sara_tanaquil | Day 24 - Favorite anime hero or heroine

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Day 24 - Favorite anime hero or heroine

Now see, this question is just impossible. Seriously, I'm supposed to be able to pick just one? So, rather than agonize over which hero/heroine of which favorite series we've already discussed to death deserves this honor, I will seize this opportunity to squee about my NEW favorite hero. As of, like, five days ago.

Day 24 - Favorite anime hero or heroine

I tried to read a chapter or two of the manga once a long time ago, and somehow didn't get into it. Who was it who said I should make sure to keep watching up through episode 40 or so if it didn't grab me right away? You guys, it took three episodes. Max. To get from "OK, the art is kind of weird, but the characters are cute, and this Zoro guy seems pretty cool" to "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE ONLY 500 EPISODES, GIVE ME THE NEXT ONE I'M IN WITHDRAWAL RIGHT NOW."

I am currently at episode 39 (in the middle of the Arlong story arc). That number should probably have increased by another ten or so by tomorrow.

The Usopp establishing story was <3, and the Zoro backstory was !;_;, and the Sanji backstory was !!!!!T_T, and the Nami backstory is $*&%#T_T;_;T_T!!!!. Exactly which one of those was the one I was supposed to get addicted by? Because seriously, I can't tell, they were/are all freaking kickass.

Anyway, I love all the characters, and it's entirely possible I might end up with another favorite, but right now I just adore Luffy. I don't even want to slash him with anyone. He's adorable. So happy and bouncy one minute, and totally deadpan when everyone else is freaking out the next, and then there are those rare moments when someone messes with his nakama and he gets PISSED. His Japanese voice actor is made of perfect (they all are, really, but especially his).

This show even makes me love the shounen formula again. I don't think I've watched a true shounen fight show since Rurouni Kenshin. "Don't tell me... it's the XXXXX technique! NO ONE CAN SURVIVE THAT!" I had forgotten its totally absurd charm.

If you are the approximately one other person on my flist who hasn't discovered this series yet, it's streaming on Funimation/Hulu. For a limited time, all the episodes are available -- it's not really clear to me how many will be available once the celebration of episode #500 is over, but whatever. Run, don't walk, etc.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to watch another couple of episodes before bed. I'm sure I can fit in at least one after breakfast, and another over lunch hour.

[And I have no doubt at all that I have much yet to learn, but please, I am entirely One Piece spoiler free at the moment! So, NO SPOILERS past episode 40! Remember that span tags don't work in the comments.]

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Seriously, I'm supposed to be able to pick just one?

NO KIDDING!

The fact that most of my favorite characters are members of the supporting cast (e.g. Hiei, Chichiri, Heiji, Touya) rather than the actual hero or heroine does narrow the field somewhat, but still...

For now, I will go with Tsuzuki from Yami no Matsuei. (I would name Hajime [...again...] except that technically the dragons are considered "villains" rather than heroes.)

OMG YOU'RE INTO ONE PIECE NOW! I AM SO HAPPY! I love this series so, so much! I am somewhat envious of you because you have 510+ episodes to look forward to whereas I'm dying every week waiting for the next chapter/episode to come out!

...I hope you fall just even more in love with it with every new episode!

Yes, one of the best things about One Piece are the voice actors! Luffy's seiyuu is a middle-aged lady, I believe - more power to her!

And if you think the back stories of the current crew now are heartbreaking, I cannot wait 'til you meet the rest of them. This is the only shounen series so far that has made me cry, no lie.

...can you tell how much I love this series? =3

Nami's story ALREADY made me cry. And practically every episode makes me laugh out loud. (The monster sea cow completely cracked me up, for some reason. The disappointment in Luffy's voice when he says "Oh, it's just him?" And the terror on that poor cow's face. Hee!)

I will post regular updates. ^__^

I am a little dismayed to realize that I... I.. don't think I really remember much about the Zoro (and maybe Usopp?) backstory(ies). I mean I have flashes of images in the recesses of my mind, but I couldn't really tell you any but the fuzziest of details. Understandable, as it was really quite a long time ago, but it makes me sad. Not sad enough to go dig thru boxes to pull out old magazines so I can re-read the manga.. because I know the time I spend on that is precious time away from consuming new stuff. Wahh. (This might be a plea for someone to recap for me, or it might not - it just struck me as I was reading that OMG, how is it that I do not remember.)

Also, to quote hulu's page:
To celebrate the 500th episode of One Piece, episodes #1 – 202 and #391 – 500 will be available until June 8. Unfortunately, I glazed over this when I was reading about the 500 ep celebration a few weeks back, and there is this thing called life, so I will not be able to catch up in the span of 2 days. :/

(ps: no answer for the question at this time.)

Also, I totally forgot to say that it was pretty much episode 37 that did me in for good. (I mean I was obviously enjoying it all before then but 37 seriously won me.)

I don't remember much about Usopp, either (something about a girl? and a bunch of kids with vegetable names? and that's when they get Merry?), but Zoro had the ~~girlfriend~~ friend who was a girl who fell down the stairs and died. Which...I always thought was a little ridiculous, honestly.

Usopp's story isn't as dramatic as the others, I just love him as a character. The rich girl has the 19th-century wasting illness ~~that turns out to be plain old depression~~ and he tells her stories to cheer her up until they discover the caretaker is evil. (And yeah, his fake kid pirate gang all had vegetable names, I don't know what that was all about.) And they get Merry from the nice butler who inexplicably has sheep hair.

The death-by-stairs IS pretty ridiculous, but I get a little misty whenever they flash back on him swearing he'll become even stronger so he can carry her share (how do you even translate that "bun" thing? that never seems to come across properly in translation...). It's more bittersweet than tragic/romantic, I guess.

Also, agreed on episode 37. Though it had me long before that.

Also, Usopp has his parents' story, which is that his father is a pirate who left, and his mother died right after, so he grew up an orphan.

"I'll get so strong that my name will reach the heavens" - that's definitely a misty-time quote for me

Yes, this was what I was trying to remember - which I sort of ended up doing anyway and just posted, lol -I had not remembered about his mother, though. Thanks.

Whoops, sorry, I didn't see your reply since it wasn't to me, and I basically just repeated what you explained (hah.. I spam your comments, sorry, and also thanks for the refresher.) I still don't remember the circumstances around the Zoro & girl though, just that there was one. Eh, whatevs. I might actually watch a few eps tonight for the fun of it since I'm in pirate phase today I guess, though I really should clean the kitchen instead. ;)

I think I actually stopped at episode 50, but I'm sure I read well past that in the manga, though I've gotten confused as to what is sort of filler and what is not, and between the two I'm pretty thoroughly confused as to the timeline of the story as I know it. >_>;;

something about a girl? ... but Zoro had the girlfriend friend

I was thinking more along the lines of Usopp's father which I sort of figured out myself. He left them to join the pirate gang that Luffy idolizes. (This is what I had forgotten, I think.) I believe you're referring to Kaya, the sickly girl int he mansion right? He used to tell her stories from outside the window, I think... It's her (or maybe rather her weird sheepy-butler that gives them the merry, so yeah?)

Ditto Zoro - wasn't it also like his sword master though? Or maybe it was just that they trained together and she always beat him but then she died? I dunno, it's more that I couldn't really recall WHY it came up and/or the significance of his joining up. (Although: I have also since reminded myself he was a pirate bounty hunter; didn't Luffy and that stupid kid free him from the Navy or something? Isn't that why he joined Luffy?)

He left them to join the pirate gang that Luffy idolizes.

Oh! I totally forgot about that.

Or maybe it was just that they trained together and she always beat him but then she died?

Yes.

WHY it came up

Because every member of Luffy's crew must have a tragic past! IT'S THE LAW.

1. Meet new crewmember
2. TRAGIC FLASHBACK
3. ???
4. PROFIT

only Nami cares about step 4

didn't Luffy and that stupid kid free him from the Navy or something? Isn't that why he joined Luffy?

That sounds right, yes.

IT'S THE LAW.

Haha, I know the formula! I meant I didn't remember why - maybe I should have said how? - it even came up. Like, did someone show up, etc? (I'm just wondering out loud at this point, no worries - I guess it doesn't much matter now that I remember the basics.) I literally do not remember entire storylines at this point, guhhh. It was a miracle I remembered the part about Luffy freeing him from the Navy... God, am I a bad fangirl?

I knew what you meant. But sometimes, there's just a random flashback. It doesn't need to be triggered by anything. (I'm honestly not sure, in this case, whether there was a trigger or not.)

am I a bad fangirl?

Honestly, there's only so much fannish information one person should be expected to keep in their head. If OP was your FAVORITE SERIES EVER OMG and you didn't know this, I might think you were a bad fangirl, but as it's a series that you read/watched and liked years ago but fell behind on, not particularly.

TBH, my memories of certain parts of it are pretty vague, and I would like to go back and reread it, but it's so dang long I never seem to have time. (Maybe in July, when I'm not planning on ordering any manga...)

(Maybe in July, when I'm not planning on ordering any manga...)

HAH! You'll be too busy watching anime! :P

Yeah, I know you're right. I have to forgive myself. I think I just feel special guilt over forgetting about Zoro because of how much discussion he generated when Shayla & I started the series. I should really remember those sorts of things! ;)

You'll be too busy watching anime!

To be honest, I think it depends more on how soon I get the Durarara novels and/or how fast I read them. >.>

Yeah, I don't have an answer for this one, either. Maybe Usagi from Sailormoon, because that's one of the few shows where the main character is my favorite? Or else Kino from Kino's Journey, because Kino is a badass.

(You know, I really don't like motorcycles in real life, but apparently in anime I love badass girls who ride bikes.)

Also: hurray for One Piece! Man, you have so much good stuff coming up; enjoy the ride!

For me it's more "well, aside from Luffy, how could I choose" ;)

Seriously though, it's so awesome that you're getting into the show; like Collar, episode 37 is "the" defining moment of One Piece for me, the point it tipped over from "a really entertaining show" to "my favorite show, evar".

The sequence that starts when Nami comes back to the village to try to stop them from getting themselves killed, right through to when Luffy screams "HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY NAVIGATOR CRY" is one of the most cathartic things I've ever seen in any show, and I still tear up a little at Nami's "Luffy, help me."

(Ok, the trip down the stairs death is a little weak - to the point that I have spent a lot of time wondering if that's really what happened, especially after T****** shows up. Sadly, I haven't come up with a workable alternate theory yet =/)

No spoilers from me, though, I promise - but please share your thoughts every once in a while - I love hearing what other people think about the show =)

to the point that I have spent a lot of time wondering if that's really what happened, especially after T****** shows up

Having now met T******, I have to agree 100%. Could she have amnesia, perhaps? The implication seems so obvious that I'm surprised that it hasn't been resolved (apparently, from what you say) in any of the 500+ episodes so far.

Also, on a random other-spoilery tangent, I wonder (but don't tell me!) if it's SUPPOSED to be screamingly obvious that Luffy is Gold Roger's reincarnation, or something along those lines? I don't know, maybe I've just been watching too much Kyou Kara Maoh and/or Fushigi Yuugi. But after the beginning of the Loguetown arc, it seems like they might as well hang a neon sign around Luffy's neck.

I'll try to keep my reply as non-spoiler-y as possible ;) There are a fair amount of "minor" mysteries like this one that are clearly just waiting for the right time to be revealed. I suspect that there's a future showdown somewhere near the end of the series in store between Smoker & co and the Strawhats, and we won't find out what exactly is going on with her until then...

On the other hand, there are bigger mysteries, like the other thing you've mentioned, where it's more like a giant puzzle, and we get pieces to it on a regular basis; small parts of the puzzle get solved, but new unsolved sections appear, and the overall picture just keeps on getting more and more interesting =)

Ah, when you get more caught up, maybe I'll have to dust off some of my old articles on some of my theories^^ (<3 this show so much)

ONE PIECE!!!!!!11 ^____________________^ HOMG, that series is SO MUCH LOVE! And awesomeness and just fantastic and amazing and um...yeah, I kinda love it. A LOT! And it can make me cry like NOTHING else, and half the time in a happy uplifting sobbing way. All their backstories! And Arlong Park! Yeah, I was liking the show before that but that's when I KNEW it was love. Soo soo sooo fantastic! Oh you have sooooo much ahead of you! (Chapter 627 of the manga came out this week...and Oda says he thinks a bit ago was maybe half way through the story...so...um...yeah, we have a ways to go, w0000t!)

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Day 24 - Favorite anime hero or heroine

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