Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby TheCarkolum » Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:56 pm

Come on, name me one. I dare you.

I think there isn't. Eva is not my favorite anime, but the characters are top-notch. I got to admit there's no anime that can measure up to the characterization in Eva, sorry
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby Reichu » Wed Jun 28, 2017 8:28 pm

You created the topic. Who are you apologizing to, exactly?
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby CommanderFish » Wed Jun 28, 2017 8:47 pm

Phrase this a bit differently and it's basically a post on /a/.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby DarkBluePhoenix » Wed Jun 28, 2017 10:56 pm

TheCarkolum wrote:Come on, name me one. I dare you.

I think there isn't. Eva is not my favorite anime, but the characters are top-notch. I got to admit there's no anime that can measure up to the characterization in Eva, sorry

Well, you did use the word "dare"

Bleach and Dragonball Z/Super for starters

Bleach has a load of well defined characters, and while NGE has some great characterization, it's not above all other anime, as much as it pains me to say that. The show itself (as you said anime, I'll keep everything limited to the original 26 episode run) is relatively short, so the cast of well defined characters is limited to the EVA pilots, Misato, and Gendo. Kaji, Ritsuko, and the stooges are relatively light on chaacterization in comparison, and Fuyutsuki is relatively wasted as a character. Even expanding to EoE and the rebuild, only Shinji's characterization is improved drastically, with EoE giving Asuka and Misato some extra characterization as well.

Bleach has at least 12 well defined characters (Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Chad, Uryū, Renji, and Byakyua off the top of my head), and the Dragonball franchise itself has a litany of well defined characters besides Goku. Gohan goes from small child to the most powerful warrior of the Earth to normal teenager then has his hidden potential unlocked. Piccolo went from the spawn of a demon to an alien warrior between series, who then becomes a surrogate father to Gohan and dies to save him. Then we have Vegeta, who went from evil warrior, to tepid ally, to father and friend who fights for Earth just the same, touting his Sayian pride all the way.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby Sachi » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:04 pm

Fullmetal Alchemist has some amazing character development, particularly Brotherhood. FMA:B does a great job showing the physical growth of the characters as well.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby robersora » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:58 pm

"Better" is difficult to gauge, since perceiving something as "better" is inherently subjective. Better could mean more interesting, better could be more fleshed out, better could be more developed or portrayed in a different way.
I for one like the characters of NGE very much, but I like the character's of Utena as much as those of NGE.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby pwhodges » Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:29 am

There's also a distinction between good characters and character development, and whether in a substantial cast development is limited to one or two key characters or spread across them all.

I would offer Bokura ga ita as a particularly fine example of development (you get barely half of it, though well done, in the anime - read the second half of the manga afterwards for the full impact) - in the same vein Honey and Clover also does well, but takes second place to it. FMA, certainly, as Sachi said. Of ongoing shows My Hero Academia is promising in this regard - the way it integrates character development into the fights is good.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby Stillborn » Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:07 am

Cast of Claymore is also diverse, great and lovable. Even the "cannon fodder" that appears only to die, often is memorable.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby silvermoonlight » Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:51 am

I wouldn't say better but for arguments sake I'll say close to equal footing I'd say Cowboy Bebop and Ghost In The Shell 1st and 2nd Gig as they have great character developments.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby DarkBluePhoenix » Thu Jun 29, 2017 5:18 am

Well, I think we've covered the dare quite well, and I'm sure there are more series out there with good characterization.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby C.T.1290 » Fri Jun 30, 2017 1:48 am

I think I'll go with Tokyo Ghoul. I've started watching it on Toonami. The character Kanneki reminds me a bit of Shinji, a bit timid and shy, not one for violence. He also not willing to eat human flesh despite him being a Ghoul, and was devastated when he became one after being bitten by another. His emotional breakdowns and the consequences of his inactions are also what reminds me of Shinji. And after he got brutally tortured and his hair turned silver white, he seemed to have developed a new personality. We also got to see the trip going on inside his head (like Shinji going through Instrumentality) where he did some self reflection with the Ghoul responsible for his transformation, and went over all the events that led to his predicament; such as his mother working herself to death to support him, his failure to save the girl's mother from one of the Ghoul hunters called the Doves, and his failure to save two of his friends from the madman who was torturing him. After coming to a realization that his passiveness will get him nowhere, and that it was alright to be a Ghoul and eat flesh to survive, his personality took a 180 turn from being cowardly to a more stoic and strong individual, whose cold glare could signify death. And that's what happened to the guy torturing him when Kanneki took a bite out him.
I have yet to see the rest on Toonami, but his character development looks rather promising.
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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby LeoXiao » Sat Sep 16, 2017 4:57 pm

I wouldn't say that NGE has better characters. In fact the characters are actually rather typical. Where NGE shines is in how it portrays them on various and multifaceted levels.

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Re: Is there any anime with better characters than NGE?

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Postby KingXanaduu » Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:38 pm

^

Exactly. The difference between most shows and NGE in general is that we focus more on the existence of problems of each of the main characters, instead of treating them as a half-an-hour problem to tackle like in most shows.

NGE is more like real life, where your problems that define you as a person don't just go away after an ephiphany. They stick with you, sometimes even having you struggle with them til the end of your days.

And why NGE is so polarizing, is because it reminds us of us having these problems, instead of using entertainment as an escape.
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