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blog cover credits: favorite robot!!
First, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who participated in this event! And to Kei for helping me judge these entries. We enjoyed reading all of them. It was very nice to see all of the different approaches to analyzing anti-heroes. I was very impressed with some of the new bloggers who were not afraid to tackle such a complex moral theme. Whether you shared your analysis through narrative story telling, philosophical exploration, or character case study, each entry did a great job at sharing what makes an anti-hero's journey so fascinating.
Honorable Mentions
Today, we have two honorable mentions, they're both very different in of writing and I'd like to showcase them here.
This entry deserves special recognition for its clear and straightforward analysis on how certain circumstances can force a good person to choose morally grey methods. Despite it being shorter in length compared to other entries, they were able to achieve significant depth in exploring Manager Kim's moral complexity, particularly in showing how Manager Kim maintains certain moral lines even while crossing others in pursuit of justice for his daughter. They also did a good job with showing a direct line between cause and effect in his moral transformation which made it a very solid anti-hero analysis.
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This one had some really smart ideas about how free will works in AOT's world. They talked about how being able to see the future affected his choices which was pretty cool as it helped explain why he felt he had to do what he did. The philosophical analysis showed very... impressive depth... and understanding of complex concepts. The only downside was they got caught up in all these bigger ideas. Like, beyond all the complex ideas about fate and free will, it started to feel more academically rigorous which overshadowed the analysis.
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The Winner
Now, this entry was definitely one of our favorites to read, they stood out with how they used a narrative analysis to explore Eren's transformation from just a little idealistic kid who wanted to see the ocean to a complex anti-hero. Tenshi did a great job at putting Eren's emotional journey together with a thoughtful analysis of each turning point which was quite impressive. They also presented really good story moments to show us how each revelation transforms not just his actions but his overall understanding of freedom. Now, what I liked the most was how the narrative approach allowed us to both understand and feel the weight of his choices as the analysis progressed. They didn't just tell us what happened, they got into his head and helped us see why each step down this dark path made sense for his character. Pretty much showing how circumstances can push someone to become someone they never wanted to be. Well done, Tenshi!
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Hello there, AA! Cyn here, and I'll be hosting this week's Friday event. In this event, we'll be diving into what is probably one of the more captivating character types... the anti-hero. I'm sure we all know who these guys are, those complex characters... The ones who make us question everything we thought we knew about heroes and villains. But before we dive in, let's be clear... an anti-hero is NOT just a villain with a sad backstory or a hero who acts edgy. An anti-hero is someone who pursues what they believe is right even if their methods cross moral boundaries that traditional heroes wouldn't dare to cross.
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Note about anti-heroes:
An anti-hero is someone that follows their own moral com in pursuit of what they believe is right. Even if it means taking actions that traditional heroes would condemn. These characters often break rules, cross moral lines and use very questionable methods but their choices stem from a genuine belief in their cause. Unlike villains who act out of selfish desires, anti-heroes pursue what they see as justice, they're just willing to cross lines that heroes won't.
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The Challenge
For this challenge, you'll do an analysis of an anti-hero's moral journey and transformation. You can select any anti-hero from your favorite anime, manga, manhwa, or webtoon (Make sure to check on either MAL or MangaUpdates) and trace their path from their initial moral standing (where they started off) to their current position. You will begin by examining key turning points, the moment(s) that forever changed their trajectory and pushed them away from becoming a traditional hero/villain.
From there, try to explore how their methods used and philosophical outlook changed as they pursued their goals. Delve into whether the controversial choices they made ultimately served a greater purpose even if their methods drew criticism or opposition. Do you think their choices ultimately justified their ends? Why or why not? Lastly, examine their unique position within all of this by comparing them to both traditional heroes and villains, highlighting why the anti-hero approach was perhaps the only viable path for their particular circumstances/goals.
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Event Rules
- You must choose a true anti-hero (villains or dark heroes do not count!)
- Make sure to include what makes your character a true anti-hero, rather than just someone who acts against society's morals.
- Your analysis must reflect your unique perspective and personal understanding of the character's moral journey.
- One entry per person (can be split into two parts)
- Follow the [guidelines].
- No plagiarism or AI usage is allowed!
- The character must be from an existing anime, manga, manhwa, or webtoon. Make sure to check on either MAL or MangaUpdates.
- Collabs are NOT allowed for this event.
- Must use the hashtag #WalkingTheGreyLine in your submission.
- Judging will be based on depth of analysis, creativity in exploring the character's moral complexity, and clarity of writing. (In other words, have fun!! The best entries always come from bloggers who are genuinely ionate about the character they're writing about and hey, maybe a good idea to ask a friend to take a quick look to make sure your amazing insights come across clearly!)
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Deadline
January 10th, 2025 11:59 PM EST
(Any submission posted after the deadline will be rejected.)
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The Prize
The winner of this event will receive a custom title related to the event, 2500 coins, a broadcast, and have their blog featured.
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Got an event idea or want to host your own event?
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If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
Any troll/off-topic comments will be deleted.
Good luck everyone!
![[RESULTS] Walking The Grey Line || Official Event-[c]#AAOfficialEvent
[c](Please do not use this hashtag.)
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![amino-⌗͢vᴇ፝֟nus ?◽🇺🇦I want a couple avatar]-4eb210ea](https://image.staticox.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpa1.aminoapps.vertvonline.info%2F9374%2F9634e97a74b229525449e5fd8d966a1f3ef2d68fr1-500-500_00.gif)
Comments (40)
While there was many good entries for this event and that is much appreciated. I did read through the entry "To The boy who loved Freedom." and while it fulfills the first part of the requirements being the key turning points of the character. I still could not see it fulfills the second part of the requirements on the second paragraph: methods used, philosophical outlook through time; was the action justified?; why or why not? etc
It was also written in the blog that the criterias were depth of analysis, creativity and clarity of the writing, and I think my entry followed these requirements to a T.
I could have jumped the philosophical part of the analysis had I not followed the second requirements written in this blog. And I think It would be unnecessary to add that paragraph unless it was required. Asking for how the philosophical outlook of a character develops through time, and about justification in the context of an analysis, is bound to get a bit complex, yet I only mentioned what was relevant to answer the questions I read in this challenge.
I hope that would be considered in reaching a conclusion, as we as participants always follow the guide given to us, and attempt our best at adhering to it. And if it was possible to ignore half of those and still win over those who followed everything that was asked, then It poses questions over the validity of those requirements and makes it unclear going forward.
Hey there, I appreciate the . Let me explain what the event actually asked for. We wanted participants to "trace their path" and show how their character changed over time, looking at big moments that changed them, and how their way of thinking changed as they went after their own goals. Your entry spends more than half its time talking about complex ideas like determinism, free will and time paradoxes. While that's great, shows you really know your philosophy, it got away from what we actually wanted: showing us how EREN himself changed throughout his story. The judging was based solely on how deeply you analyzed the character's journey, how creatively you explored their moral complexity, and how clearly you write it. While yes, you did go over most of this, you saturated the entire analysis with unnecessary things that the event did not ask for. The points you are referring to were only to help writers get started. Hence the "From there, try to explore" as they're not part of the judging criteria clearly stated at the bottom. The winning entry stuck to what we had asked for by showing us how Eren changed through specific moments in his story, and how his choices and thinking evolved over time. We wanted to see the character's story – not a deep dive into philosophy. While a philosophical outlook was mentioned as a suggestion, it was meant to explore how THEIR worldview changed, not to analyze philosophical concepts. As always, if you wanted clarification or you were unsure, you could have asked questions in the comments before writing your entry.
Reply to: ⌁ 𝙘𝙮𝙣
Well, after all it is up to you to choose the entry that you think fits what you wanted more.
But for Eren, I think his character is intertwined with several conditions that were physically imposed and I think it is impossible to truly understand him otherwise. What I wrote in my entry was the way I understood Eren's character, journey and moral complexity in my own view under those circumstances he was bound by.
Also on Prima Facie, while reading the challange, it looked to me as if it was necessarily required to answer those questions (in the second paragraph) and I cannot answer them by rolling the dice on it especially in an analysis. Thereafter I felt it was needed to establish extra parts in order to answer them properly. It would also have been easier for me if I knew i could overlook them, and only analyse key turning points but I was under the impression It was a requirement. I did not have much time so I wrote the whole thing in 3 days between my other work, and unfortunately it did not occur to me to double check or ask you about it.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed participating in this challenge regardless of the outcome. I wrote it out of love for both the idea behind it, and for Togashi's work. I still like the fact that I wrote it as I may not have done otherwise if was not for this. So it is all good to me!
Congratulations to Tenshi, and to us Hiraeth 🫶 :blush:
Can the deadline be extended a little bit more?
Hi! I'm sorry, but we've already received enough entries for this event, so we won't be extending it
Can there be some extension to the deadline...
Hello there! Unfortunately, we already have enough entries for this event so we won't be able to extend it
TPL?