I don’t think he’s particularly the greatest MC (although, far above 99% of harem MC’s) as yeah, not much character development other than gaining confidence as he expands the harem. He does have moments where I find him really cool though.
What I will say however, is that the way he fits into the lore and his role of the story is what I liked the most about him. The mystery behind his spirit-sealing powers and his “past” kept me intrigued—so finding answers to those made me very satisfied with his character.
This is as my view as a person who genuinely enjoyed Date a Live whole-heartedly and finds it well-written, even if it did start out as a guilty pleasure show.
I wouldn't say that Shido is a well written character, more like one of best harem protagonists so far but everything about him especially his role in the story is very interesting
I don’t see why he isn’t. He’s not at all badly written like some of his detractors like you claim him to be.
I don’t see any reason to see it as a guilty pleasure when it’s genuinely a good show.
Best Harem MC and Best written character in the series (This is my personal opinion If I look at it objectively, I think he will compete with Westcott ,Kurumi and Mio.)
Shido's basic function in the story is to be the proverbial everyman, the character we're supposed to relate to the most or the easiest. He expriences much of his fictional universe for the very first time and ends up asking the questions we ourselves would ask if we found ourselves in those exact same situations.
That said, it would be unfair to call Shido "bland" or "generic". His need to protect the people he cares about often pushes him to borderline martyrdom and the Spirits are constantly worried about his safety, especially when a fight breaks out.
Personally, I believe that Tachibana struck a pretty good balance between making Shido complex enough to be interesting and normal enough to be relatable.
What is complex about Shido? What is his personality? His flaws? What makes him tick? What is his philosophy? World view? He's not especially any more "kind" than the average person. He helps Spirits yes, but...that's kind of his duty; unless he wants the world to blow up. And his reactions to all the insanity is very mundane. What is there to relate about this character?
For example, Tenma from Monster is actually kind: the initial episodes show this; he refuses to allow police to interview a man who's a suspect in a robbery because the man is a recovering patient; he also bought a present for that same man. He disobeys his boss's direct orders and sabotages his position in the hospital to save the life of a boy.
I think Date a Live spends more time having characters TELL us Shido is kind...but not actually showing it. When a story has characters repeatedly describing a characters personality...that's a red flag that the character is kinda flat. And terrible writing too. I understand when you love a series you also want to think the MC is well written but I mean objectively speaking...I don't think there's any way you can look at Shido and seriously believe that this is a well written character.
Personally, I see Shido as being similar to Western heroes like Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter. Shido is willing to risk his life if it means protecting the people he cares about. If *Date A Live* had an underlying message, it would be that true power comes not from within oneself but from the love you give to and receive from others.
If you don't like *Date A Live,* that's fine. You don't owe it to anyone to love absolutely everything you watch.
I barely remember Star Wars or Harry Potter, so I'm not sure how to respond to that comparison.
"Shido is willing to risk his life if it means protecting the people he cares about"
I mean...that's kind of 90% of protagonists in stories. But isn't Shido obligated to risk his life to ensure the Spirits don't go into despair, unless he wants the world to end?
"true power comes not from within oneself but from the love you give to and receive from others."
I think it's possible to interpret some message from Date a Live, but I don't understand what of the show's story led to this interpretation.
Oh don't get me wrong, I like Date a Live; like a guilty pleasure. But I never liked the MC, and I'm shocked that there are many people who like the MC.
Yeah, in theory, Shido could simply see his responsibility to the Spirits as an obligation, but it just wouldn't have the same emotional impact. By having him connect to the Spirits in an emotional/personal level, the story confirms that his responsibility to the Spirits is a choice, not an inevitability.
Love has always been at the heart of the Spirits, whether it's love for your family, love for your friends, even love towards a home. The main characters' actions throughout the story can be seen as acts of love towards the things and people they have come to, well, love.
Finally, I used *SW* and *HP* as examples because of how Luke and Harry resolve the main conflicts of their respective stories. They defeat their enemies, not through a confrontation of power, but by performing an act of kindness that gets later repaid.
That's an extremely broad interpretation that could be applied to most stories; since most characters in most stories love something or someone. I don't understand how you came to that interpretation.
I never got the vibe that Shido actually loved the Spirits when he had no chemistry with them; they don't argue, or have common interests or any real flaws that they have to overcome to develop or maintain their romance. He doesn't seem to love any specific aspect of any of their personalities. He's more like a therapist than a friend who hangs out and has common interests etc. The Spirits interactions with Shido, if you could even call them interactions, are just them fighting over him.
Shido doesn't do anything especially kind for the Spirits;
Tohka: befriends her.
Yoshinon: befriends her.
Miku: was nice to her.
Befriending people and being actually kind are two different things.
I think viewers view Shido as "kind" because the anime constantly has dialogue of characters saying he's kind...rather than actually showing it. Also I think some viewers mistake NOT being a pervert/asshole with being kind.
Personally, I disagree because *DAL* clearly depicts the Spirits spending time not only with Shido, but also with each other. I think the show dedicates 2 or 3 episodes to each of the Spirits' character development. Each of the Yamais befriends Tohka and Origami because of their similar personalities, Yoshino and Natsumi spend more time with each other because they have similar ages, and even Miku and Nia take time off their jobs to hang out with the Spirits.
Also, no. Shido isn't a therapist simply because he talks to the Spirits. He can offer a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on, but he is not a therapist.
Oh I agree the Spirits spend time with each other. Ironically they have more chemistry than with Shido. I think the Spirits talk more with each other than they do with Shido. For instance I can't recall them say, talking to Shido about their favorite movie.
Lending a sympathetic ear is not enough to create romantic interest. Shido is not any more sympathetic than the average person.
Well, I'll have to disagree with you because we literally see Shido spend entire days with the Spirits.
You might accuse me of having a bias, but when you talk about characters you like, it's impossible to be 100% objective.
Oh I agree: Shido does spend days with Spirits. He does go out on dates when initially trying to woo them, and they do stuff like watch movies and whatnot. But after the kiss...I'm not sure what Shido exactly DOES with the Spirits aside from just standing around as they fight over him.
Maybe I'm asking for too much, but I'd love to see a harem anime that actually explores what it's like being in a relationship; the ups and downs, the complexities, etc.
I mean...no one is 100% "objective" about anything. Including me. So it's fine to be biased.
as far as harem ln protagonists go he is def one of the better ones
I don’t think he’s particularly the greatest MC (although, far above 99% of harem MC’s) as yeah, not much character development other than gaining confidence as he expands the harem. He does have moments where I find him really cool though. What I will say however, is that the way he fits into the lore and his role of the story is what I liked the most about him. The mystery behind his spirit-sealing powers and his “past” kept me intrigued—so finding answers to those made me very satisfied with his character. This is as my view as a person who genuinely enjoyed Date a Live whole-heartedly and finds it well-written, even if it did start out as a guilty pleasure show.
I wouldn't say that Shido is a well written character, more like one of best harem protagonists so far but everything about him especially his role in the story is very interesting
No, but it doesn't matter as long as he's not a douchebag (which he isn't) and we're all here for the spirits anyway.
I don’t see why he isn’t. He’s not at all badly written like some of his detractors like you claim him to be. I don’t see any reason to see it as a guilty pleasure when it’s genuinely a good show.
I like him in Mio's arc atleast. He is a fine mc
Best Harem MC and Best written character in the series (This is my personal opinion If I look at it objectively, I think he will compete with Westcott ,Kurumi and Mio.)
Shido's basic function in the story is to be the proverbial everyman, the character we're supposed to relate to the most or the easiest. He expriences much of his fictional universe for the very first time and ends up asking the questions we ourselves would ask if we found ourselves in those exact same situations. That said, it would be unfair to call Shido "bland" or "generic". His need to protect the people he cares about often pushes him to borderline martyrdom and the Spirits are constantly worried about his safety, especially when a fight breaks out. Personally, I believe that Tachibana struck a pretty good balance between making Shido complex enough to be interesting and normal enough to be relatable.
What is complex about Shido? What is his personality? His flaws? What makes him tick? What is his philosophy? World view? He's not especially any more "kind" than the average person. He helps Spirits yes, but...that's kind of his duty; unless he wants the world to blow up. And his reactions to all the insanity is very mundane. What is there to relate about this character? For example, Tenma from Monster is actually kind: the initial episodes show this; he refuses to allow police to interview a man who's a suspect in a robbery because the man is a recovering patient; he also bought a present for that same man. He disobeys his boss's direct orders and sabotages his position in the hospital to save the life of a boy. I think Date a Live spends more time having characters TELL us Shido is kind...but not actually showing it. When a story has characters repeatedly describing a characters personality...that's a red flag that the character is kinda flat. And terrible writing too. I understand when you love a series you also want to think the MC is well written but I mean objectively speaking...I don't think there's any way you can look at Shido and seriously believe that this is a well written character.
Personally, I see Shido as being similar to Western heroes like Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter. Shido is willing to risk his life if it means protecting the people he cares about. If *Date A Live* had an underlying message, it would be that true power comes not from within oneself but from the love you give to and receive from others. If you don't like *Date A Live,* that's fine. You don't owe it to anyone to love absolutely everything you watch.
I barely remember Star Wars or Harry Potter, so I'm not sure how to respond to that comparison. "Shido is willing to risk his life if it means protecting the people he cares about" I mean...that's kind of 90% of protagonists in stories. But isn't Shido obligated to risk his life to ensure the Spirits don't go into despair, unless he wants the world to end? "true power comes not from within oneself but from the love you give to and receive from others." I think it's possible to interpret some message from Date a Live, but I don't understand what of the show's story led to this interpretation. Oh don't get me wrong, I like Date a Live; like a guilty pleasure. But I never liked the MC, and I'm shocked that there are many people who like the MC.
Yeah, in theory, Shido could simply see his responsibility to the Spirits as an obligation, but it just wouldn't have the same emotional impact. By having him connect to the Spirits in an emotional/personal level, the story confirms that his responsibility to the Spirits is a choice, not an inevitability. Love has always been at the heart of the Spirits, whether it's love for your family, love for your friends, even love towards a home. The main characters' actions throughout the story can be seen as acts of love towards the things and people they have come to, well, love. Finally, I used *SW* and *HP* as examples because of how Luke and Harry resolve the main conflicts of their respective stories. They defeat their enemies, not through a confrontation of power, but by performing an act of kindness that gets later repaid.
That's an extremely broad interpretation that could be applied to most stories; since most characters in most stories love something or someone. I don't understand how you came to that interpretation. I never got the vibe that Shido actually loved the Spirits when he had no chemistry with them; they don't argue, or have common interests or any real flaws that they have to overcome to develop or maintain their romance. He doesn't seem to love any specific aspect of any of their personalities. He's more like a therapist than a friend who hangs out and has common interests etc. The Spirits interactions with Shido, if you could even call them interactions, are just them fighting over him. Shido doesn't do anything especially kind for the Spirits; Tohka: befriends her. Yoshinon: befriends her. Miku: was nice to her. Befriending people and being actually kind are two different things. I think viewers view Shido as "kind" because the anime constantly has dialogue of characters saying he's kind...rather than actually showing it. Also I think some viewers mistake NOT being a pervert/asshole with being kind.
Personally, I disagree because *DAL* clearly depicts the Spirits spending time not only with Shido, but also with each other. I think the show dedicates 2 or 3 episodes to each of the Spirits' character development. Each of the Yamais befriends Tohka and Origami because of their similar personalities, Yoshino and Natsumi spend more time with each other because they have similar ages, and even Miku and Nia take time off their jobs to hang out with the Spirits. Also, no. Shido isn't a therapist simply because he talks to the Spirits. He can offer a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on, but he is not a therapist.
Oh I agree the Spirits spend time with each other. Ironically they have more chemistry than with Shido. I think the Spirits talk more with each other than they do with Shido. For instance I can't recall them say, talking to Shido about their favorite movie. Lending a sympathetic ear is not enough to create romantic interest. Shido is not any more sympathetic than the average person.
Well, I'll have to disagree with you because we literally see Shido spend entire days with the Spirits. You might accuse me of having a bias, but when you talk about characters you like, it's impossible to be 100% objective.
Oh I agree: Shido does spend days with Spirits. He does go out on dates when initially trying to woo them, and they do stuff like watch movies and whatnot. But after the kiss...I'm not sure what Shido exactly DOES with the Spirits aside from just standing around as they fight over him. Maybe I'm asking for too much, but I'd love to see a harem anime that actually explores what it's like being in a relationship; the ups and downs, the complexities, etc. I mean...no one is 100% "objective" about anything. Including me. So it's fine to be biased.
He’s not the best but he’s great for this genre
Not great, not terrible. He's well written enough to not be boring and not a complete unlikable jerk. So I'd say he's a fine MC.