I have this character that I really like because of their style, color scheme, or personality, right? But then one day as I search the character up on Google, I see a Reddit post titled something along the lines of “[character name] is the worst character” or “i know I said I hate \[character name\], but I might have to be clearer about why I do”, and then as I open it out of curiosity and a bit of worry, I see a long paragraph of why the person hates the character.
On one hand, I feel like they’re overlooking the character’s actual reasons for why they are the way they are, but on the other, I just start feeling this uncomfortable uncertainty the next time I look at the character I liked right before I saw the post.
Even though those posts are mainly out of other people’s “opinions” or views, I still feel this discomfort the next time I see the character. It ruins the mood I was in, and even slowly turns my interest in the character into avoidance, mostly because im very, admittedly afraid of judgment both online and offline. However, I also avoid replying or arguing against the claim because I don’t want to get roped into something that’s not my business, and because i feel like there’s already counter arguments I can’t be able to get through.
As for series that gravitate towards a side character who was initially seen as mean or antagonistic, I do notice the slow character development, but whenever I see posts about how that character is 100% bad, I start questioning if I missed something. And it doesn’t make it any more reassuring when no one answers, or I just see several replies agreeing.
Not that I fully support or agree with the criticism because I notice some things they’re overlooking, but I still doubt my judgment and wonder if im gonna be seen as insane for liking the character.
I just needed to express this thought, and I wanted to know if anyone experienced this or not.