Reply with quote
Aylinn wrote:
Past wrote:
I'm confused, what particularly, if anything is cool about Reinhard? If I had seen the video clip sooner, I would have voted against him to help prevent him from even getting past the nomination stage. I've watched Legend of Galactic Heroes and the only reason I didn't pay attention to his nomination was because he was so completely uninspiring and forgettable as a character, even though he's one of the main characters. He's ugly, boring and immature.

Do you realise that it's your subjective opinion, not a fact? Rolling Eyes
Completely. I don't think I'd be first to put this whole tournament at about 90% subjective and 10% fact. I'm simply looking for a differing opinion on why others think he is cool. I won't change my vote but I'm interested others' justification for any admirable qualities he might have.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:35 pm Reply with quote
Past wrote:
Completely. But thanks for the reminder. I simply looking for a differing opinion on why others think he is cool. I won't change my vote but I'm interested others' justification for any admirable qualities he might have.

Sorry, I thought you are confusing these two concepts.

Speaking about Reinhard some people, including me, have written a lot in this topic why they think Reinhard is cool, so I don't know what else you expect. It's seems that whatever is written will not change your opinion, since having seen the same thing you found it boring, when others didn't. Isn't it better to accept that people have different opinions and agree that we disagree? Wink
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mow123



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 339
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:24 pm Reply with quote
Group C-25
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

Hmmm, really conflicted on this one. Spoor has the strongest presence, but has quite the temper. I give the slight edge to Kino for being the most graceful, but I personally don't find her amoral nature to be the least bit cool. I don't know Medicine Seller, and I wasn't particularly convinced by the clip or the arguments.

Group C-26
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Smooth, sophisticated, suave, and dominant, and stylish, the Count has it going on. Sure, he can be vengeful, but he is only returning what is deserved. As far cool talkers go, Count is on the top. No one can match him on the verbal level.

Group C-27
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Akira has a strong likable personality matched with an unbreakable will and undeniable charm. He's also a generally good person, who strives to do what is right despite the temptation to do otherwise.

Group C-28
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes

November 11 has a near perfect execution of cool and style. Reinhard is great, but he can sometimes be moody and unconsciously manipulated by others. He may not be able to persuade you to give up your pants but he can be just as cool, dominant, and confident with them on or without.


Hmmmm, Key you are an English teacher, right? What would the correct word for the bolded word be? Is it "as", "or", "than" or some other word. English isn't my first language. Or is that sentence so flawed that I might as well rewrite it?


Last edited by mow123 on Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:11 am; edited 2 times in total
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:59 am Reply with quote
Olliff wrote:

Also how many people can talk the pants off of you?




People on this board really seem to like this argument, while for me it means more than Akira is a good psychologist rather than a cool person. (Leaving the anime aside, it is a trick that skilled psychologists can perform: convincing people to gave them their belongings like wallets, keys, etc- nothing to do with charizma).

A Gypsy once talked my sister into giving her 50 GBP. My sis only realised what happened 5 minutes later. Neither of us saw anything cool in it.
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:02 am Reply with quote
I dropped this argument the moment you made it clear your biggest basis was his achievement of taking over the galaxy. But, as someone who shares the same views as Reinhard, I'm quite sure that governing is a lot harder than conquering. So, there's not much badass feats involved. And this isn't even a badass match. I still stand my ground that the agent field, Nov 11, is a bigger badass than Reinhard, the tactician.

Quote:
Like I said before, I have no idea why you are wasting your time arguing with me on what I find cool and badass, while spouting around your opinion and a bunch of nonsense all the same.

How about just not discussing if you're so attached to your opinion shield? Seriously, we all have our opinions, but sometimes we can put them aside to resonate with other humans.
And obviously, I never thought about involving your opinion. I thought we were both discussing a general view of coolness? You don't want to see me acting based upon my opinions, by the way, because they're so bloody one sided that they'd never fit this tournament.

I'm fed up with this discussion. I really hate to keep my temperament at bay. You can read the proper and very direct reason as to why I pick November 11 below.

Group C-25 Medicine Seller
He has a really different and weird kind of coolness, I'll admit that. But so far I haven't seen any arguments that could beat his coolness during fights that put him at a complete disadvantage and have others around him panicking.

Group C-26 The Count
While I don't consider the count perfect, I do think he deserves to get at least 2 rounds further in the tournament. Of course, considering the next [possible] opponent that's most likely gonna happen. The Count has a predominant style that's just too hard to beat.

Group C-27 Roy Focker
The meh match. I see too much shonen hero going for Akira, which is why his charm never really worked much on me. He also never really did much in the series considering that he's the protagonist, and I'd blame it mostly on his amnesia.

Group C-28 November 11
A tough match. As much as I like Reinhard I don't think he has nearly as much charm, composure, calmness, maturity, style, and elegance as November 11.
Reinhard's charisma lies mostly in the series. Once it's transferred over to the viewer it's just not as convincing as it was on his subordinates. He loses his cool too often, and sometimes borders mental breakdown. And while I don't mind his sister complex, it certainly damages his coolness.
Which is why it once again comes down to the same issue I had with Celty. Too much character development killed off many of the character's chances here.
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The Naked Beast



Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: A Blue Planet
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 7:55 pm Reply with quote
Group C-25
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

Wow, this is a tough choice here but the Medicine Seller has my vote. His mysterious nature and knowledge of the supernatural give him the edge. When it is time for some ghost busting, he truly becomes a badass completing the package. Malicious spirits beware, the Medicine Seller will find out what you are, why you are malicious, and your purpose.

My votes goes to: Medicine Seller.

Group C-26
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

The one who can think on their feet in the midst of an unfavorable situation is sure to live long. Then you have the anime version of MacGyver which makes everything look easy.

My votes goes to: Taichi Keaton.

Group C-27
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Akira sure knows how to persuade and get out of trouble. The clip where he drops his pants in front of a police officer was just priceless. How he and Saki were let off like is a mystery to me.

My votes goes to: Akira Tokizawa.

Group C-28
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes

A suave one like November 11 can keep his cool which shows in the clip. Never once did he panic even as the deal fell apart. Plus his fashion sense is classy.

My votes goes to: November 11.
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ccdx



Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 312
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:05 pm Reply with quote
Group C-25
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

This one is a pretty easy choice. Kino is indeed to laid back at times, and frankly can be very boring to watch. Medicine Seller is very strange. He keeps his cool in tough situations, saving the day many times, but he's just not really that cool or an exciting character to watch. Spoor's screen time may be short, as others have said, but for that short amount of time she is without a doubt unforgettable, flashy, a thrill to watch and to laugh at.

Group C-26
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Gonna vote for The Count. His masterful and complex plan to seek revenge upon his enemies is a site to behold.

Group C-27
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Giving the slight edge to Tokizawa here. He has a immensely attractive personality, charming everyone he meets. He somehow manages to always do the right thing, even if that means becoming the bad guy in the process.

Group C-28
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Don't know much about either character. I'll vote for Nov. 11 because of the comments others have said, and because his clip was so much better.
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:55 pm Reply with quote
Group C-25
Kino, Kino’s Journey
vs.
Letopanyu Spoor, Crest/Banner of the Stars franchise
vs.
Medicine Seller, Ayakashi, Mononoke

Voting for: Letopanyu Spoor

Kino is certainly a better person, no doubt, the Medicine Seller is intriguing and may even have more style, but neither of them has quite the same presence and personality as Spoor does. If anything, I'd say her relative lack of screen time is an overall plus, not a minus, because she often makes the most out of it and leaves a lasting impression long after the fact.

Group C-26
The Count, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
vs.
Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton

Voting for: The Count

As much as I think Keaton does deserve a fair amount of credit for his incredible resourcefulness, the Count is far more versatile when the other aspects of his character are considered, including style, personality and the ability to repeatedly manipulate his opponents in some of the most cruel ways while largely remaining above and beyond their reach.

Group C-27
Akira Tokizawa Eden of the East
vs.
Roy Focker, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross/Robotech

Voting for: Akira Tokizawa

I'm not too sure about my choice here, either way, but for now I'll go with Akira because he just has a more interesting set of skills than Roy. I like the concept of aces or seasoned veterans piloting cool military spacecraft about as much as the next person, I really do, but they should also have something unique in order to truly stand out.

Group C-28
November 11, Darker Than BLACK
vs.
Reinhard von Lohengramm Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Voting for: Reinhard von Lohengramm

In both the literal and figurative sense, I fear November 11 may well win the battle yet ultimately lose the war.

This shouldn't be a surprise, but I remain unconvinced by most of the arguments against Reinhard for, when you get down to it, the same basic reason they haven't consistently worked for me when they've been used against a few other characters in this tournament.

Reinhard may have more character flaws, if you simply intend to enumerate and isolate them, but he also has more strengths and is, overall, a lot more memorable when everything is considered. Unfortunately, this isn't something that's going to be easy to explain or prove with just one clip from early in the series. Let alone when most of that one battle happened off-screen and, unlike other encounters, didn't represent much of a challenge nor an opportunity to provide more interesting displays of coolness. This first clip makes things seem rather one-sided and simplistic.

In retrospect, perhaps Reinhard would have done better with a different clip or even a series of clips, but then again saying this might very well be unfair considering I didn't go out of my way to provide any alternatives either. Along those same lines, there's not much of a point in trying to directly refute certain questionable allegations at this time.

You could say I believe, as a matter of fact, that the best of generals are usually more "cool" than the best of soldiers.

November 11 has a lot of short term cool and can even be considered a badass, something which clearly benefits from being shown in just about any video clip, but in the long run I didn't really consider him particularly "special" nor too different from other characters who are better at playing his own game. That's also one reason why I have to doubt he'll survive for too long (beyond, say, one more round?) despite his apparent victory.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18454
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:22 pm Reply with quote
Round 2 Group C: General Cool Dudes/Dudettes is now closed.

This time we had a disappointing 19 votes, and only one match - the first one - was close late:

C-25: Letopanyu Spoor defeats both Medicine Seller and Kino 9-6-4.
C-26: The Count's schemes do in Taichi Keaton's cleverness, 14-5.
C-27: Akira Tokizawa runs off with Roy Focker's pants, 14-5.
C-28: November 11 comes from behind to put down Reinhard, 12-7.

The November 11/Reinhard match's progression was interesting to watch, as Reinhard had a 6-3 lead at one point but then gave up nine straight votes to his competitor. C-25 was, from the get-go, a Spoor/Medicine Seller match, with that match-up being as close as a single vote late. Kino was never really a factor. The other two quickly became blow-outs and stayed that way. I can see another one coming next round, too, although I think the bottom of the two group semifinals could be very interesting.

New Group will be up in a little while, as I am still double-checking video clips. (Some of them have some definite strong content and I want to make sure they have proper warning labels.)
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Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6584
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:43 pm Reply with quote
Key, after Group D round 2 is done, will round 3 of Groups A and B be voted for at the same time? I'm just wondering how much time I have to nominate extra video clips for Lady Eboshi, who is in Group B.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18454
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:45 am Reply with quote
Round 3 Group D: Mixed Group #2 is now closed.

Results can be found here.

The end of Round 3 has now arrived, and brings with it a couple of enticing matches along with a probable blow-out or two. Will an elite vampire or an elite sniper win? Thief or bounty hunter? Space-born military commander, or ground-born special ops commander? Poetic swordswoman or the manliest of he-men? Let’s find out!

Also, please do note that some of the clips used in this Group have some intense graphic content. Consider the warnings on the Guide entries and where you’re watching them.

And to answer errinundra's question: we will not go to doubled-up Groups until we hit the Finals for each group, but ccdx does sometimes do the clips well in advance so I recommend getting your recommendation in by this time next week anyway.

Group D-25
Arsene Lupin, Lupin III franchise
vs.
Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop

Group D-26
Duke Togo, Golgo 13
vs.
Alucard, Hellsing franchise

Group D-27
Yang Wen Li Legend of the Galactic Heroes
vs.
Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell franchise

Group D-28
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann


Last edited by Key on Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7358
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:57 am Reply with quote
Awww, for shame, any ponies I was enjoying following in Group C seem to be out Sad C-25 and C-26 I can see, I don't have much of a problem with those, and C-28, I'm not familiar with Nov 11 to be honest (not that I think anyone should've been capable of beating Reinhard, well very few) but C-27, that just shouldn't have happened if you ask me, that's the one I'm most upset about.

Group D-25 Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop
Yeah, now here's a tough one, I think they're both awesome, but man, I'm remembering the episode where Spike is on the plane that's being taken over by the hijackers and he's sleeping through it then quickly dispatches them while half asleep, can't beat that! And he's voiced by Steven Blum, how incredibly sexy!

Group D-26 Duke Togo, Golgo 13
Mostly just going based on the guide entries here, although ever since I read Banana Fish, which would have had at least two characters in this tourney had manga only characters been allowed, snipers can be really cool. since I can't vote for Blanca, guess I'll go for Duke Togo.

Group D-27 Yang Wen Li Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Man, not even a contest. Maybe I didn't find Motoko very cool during my attempt to watch GITS because she dresses like a hooker, but I can very comfortably vote for Yang either way. He's equally as cool as Reinhard, except that he doesn't get stressed out about the whole thing, which I find more admirable.

edit* did I mention he allows wine drinking at his strategy meetings?

Group D-28 Kamina, Gurren Lagann
I'm not too familiar with Honoka, but I'm not voting against Kamina either way. He's the inspiration for every character in the entire series, even the ones who've never met him! He takes a mecha by force then pilots it based on how cool he is alone in a world where mecha are piloted on that basis! Then he spoiler[challenges a mecha with a katana and decide to combine two mecha just by shoving one into the other, how awesome is that?! He's even cool when he damn near shoots his nuts off with a gun!]


Last edited by zawa113 on Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:44 am; edited 1 time in total
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:42 am Reply with quote
Group D-25
Arsene Lupin, Lupin III franchise
vs.
Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop

Spike Spiegel because of his clip and I have heard a lot of good things about him.

Group D-26
Duke Togo, Golgo 13
vs.
Alucard, Hellsing franchise

The meh match Duke Togo's doesn't impress me, so my vote goes to Alucard

Group D-27
Yang Wen Li Legend of the Galactic Heroes
vs.
Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell franchise

Yang Wen Li is a cool and memorable tea-holic that keeps his cool in difficult situations.

Group D-28
Honoka, The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye
vs.
Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Another match I don't care about. Kamina seems to be the better choice and from what I have heard about him, he is the cooler character.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:16 am Reply with quote
Groupd D-25
Voting for: Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop

Reasons: I haven't yet come across a character in this tournament who I truly thought was cooler than Spike.

Group D-26
Voting for: Alucard, Hellsing franchise

Reasons: I voted against him last time but only because the competition was better, IMO. But for this round I'm back on the Dracul- I mean, Alucard bandwagon, at least for one round more.

Group D-27
Voting for: Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell franchise

Reasons: I've been hearing a lot about GitS lately, for some reason, and it almost always has to do with "The Major." So I'll vote for her here because again, a character who has a strong reputation strikes me more than one I hadn't really heard about before (though I know good arguments for him have been made in past rounds).

Group D-28
Voting for: Kamina, Gurren Lagann

Reasons: Having watched JO's review of Gureen Lagann recently, I have a better appreciation for what the hell this series is. And I also have an idea about who Kamina is too and as such he has won me over to vote for him here.
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