305

[branchandroot]

Having given the matter sober and measured consideration, I have come to the following conclusion.

Konomi, you suck.

In the space of two pages you have totally slaughtered all the characterization you have previously built up.

For one, Ryouma is a brat, and has the Mouth that ate Manhattan, but he is not, or has not been to date, the kind of evil little fucker that would perpetrate indignities on an unconscious opponent.

For another, as Michelle points out, NO ONE STOPPED HIM. Not even Tezuka.

And that says some pretty nasty things about Tezuka himself, things that I had not thought to be true. That Tezuka does not, in fact, care for good gamesmanship and respect for the game and the opponents nearly as much as he makes out.

Getting back to Hal's observation about this not really being a typical sports-story, this is the kind of thing that the VILLAIN-TEAM does.

If I accept what those couple pages say about characters I love, I'm just going to have to cry. And I'd really rather not.

So Konomi? You suck. Get your shit back together, man.

Comments

[ver2frog.livejournal.com]

Twas sad. I thought I was over-reacting. But it came down to Sad rather than Mad.

Because, it just didn't go with the whole "feel" of the manga at that point. The nastiness was just a bit overwhelming. I thought he was building up the "we all try our best, and are good sportsmen, and tennis is for fun, and working our butts off is uplifting" with a lot of snark on the way.

But 305 turned kinda mean-spirited.

[prillalar]

I didn't realise until I read somebody's write-up that Atobe was unconscious throughout. It did change the face of things.

I think I can stretch my acceptance of what Ryoma did because A. he's 12, B. it's just hair, C. they had previously agreed upon this outcome, and D. he must be pretty light-headed and not thinking clearly after that match.

(I don't see it as so far-fetched that he would participate in, say, a prank like this against a sleeping teammate. Though this is a different situation, of course, and he should be showing more respect to his opponent.)

But the fact that nobody tried to stop him or gave him what-for afterwards is a bit troubling. I don't find it quite as character-destroying as you do, but it does seem inconsistant.

[katharos-8.livejournal.com]

*frowns thoughtfully* Do you mind pointing me to the write up? Because just looking at the pictures it never even occurred to me that Atove was unconcious. I mean, the last time we see him he is standing upright, and then we see his shoe, also upright, with the hair falling over it.

[written-in-blue.livejournal.com]

Wait, Atobe was unconscious?

I had not twigged to that.

...

...

*walks calmly over into Denial and camps there*

This issue no longer exists. I am a 305 atheist.

[ssj10.livejournal.com]

*sighs* I've been mulling this over in the two days since I read it, and it's not getting much better for me. I mean, the only one who's even a little hesitant about the whole thing is Oishi. No one else even bats an eyelash. The Hyoutei members are standing there, screaming at him to stop and calling him a demon, and it's just... terrible.

I went back and re-read it three times to make sure I wasn't missing something--that maybe Atobe was semi-aware, like he was awake on some sort of exhausted Muga-type level--but I think he's really, really out of it. I don't think he even played the last point. Time just expired while he stood there. And that's just a whole other rant.

This does suck. Particularily since I love Seigaku, and I've always been perfectly happy to watch them coast to victory undefeated. Ryouma has always been a justified, sportsmanlike character until now. After my initial eyeroll reaction, I was actually looking forward to the head shaving, because I had this image of Atobe proudly striking a pose and getting his club to cheer him on while he did it. It would have been fabulous. The whole club could have shaved their heads in a show of solidarity.

Now I'm just depressed. Can I join you by the fire?

[naanima.livejournal.com]

When I can be coherent about things I will finish the lj entry about why I think PoT is NOT a sports shounen series. There's a list of reasons.