Nariana
olive17
Nariana
Mako's definitely not a bad person. He's a normal teenage boy who is sensitive when it comes to matters of the heart. His fickleness was annoying, but he had a lot to deal with and two cute girls vying for his attention.
...People keep using this as a defense. How is Mako a normal teenage boy? As I said above, he is an orphan with superpowers who is disrespectful to those closest to him (and totally gets away with it) and cheats on the person he is dating because he is confused about his feelings (and pretty much gets away with that too because Asami is not the main character and we're not supposed to care about her feelings apparently?). Normal teenage boys would catch a lot more s**t for that kind of behavior. And, complex human beings though they are, they would probably have clearer reasons for doing all that in the first place.
Also, I don't really interpret him as sensitive. He certainly isn't sensitive to other people's feelings, that's for sure. I mean, he might be a bit over-emotional, so maybe that's what you meant.
(Oh no two cute girls like him that is definitely the worst things ever!)
I knew you were going to say something later.
rolleyes
He's a normal teenage boy because he has no experience dealing with relationships. He's bound to screw up without proper direction, and he did. What's not normal about that? I say he's sensitive because he reacts strongly to the emotions of others around him.
If you're going to state your opinion, cut the sarcasm or whatever crap that was. You sound like you have a chip on your shoulder, despite whether or not you do.
I'm not allowed to make jokes on an internet forum?? I did not realize that talking about fandom was such serious business. Sorry if I came across as caustic or like I was attacking or belittling you just because I don't agree with what you say. That is honestly not what I was going for. I just make jokes kind of on instinct. They often get my point across in a lot fewer words, even if I lose some finesse in the process.
But saying that he's a normal teenager just because he has no experience with being in a relationship is completely ignoring the entire rest of his character! Which is that he is a jerk with superpowers who lost his parents at an early age and still doesn't know how to deal with that! Calling him a normal teenager is reducing his character to something it is not.
The main problem I have with calling him a normal teenager, particularly when the subject of his bad choices and approaches to relationships, is that it sounds like some sort of excuse for the writers not being aware of when he wasn't behaving admirably and communicating "hey, Mako's being a jerk right now, audience. Let's all be annoyed with him and have something bad happen as a direct result of his jerkiness! Okay, now he's realized he was a jerk and apologized and wants to redeem himself, so let's feel better about him now and know that he has learned something and grown from the experience and he won't act like that so much anymore"
Not only is it an excuse for the writers, it is an excuse for teenage boys to also act like jerks! What does it say about us when we consider cheating and disrespect normal behavior from a normal teenage boy? Does this make the behavior any more acceptable? No. But does it make us more likely to accept this behavior in real life? Possibly! I think the lack of consequences for Mako's behavior sets a poor example for all the kids at home.
Isn't there some middle ground here? He can be a jerk without being a terrible person, and he can be confused about relationships without being a normal teenage boy. Neither of these is necessarily an either/or situation.
Re: Sensitiveness, I still think that Mako more just worries a lot (both when he should and when he shouldn't) and reacts to things he perceives as attacks on himself. The way you put it, it sounds closer to a description of empathy, which I do not believe Mako has in spades.