Female characters are still a very sensitive topic in the anime community.
Mikasa and Historia were denied proper character development.
Both Ymirs were also done dirty by the author.
Ah, female characters. There’s so much to be said about this particular anime issue, and it feels like the debates are getting more and more heated each year with endless complaints about sexualization, shallowness and lack of character development. The bigger a series is, the more attention it’s receiving, and such huge anime as Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) cannot avoid the criticism when it comes to writing female characters, either.
Historia and Mikasa
We’ve recently discussed the final story part of Attack on Titan ruining Historia and Mikasa’s characters. Historia used to be one of the key characters in the series, and she ended up becoming a “breeding machine” with no actual conclusion to her story. Left, forgotten and hardly even mentioned. Mikasa’s entire development revolves around Eren, she’s obsessed with him from the beginning of the story until its end. And even after his death Mikasa has that old scarf to remind her of her love until the very day she dies. But these two girls are not the only ones the fans are upset with.
Ymir and founder Ymir
Both Ymirs are also the subject of complaints. Ymir (the first one, not the founder) had a well-written arc, and a complex personality. It doesn’t matter if you love or detest her, you can’t help but sympathize with her even a little bit. Her relationship with Historia was also very meaningful, and it played an important role in Historia’s character development. On top of that, Ymir was the first key to realizing the truth about the world, and her story was the first time we were given actual hints on what was going on. And after all of that, Ymir was just killed offscreen and barely even mentioned after that.
Founder Ymir was also treated unfairly. She was supposed to be one of the key figures in the series. The Titan curse started with her, the Rumbling was possible due to her, and the ending revolved around her seeing herself in Mikasa. Still, Ymir was shown as a mindless pawn, ready to serve her king. He tortured the girl, punished her for something she didn't do, turned her into a weapon, raped her and made her give birth. And the conclusion to Ymir’s story arc is that she… was in love with the king? The big reveal is that she couldn’t move on from her abuser because she had actual feelings for him, and she wasn’t even smart enough to realize that until she experienced Mikasa’s story. Unacceptable, if you ask us!
Female characters are still a very sensitive topic in the anime community.
Mikasa and Historia were denied proper character development.
Both Ymirs were also done dirty by the author.
Ah, female characters. There’s so much to be said about this particular anime issue, and it feels like the debates are getting more and more heated each year with endless complaints about sexualization, shallowness and lack of character development. The bigger a series is, the more attention it’s receiving, and such huge anime as Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) cannot avoid the criticism when it comes to writing female characters, either.
Historia and Mikasa
We’ve recently discussed the final story part of Attack on Titan ruining Historia and Mikasa’s characters. Historia used to be one of the key characters in the series, and she ended up becoming a “breeding machine” with no actual conclusion to her story. Left, forgotten and hardly even mentioned. Mikasa’s entire development revolves around Eren, she’s obsessed with him from the beginning of the story until its end. And even after his death Mikasa has that old scarf to remind her of her love until the very day she dies. But these two girls are not the only ones the fans are upset with.
Ymir and founder Ymir
Both Ymirs are also the subject of complaints. Ymir (the first one, not the founder) had a well-written arc, and a complex personality. It doesn’t matter if you love or detest her, you can’t help but sympathize with her even a little bit. Her relationship with Historia was also very meaningful, and it played an important role in Historia’s character development. On top of that, Ymir was the first key to realizing the truth about the world, and her story was the first time we were given actual hints on what was going on. And after all of that, Ymir was just killed offscreen and barely even mentioned after that.
Founder Ymir was also treated unfairly. She was supposed to be one of the key figures in the series. The Titan curse started with her, the Rumbling was possible due to her, and the ending revolved around her seeing herself in Mikasa. Still, Ymir was shown as a mindless pawn, ready to serve her king. He tortured the girl, punished her for something she didn't do, turned her into a weapon, raped her and made her give birth. And the conclusion to Ymir’s story arc is that she… was in love with the king? The big reveal is that she couldn’t move on from her abuser because she had actual feelings for him, and she wasn’t even smart enough to realize that until she experienced Mikasa’s story. Unacceptable, if you ask us!
