Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:24 am
Sorry to bump this back up, but I really like the discussion.
Her portrayal as an almost invincible combatant and as a practically flawless investigator is indeed a clear contrast to her fragile inner self. Marto's right about that. However, I still can't help but agree with Hopping Fox on some points. Admittedly, even I get the same feelings about the series sometimes. There's nothing flat about Motoko's character, in fact, the contrasts in her personality are clearly evident. What brings up this whole discussion is probably the manner in which the writers/producers decided to go about "showing" this to the viewers at times. I have no problem seeing Motoko flip off buildings, and show off her prowess in combat, and superior judgment, but I think it might have lacked a little balance. The way she can sometimes effortlessly dispatch the bad guys leaves me almost as nonchalant as, well the Major herself. You just don't sense the danger around her too often that you sometimes think "Ok, so what?" instead of having your jaw drop in amazement of whatever it is she just did. It's no wonder that watching a vulnerable Motoko throw away all poise and composure while blasting the F*** out of that armed suit (which almost crushed her to bits btw) was a breath of fresh air. It produced a much more powerful effect than possibly any other action scene in the whole SAC series in my opinion.
Everyone wants to see the protagonists rise above sticky situations in the end, that's a given. But what I believe truly keeps viewers at the edges of their seats is the feeling that their heroes/heroines were actually in any immediate danger to begin with. Else, there wouldn't be as much glory in the triumph, nor a sigh of relief in the end, now would there? It's exactly how I felt watching the first season's ending. At first, the dissolution of section 9, the assassination of the Major, and the capture of the rest of her comrades left me speechless and desperately hoping for a happy ending. But as more light was shed on those events, I find out that the Major was remoting a different body the whole time, the entire thing was a set up, and just another part of Aramaki's "grand scheme of things" if you will. It gave the climax an untimely death, and left me feeling like a dunce for even being anxious in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the ending, but I felt the wrap-up was a bit too much of a Deus Ex Machina to give justice to the build up. It felt too clean and too convenient, but maybe it's just me.
Her portrayal as an almost invincible combatant and as a practically flawless investigator is indeed a clear contrast to her fragile inner self. Marto's right about that. However, I still can't help but agree with Hopping Fox on some points. Admittedly, even I get the same feelings about the series sometimes. There's nothing flat about Motoko's character, in fact, the contrasts in her personality are clearly evident. What brings up this whole discussion is probably the manner in which the writers/producers decided to go about "showing" this to the viewers at times. I have no problem seeing Motoko flip off buildings, and show off her prowess in combat, and superior judgment, but I think it might have lacked a little balance. The way she can sometimes effortlessly dispatch the bad guys leaves me almost as nonchalant as, well the Major herself. You just don't sense the danger around her too often that you sometimes think "Ok, so what?" instead of having your jaw drop in amazement of whatever it is she just did. It's no wonder that watching a vulnerable Motoko throw away all poise and composure while blasting the F*** out of that armed suit (which almost crushed her to bits btw) was a breath of fresh air. It produced a much more powerful effect than possibly any other action scene in the whole SAC series in my opinion.
Everyone wants to see the protagonists rise above sticky situations in the end, that's a given. But what I believe truly keeps viewers at the edges of their seats is the feeling that their heroes/heroines were actually in any immediate danger to begin with. Else, there wouldn't be as much glory in the triumph, nor a sigh of relief in the end, now would there? It's exactly how I felt watching the first season's ending. At first, the dissolution of section 9, the assassination of the Major, and the capture of the rest of her comrades left me speechless and desperately hoping for a happy ending. But as more light was shed on those events, I find out that the Major was remoting a different body the whole time, the entire thing was a set up, and just another part of Aramaki's "grand scheme of things" if you will. It gave the climax an untimely death, and left me feeling like a dunce for even being anxious in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the ending, but I felt the wrap-up was a bit too much of a Deus Ex Machina to give justice to the build up. It felt too clean and too convenient, but maybe it's just me.