Currently watching Mushoku Tensei and honestly even though the main character pisses me off at times with his stupid shenanigans, I find his determination to do things quite admirable and his motives and train of thoughts are quite thorough. Even how he became a shut-in in his previous life was well explored.
Unpopular opinion, but thanks for sharing it.
You think? He’s definitely not a good person overall, but I wouldn’t say it’s badly written.
If the internet is any indication, liking Mushoku for its story is unpopular or at least polarizing
There’s very loud minority that hates Mushoku for who MC is, because they can’t stomach the fact he’s not a self-insert character, and they tend to raid every Mushoku-related thread on the net. Some people just can’t understand that bad person != poorly written character. Of course, there are those who raise valid concerns with the story, but from my experience, they’re a small part of that group, and if you look at the actual numbers, you can see that MT is very popular.
I thought it wasn’t for me at first. The MC did some pretty creepy stuff. Until I realised that they’re not really glorifying the things he does / it’s not a self insert MC as you said. It’s not a story like “here’s what it would be like in this situation, this is what to do”; it’s more a story of a specific person. I didn’t agree with a lot of their decisions, but I’m not them.
I think a lot of anime falls into this trap where you have to agree with everything the MC does and they’re always morally righteous, always make the best and most logical decisions. Like Superman comics. Sometimes you get the polar opposite of complete villains. It’s interesting to see flawed people just doing their best.
It’s the same reason I liked Re: Zero. Neither MC is perfect, and that makes it more interesting, to me at least.
Monster 2004 https://anilist.co/anime/19/Monster/
The characters felt well written and explores their stories.
Seconded, I was instantly hooked
I really like Laios from Dungeon Meshi/Delicious and Dungeon. Fun character, and possibly the best autism representation in anime.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes also has some really well-written male characters, doubly so if you’re a fan of depressed guys in uniform.
Well-written male characters in anime are exceptionally rare.
I think 3gatsu no Lion is my first thought. The main character is done well to the point that it feels almost obviously on a different level from 99% of other anime.
Other thoughts:
- Gurren Lagann: Kamina, Simon, and especially Rossiu in the second half.
- Toradora!: Ryuuji. Especially his relationship with his mother near the end of the show.
- Monogatari Series: Koyomi. I’m really thinking of Owarimonogatari here. Ougi Formula and the next couple arcs. He’s pretty simple before then but Owari is really spectacular with his characterization.
- Maison Ikkoku: Godai is one of the best male protagonists ever. He’s not likeable at first, but he makes so many microscopic improvements throughout the show that he feels totally different by the end.
Also: Neon Genesis Evaluation, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Christmas in January, FLCL, Infinite Ryvius, Ocean Waves, Mob Psycho, Working!, and probably Made in Abyss.
Ouran High School Host Club gets my vote for worst-written male characters, excepting of course Haruhi’s dad.
If I had to recommend just one, it would be Infinite Ryvius for its obscurity and also being mostly focused on the male characters. I wasn’t super into this show until the last ~6 episodes which are fantastic
I personally like the male characters from Shangrila Frontiers.
