Daydream Sanctuary Features

Saturday, April 16, 2011

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control - Ep. 1 (The "Bland" Leading Character - Kimimaro Centric)

Kimimaro Yoga is just an average ordinary guy. He doesn't have extraordinary or supernatural abilities. He's none of the extremes: not mysterious/intriguing/enigmatic, not hyper/cheerful, not powerful/invincible, not genius/gifted, etc. He's not even strange or weird. He's not some bad boy nor a fighter for justice.

There's nothing really striking about him... he's so plain that it's so easy to ignore him. He's not exactly interesting enough that he would catch your eye after a quick glance at him.

He's what people would consider as a bland character.

BUT.... his simplicity is what makes him so INCREDIBLE!

I firmly believe that he's already one of the most impressive leading characters in the anime world.

[ KIMIMARO as LEADING CHARACTER]
For a show about a money, I think it's good that a youth like Kimimaro has been chosen as the leading character. There are a lot of young entrepreneurs out there, many of them in their early twenties... and Kimimaro's just starting, 19 is not a bad age to begin business.
Besides, his age is getting close to the young adults group. So unlike your highschool heroes, this kid is more matured and responsible.
Thank goodness he's not a college freshman (for some reason, anime loves freshmans, to have the opportunity to introduce the character to a new transition of school life too?). He's already a sophomore so he's already quite used to college life.
It's nice that our college student is even taking up Economics at an actual University. So our hero is knowledgeable on the subject matter. (Though I wonder why "Entrepreneur" isn't familiar to him...... For the audience's sake?)
If you put an absolute n00b on a battlefield that would involve a lot of money, and that n00b gets to always win in the end... that's stupid main character luck and bias.
So thank goodness, it doesn't look like Kimimaro will be one of such.

[ KIMIMARO and FAMILY ]
His father seemed to have had a huge debt and is in hiding, leaving Kimimaro on his own with no idea of his father's whereabouts.
Kimimaro certainly wasn't happy to suffer because of his father's problems, but it doesn't seem that he had held a deep grudge against his father for that either.
Why I say so? Well, he keeps a picture of his family on his desk at home. It looked like a happy moment, so most likely he really looks forward to seeing his dad again and go back to happy times. He also got really angry when Masakaki talked about his father in a negative way... much angrier than when Masakaki insulted his precious friend.
I firmly believe he loves and values his family.

[ KIMIMARO and INDEPENDENCE ]
With no parents (doesn't seem he has relatives either) to support him, he had to support himself. He studied very hard and had two part-time jobs.
He doesn't have anyone to rely on, but like with the popular saying "No man's an island.".
Even if Kimimaro works very hard... he'd still NEED to rely on someone.
Fortunately for him, he had a friend who voluntarily helps him out. She keeps him company, scolds him, and worries for him.
HE NEEDS HER.

[ KIMIMARO and ROMANCE ]
Kimimaro x Hanabi would've been a sweet couple. They're already very close and they genuinely care for each other. Kimimaro's obviously in love too... but there's just one problem: SHE'S TAKEN.
C has become quite popular with the "unusual love interest" because of that, haha!
His jealousy is obvious even behind his smile.
Good thing that he has control enough not to show that infront of her. He doesn't exactly throw tantrums and other stupid things just to express his emotions. And if he really loves her, he would let her be with the guy she wants even if it'll hurt him (You poor fellow ;_;)
I believe they're childhood friends (Explains the first name calling?) so they know each other well and they also get along. Strangely though, when they're sitting... they're usually quite far apart (The distance intentional?). The only time they got pretty close to each other physically was when Hanabi brought him notes and when he had the guts to ask her out for dinner.
He is so frugal yet he wouldn't mind spending some cash to have time with her... he likes her that much!
He's such a romantic. I'm sure that the wife he had in mind in his dreams is none other than Hanabi xD
Oh how I wish for Kimimaro's happiness....

[ KIMIMARO and DREAMS ]
As he mentioned himself, all he wishes for is a peaceful life with a wife and kids. To raise a family without problems, he'll need a secure paycheck. For him to achieve that, he believes that he'll need to work for the government.
For his dream's sake, he's studying hard to pass the civil exam and working hard to earn enough money.
He doesn't desire for anything extravagant. He just wanted to have a life without problems, and he doesn't want his children to go through what he did.
His dream is so simple.... it's very touching and beautiful ;_;

[ KIMIMARO and MONEY ]
Kimimaro is so serious and determined in fulfilling his dream that he has become frugal enough to resist offers in hanging out with friends or even buy a cellphone to stay in touch with the girl he likes more often. With his financial situation, he'll need patience and endurance to earn enough money for his dream.
He'll already be satisfied if he has enough cash for his dream. He does not succumb to greed and has no desires on becoming a billionaire. He's a practical guy... prioritizing his needs (and his number 1 want) over his other wants.

[ KIMIMARO and CONSCIENCE]
Kimimaro's obviously not a bad guy. If he wanted money; he earned for it. He didn't turn into a theif, or loan money he can't pay, nor did he even leech to friends.
And when he suddenly got half a million yen in his bank account, he had actually thought of reporting about it:
Unfortunately he had asked the opinion of the wrong person. ^^;
But overall he's still the type who prefers to do things fair and legally. Such a wonderful citizen.

[ KIMIMARO and NON-STUPIDITY ]
It was so cool that he didn't easily give in to Masakaki's persuasions =)
If Masakaki was an ordinary person, Kimimaro would've completely ignored him because as shown, Kimimaro kept on keeping him out xD
When Masakaki informs to him of what would be asked as collateral for the deal, he didn't want to put his life at risk and instantly lost interest.
When Masakaki asks if he wants money, he doesn't deny it but he has no interest on money he doesn't need.
So Kimimaro wouldn't have fallen into Masakaki's trap at all if only Masakaki didn't have out-of-this-world capabilities (literally) that he would be able to enter Kimimaro's room no matter what and to read Kimimaro's weaknesses.
Unfortunately for Kimimaro, he got involved on something... supernaturally crazy, haha!

[ KIMIMARO and TEMPTATION ]
Kimimaro was strong for being a very responsible person. He doesn't have the luxury to enjoy a "normal kid's" life and has to work and study very hard in order to survive.
But of course Kimimaro still has desires to live like other kids on his age: hang out with friends, have fun without worrying about money, impress his girl with material things, get the latest technologicla gadgets, and so on.
Aside from his dream, his other main desire is to live and do whatever he pleases without any financial problems.
Kimimaro is strong.... but with peer pressure, loneliness, nonstop persuasion from a certain banker (haha!)... and with the "solution to his problems" right in front of him, he can't help it.
Kimimaro's strong... but he's still flawed and weak. Unlike Jesus, he's still prone to temptation. He's human.

[ KIMIMARO and INTELLIGENCE ]
Kimimaro may be a scholar and could study ANYWHERE and ANYTIME possible. He also has this great conentration that he can focus on studying and be in a decent conversation with someone at the same time.
But I doubt he's the "genius" type. It will take him some time and effort to comprehend some matters.
He's intelligent because he studied very hard, not because of God-given talents not he was born a prodigy.
I think that's the explanation on why he couldn't grasp some things easily:
So even if he's not dumb or stupid, he doesn't seem to be that smart either.

[ KIMIMARO the ENTREPRENEUR ]
I look forward to how Kimimaro will do in his battles at the Financial District. The OP highly implies that he has combat abilities~
Being the leading character, most likely he'll win in the end. But I look forward to his growth, how much he'll change, and if his dream/beliefs/priorities will change or not~


Back to Kimimaro's being "bland"...
Hhhmm... I don't find him boring to look at though.
He's full of emotions.

[ EXTRA: BLAND BUT FULL OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ]
 EMO EMO EMO xD Haha!
 His surprised looks have been very cute too xD
Also his annoyed expression xD
 His sleepy look + bed hair is cute too~
THE BEST xD


Kimimaro is not the perfect prince charming.
He has no money but he has the HEART, the BRAINS, the SKILLS, AND THE LOOKS xD

[ EXTRA: BLAND BUT GOOD-LOOKING ]
 He looks very nice here~
 I like his serious sideview look~
 He's so cute even when he's sleeping xD
 I find him very cute in this shot~
THE BEST!!! *drools*


If it's not obvious yet, I'm really loving Kimimaro in this series~
Not sure if he'll be among my top fave bishies (still working on that list), but among main characters in the anime world, he's certainly among the top ;D


 
Kimimaro doesn't really stand out....
But he's such an unusual leading character that makes him very remarkable. Not to mention he's actually cool and charming once you get to know him better~




Thank you for creating a character like him and I hope he'll continue to be likable until the end of the series xD

2 comments:

Aorii said...

Personally I'd say his family circumstances already makes him a *not bland* character. I mean, debt-evading parents is pretty extreme in real life...
But yeah, fast decision-making and the sensibility he showed with Hanabi makes him quite a great guy~

The 2nd year in Economic major courses (since I took them, for fun ^^;) is also when one discovers that many of the basic rules of economics we hear about doesn't really apply to real-life circumstances because they're too idealized. I wonder if this show will be in-depth enough to show that x)

Sapphire Pyro said...

@ Aorii
I think the bland characters are being seen as "bland" based on looks and personality? So intriguing background didn't count?

I only took one Economics class but my teacher had also pointed out that fact (not all really get applied in real life). Oh, it'd be interesting if the series will show that xD

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