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tenshinoakuma) wrote2009-07-25 09:59 am
tenshinoakuma) wrote2009-07-25 09:59 am
[Essay] General Atsuro observations
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justplugit. I just need more icon fodder now. But there aren't enough sprites in game to fill the 15 icon slots (even if I could get sprite rips/screenshots) and the official artwork tends to be more for the pretties than expressions the characters often use, as shown by the very pink icon. I'd raaather not use fanart, because the majority of the fanart I've seen has been on pixiv, and they've got a PLZ DON'T USE WITHOUT ARTIST PERMISSION and I respect that. (and even if they didn't have that notice, I'd still ask permission)
This is a character thought-dump masquerading as an essay. It will contain many SMT: Devil Survivor spoilers. Read at your own risk.
--
His relationship with other people in general. Atsuro seems to be a little like me, in the sense that he appears to believe that friends will fall in and out of contact with each other.
The most prime example of this would be Keisuke. He knew the guy pretty well in lower (or was it middle?) school, but then they fell out of contact in high school, and it didn't seem like he'd called or messaged Keisuke at all (though if he did, I have doubts Keisuke would have answered). I think if he had tried to contact Keisuke, though, he would have mentioned it to the rest of the party. But as it was, he was running off his memories of who Keisuke was. He still considered Keisuke a friend, but it's out of memories of their friendship. Like, he doesn't see that Keisuke changed because of the lack of contact and that he still thinks of Keisuke as that guy who looked out for the weaker kids at school.
Another example would be right in the beginning, when he meets up with Yuzu and the Hero in Shibuya for the first time during the summer holidays. It didn't sound like he'd called or texted or e-mailed or messaged them at all. If it makes any sense, I'd say he's a social hermit. He'll lose himself in the internet, but if people call him or arrange meetings IRL, he's cool with it. I think he's got a pretty easy-come-easy-go view on friends, though that doesn't mean he forgets them. If they break off contact, he just won't go out of his way to contact them back.
The exception to this would be 10BIT, and I think that's because of the last thing he said before he disappeared. And, y'know, Atsuro being the kind of person who thinks of pretty bad situations... (he was right, though). If 10BIT didn't tell him about the coverup, I don't think Atsuro would've tried to contact him. Maybe worried a little in the back of his mind, but not actually do much about it.
Maybe this view of friends being easy-come-easy-go stems from being on the internet as a kid, where friendships are a little more... mm what's the word. Not wishy-washy uhhh. Temporal than IRL friendships. Possibly because people tend to move from different websites/fandoms/etc. more often than people will move schools, so it's harder to keep that 'common interest' that keeps people together.
How he treats girls. Or is it just Yuzu? He seems to treat them as people to be protected. Like, even though they may be good at holding their own (and he won't barge in on that), he still has a sense of protectiveness over them. There's many points in the game where he's like. 'Don't tell Yuzu, okay? I don't want her to worry more' kind of things, and when Mari first wants to join your team, he's like 'No! Yes! I mean, maybe! It's dangerous (but we could do with your help)'. For Yuzu I could write it off as him being the nice guy that he is and knowing what Yuzu's like (and possibly a subconscious desire to hear less complaining from her when he feels the ordeal is pretty trying as well). And Mari was his tutor. But then again, I don't think he'd be as 'protect them!' if Yuzu or Mari were guys. However I don't think he does the same with Midori or Izuna. Or maybe he does with Midori, I forget. But Izuna would be a definitely not, because she's badass and she pulled a gun on us. There's still a moment of 'protect them!' when Fushimu(?) and Izuna summoned a demon for the first time, but that's more because they looked like they were about to die.
So I suppose it's a bit of a sliding scale. Girls who are a little more vulnerable and/or that he's close to will get the protectiveness treatment, and badass ones are fine. Ngh it sounds kind of :| inducing right now. But Atsuro's pretty good about it, not overprotective. And a lot of other factors form part of this unoverbearing protectiveness.
His loyalties to the Hero. Why is Atsuro so loyal to the Hero in the first place? We're given no in game explanation why Atsuro is so loyal to him, even though he seems to treat the Hero in a similar manner to others. Yet he confides his thoughts RE: controlling the demons to the Hero. I'm unsure of whether this is a result of the Hero's magnetic personality (... if you actually played him that way) or just the fact that the Hero's the only other guy around in their little party of three (or more), and that he knows him better than the others. Maybe he's got a 'leadership' material sense, or just that he knows he's not a leader but a follower? That he'll always be the support guy rather than the guy in the spotlight? (and I think he prefers that)
But then, how does he know who to follow? Maybe it's just that he asks the Hero for advice, or asks him questions, and can count on the Hero to give things thought and respond. IDK it's really difficult depending on how you play the Hero, though if you respond in a manner to net you Atsuro's route (note I haven't actually played Atsuro's route's ending), I'm favouring the 'he listens and thinks about his decision' reason for Atsuro's loyalty to the Hero, as well as the Hero's consideration (because there are a few times where you can express concern for Keisuke, presumably to cheer Atsuro up). That he can count on him to make the 'right' decision, even when he thinks it might not be right.
Maybe it's also a shirking of responsibility as well. You know, even if it turns out this decision was a Very Bad One (see: Overlord ending), he might not take responsibility since he was just following the leader! Note that Atsuro will rescue Keisuke the first time regardless of what you pick (I think you can leave him). I suppose he tends to concern himself more with what's in front of him? ARGH I DUNNO ANYMORE.
How does he view Naoya? He seems to have a bit of a hero worship with Naoya, and despite being Naoya's apprentice, doesn't seem to be particularly close to the guy. I guess it's a little like being apprenticed to your idol or inspiration. If you've still got the rose coloured glasses, you'll revere the amazing things they can do (and learn from them) and gloss over or explain away their faults and/or eccentricities. He starts to lose the glasses when it becomes apparent that Naoya is a manipulative bastard. I'm just wondering if he'd still follow Naoya if the presence of the Hero was not there. I think he would if Naoya used the same argument he used to convince the party, which was that despite putting the Hero on the throne of Bel, it would still end the lockdown, what Atsuro wanted. The ends justifies the means? To a certain extent. I think if Atsuro can see the goal and see it happening, as it was with Naoya, I think he can mentally justify it. If it was like Keisuke, where it really doesn't help matters, he can't.
You could say he's a bit of a tool, sans the low intelligence. Not so sure on the self-esteem. Probably essay on that in the future.
How does he view technology? I don't think he's got much interest in like, cars or heavy machinery. He seems to be interested in machines that augment? human interaction. Internet, games (both solo ones and ones you can play with other people), I imagine robotics and AI are of interest as well, though he seems more focused into computers and programs, at least when it comes to tinkering. But I think his primary interest is the internet, and how it can tear down many of the barriers that one may have in face to face interaction. Age, sex, social status, they all become meaningless in the face of anonymous interaction online, although even the internet and its communities have their own social hiearchy. I guess you could say Atsuro's pretty interested in people (though not in the same way Joshua is) and hearing/reading other people's opinions.
On this note, while he's nerdy, he's far from the closeted nerd who has difficulty interacting with other people IRL. He seems pretty good in social situations, seems comfortable in them, and seems to make friends as easily as someone who doesn't get withdrawal from not being on the internet. And even when he gets caught up in his nerd geekery, he's quite capable of explaining the jargon in terms other people can understand, which is much better than many other people who go deep into their fields. So his communication is good!
On that note, he also seems to be used to explaining techy things to his friends, but unused to being called on to explain non-tech things. Or maybe he was just unused to the Hero shirking explaining responsibility and dumping it on him. (it's the new version of "Guy. Explain" !)
Other Notes: Otaku. Also, look into why Atsuro felt that controlling the demons is the solution they should go for.
justplugit. I just need more icon fodder now. But there aren't enough sprites in game to fill the 15 icon slots (even if I could get sprite rips/screenshots) and the official artwork tends to be more for the pretties than expressions the characters often use, as shown by the very pink icon. I'd raaather not use fanart, because the majority of the fanart I've seen has been on pixiv, and they've got a PLZ DON'T USE WITHOUT ARTIST PERMISSION and I respect that. (and even if they didn't have that notice, I'd still ask permission)This is a character thought-dump masquerading as an essay. It will contain many SMT: Devil Survivor spoilers. Read at your own risk.
--
His relationship with other people in general. Atsuro seems to be a little like me, in the sense that he appears to believe that friends will fall in and out of contact with each other.
The most prime example of this would be Keisuke. He knew the guy pretty well in lower (or was it middle?) school, but then they fell out of contact in high school, and it didn't seem like he'd called or messaged Keisuke at all (though if he did, I have doubts Keisuke would have answered). I think if he had tried to contact Keisuke, though, he would have mentioned it to the rest of the party. But as it was, he was running off his memories of who Keisuke was. He still considered Keisuke a friend, but it's out of memories of their friendship. Like, he doesn't see that Keisuke changed because of the lack of contact and that he still thinks of Keisuke as that guy who looked out for the weaker kids at school.
Another example would be right in the beginning, when he meets up with Yuzu and the Hero in Shibuya for the first time during the summer holidays. It didn't sound like he'd called or texted or e-mailed or messaged them at all. If it makes any sense, I'd say he's a social hermit. He'll lose himself in the internet, but if people call him or arrange meetings IRL, he's cool with it. I think he's got a pretty easy-come-easy-go view on friends, though that doesn't mean he forgets them. If they break off contact, he just won't go out of his way to contact them back.
The exception to this would be 10BIT, and I think that's because of the last thing he said before he disappeared. And, y'know, Atsuro being the kind of person who thinks of pretty bad situations... (he was right, though). If 10BIT didn't tell him about the coverup, I don't think Atsuro would've tried to contact him. Maybe worried a little in the back of his mind, but not actually do much about it.
Maybe this view of friends being easy-come-easy-go stems from being on the internet as a kid, where friendships are a little more... mm what's the word. Not wishy-washy uhhh. Temporal than IRL friendships. Possibly because people tend to move from different websites/fandoms/etc. more often than people will move schools, so it's harder to keep that 'common interest' that keeps people together.
How he treats girls. Or is it just Yuzu? He seems to treat them as people to be protected. Like, even though they may be good at holding their own (and he won't barge in on that), he still has a sense of protectiveness over them. There's many points in the game where he's like. 'Don't tell Yuzu, okay? I don't want her to worry more' kind of things, and when Mari first wants to join your team, he's like 'No! Yes! I mean, maybe! It's dangerous (but we could do with your help)'. For Yuzu I could write it off as him being the nice guy that he is and knowing what Yuzu's like (and possibly a subconscious desire to hear less complaining from her when he feels the ordeal is pretty trying as well). And Mari was his tutor. But then again, I don't think he'd be as 'protect them!' if Yuzu or Mari were guys. However I don't think he does the same with Midori or Izuna. Or maybe he does with Midori, I forget. But Izuna would be a definitely not, because she's badass and she pulled a gun on us. There's still a moment of 'protect them!' when Fushimu(?) and Izuna summoned a demon for the first time, but that's more because they looked like they were about to die.
So I suppose it's a bit of a sliding scale. Girls who are a little more vulnerable and/or that he's close to will get the protectiveness treatment, and badass ones are fine. Ngh it sounds kind of :| inducing right now. But Atsuro's pretty good about it, not overprotective. And a lot of other factors form part of this unoverbearing protectiveness.
His loyalties to the Hero. Why is Atsuro so loyal to the Hero in the first place? We're given no in game explanation why Atsuro is so loyal to him, even though he seems to treat the Hero in a similar manner to others. Yet he confides his thoughts RE: controlling the demons to the Hero. I'm unsure of whether this is a result of the Hero's magnetic personality (... if you actually played him that way) or just the fact that the Hero's the only other guy around in their little party of three (or more), and that he knows him better than the others. Maybe he's got a 'leadership' material sense, or just that he knows he's not a leader but a follower? That he'll always be the support guy rather than the guy in the spotlight? (and I think he prefers that)
But then, how does he know who to follow? Maybe it's just that he asks the Hero for advice, or asks him questions, and can count on the Hero to give things thought and respond. IDK it's really difficult depending on how you play the Hero, though if you respond in a manner to net you Atsuro's route (note I haven't actually played Atsuro's route's ending), I'm favouring the 'he listens and thinks about his decision' reason for Atsuro's loyalty to the Hero, as well as the Hero's consideration (because there are a few times where you can express concern for Keisuke, presumably to cheer Atsuro up). That he can count on him to make the 'right' decision, even when he thinks it might not be right.
Maybe it's also a shirking of responsibility as well. You know, even if it turns out this decision was a Very Bad One (see: Overlord ending), he might not take responsibility since he was just following the leader! Note that Atsuro will rescue Keisuke the first time regardless of what you pick (I think you can leave him). I suppose he tends to concern himself more with what's in front of him? ARGH I DUNNO ANYMORE.
How does he view Naoya? He seems to have a bit of a hero worship with Naoya, and despite being Naoya's apprentice, doesn't seem to be particularly close to the guy. I guess it's a little like being apprenticed to your idol or inspiration. If you've still got the rose coloured glasses, you'll revere the amazing things they can do (and learn from them) and gloss over or explain away their faults and/or eccentricities. He starts to lose the glasses when it becomes apparent that Naoya is a manipulative bastard. I'm just wondering if he'd still follow Naoya if the presence of the Hero was not there. I think he would if Naoya used the same argument he used to convince the party, which was that despite putting the Hero on the throne of Bel, it would still end the lockdown, what Atsuro wanted. The ends justifies the means? To a certain extent. I think if Atsuro can see the goal and see it happening, as it was with Naoya, I think he can mentally justify it. If it was like Keisuke, where it really doesn't help matters, he can't.
You could say he's a bit of a tool, sans the low intelligence. Not so sure on the self-esteem. Probably essay on that in the future.
How does he view technology? I don't think he's got much interest in like, cars or heavy machinery. He seems to be interested in machines that augment? human interaction. Internet, games (both solo ones and ones you can play with other people), I imagine robotics and AI are of interest as well, though he seems more focused into computers and programs, at least when it comes to tinkering. But I think his primary interest is the internet, and how it can tear down many of the barriers that one may have in face to face interaction. Age, sex, social status, they all become meaningless in the face of anonymous interaction online, although even the internet and its communities have their own social hiearchy. I guess you could say Atsuro's pretty interested in people (though not in the same way Joshua is) and hearing/reading other people's opinions.
On this note, while he's nerdy, he's far from the closeted nerd who has difficulty interacting with other people IRL. He seems pretty good in social situations, seems comfortable in them, and seems to make friends as easily as someone who doesn't get withdrawal from not being on the internet. And even when he gets caught up in his nerd geekery, he's quite capable of explaining the jargon in terms other people can understand, which is much better than many other people who go deep into their fields. So his communication is good!
On that note, he also seems to be used to explaining techy things to his friends, but unused to being called on to explain non-tech things. Or maybe he was just unused to the Hero shirking explaining responsibility and dumping it on him. (it's the new version of "Guy. Explain" !)
Other Notes: Otaku. Also, look into why Atsuro felt that controlling the demons is the solution they should go for.