Loser
Yep, I am not quite sure why the magical girl stuff is so prominent in the description. I think that it would probably be better to just add near the end of the description "common in Magical Girl series" and then rewrite the trope to not be gender specific.
edited 8th May '11 10:39:15 AM by LouieW
"irhgT nm0w tehre might b ea lotof th1nmgs i dont udarstannd, ubt oim ujst goinjg to keepfollowing this pazth i belieove iN !!!!!1 d
Bizarre. I haven't seen a trope with this unnecessary a media-specific description in quite some time.
I know next to nothing about the Magical Girl genre, so it's possible that there is a very specific form of this (similar to the whole "childhood friend" thing we had going on) that can be split off, but the basic idea is not unique to any genre.
I see the Awesomeness.
I wouldn't even add the "common in Magical Girl series" part.
Fight smart, not fair.
Title? What Title?
So does this need a crowner?
Being in a Japanese-produced work is not enough of a difference to warrant its own trope.
This seems to have been rewritten in a more neutral fashion. Any other problems?
This page seems alright. However, a couple of examples on it's "sister" page, Mysterious Protector, seem to fit better here. Perhaps a Canonical Distinction could help against future decay.
EDIT: Sort of like:
An Aloof Ally can be of any gender, seems to have no interest in the proceedings, stays around long enough to deny such interest, and usually doesn't get kidnapped (though his attitude flip could be inspired by a Big Damn Heroes rescue when he gets over his head).
A Mysterious Protector is usually the opposite gender of the hero (though not always), leaves before he or his motives are addressed, and is usually kidnapped becoming part of the Standard Hero Reward. (Joining the team is rare for this person.)
edited 9th Jun '11 3:28:43 PM by DonaldthePotholer
Ketchum's corollary to Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced tactic is indistinguishable from blind luck.
As written, the trope description basically assumes that a) the aloof ally in question is female when it could easily be a guy acting this way (in point of fact, in one of the page quotes, it is a guy), and that b) you're talking about a Magical Girl program when you list examples.
In point of fact, most of the examples come from outside the Magical Girl genre. (The fact that this is listed on Magical Girl Tropes trope and an Anime Character Types when its more of a Characters as Device is also a problem, but much more easily fixed).
So... a rewrite of some sort is needed, in my opinion.
Thoughts and comments?
edited 8th May '11 9:21:02 AM by Worldmaker
Being in a Japanese-produced work is not enough of a difference to warrant its own trope.