Author Topic: Favorite Animorph  (Read 18669 times)

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Offline LisaCharly

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #270 on: July 27, 2010, 11:06:38 AM »
joss whedon's characters? the guy is a MASTER at making characters only so developed. similarly with rachel and marco- i think they're "deep"... but not as deep as cassie or tobias. i think that cassie and tobias spend so much time in self-reflection that they naturally are the "deepest" and most complex of the group.

I would have to disagree, because personally I think Marco is at least as or more complex than Tobias. I mean, just reading #30 (which was ghostwritten, oddly enough) portrays a lot of different well-established struggles going on for him. He's got the surface struggle of ruthlessness vs. love. He's got the struggle beneath that of proving himself to Jake, because he's insecure about his position in the group, vs. the hope of saving his mother. He's got the emphasis on family vs. the emphasis on logic and reason. He's got the desperation to shoot his own dream down because it makes life too difficult and complicated working for it vs. the fact that without that dream, he has no direction. He's got the hypocrisy of advocating being passionless and unemotional vs. the hard-for-him-to-face reality that he is. He's got the inability to accept pity and advice vs. the desperate desire for someone to empathize. He's got the pride and dislike of being second-guessed vs. the hope that someone will take over for him. He has the keen awareness of how this will look vs. the awareness of how it will look to Jake. He's aware that he's deluding himself and keeping himself too occupied to think about the consequences but he sinks back into it because it's easier to do so, even if it means jeopardizing his own strategic 'masterpiece'.

All this is pinioned on a character arc where he goes from valuing his own life and family first, at the expense of his image within the group, to adopting the group and the war and his image to his comrades as the most important things to him. He's on a character arc where he swandives from reckless hope to hand-forcing defeatism. And throughout the series he's impatient, proud, incisive, insecure, perceptive, harsh, selfish, paranoid, loyal, desperate for approval he would never admit to wanting, and striving to be unaffected by a war that's warped his very values. And all this is in addition to being the comic relief!

/defending my favorite character.

Offline Natureboy3

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #271 on: July 27, 2010, 05:07:27 PM »
Tobias is always my favorite. My Uncle was talking about a family friend named Tobias. Cool, huh?
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Offline Yawn

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #272 on: August 22, 2010, 07:51:15 PM »
Old topic, but I'm a new member (-ish), so eh.

In the beginning, I guess my favorite Animorph would have been Jake. However, as I reread through the series, I find myself enjoying Cassie and Tobias's perspectives more than the others.

Offline trynyti

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #273 on: August 24, 2010, 08:48:37 PM »
Rachel and Tobias, definitely. Not just together, but as individuals too.

I envy Rachel for being able to freely lose herself in the adrenaline, and seemingly not care about what happens in the process. She's fierce, beautiful, and strong. People's admiration of her went seemingly unnoticed - not because she was shallow, vain, or flaky. But because she has her own share of insecurities too. No matter what kind of a game face she puts on and how many times she says, "Let's do it!", she is always aware of that fear, and yet, she doesn't let it bother her until after the mission's over.
The Star Wars nerd in me compares her to Anakin - dangerously close to the dark side. And yet, she would never in a million years give into it.
It really angered me to learn that she died, although I think part of that was because I accidentally stumbled upon the spoiler before I'd reached that point in the books.

Tobias is, well... I've fallen in love with people like him in real life. He's sensitive, and remained surprisingly not jaded throughout the series, despite, as most of the characters put it at some point or another, being the one who has sacrificed and lost the most in the war with the Yeerks. He lost his family, then his human body, and finally, Rachel. He had to feel terribly betrayed by the person who saved him from getting toilet dunked when they were still normal teens.
I love how of all the characters, he has the most secret plot twists as well. He's given the power of morphing back by the Ellimist, but his hawk form remains his default. He meets his mother, finds out who his father (and uncle) are. I've always found it amazing how, technically, he's half-Andalite. Even if Elfangor allowed himself to be trapped in human morph to stay with Loren.
It was randomly remembering that that made me want to read the books again, as I never actually finished them back in the day.
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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #274 on: September 03, 2010, 03:09:03 AM »
Ax is definitely my favorite. In many ways he's like a citizen of two worlds.

That he also annoys me a lot of the time with various hypocrisies or betrayals or bigotries is beside the point, he's still my favorite and people aren't exactly perfect either, as he often points out >>
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Offline Sammi Abdul

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #275 on: September 05, 2010, 01:50:46 PM »
Marco. He's the only one that knows what needed to be done(except for Rachel, but she's crazy). His mom is Visser One, and he coined the term 'Animorph'. Books 30, 35, and Visser were the best in moving the storyline IMO.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2010, 01:53:53 PM by Sammi Abdul »

Offline patric

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #276 on: September 09, 2010, 01:28:45 AM »
I think Tobias would have to be my first for the same reason as a lot of people; i related to him.  Not that i ever had those sorts of problems.

And, having literally just finished the series about two hours ago (after a ten year hiatus from the series) i would have to say that Jake is second. And really only because of the last portion of the series. When he crumbles under the pressure of his lost family, then makes the truly rough decisions during the last two books, and then crumbles again while dealing with the consequences... it just felt human.

Then Marco, because he is funny as no other and is able to see what needs to be done.

Ax. I was always intrigued by his struggle between choosing between his human friends and Andalite society. Plus, he always made me laugh.

Rachel would be far higher on the list if her character wouldn't have been obfuscated by the poor writing of the ghost writers in the later books. i liked the direction she was going, that she was losing control, but thought that it could have been handled in a more subtle way.

Cassie is last. I appreciate her more now then i had as a kid (she bored me like no other) but her character didn't intrigue me. She always seemed to get in the way, and the fact that she was often made me think that she was the moral compass i was expected to follow by. her morality seemed to be emphasized as much (if not more than) her empathy.
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Offline Canicula

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #277 on: December 06, 2011, 05:58:04 PM »
Tobias.
He is a great character and I kind of feel related to him.
I like characters which have to deal with themselfes and he does. I also liked the way he cared for Rachel.



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Offline yunyun

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #278 on: December 06, 2011, 07:31:52 PM »
Tobias.
He is a great character and I kind of feel related to him.
I like characters which have to deal with themselfes and he does. I also liked the way he cared for Rachel.



Agreed. Also his personalty is kinda like mine, and I like characters I have similar personalities to. And I voted to Cassie :huh: (a long time ago that is)? Well, whatever. I like Tobias way better now.
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Offline Darth Zakryn

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #279 on: December 06, 2011, 09:30:43 PM »

Ax, most definitely. He is so science-y and so cool and innocent, like a child, yet so smart and honorable and decent. If he was a real life person, I'd wanna be friends with him.

Offline SitsInCorner1!

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #280 on: December 10, 2011, 07:19:14 AM »
I voted for Tobias.
Firstly, I felt sorry for him, but I also admire his bravery and humour.He has good interactions with the others. Also, I love reading his descriptions of bird-life (especially flying). Lastly, I love how tragic (I guess) the character is.

Offline Noelle

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #281 on: December 10, 2011, 08:15:11 AM »
Ax, easily.  I just loved his character, and I loved the whole element of "OMG what's he going to do now?!??!" he added to the story.  It was like Christmas every scene he popped up in, always a surprise.  He was a character that really kept you reading.

Beside the funny and silly parts, it was really interesting to read about all his internal conflicts over being loyal to the humans and being loyal to the Andalites, as well as being a kid and being a warrior.

Probably my biggest beef with the series (other than the end) is that he and Tobias didn't get an equal number of books.

Offline Darth Zakryn

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #282 on: December 10, 2011, 10:50:10 AM »

But I happen to agree with pop; more Tobias and Ax = better Tobias and Ax. After all, would they be so great if they happened every other book? ;)

Offline OneGirlRevolution

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #283 on: January 21, 2012, 12:24:32 AM »
Besides Rachel, I have to go with Marco. He was smart, funny, interesting, and had great character development.

Of course, Ax is awesome too.

Offline Blazing Angel

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Re: Favorite Animorph
« Reply #284 on: January 21, 2012, 12:42:24 AM »
Marco. He kept it together. That's all I can say, that he got through the war stronger than he wasb efore. Tobias became a hermit.Cassie did what she probably would have done anyway. Ax got killed. Jake developed minor depression. Marco however, turned it into his opportunity for what he wanted. Fame and fortune. He came out on top.
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