Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Slowpokeking » Tue Mar 16, 2021 12:00 pm

Misato is also well liked in the series. Makoto had a strong feeling deep down, most of Shinji's classmates thought she was such a great beauty. I just don't understand why Shinji dislike her random private life so much. It's really not a big issue. She was very professional in her works. Also glad she didn't fall for Gendo like the others.

Also not to derail again, but in that flashback of the 2nd impact, that young Misato looked more like a little girl compare to Rei and Asuka. Wasn't she at the same age?

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Kendrix » Tue Mar 16, 2021 8:21 pm

View Original PostSlowpokeking wrote: I just don't understand why Shinji dislike her random private life so much.


I took that to be a basic "Wait, my parent(al figure)s... fuck?!" type of reaction. An example for all the Too-Much-Info private stuff that actually knowing every detail of every other person's thought would entail, which Shinji maybe hadn't considered before pushing the red button.
He wanted predictability & the answer to 'does everyone secretly hate me' but unless you're a crime boss most of your 'secret' thoughts are probably going to be embarrassing birthmarks, weird sex things and odd sentiments you yourself cant explain.
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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Slowpokeking » Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:42 pm

Yeah he's a bit too oversensitive. Like Kensuke said, Misato treated him closely so she was willing to show her private life to him.

I feel quite warm about their interaction.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Nuclear Lunchbox » Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:04 am

Title begs the question of if she is in fact less popular, and I don't think there's any evidence to suggest this is the case. Maybe she doesn't get fawned over as much in promo materials or collaborations, but there's no shortage of fanart, doujins, and general adoration (even if balanced by the valid pointing out of her shortcomings.)

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby baldur » Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:54 pm

View Original PostSlowpokeking wrote:Also not to derail again, but in that flashback of the 2nd impact, that young Misato looked more like a little girl compare to Rei and Asuka. Wasn't she at the same age?

I'd say this is on topic if we can tip-toe around that discussion and focus on just Misato.

She is supposed to be 14 in that flashback, yes. And y'know, yeah, my impression was always that she looked younger during that sequence, and also in the Episode 21 flashback where she's mute. Rewatching those scenes, though, she actually does look around the same age as Shinji and the others.

Comparison of Shinji and Misato at 14 years old  SPOILER: Show
Image
Image


If I were to guess, I'd say the impression that she looks younger is probably caused by a couple of things: the dissonance of seeing her much younger than usual, the baggy clothes she's wearing that obscure her figure and her not appearing fully in frame or upright (carried by her dad, lying inside the capsule, bundled up in a chair, etc).

View Original PostNuclear Lunchbox wrote:Title begs the question of if she is in fact less popular, and I don't think there's any evidence to suggest this is the case. Maybe she doesn't get fawned over as much in promo materials or collaborations, but there's no shortage of fanart, doujins, and general adoration (even if balanced by the valid pointing out of her shortcomings.)

I do agree that I think she's just as popular among the actual fanbase, if not more (especially in the West) - but I also do think she had less of an impact and legacy when it comes to pop culture. Just look at the "Reception" section on her Wikipedia page and contrast it with Rei, Asuka or Shinji's. But she definitely isn't any less beloved among dedicated fans. Misato Mondays and all that.
SPOILER: Show
Image

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Blockio » Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:58 pm

Slowpokeking, I think you are focusing too much on the fetishization. A lot of people like Misato more than Asuka or Rei because they find her better written; it's just that you don't see as much talk about her because she has less incessant fanboys fighting pointless waifu wars.
Once you look outside the realm of how many hits the search term gets on porn sites, things look rather different. Sure, the children are more popular in polls because they are the PoV characters and designed to resonate with the target audience, but even those aren't representative of people who have seen Eva at large, but only those who feel strongly enough about Eva to take part in polls like that. Outside of that bubble, things look a lot differently, and a lot of people are sick and tired of all of the usual suspects.
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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Slowpokeking » Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:03 pm

I never watch porns about these characters. Just that from most of the communities I came that I feel Misato is well liked by many ppl, but didn't have a huge fanbase like the other two. If she has one, I think Rebuild would have put her in a more important role than downplay her. She wasn't even in the main poster.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Blockio » Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:11 pm

NTE is a different story because, well, it is a different story. It was at no point meant to be the same as NGE, so it makes perfect sense for the characters to not have the same significance to the story. It's the same reason why people cry bloody murder about the things changed abour Rei and Asuka.
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby BusterMachine4 » Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:22 pm

View Original PostBlockio wrote:NTE is a different story because, well, it is a different story. It was at no point meant to be the same as NGE, so it makes perfect sense for the characters to not have the same significance to the story. It's the same reason why people cry bloody murder about the things changed abour Rei and Asuka.

Rebuild apologists always say that, but I think it's okay to complain about things in Rebuild being different from NGE if you prefer the way it was done in NGE. Take Asuka for example. A lot of people don't like her Shikinami incarnation because of how she has a less complicated character than Soryu and is more of a stereotypical tsundere. Rebuild apologists excuse that by saying "Well, Rebuild doesn't need to give her a complicated character arc, because it's not NGE!" But just because Rebuild is set in a different continuity doesn't change people's feelings about a character not being done justice, and it certainly doesn't erase the fact that an example of how that plot point can be done better is sitting right there.

If someone is just criticizing Rebuild because it's different, that would be wrong (although I haven't seen anyone doing it). But outlawing NGE comparisons in a Rebuild discussion just seems like an attempt to make the Rebuilds' flaws less obvious.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Slowpokeking » Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:09 pm

Rebuild has limited time to show the characters, which is understandable.

But I'm not sure why did it try to go a 14 years passed route and insert Mari, of course this should belong to the Rebuild section.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby baldur » Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:15 pm

View Original PostBusterMachine4 wrote:Rebuild apologists always say that, but I think it's okay to complain about things in Rebuild being different from NGE if you prefer the way it was done in NGE. Take Asuka for example. A lot of people don't like her Shikinami incarnation because of how she has a less complicated character than Soryu and is more of a stereotypical tsundere. Rebuild apologists excuse that by saying "Well, Rebuild doesn't need to give her a complicated character arc, because it's not NGE!" But just because Rebuild is set in a different continuity doesn't change people's feelings about a character not being done justice, and it certainly doesn't erase the fact that an example of how that plot point can be done better is sitting right there.

If someone is just criticizing Rebuild because it's different, that would be wrong (although I haven't seen anyone doing it). But outlawing NGE comparisons in a Rebuild discussion just seems like an attempt to make the Rebuilds' flaws less obvious.

Direct comparisons between NGE and Rebuild are bad because they quietly make the wrong assumptions that
a) Rebuild has the resources to execute characterization as well as NGE, and
b) that Rebuild is simply a retread of or replacement for NGE.

Asuka is a more stereotypical character in 2.0 than in NGE. It's completely in fitting with the rest of 2.0, which frankly feels like fan-fiction for most of its runtime. Instead of writing the film off entirely for not exceeding in the same departments as NGE, I like to think more critically about what 2.0 is even trying to go for and what it means in the larger context of Evangelion as a franchise, especially since 3.0 actively goes in the total opposite direction. I've always felt that thinking of Rebuild as a sequel to or extension of NGE (not literally, calm down) instead of some attempted replacement of it leads to much deeper and more interesting interpretations. I don't need Asuka to be a super developed character because I already saw that development in NGE.

With that being said, we're way off topic lol

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby BusterMachine4 » Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:58 pm

View Original Postbaldur wrote:I've always felt that thinking of Rebuild as a sequel to or extension of NGE (not literally, calm down) instead of some attempted replacement of it leads to much deeper and more interesting interpretations. I don't need Asuka to be a super developed character because I already saw that development in NGE.

With that being said, we're way off topic lol

Yeah, the Rebuilds really do lean into the whole "meta" aspect a lot more than NGE did, and from what I heard that only increases in the final movie. Some people will like that, but I'm not personally sure if I do. But we should get back on topic.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Kendrix » Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:08 pm

Rebuild doesn't need to be a sequel to be 'connected' to the original 'verse tho.

There was that one interview before the release of EoE where it's described as a "multi ending like a video game" (in relation to EoTV)
I tend to see the Rebuilds like that, as a what if.
What if one of the EVAs had gone out of control with apocalyptic consequences, or, what if SEELE found the tablet with the "apocryphae" mentioned in the first 2 films. (heck, putting the divergence point that far back could even explain why some ppl wound up with different last names XDD)

If not strictly like a CYOA (because some background lore facts are different & they did stuff like randomly change Asuka's name or make Fuyutsuki taller) then at least in a storytelling kind of way, multiple ways this thing could've been continued including what twists & revelations you want to have

Ugh I want to see the film so bad.

Anyways Misato tends to be 4th or 5th in popularity polls, beneath the holy trifecta of Kaworu, Rei and Asuka but still pretty far up- Shinji is in about the same 'area' as Misato, at least in Japan (it fluctuates which of the two ist 5th or 4th)
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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby baldur » Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:32 am

View Original PostBusterMachine4 wrote:Yeah, the Rebuilds really do lean into the whole "meta" aspect a lot more than NGE did, and from what I heard that only increases in the final movie. Some people will like that, but I'm not personally sure if I do. But we should get back on topic.

I personally love it but I can understand why some might not be that into it.
View Original PostKendrix wrote:Rebuild doesn't need to be a sequel to be 'connected' to the original 'verse tho.

There was that one interview before the release of EoE where it's described as a "multi ending like a video game" (in relation to EoTV)
I tend to see the Rebuilds like that, as a what if.
What if one of the EVAs had gone out of control with apocalyptic consequences, or, what if SEELE found the tablet with the "apocryphae" mentioned in the first 2 films. (heck, putting the divergence point that far back could even explain why some ppl wound up with different last names XDD)

If not strictly like a CYOA (because some background lore facts are different & they did stuff like randomly change Asuka's name or make Fuyutsuki taller) then at least in a storytelling kind of way, multiple ways this thing could've been continued including what twists & revelations you want to have

Ugh I want to see the film so bad.

That's actually kind of what I was getting at. I don't think it's a sequel as in "it takes place in the same continuity", but it's a thematic continuation/extension of Evangelion as a larger series. I think this is something the filmmakers also make clear over and over again with stuff like the opening shot of Rebuild being a parallel to one of the final ones in EoE, environments being more overgrown, the red line on the Moon, characters (Kaworu especially) frequently seeming to reference their NGE counterparts, etc.
View Original PostKendrix wrote:Anyways Misato tends to be 4th or 5th in popularity polls, beneath the holy trifecta of Kaworu, Rei and Asuka but still pretty far up- Shinji is in about the same 'area' as Misato, at least in Japan (it fluctuates which of the two ist 5th or 4th)

lol tfw the protag isn't even in the top 3

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Archer » Thu Mar 18, 2021 10:55 am

I think she’s just less immediately relatable to the target audience than the other characters, by virtue of being an adult with more specifically adult problems.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Kendrix » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:50 pm

View Original Postbaldur wrote:lol tfw the protag isn't even in the top 3


I can actually recall very few examples where that's been the case that the MC is that far up.

Unlike you have a very small cast or an unusual protagonist (like Death Note) the fan favorite is usually The Rival (Asuka!), some interesting quirky side character(Rei! maybe not side character, but quirky/interesting) or a cool sympathetic villain (OG Series Kaworu!).´

In that case the pattern isn't actually that different from most other animes, except that you rarely get a male MC with a female Rival.
I mean EVA doesn't really do any of the usual action tropes here (instead giving us the concerned adults talking among themselves), But Asuka still vaguely fits the overall pattern of "Much more competent, arrogant prodigy who looks down on the MC, and then gets obsessed with him after he beats them at something"
Last edited by Kendrix on Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby BusterMachine4 » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:56 pm

View Original PostKendrix wrote:or a cool sympathetic villain (OG Series Kaworu!).

Wait, I thought you were against the Evil Kaworu theory! :wink:

But other than that, I agree with you. The protagonist almost never ranks high in popularity polls, because, well, they're the protagonist. Being a fan of them just feels boring, especially compared to the tsundere, the shy girl, and the pretty boy.

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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby Kendrix » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:59 pm

View Original PostBusterMachine4 wrote:
View Original PostKendrix#916430 wrote:or a cool sympathetic villain (OG Series Kaworu!).

Wait, I thought you were against the Evil Kaworu theory! :wink:


Yeah but narratively he fills a sort of antagonist spot, at least enough so to get the bad boy loving brigade all over him
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Re: Why is Misato less popular than the other 2 female leads?

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Postby baldur » Fri Mar 19, 2021 6:13 pm

View Original PostKendrix wrote:Yeah but narratively he fills a sort of antagonist spot, at least enough so to get the bad boy loving brigade all over him

I don't know if "the bad boy loving brigade" are the ones that are into Gay Space Jesus


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