Alya’s anime has already aired 4 episodes and so far there has been a lot of talk about the girls, Alya, Yuki, Masha and others will still appear, but what about the protagonist Masachika? Has he also been a success among those who are watching the anime?
In 2021, the author of Alya gave an interview where he talked about all the care he took in creating Masachika, because for him the protagonist has to be someone who is pleasant to the fans.
Alya author talks about how he created Masachika
Let’s see exactly what SUN (the author) said about his process of creating the protagonist Masachika?
“In my opinion, the greatest asset in a romantic comedy is to have a protagonist who is highly likable to the readers (with the heroine’s likability being a basic requirement). Personally, I’ve always had difficulty with romantic comedies where the protagonist is unlikable, so I wanted Masachika to be a protagonist who would be loved by the readers.
At first, I thought it was essential that he have the level of competence needed to support Alya. However, I absolutely did not want to write a protagonist who was either unaware of his own competence or who displayed it arrogantly. This led to the creation of Masachika’s unique trait as a “genius who can’t put in the effort.”
Masachika is aware of his own genius, but at the same time has a complex about his inability to put in the effort. Because of this, he wants people who put in the effort to be rewarded and tries to help them achieve this.
Unlike typical shonen manga protagonists, who are passionate and inspiring, Masachika is quite negative and self-deprecating. However, I hope readers will find his efforts to move forward in his own way appealing.”
I’ve watched all 4 episodes so far and to be honest I don’t know if I paid attention to him, my attention is really more focused on the girls, but I must say that I love his interactions with his sister;
Let’s see how the Japanese reacted to this part of the interview of 2021 and if the author achieved success with Masachika?
“Whether handsome or otaku, the protagonist needs to do more interesting things, otherwise it becomes boring.”
“Although he gets some criticism, my favorite romantic comedy protagonist is Hachiman Hikigaya from ‘OreGairu.’ At first, he kept his distance from the heroine, but he gradually started to like her and want to be together, so he tries hard to come up with excuses and reasons to be together. I think it’s cute and I like that.”
“I haven’t read much, but I think the protagonist of ‘Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san’ was well-received.”
“The fact that the protagonist understands Russian starts with the idea of wanting to give the beautiful girl a new way of falling in love… But what bothers me is that she speaks in another language in front of him without him understanding and, when he asks, she blatantly lies, something that foreigners sometimes do. Doesn’t that really bother anyone?”
“For me, the protagonist of ‘Kanojo, Okarishimasu’ is in the hall of fame. So if he’s better than him, I’ll accept everyone.”
“On the contrary, who is a romantic comedy protagonist who isn’t unlikeable?”
“Make him more incompetent and more like me, so I can project myself onto him.”
“Some readers like competent protagonists and some don’t.”
“A genius who cannot exert himself is, in fact, not the most unpleasant?”
