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Best Hero/Heroine Tournament: Finished!


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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:40 pm Reply with quote
First off, the race between Shu and Balsa continues to be very close. There have been multiple lead changes so far, so this one will probably go down to the wire. Duck still leads Simon in the second match, but the overwhelming lead she once had has closed quite a bit. Her victory, while still likely, is not yet assured.

Mad_Scientist wrote:
But the prison incident is not the only weakness Simon has. I had forgotten myself, I had overlooked it all as "early" development, but Simon's jealousy over Kamina and Yoko's relationship did cause him to fail at a crucial time, leading to Kamina putting himself in a vulnerable position and dying. And Simon took until the end of episode 11 to really transform into a hero, and 11 episodes is almost half the series.

. . .

Simon hadn't shown anything really worthy of being here, let alone advancing, only a couple of episodes before the halfway mark of his series. Can anyone really dispute these points? And if not, shouldn't they have a big impact on Simon's value as a hero?

But you're also conveniently overlooking the fact that, even before that point, Kamina regarded Simon as a source of inspiration. Even before that (and while Kamina was still around), Simon had instances where he was the one who took over and got things done. He bailed out Kamina from trouble on a couple of different occasions in the early episodes. He was in the process of learning to overcome his iniquities and become a great hero through those episodes. The way his feelings Kamina and Yoko's relationship may have clouded his judgment at a key point shows that he was still human, but he learned from that and spent the rest of the series trying to make up for it.

In other words, you're essentially saying that the fact that Simon had to raise himself up from inadequacy, and overcome flaws, to become a better person is a detriment to his status as a great hero. (And that's what my comment about the "tweaking" is most referring to.) If we're going to start claiming that, then we might as well also start claiming that Duck long thinking that she couldn't do anything much to help Mytho in her true form as a duckling should be a detriment to her heroic character. Except for one or two minor instances, it took until the last couple of episodes of a series nearly as long as GL for her to finally realize that she could do something as just a duck.

Simon got this far in the tournament partly because he did some incredible deeds, but also partly because he's one of anime's two best cases of a protagonist who isn't initially respectable growing into the role of a great hero. And what isn't heroic about a person becoming great by bettering themselves?
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Sophisticat



Joined: 29 Oct 2008
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:05 pm Reply with quote
ccdx wrote:
Her vow is tentative at best.


Irrelevant. A hero does what he must.

ccdx wrote:
Doesn't do anything? I don't think you've adequately explained how Shu doesn't do anything.

[...]


Convincing Lala Ru is an example of his inspirational character. I don't think he so much convinced her to change as she decided to do so because of who he is. In essence, he didn't do anything here. Besides, Lala Ru saved the world, not Shu.

Sara is only one individual. As I said, he has some fairly heroic traits, but anyone would have stopped Sara if they were in his position. Besides, Shu didn't get to protect her when it would have prevented his need to do so in the first place.

I'll grant he does tip the balance in favor of Hamdo's opposition, but, you'll notice, more as an indirect result of his actions.

Finally, he fails in one too many instances:

1) He's a kid. Not a very strong fighter, and that's demonstrated repeatedly. So he fails at proving himself in this arena, when it could have made a significant difference in some character's lives.

2) Not verbose either. He convinces by force of will and by who he is, and that only works on a few key individuals who were already susceptible to his idealism.

3) He fails to protect many characters, which I'm sure I don't need to list. He has quite the body count for being a semifinalist.

Thus, one can only conclude he's more of a participant to the events surrounding him as he is powerless in most cases to make any changes. His only real redemption is, therefore, his convincing of Lala Ru. Even that is indirect.

Not much a hero is he, now? That isn't to say he doesn't deserve to be where he is. He does inspire people to do what they think is right, and while indirect, he does saves quite a few lives while still managing to survive in a harsh environment. I, however, cannot dismiss his lack of ability, which Balsa possesses in spades.
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JacobC
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Joined: 15 Jan 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:47 pm Reply with quote
Well, I'm back from vacation juuuuuuuuuust in time to vote. Virginia was pleasant. Anime smile Forgive me for having very brief justifications, I know it's too late to convince anyone

A-final
Shu Maritani, Now and Then, Here and There
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

Shu
Some look to the outward appearance for the measure of a hero, but I look at the heart. I've always voted based on intent rather than accomplishments unless intent hinders accomplishment, simply because every character's situation is different, and some people are plain powerless. (Which is why I highly preferred Vash over Balsa for more golden insides, but oh well, stuff happens.) Sad

Shu hasn't accomplished much is not only untrue, but pretty silly. He accomplishes plenty. I'd list things, but other people have, and I'd like to get this vote in. For me, the clip involving Sara's child and a scene that I don't know has been mentioned yet: after a few of the nastier recruits from Hellywood's child soldiers have beat him to a pulp for no good reason, their commanding officer strips them of their rocks and bayonets, and Shu is told to whip them with a gnarly-looking lash. Shu says he refuses to beat an unarmed man who can't defend himself. He is beaten--again--for his stance not to sink to the level of his tormentors.

Those incidents couldn't speak louder to what kind of person he is: one that deserves to win the whole tournament, not only this match. (Well...since Vash isn't here. Sadness.)

C-29
Duck, Princess Tutu
Simon, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Duck

Duck has about the same level of complete selflessness, and awe and admiration from me, so I wholeheartedly give her my vote. This is a slight victory over a character who I think was too often conflicted and resigned when he should have relied on his own beliefs to make decisions and not the strength of others who he thought better than himself. I know it's a mech staple and it's human nature, but it's Shinji-ish, and I cringe to it at this stage of competition. Again, sorry for the brevity, but I want to get this one in on time! Anime dazed
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Key
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:51 am Reply with quote
Sophisticat wrote:
Convincing Lala Ru is an example of his inspirational character. I don't think he so much convinced her to change as she decided to do so because of who he is. In essence, he didn't do anything here. Besides, Lala Ru saved the world, not Shu.

But, as others have already pointed out, she saved the world because of Shu. He not only inspired her but also enabled her, coming to her rescue on multiple occasions and finding and returning the pendant to her. Her words at various points make it quite clear that she wouldn't have done anything (especially spoiler[essentially sacrificing herself] without Shu. He made things happen in his series even if he didn't always do the deed himself, just like Duck made things happen in hers.

Quote:
Sara is only one individual. As I said, he has some fairly heroic traits, but anyone would have stopped Sara if they were in his position.

Really? You think anyone would have jumped in and did what he did, put his own body on the line like he did? Acting without hesitation in a situation like that is the mark of a hero, and the fact that "Sara is only one individual" make it no less heroic than Balsa's protection of Chagum, which is also directly "saving only one individual." Sure, you could say that, by protecting Chagum, Balsa is indirectly protecting/helping the whole country, but then you could also say that Shu, by protecting Sara, also ultimately assured the long-term well-being of a whole bunch of orphans, or that by rescuing Lala Ru he assured the end of Hellywood's tyranny.

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Besides, Shu didn't get to protect her when it would have prevented his need to do so in the first place.

Just like Balsa didn't get to prevent the deaths of the people she later felt responsible for, eh? Come on.

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I'll grant he does tip the balance in favor of Hamdo's opposition, but, you'll notice, more as an indirect result of his actions.

Just as Balsa helping to prevent the Great Drought is an indirect result. And as her last clip shows, she hardly did it alone, while Shu was almost always acting solo.

Quote:
Finally, he fails in one too many instances:

1) He's a kid. Not a very strong fighter, and that's demonstrated repeatedly. So he fails at proving himself in this arena, when it could have made a significant difference in some character's lives.

But the point here is that he still stood up and fought despite not being a very strong fighter. It takes far less guts and courage to face down foes when you're already a highly-skilled fighter.

Quote:
2) Not verbose either. He convinces by force of will and by who he is, and that only works on a few key individuals who were already susceptible to his idealism.

You're stretching. And even if you weren't, what's unheroic about triumphing by force of will? History and traditional storytelling has many, many examples of this.

Quote:
3) He fails to protect many characters, which I'm sure I don't need to list. He has quite the body count for being a semifinalist.

And again, Balsa failed to stop people from being killed because of her. So how is this different?

Quote:
Thus, one can only conclude he's more of a participant to the events surrounding him as he is powerless in most cases to make any changes. His only real redemption is, therefore, his convincing of Lala Ru. Even that is indirect.

Not much a hero is he, now? That isn't to say he doesn't deserve to be where he is. He does inspire people to do what they think is right, and while indirect, he does saves quite a few lives while still managing to survive in a harsh environment. I, however, cannot dismiss his lack of ability, which Balsa possesses in spades.

Sorry, but one can only come to this conclusion by liberally interpreting what actually happened in the series and ignoring any parallels to Balsa's own situation. If Shu was really as flawed as you're making him out to be, then how did he win unchallenged against foes who were definitely not push-overs and had overwhelmingly more ability than him? I find his ability to succeed despite a lack of skill to be the thing that gives him a decisive edge over Balsa rather than the reverse.
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:13 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
I find his ability to succeed despite a lack of skill to be the thing that gives him a decisive edge over Balsa rather than the reverse.


I don’t think that Shu has an edge because he lacks skill. If Balsa was given some superpower, than yes, but Balsa is a skilled fighter because she has trained. And I would like to remind you that Shu is a student of kendo. And the first episode makes it clear that he is a lousy student of kendo, even his opponent points out that the fight they have been having was like a slapstick contest. If Shu learnt anything, maybe he would do more. It’s not Balsa’s fault that she has put a lot of hard work in training while Shu hasn’t. Surely he hasn’t had as much time as Balsa to train, but he has not been completely devoid of the possibility to learn how to fight.


Last edited by Aylinn on Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:23 am; edited 1 time in total
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Olliff



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 550
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:37 am Reply with quote
A-final
Shu Maritani, Now and Then, Here and There
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit
Shu
This one was never close in my mind. Completely agree with the argument put forth that Balsa's vow is tentative, and while Shu may not have zero weaknesses like others argue, there are so few and minor that he easily deserves the win here.


C-29
Duck, Princess Tutu
Simon, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Simon

Duck may be the epitome of selflessness, and she is a very deserving heroine in her own right, but I am little surprised how she has steamrolled Simon, especially in the early stages of voting. I see one key difference between the two characters. Duck's story is tragic and doesn't exactly send an encouraging message to other heroes. For Duck, she did the right thing, showed tremendous heart and selflessness and pretty much ended up getting punished for it. To a certain degree, her story almost had a Job-esque feel to it that irked me very strongly, but I do admit this may just my preference for heroes that end up getting rewarded and prove that hard work and perverseness pays off over ones who end up getting detrimented for doing the right and heroic thing. Personally, I prefer stories where heroes get just-fully rewarded for their dedication, hard work, and hardships, as I believe they send a better message to the audience -- no need for the compulsion to add melancholy or sense of anger in the audience because such a good person not only didn't get what they deserved, but was hurt for doing the right thing -- enough of this garbage happens in the real world.


I also agree with Key many of the arguments made against Simon are bit of a stretch, though I do admit some of them are valid or have a grain of truth to them. To call Simon, Shinjish is absurd and only tries to bring forth other elicit a strong hatred against Simon's character when brought to a comparison to a character that is loathed by so many. Both heroes are great heroes and quite frankly I do not understand why Simon's oppositions feels that it is appropriate not to exaggerate Simon's weaknesses, but argue that Simon in general is a weak hero and didn't even deserve to make it nearly this far.

Here are some examples:

Quote:

Simon hadn't shown anything really worthy of being here, let alone advancing, only a couple of episodes before the halfway mark of his series. Can anyone really dispute these points? And if not, shouldn't they have a big impact on Simon's value as a hero?


To argue that he has to no or little merits past this point seem bizarre, please refer to other poster's scope of accomplishment arguments in earlier post. Also ironically, the bulk of his merits are in these second half of episodes.

I also disagree that Simon is a mech staple, his coming of age story and the way he was able to change his core personality is not only inspirational, but when it is executed so fluidly it is found in only a handful of anime.


While this has been addressed by others to a certain degree, I also do not understand the obsession with the prison incident, especially when this scene shows selflessness and that's one of Duck's greatest assets - her willingness to give up anything. I tend to agree with the thought that escaping in a high security prison and distracting the authority figures from the very tense and grim dangers faced above would not only be stupid and selfish, but reckless. I think it is strength of Simon to admit that he is not the only that it is capable of saving the world -- he is not the world's lone hero, salvation and messiah all in one.

I also am of the belief that a true hero can still rely on their others, the league of justice is a good example. Why do something risky that has a high chance of failure or needless death when you friends can lend you the occasional hand to help you out? As long it is occasional like in Simon's case, I see no problem. I disagree that Simon uses his friend's as perpetual crutch -- he only uses them during a few critical moments of the show.


If I would like for you to take one thing from argument, it would be that I do not believe that Duck or Simon are weak heroes, in fact, I believe that they are both top quality picks, and I believe that it would be absurd to make an argument hinting that either character is weak at this point, since their ability to make it here is a testament to their strength.
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murph76



Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 3291
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:03 pm Reply with quote
Groups A/B Semifinal
Shu Maritani, Now and Then, Here and There
vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

Voting for Shu. He has no real fighting ability, no special skills or powers. Yet he sticks to his beliefs of right and wrong despite prison, torture or whatever. And his inability to be moved makes the difference in the outcome of that series.

Groups C/D Semifinal
Duck/Princess Tutu, Princess Tutu
vs.
Simon, Gurren Lagann

Voting for Duck. She defied her fate and Drosselmeyer's script, turning the author's tragedy into a happy ending. As Drosselmeyer said himself, one extra character affected the entire story.
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Mad_Scientist
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:30 pm Reply with quote
Olliff wrote:

Duck may be the epitome of selflessness, and she is a very deserving heroine in her own right, but I am little surprised how she has steamrolled Simon, especially in the early stages of voting. I see one key difference between the two characters. Duck's story is tragic and doesn't exactly send an encouraging message to other heroes. For Duck, she did the right thing, showed tremendous heart and selflessness and pretty much ended up getting punished for it. To a certain degree, her story almost had a Job-esque feel to it that irked me very strongly, but I do admit this may just my preference for heroes that end up getting rewarded and prove that hard work and perverseness pays off over ones who end up getting detrimented for doing the right and heroic thing. Personally, I prefer stories where heroes get just-fully rewarded for their dedication, hard work, and hardships, as I believe they send a better message to the audience -- no need for the compulsion to add melancholy or sense of anger in the audience because such a good person not only didn't get what they deserved, but was hurt for doing the right thing -- enough of this garbage happens in the real world.

This, I do not understand at all, because at the end of Gurren Lagann, Nia dies. Simon was hurt, he didn't get a happy ending. Gurren Lagann and Princess Tutu both have bittersweet endings in my mind. Both Simon and Duck were strangely accepting of these bittersweet endings, though, a lot more than many fans of the series were, I imagine.

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I also agree with Key many of the arguments made against Simon are bit of a stretch, though I do admit some of them are valid or have a grain of truth to them. To call Simon, Shinjish is absurd and only tries to bring forth other elicit a strong hatred against Simon's character when brought to a comparison to a character that is loathed by so many. Both heroes are great heroes and quite frankly I do not understand why Simon's oppositions feels that it is appropriate not to exaggerate Simon's weaknesses, but argue that Simon in general is a weak hero and didn't even deserve to make it nearly this far.


I never argued any of that, though I realize my posts may have made it seem like that. Well, I did question whether I should have voted for Simon against Youko or not, but that was always a very close match in my mind. Perhaps in my passion of arguing why I feel Duck is a better hero, I came off a bit too harsh on Simon. I know Simon isn't weak overall. I do think that some of the moments of weaknesses he has do reflect on him badly, especially at this stage, but I know he's still an impressive guy.

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Here are some examples:

Quote:

Simon hadn't shown anything really worthy of being here, let alone advancing, only a couple of episodes before the halfway mark of his series. Can anyone really dispute these points? And if not, shouldn't they have a big impact on Simon's value as a hero?


To argue that he has to no or little merits past this point seem bizarre, please refer to other poster's scope of accomplishment arguments in earlier post. Also ironically, the bulk of his merits are in these second half of episodes.


You're misunderstanding my post. I'm not arguing that Simon doesn't have merits past that point, believe me, he does. What I'm arguing is that up to that point, Simon's merits are not strong enough to outweigh his weaknesses.

I think Key got the impression that I was arguing that Simon didn't have any merits in the first 11 episodes at all, and I'll come out right now and state clearly that is not true, he does. He has moments where he does take charge and got what was needed to be done. But in my mind, those moments of heroism are balanced out by his not inconsiderable moments of weakness.

Which is why my point still stands, in my mind. In the first 11 episodes, Simon struck me as a conflicted character, someone who was not overall either herioc or unheroic, but could be either at times. Ultimately, we know which way he came out, and he did become a magnificent hero, but if I had only those first 11 episodes to go on, overall, Simon would not have impressed me enough to make him someone I'd choose for a "most heroic" tournament.

Now, of course, those first 11 episodes are merely part of a series, and I'm sure many would say I'm being totally unfair to hold them against Simon. But as I mentioned, they are not an insignificent chunk of the series. They make up almost half of it. It's not that I'm unwilling to vote for someone who betters himself or overcomes his own weakness, but in Simon's case, I think it definitely hurts him here. It's all just a bit too much.

The length of it, the lows he reaches, the effects his weakness has on others at times, and the fact that during this entire period he doesn't come off as heroic overall (at least to me) is just too much for me not to not hold it against him, at least a little.

Quote:

If I would like for you to take one thing from argument, it would be that I do not believe that Duck or Simon are weak heroes, in fact, I believe that they are both top quality picks, and I believe that it would be absurd to make an argument hinting that either character is weak at this point, since their ability to make it here is a testament to their strength.


This, I agree with.
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Sophisticat



Joined: 29 Oct 2008
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:07 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
But, as others have already pointed out, she saved the world because of Shu.


Then I suppose this one comes down to subjectivity. I don't see him as a hero here because he wasn't the one who saved the world. Lala Ru did.

Quote:
Really? You think anyone would have jumped in and did what he did, put his own body on the line like he did? Acting without hesitation in a situation like that is the mark of a hero, and the fact that "Sara is only one individual" make it no less heroic than Balsa's protection of Chagum, which is also directly "saving only one individual." Sure, you could say that, by protecting Chagum, Balsa is indirectly protecting/helping the whole country, but then you could also say that Shu, by protecting Sara, also ultimately assured the long-term well-being of a whole bunch of orphans, or that by rescuing Lala Ru he assured the end of Hellywood's tyranny.


I find it hard to believe anyone wouldn't, but maybe I have too much faith in humanity.

I don't contest it was a courageous act, but it must also be considered a one-time thing. Balsa's protection of Chagum was around-the-clock stuff, against some other-worldly beasts, and a very clever and highly capable opposition.

Quote:
Just like Balsa didn't get to prevent the deaths of the people she later felt responsible for, eh? Come on.


I'll grant you this one.

Quote:
Just as Balsa helping to prevent the Great Drought is an indirect result. And as her last clip shows, she hardly did it alone, while Shu was almost always acting solo.


Balsa was actively pursuing the prevention of the drought. Her protection of Chagum turned into this goal, and banding together is simply a smart thing to do.

As I recall, Shu never schemed the dismantling of Hellywood, and simply hated its existence. Besides, if he had acted solo in such a scheme, I'd have found it less courage than plain crazy.

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But the point here is that he still stood up and fought despite not being a very strong fighter. It takes far less guts and courage to face down foes when you're already a highly-skilled fighter.


I wouldn't contest that if he'd actually succeeded. Standing up is nice and all, but doesn't change much on its own.

Also, that second sentence is plain ignorance if you've never been in a street fight.

Quote:
You're stretching. And even if you weren't, what's unheroic about triumphing by force of will? History and traditional storytelling has many, many examples of this.


It's heroic, alright. However, I'm talking about persuasion, which Shu only manages because of his nature, and not because he has great strength of will.

Quote:
And again, Balsa failed to stop people from being killed because of her. So how is this different?


Less people die, and the ones she cares about don't die. At least she prevented more deaths than Shu ever could.

Quote:
Sorry, but one can only come to this conclusion by liberally interpreting what actually happened in the series and ignoring any parallels to Balsa's own situation. If Shu was really as flawed as you're making him out to be, then how did he win unchallenged against foes who were definitely not push-overs and had overwhelmingly more ability than him? I find his ability to succeed despite a lack of skill to be the thing that gives him a decisive edge over Balsa rather than the reverse.


The incompetent one is the more heroic now? Rolling Eyes

The only reason I can give that he succeeds against that desert beast, for example, is narrative convenience. Too much coincidence around that one. But let's say that's invalid, and the fight should be viewed independent of that. Then I can't say I view him favorably either since he pretty much had to scramble to win that one out of sheer luck. His other opponents were either taken by surprise or were kids, as I remember, so he was just stronger than them at that point in time.

This pales against the opposition that Balsa faces, which I've enumerated a few times now. At least Shu was given time to adapt; Balsa's quest is a race against time.
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Mad_Scientist
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:09 pm Reply with quote
Sophisticat wrote:
Key wrote:
But, as others have already pointed out, she saved the world because of Shu.


Then I suppose this one comes down to subjectivity. I don't see him as a hero here because he wasn't the one who saved the world. Lala Ru did.


But if not for Shu, she never would have done so. Maybe it could be argued that inspiring deeds is slightly less heroic than doing them oneself, but if we ignore the effects of inspiration entirely, every one of the semi-finalists, Balsa included, gets a whole lot weaker. Heck, it's debatable whether characters like Duck or Simon would even be here if we completely ignored the way they inspired others.

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Quote:
But the point here is that he still stood up and fought despite not being a very strong fighter. It takes far less guts and courage to face down foes when you're already a highly-skilled fighter.


I wouldn't contest that if he'd actually succeeded. Standing up is nice and all, but doesn't change much on its own.

Also, that second sentence is plain ignorance if you've never been in a street fight.


He succeeded more than you give him credit for. At one point, using nothing but a stick, he dug himself out of a sewer pit, sucessfully got past armed guards, climbed to the top of Hellywood, and smashed the glass to reach Lala Ru and Hamdo. After the flood that ensued, he then managed to get Lala Ru out of Hellywood and steal a vehicle. And he also fended off a carnivorous plant in the desert with her.

Near the end of the series, once again with nothing but a stick, he escaped from jail, knocked out the guard, avoided/fought off multiple people with guns, confronted Hamdo, fought Hamdo (who had a gun), and beat Hamdo, sending him running and screaming in fear.

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Quote:
You're stretching. And even if you weren't, what's unheroic about triumphing by force of will? History and traditional storytelling has many, many examples of this.


It's heroic, alright. However, I'm talking about persuasion, which Shu only manages because of his nature, and not because he has great strength of will.


What the? I honestly have no idea what you are trying to say here. Shu's "nature?" To me, a person's nature is their character, the way they act and think and feel. So I would say that it is in Shu's nature to be very brave and determined, and that it is his nature to have a great force of will, but you seem to be drawing some weird distinction that I don't fully understand. But I could try to use a similiar argument against others. "Balsa only protects people because of her nature," for example.

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And again, Balsa failed to stop people from being killed because of her. So how is this different?


Less people die, and the ones she cares about don't die. At least she prevented more deaths than Shu ever could.


Depends on if you count only those deaths saved by direct action, and ignore the way Shu affected others. Also, a simple count of how many lives someone saved is a poor way to compare heroes, in my mind. If it wasn't, then Goku would definitely be the winner of this tournament, I think. I mean, Simon saved the whole universe, but didn't Goku save the whole universe more than once?

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Sorry, but one can only come to this conclusion by liberally interpreting what actually happened in the series and ignoring any parallels to Balsa's own situation. If Shu was really as flawed as you're making him out to be, then how did he win unchallenged against foes who were definitely not push-overs and had overwhelmingly more ability than him? I find his ability to succeed despite a lack of skill to be the thing that gives him a decisive edge over Balsa rather than the reverse.


The incompetent one is the more heroic now? Rolling Eyes

The only reason I can give that he succeeds against that desert beast, for example, is narrative convenience. Too much coincidence around that one. But let's say that's invalid, and the fight should be viewed independent of that. Then I can't say I view him favorably either since he pretty much had to scramble to win that one out of sheer luck. His other opponents were either taken by surprise or were kids, as I remember, so he was just stronger than them at that point in time.


You have a strange definition of heroism, it seems. To me, "heroic" and "good fighter" are not the same thing. Key wasn't saying that incompetence is heroic, that's a crazy way to twist his words, he was saying that facing overwealming or daunting odds is heroic, and that because Shu isn't as good of a fighter as Balsa, he faces a more daunting situation when he is forced to fight.

And all your talk about narrative convenience is irrelevent. I could argue that it was only narrative convenience that resulted in the person who was carrying Chagum back deciding to stop moving and end Chagum's life right then so the mikado wouldn't have to, and narrative convenience that Balsa just happened to show up right then. If not for those rather convenient circumstances, everything would have ended up in disaster right near the start. Does that make Balsa less heroic?

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This pales against the opposition that Balsa faces, which I've enumerated a few times now. At least Shu was given time to adapt; Balsa's quest is a race against time.


Come on now, Shu had very little time to adapt, and he had far more to adapt to, in my mind. Being suddenly thrown into an entirely different world was a pretty big change. And Shu showed that he was perfectly capable of taking action even with zero time to adapt: the way he fought to help Lala Ru the moment the strange machines showed up in his world is evidence of that.
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Sophisticat



Joined: 29 Oct 2008
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 8:06 pm Reply with quote
Mad_Scientist wrote:
But if not for Shu, she never would have done so. Maybe it could be argued that inspiring deeds is slightly less heroic than doing them oneself, but if we ignore the effects of inspiration entirely, every one of the semi-finalists, Balsa included, gets a whole lot weaker. Heck, it's debatable whether characters like Duck or Simon would even be here if we completely ignored the way they inspired others.


As I said, subjective.

However, I disagree on Simon's point. He does inspire others, but he does the heavy lifting himself. He's a leader, not a person to inspire those better than him to do what he thinks is right because he can't do it himself.

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He succeeded more than you give him credit for. [...]


I'll admit I forgot about that breaking-out bit.

Regardless, I still think Balsa has him beat here simply because she faces a deadlier opposition and more complex situations.

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What the? I honestly have no idea what you are trying to say here. Shu's "nature?" To me, a person's nature is their character, the way they act and think and feel. So I would say that it is in Shu's nature to be very brave and determined, and that it is his nature to have a great force of will, but you seem to be drawing some weird distinction that I don't fully understand. But I could try to use a similiar argument against others. "Balsa only protects people because of her nature," for example.


What I'm saying is that Shu's honesty and openness (his nature. To put it simpler: Shu is "a good person") captivates others. So despite his having a strong will (what motivates him. Strong will doesn't necessarily make a good person), which is not enough to convince other people in some cases, his integrity comes through, which is what gets to people... if that makes sense?

Well, it's been quite a while since I've seen NTHT, so I'm forgetting stuff, but I recall Lala Ru being finally convinced by Shu's integrity as a person of good intent. Meaning, he convinced her by being who he is, and not through anything he did.

Perhaps a meaningless distinction, but it matters to me very much because I see a hero as someone who makes things happen, not despite himself, but rather because he willed it to be so. You'll notice he failed to convince Lala Ru anytime he tried to, and even eventually gave up on the idea. She decides to save the world, not because he asks it, but because she chose to. This choice is what makes all the difference to me. The result could have easily turned to disaster, especially since I don't think he even knew what to do to save the world. Lala Ru definitely is the one who saved the world, and it could be argued that is almost independent of Shu, save for his very presence.

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Depends on if you count only those deaths saved by direct action, and ignore the way Shu affected others. Also, a simple count of how many lives someone saved is a poor way to compare heroes, in my mind. If it wasn't, then Goku would definitely be the winner of this tournament, I think. I mean, Simon saved the whole universe, but didn't Goku save the whole universe more than once?


A direct count was not my intent. Balsa was simply more able to follow through with her own vision of what she wanted, whereas Shu feels more like an observer to the desolation around him because he is powerless to do anything, most of the time.

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You have a strange definition of heroism, it seems. To me, "heroic" and "good fighter" are not the same thing.


See two paragraphs above. Being a good fighter is an asset, certainly, but not imperative.

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Key wasn't saying that incompetence is heroic, that's a crazy way to twist his words, he was saying that facing overwealming or daunting odds is heroic, and that because Shu isn't as good of a fighter as Balsa, he faces a more daunting situation when he is forced to fight.


Shu survives in a harsh, unknown world by strength of will. But his real opposition isn't all that numerous, clever, deadly, nor powerful as what Balsa faces, and it doesn't really care all that much about him, either. It's just really insane.

Balsa potentially goes up against an infuriated nation, clever schemers, old foes, deadly assassins, an alien force from another dimension, etc. The focus of their energy is directly on her, and she must outwit and evade them all. The fact she succeeds despite the pressure of taking care of Chagum and saving the world is simply a stronger display of pure heroism to me.

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And all your talk about narrative convenience is irrelevent. I could argue that it was only narrative convenience that resulted in the person who was carrying Chagum back deciding to stop moving and end Chagum's life right then so the mikado wouldn't have to, and narrative convenience that Balsa just happened to show up right then. If not for those rather convenient circumstances, everything would have ended up in disaster right near the start. Does that make Balsa less heroic?


I simply find it highly coincidental that the means to defeat said beast was right at hand.

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Come on now, Shu had very little time to adapt, and he had far more to adapt to, in my mind. Being suddenly thrown into an entirely different world was a pretty big change. And Shu showed that he was perfectly capable of taking action even with zero time to adapt: the way he fought to help Lala Ru the moment the strange machines showed up in his world is evidence of that.


Perhaps so, but he wasn't being pressured by the demands of time. He could have decided to live in Hellywood until he became much stronger, gained the confidence of Hamdo, and ultimately killed him (antithetic to his nature, I realize, but what I mean is, he had all the time in the world), or something similar.
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Mad_Scientist
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Joined: 08 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:18 pm Reply with quote
At this stage, it seems fairly certain that it will be Shu vs Duck in the finals, and considering I'll be trying to convince people to vote for Duck then, perhaps this post is really unnecessary. But there are a few points I want to respond to quickly.

Sophisticat wrote:
Mad_Scientist wrote:
But if not for Shu, she never would have done so. Maybe it could be argued that inspiring deeds is slightly less heroic than doing them oneself, but if we ignore the effects of inspiration entirely, every one of the semi-finalists, Balsa included, gets a whole lot weaker. Heck, it's debatable whether characters like Duck or Simon would even be here if we completely ignored the way they inspired others.


As I said, subjective.

However, I disagree on Simon's point. He does inspire others, but he does the heavy lifting himself. He's a leader, not a person to inspire those better than him to do what he thinks is right because he can't do it himself.


Fair enough, I guess, though I at least remain convinced that the inspirational aspects of a character is something that should be considered. As for the point about Simon, I'll leave that alone since it's probably not going to matter in an hour anyways.

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He succeeded more than you give him credit for. [...]


I'll admit I forgot about that breaking-out bit.

Regardless, I still think Balsa has him beat here simply because she faces a deadlier opposition and more complex situations.


I think you are underestimating to some extent the opposition Shu faces, but I'll get into that below.

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What the? I honestly have no idea what you are trying to say here. Shu's "nature?" To me, a person's nature is their character, the way they act and think and feel. So I would say that it is in Shu's nature to be very brave and determined, and that it is his nature to have a great force of will, but you seem to be drawing some weird distinction that I don't fully understand. But I could try to use a similiar argument against others. "Balsa only protects people because of her nature," for example.


What I'm saying is that Shu's honesty and openness (his nature. To put it simpler: Shu is "a good person") captivates others. So despite his having a strong will (what motivates him. Strong will doesn't necessarily make a good person), which is not enough to convince other people in some cases, his integrity comes through, which is what gets to people... if that makes sense?


That makes sense, but I don't see that as something to hold against him, or something that makes him less heroic.

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Well, it's been quite a while since I've seen NTHT, so I'm forgetting stuff, but I recall Lala Ru being finally convinced by Shu's integrity as a person of good intent. Meaning, he convinced her by being who he is, and not through anything he did.


Actually, I don't think it was ever made clear just what aspects of Shu's character and behavior ultimately convinced Lala Ru.

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Perhaps a meaningless distinction, but it matters to me very much because I see a hero as someone who makes things happen, not despite himself, but rather because he willed it to be so. You'll notice he failed to convince Lala Ru anytime he tried to, and even eventually gave up on the idea. She decides to save the world, not because he asks it, but because she chose to. This choice is what makes all the difference to me. The result could have easily turned to disaster, especially since I don't think he even knew what to do to save the world. Lala Ru definitely is the one who saved the world, and it could be argued that is almost independent of Shu, save for his very presence.


Shu never gave up, not that I remember. He may not have been constantly hammering her with "you have to save the world" comments, but I never got the impression that he had given up on convincing her that humanity was still worth saving. And as I said above, I don't think it was ever made clear exactly what the tipping point for Lala Ru was.

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Depends on if you count only those deaths saved by direct action, and ignore the way Shu affected others. Also, a simple count of how many lives someone saved is a poor way to compare heroes, in my mind. If it wasn't, then Goku would definitely be the winner of this tournament, I think. I mean, Simon saved the whole universe, but didn't Goku save the whole universe more than once?


A direct count was not my intent. Balsa was simply more able to follow through with her own vision of what she wanted, whereas Shu feels more like an observer to the desolation around him because he is powerless to do anything, most of the time.


Ok, this is something of a legitimate point I suppose. Shu does not have as much direct impact on his world, not immediate direct impact at least, as some of the other finalists such as Balsa. NTHT was perhaps the bleakest and most depressing series to have a character in this entire tournament, and that shows in the people Shu was unable to save. To some extent, I forgive him this because the sheer weight of what he was opposed to was so massive, and his resources were so limited, but ... yes, he is unable to save people at times, or bring about what he wants all the time.

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Key wasn't saying that incompetence is heroic, that's a crazy way to twist his words, he was saying that facing overwealming or daunting odds is heroic, and that because Shu isn't as good of a fighter as Balsa, he faces a more daunting situation when he is forced to fight.


Shu survives in a harsh, unknown world by strength of will. But his real opposition isn't all that numerous, clever, deadly, nor powerful as what Balsa faces, and it doesn't really care all that much about him, either. It's just really insane.


I think you are understating what Shu faces. True, Hamdo isn't exactly a clever villian, but that makes him no less deadly. Also, it seems you are only considering what a character faces, and not also considering what resources they have. Shu has no real allies, no real resources, no real combat training, not even any good information about the world he is in. He's a child with a stick and some basic kendo skills. Balsa may face a lot, but she also has more at her disposal.

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And all your talk about narrative convenience is irrelevent. I could argue that it was only narrative convenience that resulted in the person who was carrying Chagum back deciding to stop moving and end Chagum's life right then so the mikado wouldn't have to, and narrative convenience that Balsa just happened to show up right then. If not for those rather convenient circumstances, everything would have ended up in disaster right near the start. Does that make Balsa less heroic?


I simply find it highly coincidental that the means to defeat said beast was right at hand.


True, but I don't find it any more convenient than some of the things that happen in Moribito.

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Come on now, Shu had very little time to adapt, and he had far more to adapt to, in my mind. Being suddenly thrown into an entirely different world was a pretty big change. And Shu showed that he was perfectly capable of taking action even with zero time to adapt: the way he fought to help Lala Ru the moment the strange machines showed up in his world is evidence of that.


Perhaps so, but he wasn't being pressured by the demands of time. He could have decided to live in Hellywood until he became much stronger, gained the confidence of Hamdo, and ultimately killed him (antithetic to his nature, I realize, but what I mean is, he had all the time in the world), or something similar.


But that would have never worked. In order to live in Hellywood, he would have to kill others, and capture others to make them child soildiers. In the end, the chance of actually moving up the ranks and killing Hamdo would not be certain, and by that time who knows what Hamdo would have done to what remained of the world. Shu did not have "all the time in the world," not in my view.
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:29 pm Reply with quote
Groups A/B Semifinal
Shu Maritani, Now and Then, Here and There
vs.
Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit

I would say that more than enough arguments in favor of Shu have been presented before, both now and in previous rounds, but for the sake of making things clear...while both characters are admirable, I feel that Shu comes out ahead because of the extent of his selflessness and determination to face situations he really would have no actual chance to deal with on paper. Balsa isn't unworthy, certainly not, but in a number of ways she is in a priviledged position that makes her own heroism slightly less impressive in comparison, all things considered.

Groups C/D Semifinal
Duck/Princess Tutu, Princess Tutu
vs.
Simon, Gurren Lagann

This was actually a harder choice for me...there's really no way around it. I was initially thinking of automatically voting for Simon mainly for the sake of making a point, because some of the issues others have raised against him don't really make the guy any less of a hero in my eyes, but after going over the basics and re-watching the clips, Duck/Princess Tutu simply has enough qualities to deserve a genuine vote.

I really do appreciate Simon's character development a whole lot, particularly because I've seen the entire process myself, but there's something very convincing about the nature of Duck's story and what she's willing to do in order to go against its established logic. I must watch the show at some point, although perhaps forgetting about everything I've read here first would be a good idea. Laughing
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18460
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:20 pm Reply with quote
Tournament semifinals are now closed.

. . .and the championship round is now set. Although Balsa had a lead as recently as Saturday afternoon, Shu took the final eight votes to power to a 15-9 victory over everyone's favorite Spear-Wielder. It was a tough battle between two worthy foes, and a shame that someone had to lose.

The same could also be said of the second semifinal match. While Duck's victory over Simon was never in doubt, the 16-8 margin by which she won was a far cry (percentage-wise) from the 10-1 advantage she held at one point. Finishing only slightly ahead in the second half of the voting wasn't enough for Simon to catch back up, however, and it seemed like arguments made against him in the previous round definitely took their toll.

Thus we have come down to just two: one hero and one heroine, an ideal showdown without matters having to be forced to create such a match-up. One (Duck) was one of the four original #1 seeds and the other (Shu) was one of the four original #2 seeds, and both had double-digit recommendations with no negatives, so both were clearly competitors from the start. Shu beat (in order) Eureka 7's Renton Thurston, Cardcaptor Sakura's Sakura, Sailor Moon's title character, Dragonball Z's Goku, Ruroni Kenshin's Kenshin, and finally Balsa. Duck beat (in order) Gundam Wing's Quatre Rabera Winne, Speed Grapher's Tatsumi Saiga, Pumpkin Scissor's Alice L. Melvin,
Planetes' Ai Tanabe, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind's title character, and finally Simon.

One titanic match remains. Who will win?

As a side note, once this last round is finished we will do a few days of Post-Mortem (as we did last time) and then I'll put up the voting for the next tournament concept (although I already know what I want us to do).
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18460
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:37 pm Reply with quote
The Tournament Championship Round is now open!

One last match to decide it all! Who expected this pairing in the Finals? How many got even one of them right? Yet they both have proved that they belong. As before, look to the profile pages for the final new video clips, both representing series climaxes.

Finals

Shu Maritani, Now and Then, Here and There
vs.

Duck/Princess Tutu, Princess Tutu
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