Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby asukakinnie » Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:21 am

I realize she’s an incredibly iconic and recognizable with lots of fans but it seems like within NGE circles she isn’t that well liked and more often than not hated. I’m not here to discuss whether or not this is justified but I’m wondering, is it just something that happens on this forum along with Reddit and Tumblr or is Asuka not as popular as it seems everywhere?
Last edited by asukakinnie on Tue May 31, 2022 3:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby kuribo-04 » Mon Apr 25, 2022 4:06 am

Probably a vocal minority in Western circles.
2020 she was voted most popular Eva character in an official Eva event.
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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby asukakinnie » Mon Apr 25, 2022 10:18 am

That make sense, thanks

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby nerv bae » Mon Apr 25, 2022 7:38 pm

Someone hates Asuka?! She's gonna find him and then she's

Image

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby asukakinnie » Mon Apr 25, 2022 9:43 pm

Get em girl!

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby C.A.P. » Fri May 20, 2022 7:51 am

If one needs to ask this question, they probably haven't been paying attention to the fanbase at large in the last...25 years?
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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby asukakinnie » Tue May 31, 2022 3:45 am

I paid attention and I found people calling her a bitch and a brat.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby Zoop » Tue May 31, 2022 8:08 am

Obviously plenty people will have that opinion, because .. well .. she is a bitch and a brat, thats her character but obviously there's a whole lot more nuance to it than that.
Just like people calling Shinji a whiney brat, well, true ... but also a lot more nuance.
Thats the gist for those who haven't looked beyond the surface of the anime.

But I've found a whole lot more people to be simping over her, definitely more liked than hated, i would say.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby YTPrenewed » Wed Jun 08, 2022 10:50 am

The issue with Asuka is that she's cuter than a golden poison dart frog... but also more toxic. How much it bugs an individual viewer to see such cuteness as the face of such an abrasive personality would probably depend not exclusively, but at least partly, on how thin-skinned one is. I still remember Sally Acorn from the Sonic franchise and her characterization used to get under my skin more back then than Asuka's does now, even though she wasn't as abrasive as Asuka. I think it's down to how thin-skinned I was at the time.

Of course, NGE isn't exactly for the faint of heart anyway, for a wide variety of far better reasons.

All things considered, I'd say attitudes toward her range from loving to hate her to outright liking her. I'm more so in between the two... yeah it still stings a bit to see her lie to Kaji about being attacked or so frequently trash-talk Shinji and Rei, but I have no qualms giving credit where credit is due, when it comes to things like an otherwise arrogant character being humble enough (or at least "inquisitive first, arrogant second" enough) to entertain the possibility that Shinji's hesitation to kiss her was sincere, or being accommodating enough to take Rei to a ramen place.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby BoosterRooster » Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:14 pm

Asuka is my personal favorite character because of how she became who she is, her horrible childhood led her to becoming egotistical and use her pride as a shield against having to form true bonds with others, (kinda like how Shinji is so altruistic.) There are definitely others out there who only like her cuz she screams a lot, which is fine lol. ^_^

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby YTPrenewed » Mon Aug 01, 2022 12:17 am

View Original PostBoosterRooster wrote:Asuka is my personal favorite character because of how she became who she is, her horrible childhood led her to becoming egotistical and use her pride as a shield against having to form true bonds with others, (kinda like how Shinji is so altruistic.) There are definitely others out there who only like her cuz she screams a lot, which is fine lol. ^_^

I'm not sure Shinji is necessarily "altruistic" so much as often liking to feel all warm and fuzzy by playing house-husband for Misato and Rei. By comparison, the few times he wasn't in the mood for it like early in ep 7, he came across as mean-spirited. His decision to also serve in combat is more of a grey area, of course. It's kind of blurry, when you think about it, what counts as altruistic and what doesn't. Was it more "altruistic" to stay to please Misato and Rei, or to quit because Misato didn't think highly of such reasons to stay? Was it "altruistic" to hesitate to attack an enemy EVA with a fellow pilot trapped inside or was it selfish to put not wanting to over the safety of others? Analysis of fiction often casts moral philosophy in a new light.

Of course, he's no moocher either; even when he begs for help from Asuka he always tries to convince her he can help her too in the process (and seems to genuinely believe it) but there's middle grounds between pure altruism and pure mooching.

EDIT: Fixing some clunky wording. Again. Man, I need to learn to live by the "measure twice, cut once" mantra for once...
Last edited by YTPrenewed on Tue Dec 20, 2022 1:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby BoosterRooster » Mon Aug 01, 2022 12:38 pm

^ Huh, I never thought about that. Shinji does seem pretty selfish at times even though at moments he completely believes he is in the right, just like how u mentioned he wouldn't attack the rampaging Eva because there was a pilot inside, he thinks he is doing the right thing by not killing but many more would probably die if the dummy plug wasn't used. It is strange how Shinji does seem to want his father's affection and consideration even after he left him and made him pilot a murderous "robot" though. He wants love but at the same time doesn't want to be hurt, leading him to try to please people and other times makes him seem inconsiderate because of his fear of pain and guilt. His character seems rooted in wanting people to care for him.

I got into this series this week so pls correct me if I'm wrong about anything, I've never enjoyed writing this much lol.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby YTPrenewed » Mon Aug 01, 2022 1:34 pm

^ Actually, you seem to understand it rather well for someone who just got into it.

The one thing I would question is whether he "believed" he was in the right in the Bardiel scene or just ruled by emotion anyway. They seemed to have left a lot of room for interpretation on whether any moral-philosophy reasoning was involved in his decision at all, let alone how much of it.

I must say, it was refreshing to see the "soldiers genuinely don't want to kill" narrative in a context that makes abundantly clear that, no, the writers are not saying that just to tell a sugar-coated story / look at human nature through rose-tinted glasses / whatever cynics who dismiss that narrative are saying these days...

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby AWinters » Wed Nov 09, 2022 6:25 am

View Original Postnerv bae wrote:Someone hates Asuka?! She's gonna find him and then she's

Image


Is this image from a manga? I don't recognise it.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby Blockio » Wed Nov 09, 2022 2:06 pm

Statistically, probably a doujin of some description, sfw or otherwise
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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby JoelcrNeto » Wed Nov 09, 2022 3:14 pm

It come from that one-shot “EVANGELION:3.0 (-120 min)”, the “official doujin”.
Just for reference:
SPOILER: Show
Image
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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby Blockio » Fri Nov 11, 2022 7:41 pm

Oh right, it totally does. Whoops. Although calling it an officially endorsed doujin is not exactly far from the truth, either
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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby C.T.1290 » Thu Nov 17, 2022 7:55 pm

All I can say is, yeah, she’s very popular. Apart from being iconic, people described her as a well written character.

At the same time, she has had quite a handful of haters, for some reasons being obvious. But I think that is outweighed by the number of people who genuinely likes her. Hell, there is even the sub on Reddit dedicated to her.
I think there are some people out there who likes her for some of the wrong reasons, like some creepy fanboys or grown men who sees her as fap material. The good reasons to like her has to do more with her characterization, and how she makes a pretty interesting character study, and a prime example of some mental illness some psychologists tend to study.

For me personally, if she were to have a bit of a personality adjustment, she probably would have been a little more popular. Then again, people are just fine with the way she is, so that adjustment might not be necessary.
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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby Forumfanboy88 » Thu Nov 24, 2022 10:25 pm

View Original Postasukakinnie wrote:I realize she’s an incredibly iconic and recognizable with lots of fans but it seems like within NGE circles she isn’t that well liked and more often than not hated. I’m not here to discuss whether or not this is justified but I’m wondering, is it just something that happens on this forum along with Reddit and Tumblr or is Asuka not as popular as it seems everywhere?


I used to dislike her too as a fan but she finally grew on me and I think her character is fascinating now.

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Re: Is Asuka that popular, really?

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Postby nerv bae » Mon Nov 28, 2022 7:31 pm

View Original PostJoelcrNeto wrote:It come from that one-shot “EVANGELION:3.0 (-120 min)”, the “official doujin”.
Just for reference:
SPOILER: Show
Image

Also the source of my profile avatar! :asuka_wink:


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