What is a protagonist?
I thought a lot about this- and it occurred to me.
They talk about "eager" and "earnest" and "determined."
This is true. But there's something about the main characters of Jump manga. It's not just ambition. They have drive, and force, sure. But so did Hibiki. A quiet, internalized force.
But he doesn't have confidence that pushes outward. MC's almost push out the reader entirely at first by reacting with actions- we're left to figure out why they do what they do- what makes them tick. We often don't get shown tons of thoughts or preaching on their viewpoint (backstory is different.) We have to figure it out through flashback, through throw away lines of dialogue, and through what they do, an what expression they have when they do it. This is almost all of the fun of the first encounter with them.
They drive the plot by reacting outward- whatever internalizing they do can be shown or not, but they choose how to react in a very physical way, unlike shoujo where it's very "sit still until something bad happens and you work up the courage to scream something at them", and it moves the story forward. They yell at the enemy what is really important- they run forward almost brashly. Even the team they've cobbled together is screaming "DON'T!!! COME BACK!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"
And they turn back and, with determination, go "I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY BUT THIS SITUATION REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN, AND I WON'T SIT BY AND LET IT HAPPEN!!"
But my main characters don't. Hibiki is very reactionary- in an emotional way. People yell at him and he reacts to their words on the inside, but he has few moments of force. His conviction is quiet, so it doesn't impact the story. In the setting I've made it's too realistic- one person can't impact much of the plot. It's more slice-of-life because it shows a back and forth of dialogue and emotion discovering, which is enough to make a story but not enough to make a Shonen.
True main characters push and pull the plot. It speeds up with their confidence because they do what they feel is right without a doubt about it, and their actions have consequences to the people around them. It's tangible that way. Then, the story slows to a crushing halt when they have a moment of doubt 200 chapters in. "Why am I doing this again?" "Did I lose the goal I thought I had?" "What will I do after this?" "Do I remember what's truly right?"
This is much more impactful. But a main character needs to come with a solid set of beliefs that drive him. His goal should be tied in that, and his actions should further that goal and decimate the obstacles to that goal. Gon Freecs believes deeply in the pursuit of strength and fun, and through that he wants to find his father. Ensue chaos. Often this materializes as wanting to be something that embodies their passion and beliefs. Hunter: Fighting; strength; curiosity... Mangaka: Entertainment; hard work; guts... God of the New World: Purity; pride; mind games...
Even "weak" protagonists who start out with essentially no strength are like this. Hello? My man Midoriya? His inner conviction and confidence in his beliefs- that of a hero born of sheer will- drove that story to the moon and back.
Seeing a character with such a deep rooted set of beliefs, with unshakable confidence in them and a goal that is furthered by the pursuit of those beliefs, succeed is so satisfying, and so much more heartbreaking when that confidence shatters for a moment an he has to find those convictions again through the bleak reminder of cruelty, and the power of friendship.
I hope to create a character that can do this, and more. There are infinite sets of beliefs and things to do in this world- and the small amount of manga made till now have not tapped out that potential. It's a classic formula, but it is not tired. It begs to be reinvented, and I want to pursue that in these international contests.
They talk about "eager" and "earnest" and "determined."
This is true. But there's something about the main characters of Jump manga. It's not just ambition. They have drive, and force, sure. But so did Hibiki. A quiet, internalized force.
But he doesn't have confidence that pushes outward. MC's almost push out the reader entirely at first by reacting with actions- we're left to figure out why they do what they do- what makes them tick. We often don't get shown tons of thoughts or preaching on their viewpoint (backstory is different.) We have to figure it out through flashback, through throw away lines of dialogue, and through what they do, an what expression they have when they do it. This is almost all of the fun of the first encounter with them.
They drive the plot by reacting outward- whatever internalizing they do can be shown or not, but they choose how to react in a very physical way, unlike shoujo where it's very "sit still until something bad happens and you work up the courage to scream something at them", and it moves the story forward. They yell at the enemy what is really important- they run forward almost brashly. Even the team they've cobbled together is screaming "DON'T!!! COME BACK!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!"
And they turn back and, with determination, go "I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY BUT THIS SITUATION REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN, AND I WON'T SIT BY AND LET IT HAPPEN!!"
But my main characters don't. Hibiki is very reactionary- in an emotional way. People yell at him and he reacts to their words on the inside, but he has few moments of force. His conviction is quiet, so it doesn't impact the story. In the setting I've made it's too realistic- one person can't impact much of the plot. It's more slice-of-life because it shows a back and forth of dialogue and emotion discovering, which is enough to make a story but not enough to make a Shonen.
True main characters push and pull the plot. It speeds up with their confidence because they do what they feel is right without a doubt about it, and their actions have consequences to the people around them. It's tangible that way. Then, the story slows to a crushing halt when they have a moment of doubt 200 chapters in. "Why am I doing this again?" "Did I lose the goal I thought I had?" "What will I do after this?" "Do I remember what's truly right?"
This is much more impactful. But a main character needs to come with a solid set of beliefs that drive him. His goal should be tied in that, and his actions should further that goal and decimate the obstacles to that goal. Gon Freecs believes deeply in the pursuit of strength and fun, and through that he wants to find his father. Ensue chaos. Often this materializes as wanting to be something that embodies their passion and beliefs. Hunter: Fighting; strength; curiosity... Mangaka: Entertainment; hard work; guts... God of the New World: Purity; pride; mind games...
Even "weak" protagonists who start out with essentially no strength are like this. Hello? My man Midoriya? His inner conviction and confidence in his beliefs- that of a hero born of sheer will- drove that story to the moon and back.
Seeing a character with such a deep rooted set of beliefs, with unshakable confidence in them and a goal that is furthered by the pursuit of those beliefs, succeed is so satisfying, and so much more heartbreaking when that confidence shatters for a moment an he has to find those convictions again through the bleak reminder of cruelty, and the power of friendship.
I hope to create a character that can do this, and more. There are infinite sets of beliefs and things to do in this world- and the small amount of manga made till now have not tapped out that potential. It's a classic formula, but it is not tired. It begs to be reinvented, and I want to pursue that in these international contests.
