tsunderetaiga:

4chan post on the problem with Kami-sama no Memo-chou, and how it’s symptomatic of a larger problem in anime.

Another season, another slew of shows about a male protagonist who drifts along, who wants nothing but mediocrity and desires not to be noticed, when things just HAPPEN to him and makes his life suddenly a story worth telling.

I’ve been noticing this trend is happening more and more. There are plenty of entertaining shows that do follow this trend, but I kind of wish anime storytelling can get over this hump; it’s almost as if creators believe the audience couldn’t possibly identify with a protagonist that takes control of his life or something. It has been happening since Evangelion (Shinji is a clear example of a victim of circumstances), and slightly more recently Haruhi (Kyon’s nothing BUT a victim of circumstance), and even more recently Durarara (Mikado’s life is only interesting because of all the crazy shit AROUND him, not BECAUSE of him). And here we are, 2011, and I challenge /a/ to find a list of shows, where each show:

1.) Is an original anime with a male protagonist, and
2.) The protagonist is not an apathetic victim of circumstances as the premise of the story, or at least
3.) The protagonist takes control, or somehow rises above the system burdening him with the circumstances.

In almost all the serious-toned shows with male protagonists, the main character rarely ever resolves his relationship with the magical, supernatural, or just plain over-his-head situations that has been dealt to him. Shinji does his psychological breakdown thing and is really just a puppet for all the Big Bads working the strings behind-the-scenes; Kyon will always be of cosmic insignificance other than for his ambiguously romantic connection with Haruhi; and Mikado will always just be an Asian moot, running an imageboard/chatroom website while his crush is a demonic mind-controlling sword and his best friend is the leader of the Japanese Mafia.

(Source: wrathoftaiga)