Why do you like/dislike certain characters?

[Sunwoo]

At first Olivia's voice was too high-pitched for my likings. Then I played an entire (well, close to it, fuck the voice glitch) playthrough with the Japanese voices on where I was married to Olivia, and I got used to it.

EDIT: Might not just be Japan, though, but other parts of Asia. I think this is a thing in Korea, too. Well ... a lot of my Korean female friends have high-pitched voices at least.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Sangyul

[RJWalker]

The high pitched voices are a major reason why I refuse to watch subs of anime as they are very common or at least seem to be very common.

[ZemZem]

I like both versions of Olivia.

[shadowofchaos]

I like both versions of Olivia.

I wish I could say that... I like Karen Strassman. I LOVE her Anna.

I can't say the same about her portrayal of Olivia... which was most likely the decision... and probably the good decision of the localization team.

If you didn't notice, my tastes don't line up typically with the Western audience.

Fitting things to my niche taste is gonna pretty much screw with the quality of the localization... because localization is so that the target audience can identify more easily with the work.

Edited September 8, 2013 by shadowofchaos

[BrightBow]

Pretty common and acceptable criticism. Because you know, it's not an attractive trait in western culture. In Japan, having a high pitched voice is considered an attractive trait.

I doubt that this kind of stuff is appreciated anywhere but the darkest pits of the otaku subculture. Let alone that an entire country declared the grade school girl to be the pinnacle of feminity.

And that's pushing it, considering stuff like Sumia having the motorical abilities of an infant.

Edited September 8, 2013 by BrightBow

[shadowofchaos]

I doubt that this kind of stuff is appreciated anywhere but the darkest pits of the otaku subculture.

Actually, just like Boron said, that's Eastern Asia in general with the voice thing.

[Thor Odinson]

My last post was pretty much in general instead of directed specifically towards Awakening's cast, since it seems like you took it for the cast only. I realise that this is in the FE:A board, but really, it's not like I change my standards based on the franchise, so it applies everywhere.

That being said I don't particularly hold FE:A's characterisation as something to be lauded, but I take what I can get. I feel that most are just too gimmicky and if they took their existing traits, toned down the gimmick levels across the board, and added depth, they could've had a very solid cast in terms of characterisation. Virion is one of the few exceptions and I wish IS would put the same level of characterisation they did him as they do the rest of the cast.

My previous post still holds, however. I prefer badass characters doing adorable things to characters that are supposed to come off as adorable to begin with. Hulk making spider-woman food? Adorable as fuck. Sif having a snowball fight with the Broxton kids? Adorable as fuck. Kawaii culture? Not my cup of tea.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Ezio Auditore da Firenze

[Loki Laufeyson]

On topic of moe/adorable types: I personally don't like moe, feel it tries too hard to be adorable and stuff and that just backfires. The characters I find adorable tend to be characters most don't think is adorable but sometimes they do things unintentionally adorable and I find that the most adorable. Things like Thor's cute smile or just how happy he is talking about his battles while drinking large amounts of mead, or hell, his reaction to mead, makes me go awww adorable even though he's clearly not designed to be conventionally adorable. Ezio's many facial expressions and emotiveness has the same effect on me, whereas characters actually designed to be moe/adorable tend to not. Maybe I'm just weird or something, I dunno.

Mind, I don't think characters written intentionally to come off as the adorable type are bad characters, necessarily, but they're just not my type.

Oh i get you. No really. Like Dunban in Xenoblade gets hella adorable just by being a badass and his reactions to some things. Like his sister and Shulk. Or some of his quotes around Riki. Or Alucard from Symphony Of the Night has some very cute reactions to Maria, despite not being written as cute.

*Insert rabid fanboy waifushield dual-guard here*

...in all seriousness, it's all a matter of preference. I certainly like the character design and personalities for Sumia and Olivia are spot on to my preferences. And that's particularly it: Preferences. I'm probably an outlier here, because I *DO* like the "adorable" and "kawaii" attempts for them. While obviously anyone that obsessed with portraying themselves as Moe and Kawaii in REAL LIFE would probably be creepy... Being "kawaii" is a desirable trait for women in the Japanese setting.

I certainly don't think they're bad as characters... and that certainly doesn't necessarily make me anywhere in the wrong. I realize your criticisms and decide that I still like the characters anyway. I see them as believable *ENOUGH*.

Their... debatable in the western reaction... cute Japanese voices certainly doesn't prevent me from liking them even further.

Also *SCREW* the English localization for Olivia.

See, i find Colette from Tales of Symphonia to be the cutest thing on the planet. But what draws me isnt the initial cuteness as much as her development to become strong and face her fears with her friends. While still retaining her cute/moe style. If a character is designed specifically for moe but doesnt develop somehow, thats when i get turned off. Static characters aggravate me in general (no matter the archetype). Sansa from Game Of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire is the closest thing to a token Moe the series has. But seeing how that series is so far from the Disney style setting as one can possibly get, Sansa gets some...questionable depiction and this opens her up to grow in very unusual ways. Imagine Moe Princess Classic in the biggest medieval shit hole world that has ever been created. Poor Sansa.... That character didnt get on my good side until she underwent a metric fuckton of character development. (and it seems shes still retaining her moe exterior...)

I dont have any issue with Localization Olivia. As for the high pitched "cute" voices in the Japanese language options, thats something i cannot dig no matter what. Im not a fan of shrill. Hell, English!Cynthia took me some time to warm up to for that reason.

I doubt that this kind of stuff is appreciated anywhere but the darkest pits of the otaku subculture. Let alone that an entire country declared the grade school girl to be the pinnacle of feminity.

And that's pushing it, considering stuff like Sumia having the motorical abilities of an infant.

Ummmmm....wow. Ouch. Seeing how so many Eastern works feature a character with Moe attributes (Even shit like Memoirs of a Geisha), i really think you are wrong here. The Yamato Nadeshiko archetype is basically what a Moe character grows up to be. Which is an Eastern/Japanese take on the Proper Lady concept. This is seen as highly desirable among Eastern audiences, otaku or otherwise. Sweetness and politeness while still being adorable is actually not just an Eastern concept either. With Moe, its seem as desirable in younger people, hence why young people (from child to teen) get this characterization by Eastern writers. To say its only appreciated in the darkest pits of a creepy mouthbreathing fandom is just not true.

EDIT TO ADD: Actual kawaii culture really wigs me out if i am exposed to it for too long. Its one reason why im not a huge anime fan since that is often incorporated into the works. I am not exactly the fluffiest of people, so too much cute makes me wanna dry heave. But the concept is not something i loathe or will hurl stones at.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Ser Dunban

[Topaz Light]

Okay, so before I begin, I want to make a very important distinction clear:

Liking/disliking someone as a character =/= liking/disliking them as a person

Got it? Okay? Okay.

So, to start off, I really like Inigo. He's strong both as a unit (in my experience, at least) and as a person. He has some really touching father supports that are amped up if said father is Chrom, and he's just generally my favorite second royal child; I think he works really well in that role, and he rocks the blue hair pretty well, too. He even has a bit of family resemblance with Chrom, if they're related! I also find flirtatiousness to be a rather endearing character trait for either gender, but that's kinda secondary to everything else.

I'll admit I'm not really a huge fan of Nah, to be honest. A lot of the time she just sorta comes off as a bossy jerk (as a result of speaking with authority she doesn't actually have and lacking the stylish panache to pull it off charmingly) to me and that's one of my least favorite kinds of people. So I guess I dislike her as a person more than as a character.

I have no idea if I'm in the minority or not, but I actually like Cordelia. I'll admit her character design is a part of it. I like how she's so hardworking and devoted (although the fact that I fell in love with an ex-friend's OC who was like that in the extreme and also had an unrequited crush on his superior may have a part in my affinity for that character trait), and I do feel kinda bad that she can't get together with Chrom. I also like her supports with the Avatar because I find it really cute when a character who doesn't expect to ever be really cared about as more than a coworker learns that they're actually really loved.

Donnel I like a lot, because he's just an honest, hardworking guy with a lot of potential who's also really humble and sweet. His personal class is really fun to pass down to a second-gen dude, too, even though it's probably the worst final class out there. It's neat for novelty, at least.

I am not a fan of Kellam's gimmick being shoved in my face at every opportunity. Other characters' gimmicks are rarely so invasive and ubiquitous in their screen time as his is. It's annoying and I don't like it. Otherwise, I got no problem with him; heck, I actually really like Kellam when he's not ironically shoving his lack of presence down everyone's throat. Still, could'a cut back on that gimmick a lot and Kellam would've been the better for it.

Stahl's just a really chill, cool guy. I like him and he makes a rad Myrmidon/Swordmaster. (Those overworld sprites are some of the sexiest in the game, I'm tellin' ya)

Libra's pretty cool. Not a fan of the low EXP gain to start with, but with reclassing he's a virtuoso of the magic arts and I like both prettyboys and kindly/badass priest characters. He's both, so...

Maribelle. I absolutely love her because she is actually a very caring person underneath her haughty exterior, and she's actually got a lot of integrity, too. Between her and her son I'm almost certain she'd be Turks' wife if their supports didn't fall so short of her others.

Brady, since he looks tough and thuggish but is really a very tenderhearted person; heck, his base class is one of only two that can't even attack! I really like his friendship with Inigo, and I personally think he's a fine nobleman and gentleman even with his less-than-approachable face and informal speech.

Severa's pretty much a brat and if she were a real person I wouldn't hesitate to call her on her crap if it weren't for that steel sword. That said, I do feel bad for her, and I think she can be kind of sweet sometimes. Emphasis on kind of and sometimes.

Tharja. I cannot decide to feel about her. On one hand, she's a stalker, and that's freakin' creepy. On the other hand, I do think there's at least a level on which her feelings for the avatar are honest and caring. And then there's her treatment of Noire and her death threats towards the Avatar if he ever leaves her... And then there are her supports with Nowi... I don't know, I'm confused.

Henry's a neat character, I think. He's so psychotic, but so peppy and upbeat and friendly at the same time. I... do prefer the Japanese version's handling of his tragic backstory over the English-language one, but I still think he's a neat character. The way he proclaims his intent to slaughter opposition with such honest, wholehearted glee never ceases to disturb and amuse me.

I like Virion, too. He feels like a character from the days of FE7~9, and I mean that in the best way possible. I need to get more of his supports; the dude has a backstory I'm not fully aware of and I must remedy that.

Lissa is great because she's sweet and cute and also pretty respectable in her own way. She's bold, but not in a rude or disrespectful sort of way... most of the time (I'm looking at you, Avatar supports C~A).

Lucina's really brave and absolutely adorable (and also kinda hot as "Marth" without the mask on whoops), and the fact that her design is basically an ascension of all those "girly Marth" jokes tickles me. The fact that she still has this air of innocence about her in that she's almost alien to the more peaceful ways of the present (well, relative to her it's the past) is also something I find endearing.

As much as I don't really hate him for it Yen'fay really is an idiot since you can put his sister right next to him surrounded by all your units where he could not be more sure of her safety from Excellus and his forces and he still insists on fighting you. Welp. At least he's a pretty cool-looking Swordmaster and I like bad future!Yen'fay as a character somewhat.

Gangrel's actually one of my favorite Fire Emblem arc antagonists, since... I dunno, I just like him, really. His speech patterns and his rather unhinged pursuit of the devastation of the Ylissean nation, a few of his lines hinting to a troubled past; implying that something happened to him personally (or someone close to him) that triggered that passion behind his hatred of Ylisse. His additional motivations for the war, revealed in his support conversations, could have and should have been incorporated into the main plot and I cannot tell you how irate I am that they weren't.

I don't know why I find Aversa so endearing as a "good guy", but I do. I like her supports with the Avatar and the idea that at the end of being variously manipulated and beaten up, she's able to actually end up loving and being loved by someone. (Bonus points considering that as far as I've seen her sort of character rarely gets that sort of happy ending.) I also like how it seems that she was never nearly so evil/malicious as she was blindly loyal to a someone who was.

[Aurath8]

I'll admit I'm not really a huge fan of Nah, to be honest. A lot of the time she just sorta comes off as a bossy jerk (as a result of speaking with authority she doesn't actually have and lacking the stylish panache to pull it off charmingly) to me and that's one of my least favorite kinds of people. So I guess I dislike her as a person more than as a character.

Isn't that the whole point? She's one of the children characters so she's already about 15 at most, but if wasn't for her being half-manakete she'd basically be a toddler. She's not only the one of the youngest in age and definitely the yongest in physique, she's probably the youngest in all of Fire Emblem. To have her try and fail when demanding to be treated like an adult is quite funny and endearing imo.

As a side note, does Ricken do the same thing? The only lines of his I read are the ones that happen in Chapter 4/5 and I disliked him for risking his life just to prove himself to a guy he can't even support with. I am worried that I'm being a little sexist for liking Nah but disliking Ricken though. Either that or I'm a lolicon.

Gangrel's actually one of my favorite Fire Emblem arc antagonists, since... I dunno, I just like him, really. His speech patterns and his rather unhinged pursuit of the devastation of the Ylissean nation, a few of his lines hinting to a troubled past; implying that something happened to him personally (or someone close to him) that triggered that passion behind his hatred of Ylisse.

There is something personal. His country was devastated by the last Exalt who waged war on Plegia for... some reason. idk maybe he tried to exterminate the Grimleal or just felt like killing something that day. Either way, upon his death all that hate just fell to Emmeryn. I've no idea how long Gangrel has been king, but to have the country he worked to so hard to rule be destroyed must have crushed him.

[Faye]

Related to the Japanese voices...I hate it when people makes the generalization that ALL the female cast of Awakening have high-pitched Japanese voices. That is utter BS dude. Olivia, Sumia, Liz, Nowi, and Cynthia. You can count them on one hand. I dare anybody to call the Japanese voices of Miriel, Panne, Tharja, Cherche, Cordelia, Lucina, Severa, Nah, Say'ri, Anna, Kjelle, Emmeryn, Flavia, Aversa, Maribelle, and Noire "high-pitched and annoying". .-. Seriously now, cut that crap out. FIVE FREAKIN' WOMEN does not equal the entire female cast of Awakening. God. The English voices might sound more "mature", but they fail to capture the essence of the original character.

Olivia, as noted by Rey, loses a LOT of her cute charm, which is plain annoying.

Nowi is SUPPOSED to be lolibait, making her voice less loli-sounding doesn't change that.

And Inigo is supposed to sound soft-voiced and handsome, he's shy like his mother; giving him A SUPER DEEP AND REALLY UGLY VOICE just ruins it. He's a 15-17 at most, not a 40-freaking-year-old man. AUGH.

...wow, I didn't mean to bring up an English VS Japanese voice debate, but honestly. 8U;

[Thor Odinson]

I don't think anyone is saying all the Japanese female voices are squeaky

But rather there's enough of them that are squeaky to be turned off by it

I tend to play with sound off so I don't really care, but if I did play with sound on I do not want to hear something that high-pitched even just for a second, "cute charm" be damned

Then again I do find cutesy voices utterly irritating

Edited September 9, 2013 by Ezio Auditore da Firenze

[RJWalker]

I think Inigo's eng voice works for him in the sense that's he's trying too hard to sound mature. I don't know if that's what the english voice actor intended but it works.

[NoNameAtAll]

I like Gangrel because he troll faces and doesn't afraid of anything

...Except heights.

[shadowofchaos]

I think Inigo's eng voice works for him in the sense that's he's trying too hard to sound mature. I don't know if that's what the english voice actor intended but it works.

I actually have to say I do dislike his English voice on the opinion that it is a little to deep... but I do feel what they were going for and that's enough to get me past playing it in the English version with the voice bug on super reset hell Lunatic+.

[Phantom037]

I like Gangrel as a villain because they did manage to pull of the whole "insanity" aspect really well.

And I like Gaius, well, at least on the supports where they don't focus on his gimmick, and to be fair, there are a lot of supports that show off Gaius' true character *cough*MaribellexGaius*cough*

[Anathema]

i also prefer inigo's japanese voice over the english, sounds a little more innocent for some reason.

nowi though! oh man, i love what her english VA did and she's one of my favorite characters purely cause of her VA (Noire and tharja falls into this category too, personalities be damned)

the only characters i don't like are mainly cause they are just too unmemorable for me, kjelle, yen'fai and say'ri comes to mind.

i also don't have an affinity for severa and yarne cause one comes off too rude and the other too cowardly (i know that's their gimmick and i know it gets subverted in some of their supports, but no, i still don't like them all that much)

also, i don't really like Naga purely based on designs. honey, really? i give you props for making your own dresses, but you really need to go shopping, even lucina can help you pick out something less outrageous.

[Tribute]

Cant stand Sumia/Cynthia, thats about it

[NoNameAtAll]

I like Gangrel as a villain because they did manage to pull of the whole "insanity" aspect really well.

Gangrel x MaMU are bros

[Trickster]

I actually have to say I do dislike his English voice on the opinion that it is a little to deep... but I do feel what they were going for and that's enough to get me past playing it in the English version with the voice bug on super reset hell Lunatic+.

Actually I think Inigo's voice in english is fine, listening to the japanese version it just doesn't fit, at least in my opinion. To be fair, my age isn't to far off from Inigo's and our vocal range is pretty close, so it's not that out of place.

But what the hell Owain why are you so deep in the japanese version!?

[Anacybele]

I don't think anyone is saying all the Japanese female voices are squeaky

But rather there's enough of them that are squeaky to be turned off by it

This. And I wasn't talking about just Awakening, but Japanese media in general. Anime, video games, etc. I run across SO many female characters with annoying high-pitched voices that I've stopped watching anything in Japanese all together. Heck, even some of the males do the same (Yugi in Yu-Gi-Oh season 0 comes to mind. WTF, he's 16, he's not supposed to sound like a three year old. His English voice fits him way better).

Also, the females in Awakening that I've heard in Japanese just so happen to be the five Faye mentioned or at least most of them.

[Zerker]

i also prefer inigo's japanese voice over the english, sounds a little more innocent for some reason.

"Inigo"

"Innocent"

waht

[Anathema]

"Inigo"

"Innocent"

waht

ahaha! i was thinking of him saying "hazukashii" when i posted that... so i guess bashful would have been a better adjective...?

idk, i guess he sounds younger in the japanese version and in my mind young = innocent.

[amadeuscho]

Why I like Cherche:
1) Cherche has a great look. Her white clearic like headband recalls her past origins, and nicely contrast the rest of her outfit. It also interesting that she is former cleric, yet she wields the weapon of destruction in the axe.

2) Her design looks light, which is good because she does ride a wyvern after all. Her outfit has a nice wyvern theme to it, that kind of reminds me of Batman.

3) Her relationship with her mount is the best mount to rider relationship we have ever seen. It is wonderful to read how their relationship developed, and how it even was passed on to her son. This makes more meaning in Gerome's actions when you meet him in his paralogue., where he tries to set Minerva free.

Edit: Added to complete the list

4) Snarky

5) Feminine while still remaining an ass kicker!

Why I like Lucina, just design wise (repeat from Lucina thread):
Basically she has a great design:

1) Functionality - She is well guarded in her outfit, and yet is limber enough to fight with a quick style. Unlike most of her female counterparts, her outfit is not revealing at all. And you have to really go out of your way to sexualize her. This is critical with female designs. Not to mention, despite her lack of skin showing, she is still considered to be thought of as a beautiful character, as seen on this forum.

2) Repeating colors and matching colors - Her outfit has a dark blue motif but their are some brilliant touches in the design. Her blue hair matches the outfit. Her gold headband matches with the golden embroidery. And her red sheath goes with the underneath of her cape.

3) Unique - She is designed differently than ever other character before her. She manages to balance femininity with utility. Her outfit is unquestionable design for a female, but a female soldier. The sleekness of it all fits well with her personality and fighting style. It matches the speed of her strikes.

4) Subtle revelations about her personality - I don't think people pick up on how her art reveals her personality. There is darkness in her design that reflects the dark future. And yet, the white and gold is where your eyes are drawn to because it's hope that her design is supposed to convey.
And then there is the fact that she is never able to give out a full smile. There's a sense of inner pain with every piece of art where she smiles. It's almost a fake smile, because she really doesn't know how to smile fully really, or doesn't allow herself too.

Why I like Basilio:

1) Basilio is a badass ruler.

2) He's got an eyepatch.
3) Very confident.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Viewtiful_J

[PM ME MARIANNE ART]

Related to the Japanese voices...I hate it when people makes the generalization that ALL the female cast of Awakening have high-pitched Japanese voices. That is utter BS dude. Olivia, Sumia, Liz, Nowi, and Cynthia. You can count them on one hand. I dare anybody to call the Japanese voices of Miriel, Panne, Tharja, Cherche, Cordelia, Lucina, Severa, Nah, Say'ri, Anna, Kjelle, Emmeryn, Flavia, Aversa, Maribelle, and Noire "high-pitched and annoying". .-. Seriously now, cut that crap out. FIVE FREAKIN' WOMEN does not equal the entire female cast of Awakening. God. The English voices might sound more "mature", but they fail to capture the essence of the original character.

@Faye I agree with you for the most part, but if you're trying to say Nah's Japanese voice isn't high-pitched and squeaky, then one of our senses of hearing must be waaaaaay off. I'm not calling her annoying, I actually prefer the Japanese voices, I'm just saying it is high-pitched.

Why I like Cherche:

1) Cherche has a great look. Her white clearic like headband recalls her past origins, and nicely contrast the rest of her outfit. It also interesting that she is former cleric, yet she wields the weapon of destruction in the axe.

2) Her design looks light, which is good because she does ride a wyvern after all. Her outfit has a nice wyvern theme to it, that kind of reminds me of Batman.

3) Her relationship with her mount is the best mount to rider relationship we have ever seen. It is wonderful to read how their relationship developed, and how it even was passed on to her son. This makes more meaning in Gerome's actions when you meet him in his paralogue., where he tries to set Minerva free.

Yes. Second favorite wyvern rider in the series (To Heath, with his amazing hair).

I like sword users.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Duck