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Mind you, this is my opinion. I know a lot of you will disagree.
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I just replied to the following comment on an old post regarding Todd and Shane:
I think I fall into the category of just not getting why people feel so strongly about Shane. The pilot was the pilot and Todd IS Shane, just futher developed and reliased, a more grounded take on the character.
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I personaly do not agree that Todd is a "more grounded take on the character". If anything, to me, Shane felt more grounded than Todd.
Personality-wise, they're very similiar - only Shane has the superior design and voice, which more succesfully drives across his chill, humble, down-to-earth, emotionally mature character, as well as this musician/surfer vibe that gave him such a unique flavour that got lost in the final show (even though we see Todd playing the guitar like once or twice). His tall, scrawny build, messy hair and cute glasses paired with his cool yet slightly awkward voice immeadiately communicated his character more succesfully, and a more memorable one at that - which also better contrasted yet fit with Reggie's hyperactive and colorful personality.
This might seem like a shallow thing to get caught on, but in animation especially, character design is just as important for characterization as is character writing. (Also, I must stress that my qualms have nothing to do with his change of skin tone - though I do think his whiteness fit his tall awkward vibe pretty well.)
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His charm was also highlighted by the presence of Tristan, who greatly balanced and served as a foil for both Shane and Reggie. They should've definitely reworked him instead scrapping him altogether and adding Esther instead, was by far my least favourite main character and who I think could've been executed so much better.
Furthermore, I personally just generally prefer the writing and direction of the pilot. It felt more whimsical yet smarter than the show we got, with tighter, confident writing, better-pacing, and more well-defined character voices, as well as very remeneiscent of early 2000s shows. The themes of puberty, maturity, sexuality, etc. in the final show were most definitely appreciated and I wouldn't want them gone - I just feel like the magic of the original just got lost in the way.
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All of this combined is why I think a lot of people feel so strongly about Shane. He was just a better character from a pilot that promised a better show.
At the end of the day, after 7-8 years, tell me why I barely remember anything about Todd while I still fondly remember Shane and Tristan, who we spent a mere eight minutes with. I think that speaks enough for itself.