Failure Heroes

Considering I know people who have crippling emotional problems on par with shinji, who wouldn't be able to seize the day and take advantage of great situations given to them on a silver platter, I think it's safe to say you're objectively wrong.

You are projecting a small, personal sample onto a large and highly diverse group. That's pretty much the definition of objectively wrong via treating anecdotes as evidence right there.

Whether Major Tom is correct or not remains an open question.

edited 19th Aug '12 11:13:54 AM by Night

Real people like that exist, that's enough to render 'Shinji is unrealistic' false.

Depression affects literally millions of people, if you haven't been touched by it (either personally or by someone you know) then that's lucky, but that would probably explain why you can't relate to Shinji.

I beg to differ, the fact that it does happen proves it is realistic. How often is irrelevant.

the question isn't "how many people with shinji's problems would act like he did?" but "would anyone in his situation, reasonably act like him?" the latter is what makes it realistic the former just probable.

Obviously you will never have this situation in real life. But you can presume it, given that even healthy adult soldiers with may experience http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_stress_reaction#Signs_and_symptoms even suicide attempts.

There is a reason having childrens in war is a crime agasint human rights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_use_of_children.

Shinji was never meant to save the day, his purpose as a character was to express sorrow and despair.The show itself even gave us a character that wanted to be in shinji's place...until he discovered this wasn't a escapist mecha series in universe.

As a story with a failure hero is as valid as any other.

I don't like Shinji, but I understand his purpose. He was never meant to be a traditional hero.He was meant to express despair.

edited 19th Aug '12 11:55:43 AM by FallenLegend

That's bullshit. Straight up.

It's not about whether depressions exist. That's irrelevant. It's about whether Shinji himself should be depressed, and you haven't and cannot answer that question due to the fact we know essentially nothing of his life before the show begins. The events in the show could, but don't necessarily have to, result in a myriad of disorders, of which depression is actually very low on the list with the top ones being PTSD and a near-sociopathic disregard for the effects of violence.

edited 19th Aug '12 11:44:50 AM by Night