Why are self insert mc's such a popular concept?
Do viewer really enjoy imagining themselves as the hero of a story if they can take the place of the mc?
I personally want a unique mc that is their own character, has a interesting personality, and does stuff only they would do, not what every other bland, look alike, good guy main character would do
Are Japanese viewers so down on themselves that they think they are so bland and boring that being bland is the only way to relate to an mc?
Otaku are social recluse. Social reclusiveness leads to narcissism. Animefags tend to let go of any sense of dignity and just indulge in it rather than trying to subdue it.
It's because Otaku are a bunch of losers who wants to be successful in life so they self-insert as the hero. Now let's look at pic related, now this is a unique mc who is their own character, and that's exactly the reason why a lot of people hate him. They can't self insert as him.
You are suppose to insert into every character that is focused on.
The blandness is due to broad appeal. Having specific characteristics makes it harder to relate to someone, so they need to be smoothed out and made as generic as possible, but be the best at something so that the people who are reading/watching it can feel like they're just as smart or good.
That could be a pretty sound theory. My kind of humor's usually pretty self-deprecating, so that might have something to do with why I liked Konosuba.
They don't literally self-insert in the MC, they feel empathy for him, and if feeling empathy for someone is self-inserting then almost every MC ever is a self insert.
Bland characters with no personality are just easier to write and to feel empathy for, and that's why they're everywhere (and not only in anime)
>Are Japanese viewers so down on themselves that they think they are so bland and boring that being bland is the only way to relate to an mc?
Sadly yes
Here's the interview with MonMusume author
>So why doesn't the main character, Kimihito, have much of a personality? (laughs) Instead, the focus is mostly on the monster girls having strongly defined personalities, and this guy being the passive prey of an ever-growing assortment of aggressively amorous monster girls.
>OKAYADO: I didn't make the main character to have not much personality to avoid criticism from the readers in Japan and overseas. I made him that sort of character because in Japan, there's a lot of that sort of guys…
>Herbivore men?
>Interpreter: Yeah, we call them passive… “meat-eating men.”
>OKAYADO: There's a lot of guys like that in Japan now, so I thought that readers could relate to this sort of main character. I also thought that the balance between the strong girls and the passive meat-eating boy would be interesting, that it would be a good balance.
Because it sells. That's literally the only reason.
Essentially, I treat the MC like my favourite sport team. I want him to do well. When he does, I get happy. When he fails, I get sad. That's all.
I'm guessing this is why Sup Forums amd Sup Forums have such an overlap of users.
Whoever translated that interview should be shot.
Gib signs of self-insert MCs Sup Forums.
>Teenage Highschooler
>Generic beta looking yet somehow heroines are lusting to his cock because "they understand each other" "he is genuine" "he is different from the others".
>pseudo-intellectual
>"muh deep"
if you have a problem with it
why not just watch other things?
>I personally want a unique mc that is their own character, has a interesting personality, and does stuff only they would do, not what every other bland, look alike, good guy main character would do
This, why can't there be an intelligent, nihilistic, and with a wicked sense of humor like me.
In a fantasy/adventure setting, the use of self-insert characters (if done right) is a way to make exploring the world interesting. If the character already has his own backstory and clear motivations, the world takes a back seat in favor of resolving some specific conflict.
If it's something personal like a romance story, then self-insert characters don't work.
I think in the case of most harems, the main character is only there to be the love interest for the girls. They're not aiming to tell a good story, they're just aiming to sell the girl designs. No one cares about the male.
As for Kirito, I think it's just bad writing.
I kinda do feel like this with certain MCs, and Kirito I think was a big one for me. The more OP he got, that only made me more excited.
Do they really? Aside from the Olympics crossposters?
The writer wants the MC to as relatable as possible, to as many people as possible. Because of this the MC has to be very bland, and because of that they're very easy for people to reflect themselves onto. They're usually very strong too, and everyone wants to be strong.
Speaking for SAO only, both Kirito and Asuna are bland and strong so both genders can enjoy the self inserting.
So you want to be a retard that need to be spoon-feed with infodump everytime?
No. Are you implying that the use of self-insert characters entails info dump exposition?
>Do viewer really enjoy imagining themselves as the hero of a story if they can take the place of the mc?
Yes. If you've legitimately never done this in your life, then you're the weird one.
What did he actually say?
>like me
But I'm not intelligent or nihlistic (an oxymoron, by the way), and I certainly do not have a wicked sense of humour. It's actually quite crude.
Seeing as I have neither the original text, nor the ability to read Japanese, I don't know. But I do know more than enough English to know that's wrong.
The problem is, most "self-insert" characters like Kirito aren't really relatable at all. As an example, Shinji is very relatable, and despite him actually bein a pretty normal boy, he doesn't feel bland at all. That's because actual characterization and personality is way more important for relatability than being bland.
I find Guts, for example, to be a lot more relatable than Kirito, because Guts feels like an actual character.
I think your argument only applies to characters with clear "quirks" rather than actual personality. For example, Accelerator from Index isn't a very deep or complex character, he's just very "quirky". Although him being an absolute madman was really fun to watch, so maybe that was a bad example.
MonMusu is just a standard harem for monster girl fetishists. This interviewer has probably never read or watched a harem before.
For self-inserts to work, their behavior has to make logical sense. Kirito could've been relatable while still being a self-insert, it's just that the shit he does makes no sense.
Fuck off already with your trip, autist
Yes, it's not just because of the Olympics. It happens all year round, in fact.
>IIT retards use buzzwords
Anyone can self insert as anyone, there are people self inserting as hisoka, or even autist like kaji
I like when boys can look like a girl
Plenty of bizarre self-inserts break the laws of physics.
Its just those heroes fall into the dropped by 99% of the anime community and never look back
>No one cares about the male.
the west does with their giant actual homo tendencies
its a good thing they are not the market
I'm talking about how Kirito keeps making contradictions. For example, if he's reached the limit of a solo player, then why the fuck is he still far stronger than any player from a top raiding guild, as if they're holding him back? If he wants to make friends and not just be part of a group for the purpose of efficiency, why does he hide his power level when he knows for a fact that his doing so has actually led to their demise?