Postby dzzthink » Fri Aug 23, 2024 5:40 am
I think popularity polls are very interesting and you can draw a lot of parallels with other different media where the main character is essentially superseded by a secondary character in terms of popularity. For example, Asuka being on top of the list is similar to the popularity poll for the French comics Tintin, where Captain Haddock was voted the most popular. In case, you are not familiar, the main character is Tintin who is a reporter who goes on a lot of adventures with his dog Snowy but a secondary character called Captain Haddock appears later on in the comics and is portrayed as angry, clumsy, loyal, loud and causes mayhem due to his drunkenness. This contrasts with Tintin who is an archetypal hero but is shown to have zero love interests, zero bad traits, zero weaknesses, and zero drama. Asuka does not show up until episode 8 and also doesn't have a major role in the later episodes but it is clear her impact on the series is the most notable by changing the character dynamics, spawning the love triangle, and acting as the comedic foil to Shinji. Her traumatic issues also play a major part in the overall theme of Evangelion.
I remember going to MCM comic con in London recently and I'd say I met four Asuka cosplayers (school uniform/plug suit) and only one Shinji cosplayer (school uniform) and one Misato cosplayer. Clearly, people resonate more with the character.
"Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive." - 1 Corinthians 10:23
Gendo'sPapa wrote:I had no idea Evangelion Mark 6 had such a following. The second favorite Eva after Unit 01. Wild.
