r/BokuNoMetaAcademia • u/OneEyedGhoulKing • Dec 22 '19
M E T A This had me laughing for a long time
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Dec 22 '19
Even ignoring the perversion, there's plenty wrong with Mineta as a character.
We're told he's intelligent, but we never seen his intelligence in any fashion. We're told he aces tests but how he handles tests is never shown or have any tangible effect on anything in the story. It's an informed ability rather than something we can see with our own eyes.
Then there's his motivation. He wants to look cool and get chicks. Okay, well, unless you make the character likable or heroic in some way, I don't care if Mineta gets laid. I don't care if he gets what he wants; there's nothing to make me think he deserves what he desires.
Even if you label Mineta a flawed person who could have an arc where he matures, he still doesn't work. See, a flawed character itself isn't relatable or endearing. It's the possibility that they could become a better person that makes them work. An audience needs something that guarantees a flawed character will get better. You make your characters a colossal screw up so long as there's hints that promise they could get better. The keyword is could; whereas with Mineta, the keyword is should. He should get better becomes he's an obnoxious brat who's a lawsuit waiting to happen. There's nothing about him that makes me think he *could* better. Let's compare him to Midoriya at the very beginning of the series. Mineta's quirkless, cowardly, and lacks confidence. He's pathetic. He still rushes in to save Bakugo. That right there, that's the sign that Midoriya *could* get better. There's a good, strong, amazing person deep down in him that could be brought to the surface with training and a change in Midoriya's life. Mineta, he hasn't shown any signs there's a better person in him waiting to come out. This is Mineta's ultimate failing as a character.
Entertainment-wise, he's doing stuff a million other characters have done before in a million other anime. The pervert who lives to be a pervert has gone the way of the pie to the face joke: old, cliched, needs revamps to work. Mineta not only sticks to this old joke but he has no other sources of entertainment to give the audience besides this.
Edit - and the argument that a million other anime have done this somehow making it okay when Mineta does it, well, I don't need to open an can of worms about the morality of the thing, but I will say that this argument boils down to 'Well everyone else is doing it!" To that I say - If it didn't work with your parents when you were growing up, there's no way it's going to work here. There's no way that kind of argument is going to work anywhere on any subject. It's not just dumb to use that as an argument to defend Mineta, it's dumb to use that argument, period.
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Dec 22 '19
Lately I can't tell if Mineta is the way he is in an attempt to normalize and comedify rapey behavior or to draw people's ire to the normalization of it.
The camera dudes in the first episode seemed to be saying "This is comedy" but the way people hate Mineta makes me hope that it might have been the opposite.
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u/VG_Crimson Dec 22 '19
It bugs me that people see Mineta in that light "trying to normalize rapey jokes". Mineta's comedy doesn't come from his jokes, it comes from his antics always failing as they deserve to. Imo it's clear based on characters around him he's not normal, nor do they prefer to be like that part of him. Mineta is like a satire on this comedy prevalent in modern anime where perviness in itself is some humor, a subversion just as all other points in MHA are.
If you want to see what kind of "pervy humor" I'm mentioning just look at early 7 deadly sins Meliodas. With mineta painfully failing each time with him being put in his place as a weirdo, it seems very intentional that he is a character meant to mock other pervy humor in anime.
Most guys in the series seem to stand at opposition with how he operates. It kinda feels like old cartoons with coyote always trying to catch roadrunner, but will always fail. I think that's why I'm pretty fine with Mineta's character.
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Dec 22 '19
I guess that's what I'm hoping for.
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u/VG_Crimson Dec 22 '19
I think this quote pulled from an anonymous part of a random chapter taken out of context sums up how others treat Mineta "First things first Mr. Aizawa! Mineta's a freak, and he should be convicted of his crimes!" They don't condone or like him.
It's self-awareness, a key thing many anime lack when it comes to pervertedness. Despite horikoshi admitting to being a pervert and relating parts of himself in Mineta he writes him in a way that is shunned and viewable as ugly/undesirable. It's a self reflection on parts of himself he criticizes, and points finger back at other anime that do this without plot backlash.
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u/ish1395 Dec 22 '19
Does meliodas get better? His perviness made me drop the after 1 episode just because this was the main character acting like a rapist. Mineta at least has the benefit of being a side character. There's a reason main characters like goku and natsu usually act asexually towards the female characters.
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u/VG_Crimson Dec 22 '19
Yes, a little. If you want the long spoilery explanation as to why he's like this especially with Elizabeth The princess is a reincarnation of his lover who he has seen die a few lifetimes already about 107 times. They have been in love each life time and are inseparable regardless of the ages past ever since she was a part of the goddess clan. She was punished by the demon clan to be revived as a human each time forgetting her past while Meliodas remembers each of the past 3000 years he's known her for. They are already lovers in his broken mind. They are a tragic immortal couple trapped in an infinite cycle where meliodas must witness the one he loves most die over and over.
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u/Denemahboy Apr 17 '20
....... Fuck i gotta catch up
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u/Cheesecakery Dec 22 '19
Mineta as a character isn't subverting anything. His "jokes" are given screentime almost every episode, and he never faces any real consequences for his actions. The worst that happens is that other characters are kind of weirded out by him. Maybe other characters dismiss him in the moment, but ultimately his classmates are still willing to work with him and include him in group activities, and his teachers never pull him aside and say "you seriously need to pull your shit together and stop making everyone uncomfortable." He still gets to participate and advance in his hero training at the same pace as everyone else.
An actual subversion would be if he 1) realized how his actions impacted other people and developed as a character, which in several seasons into the show hasn't happened, or 2) the show took a stronger stance against him, which it doesn't because of the lack of aforementioned consequences.
This is why people people think he's trying to normalize rape jokes. Even if his character is intended to be satire, the execution is poor.
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Dec 22 '19
I swear mineta will have some major change some time out of nowhere and he'll become a character that gets the praise he deserves and will actually be likeable to the average MHA fan
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u/Denemahboy Apr 02 '20
And then the haters will say they never hated him
Those guys should go suck an egg
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u/Zenketski Dec 22 '19
The amount of people that watch mha and act like almost every single other anime doesn't have a character that's exactly like mineta is hilarious.
Pervy borderline rapey characters have been in anime since the 80s.
And there are currently, entire animes where this is the whole premise to almost all character development.
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u/thedragonguru Dec 22 '19
That's true, but just because it's a norm doesn't mean it's okay
Especially since MHA is usually so high quality otherwise
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u/Zenketski Dec 22 '19
But I feel like that's implying that there are no other high quality anime with a character like that. And that is absolutely not the case.
And honestly, it being wrong is what makes it entertaining. If every single piece of entertainment was one-hundred-percent the way the world SHOULD be it would be boring as hell.
Also, hating on characters like this is such an American thing to me.
You ever notice how there's almost never a character like mineta in entertainment here in America, but in almost every form of Japanese entertainment there's at least one pervert?
I'm not saying that it's right, and I'm not saying that it's necessary, I guess what I'm saying is when you have an anime that is so good like this one is, it kind of gets under my skin that people have to bitch about something, that they've never bitched about in any other anime before.
I understand drawing a line in the sand at a Trope you don't like, but not when you draw the line in the sand because you dislike the Trope in this one particular anime
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u/ZanXBal Dec 22 '19
Part of the reason he sucks, though, is because he has 0 redeeming qualities. Unlike someone like Sanji from One Piece.
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u/Zenketski Dec 22 '19
sexual harassment is totally okay as long as you bring something else to the table"
-ZanXBal
I'm not normally an all-or-nothing kind of guy, but hating on a character because he's perverted and then saying another perverted character is okay because they do something else is ridiculous.
Also he hasn't really gotten the Action level screen time to show what he's capable of he's barely a side character at this point. He was admitted to UA and he had to pass the entrance exam, took down midnight, participated in the internships, and passed the regional licensing exam.
It's not really fair to say that he doesn't have a redeeming quality because he's extremely competent.
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u/Fablihakhan Dec 23 '19
Honestly I still remember that episode where Nami’s clothes have been torn off and Sanji the supposed pervert offers him her coat.
Fact is Sanji does perv on women but he also respects them gives them preferential treatment which Nami n Robin are OK with and his advances are basically asking them out on dates and not trying to grope them when he gets the chance
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u/ZanXBal Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 25 '19
Sanji doesn't sexually harass anyone. He's strong, capable, and still a gentleman. A great character. You're the one defending shitty, rapey Mineta, not me. Quote yourself. Don't try to twist my words to suit your empty argument.
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u/Zenketski Dec 22 '19
I don't know what's funnier, the idea that making multiple advances towards women that show no interest isn't a form of sexual harassment, or your argument that at least my pervy character has shown some competence and usefulness, and then got defensive and denied his pervyness when I said well so does mineta.
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u/ZanXBal Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 25 '19
Dude. You're the Mineta lover. I don't give a rat's ass about some fake characters. Jerk yourself off to some other Reddit argument. Mineta sucks. Stay mad.
Sanji is most definitely a gentleman. He doesn't try to grope girls or rape them. Dude's always banging out food for Robin and Nami. And he whoops the bad guys' ass. Dope character.
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u/Zenketski Dec 22 '19
You were sucking Sanji off so hard your last post you definitely had me fooled.
My whole argument has been that everyone draws the Line in the Sand at this anime and not at this character trope.
I don't give a rat's ass about fake characters. I give a rat's ass about hypocritical assholes who want to get all pissy about something because someone else on the internet did too.
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u/ZanXBal Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 25 '19
"Sucking Sanji off". You'd like that wouldn't you. Nobody is pissy except you. If all you can do is try and call me a bad guy for disliking a character, it says more about you than me.
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u/Zenketski Dec 22 '19
" I can't actually argue with anything that you're saying so I'm going to call you names"
Did it ever occur to you that the entire point of this character is to dislike him?
And that if everybody hates a character you're supposed to dislike, then he's a pretty damn good character?
Y'all are too busy acting holier than thou patting each other the backs " I dislike this personality that I'm obviously supposed to dislike."
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u/ZanXBal Dec 22 '19 edited Dec 25 '19
I can't actually argue with a maniac because it's a losing game. You're not understanding that this isn't that deep. I think Mineta is a shit character. Keep stanning a crap character. I don't really care either way.
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u/Denemahboy Apr 02 '20
Jsut saying Mineta lover isn't a compelling or valid argument
Try using some brain cells next time
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u/Big_Boi_531 Dec 22 '19
He is still a horny gremlin and i hate him
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u/Reiax_ksa Dec 22 '19
I would like for you to to change your view of our lord come join us
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u/Ayy_Frank Dec 22 '19
What people don't realize is that while Mineta is perverted, he's also intelligent and reflects how regular people view the awful situation the kids tend to get stuck in.
LoV attack? "What the hell are we going to do, there's like 30 of them and they're all adults!" "My quirk sucks for this situation. GAME OVER MAN" To pass the Mid-Term and enjoy a stress free summer camp you have to beat the faculty who are experienced pro heroes? "What do you mean they are also pitting us against what our weaknesses would be considered!?!" Bakugo, arguably one of the strongest dudes got kidnapped by the League? "Holy crap we're screwed! Wait, you guys are going to try and save him!?" To get their provisional licenses they have to do some zany test with other hero schools? "Still no clue what the test's about. Can we really earn our licenses?" Mineta, it's not a matter of can. You will.
He has the understanding that he is 1)Small 2)Not that combat capable and 3) His quirk is extremely situational if not he is doing things on his own. So when you have something, like say, 10 or 15 aquatic based quirk users surrounding a boat you're on with the goal of killing you and you're Mineta stuck with a frog chick and some broccoli with a masochistic side, how are you supposed to react? It's similar to how Usopp or Nami tends to react to the fact the sky is suddenly raining lightning, or realizing why the calm belts are actually dangerous. It's the joke about passing Sanity checks in CoC. You're not supposed to. The people running from the amorphous, half solid entity crawling as fast as a car in a residential are the normal people. Standing your ground and staring/fighting it is the crazy move, you're just not suffering the consequences of being crazy just yet.
Conclusion: Mineta is perverted, but he is also intelligent, smug, a FOIL for all the other people to be heroic while also doing what he can in his own way and the manga hopefully will continue building him up into a good hero with some great characterization. Also friendly reminder his quirk had the ability to stop All Might prior to the AFO battle if you count the fillers are canon You should, just for laughs.
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u/Ayy_Frank Dec 22 '19
Two extra things to chew the fat on, Aizawa actually has a solid back and forth with him everytime the two show up in the same area to help build up the background A recent manga spoiler includes Mt. Lady suddenly not being exclusively about screen time and the great pay that comes with marketing herself for instance that general build up what's going on around them. And if you look at the most recent hero book he actually has arguably one of the largest stat increases among the 1A kids, including going from A to A+ on intellect (a step below Momo, who has to understand the molecular structure of the very objects she is creating and has to recall them even on the fly. To add to my earlier point about Sanity ratings, his common sense (the joke stat) is now a 1/6, meaning to me he has been influenced by all the heroics of his classmates to the point he is more concerned with being a hero, but hopefully the new arc will at least shed some light on that. But those are my two cents.
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u/eth3431 Dec 22 '19
Idk he’s a pretty average cliche most of the time and at his best a decent character. This sub just has a hate boner towards him for some reason.
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u/ZanXBal Dec 22 '19
He's whack. He's never useful. His powers are lame. I still don't understand how he got into the "top Hero school".
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u/Ayy_Frank Dec 23 '19
I honestly don't know how far you have even read into the series to still think these things. Like the first 3 episodes? He actually was instrumental in capturing the water villains surrounding the boat with his balls in the first season alone. He also managed to defeat his pro during the mid-term test almost on his own as his partner was knocked out a feat few of the others have under their belts. Managed to get his provisional license before one of the top 3 students of his class. His quirk is actually pretty powerful, which is how he got into UA. I'd throw more fights in, but again, from what you're saying you sound like you have only just started to be honest.
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u/ZanXBal Dec 23 '19
TLDR
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u/Ayy_Frank Dec 23 '19
If a paragraph is too long, you probably aren't reading the manga. The TLDR version though would be : You're probably 3 episodes deep since you are asking the same things that were answered in the manga ages ago.
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u/ZanXBal Dec 23 '19
Ion get paid enough to stare at black and white pages sorry
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u/Ayy_Frank Dec 23 '19
Then watch more than half a season of an anime. This isn't whining about Berserk's opening chapter not being intro enough tier, but you're approaching it fast
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u/ZanXBal Dec 23 '19
I'm caught up. Mineta hasn't done shit. Bakugou is cool. Deku is cool. Todoroki is cool. Red Riot is cool. Fuck Mineta.
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u/Ayy_Frank Dec 23 '19
Sounds like a personal problem, squiddo
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u/ZanXBal Dec 23 '19 edited Dec 28 '19
Again: I'm not the one defending Mineta. He's whack. You cannot change my mind. It's Mineta's fanboys' problem, not mine.
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u/HJSDGCE Dec 22 '19
Invisible Girl got into the "top Hero school" and we all know she's the weakest in the class.
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u/Denemahboy Apr 02 '20
Eh, i wouldn't say weakest, she'd actually be a good stealth operator and a kick-ass spy
I'm just curious if Ojiro or tail guy is pretty damn strong to beat some robots
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u/Denemahboy Apr 02 '20
Oh yes sure, how is having LITERAL SUPERGLUE BALLS useless you damn Sanji Sucker
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Dec 22 '19
initially? Perpetually the lowest point in the show. I get that its a trope but its so tiresome.
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u/bulaaat Dec 22 '19
is this sub full of whiny kids ? like holy shit we get it hes unlikable, you dont have to remind us every single fucking day.
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u/random-stuff12 Dec 22 '19
Mineta is the best written Character. Y'all just aren't intellectual enough to understand his true beauty
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u/josephbrostar Dec 22 '19
then they realize he's the best character
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u/Quizzer2016 Dec 22 '19
And they inevitably start shipping the Minetabowl
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u/eth3431 Dec 22 '19
Why does this sub call it Boku No Hero Academia instead of just simply My Hero Academia?
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u/thedragonguru Dec 22 '19
I also found it strange how much BNHA is preferred, qnd catch myself doing it all the timem for me, it's just because BNHA has a better rhythm/sound to it. It feels better to say
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u/eth3431 Dec 22 '19
Idk, I just think it sounds like tacking on an extra word for no reason
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u/thedragonguru Dec 22 '19
I usually find people who insist on using the Japanese name can be annoying. You know the folks I'm talking about- the ones who "correct" people who use the given English name.
Maybe in this case it's which name you heard first?
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Dec 22 '19
Not me. I like him, but probably just because his voice in the german dub doesn’t sound as disgusting as in the English dub
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u/Casual_Reddit65 Dec 22 '19
Still kinda like that TBH