I want to voice my opinion sbout my question. There are so many things about him that I dialike than like . However, I will say , I Iike his determination to keep going or keep fighting when things are not going well in his personal and professional life. I dislike his whining and cry baby personality. Sorry guys aki fans.
I'll also admit that it does annoy me to rage when he gets into an issue with predators coming after his magnificent ass. It's frustrating when he doesn't fight back against them! And has he forgotten he has LEGS he can run quite well can't he? I still love him but it gets ridiculous since these are common sense things.
I adore Aki but I can't stand how Naive he is sometimes, this kid could kick serious ass I mean shit he took down Souh, jumped off the side of a building, and escaped why couldn't he do it again? And how he's so quick to abandon Asami like no Aki fight for your man! Lol I love Aki but if that was me I'd be fighting and swinging on every body who suprise attacked me
When has he not run/fought back, other than when it has been impossible (ie: he has been drugged or tied up or held at gunpoint)?
-Grabbed by Asami's thugs: kicks Kirishima, runs, jumps off building.
-Grabbed by Asami's thugs again: drugged, tied up. Can't run or fight.
-Grabbed by Fei Long's thugs: tied up again, drugged.
-Vol. 3, Fei Long's henchman traps him in hotel room: fake-seduces henchman, knocks him out, ties him up all on his own.
-Follows Fei Long's car (admittedly stupid): runs, fights back but is overpowered by Fei Long's superior skills.
-In Hong Kong: First chance he gets, runs, tries to escape.
-On ship: First moment he is not tied up and/or held at gunpoint, he takes matters in his own hands, chases down the bad guy, shoots him, takes back the deed that is his own ransom and runs like hell.
Etc. Etc.
Does he blunder into bad situations? Absolutely. But he also absolutely fights back and/or runs when he is able, when he is not outnumbered or drugged or held at gunpoint. Name me a time when you feel he was reasonably able to run or fight back and didn't.
How is he whiny? Give me examples of moments you think he's whining because I see people use that word in relation to Akihito and I don't think it's an apt descriptor for him. In fact, the way you describe him as being a determined fighter is a contradiction of what you say next, that he's a whiny crybaby. He's not a whiner. He complains, sure, but he usually has legitimate reasons to complain. But he doesn't sit around and expect other people to fix things for him. That's what whiners do. Akihito takes his lumps, bounces back and rebuilds his own life. That's what determined fighters do.
When did he abandon Asami? He's fighting for him right now.
What I consider whining in aki case, you and others consider it complaining. You said aki complain which he does alot of . To me that is whining.
I agree with you, Aki isn't whining and the reason for complaining is because Asami got him involved in everything and you can't blame Aki for doing his JOB, honestly I like this manga a lot and think the couple are adorable
I actually don't see Akihito as whiny. Sometines people forget, maybe because he is surrounded by all those tough characters who kick a lot of ass - He is not used to all this. He is a "normal" guy, has nothing to do with the underworld, he doesn't have any fighting techniques or the likes, nor any of the expertise that someone like Asami or Feilong has, so it's only natural he can't offer a lot in opposition. Plus he didn't choose any of this, Asami dragged him into it without him ever having a choice, so he has no obligation to be tough anyway. Some people also seem to forget what Akihito's been through; try to put yourself in his place, if I imagine myself having to endure what he has suffered, I think I'd whine a lot more. Not everyone's a badass and you're not automatically a crybaby just because you can't take as much as someone who is exceptionally tough anyway and also a lot more experienced.
What does annoy me a bit is that not only does he like to frequently get into trouble, he also never learns - he STILL thinks it's a good idea to meddle with the underworld even after his brilliant plan to spy on the obviously powerful mobster who'd already kidnapped, drugged and raped him resulted in the whole Hong Kong arc. I'm missing a bit of character development in that respect.
Then there is a part of him I'm torn about...As much as I admire his ability to move on and smile and be cheerful after being raped, there is a downside to it. Not necessarily just that it makes rape look like not that big a deal, but especially that because it's never really addressed how he gets over it, he just DOES, and it happens multiple times, it sometimes makes him look more like an idealized rape victim than a strong character. Which I do not like at all.
The difference between whining and complaining: Complaining and whining can be distinguished by the nature of the dissatisfaction and by our motivation for expressing it. Complaining involves voicing fair and legitimate dissatisfactions with the goal of attaining a resolution or remedy. When we voice legitimate dissatisfactions but do so without the goal of attaining a resolution we are merely venting. And when the dissatisfactions we voice are trivial or inconsequential and not worthy of special attention, we are whining.
So, if you think that he is whining and that his concerns are not worthy of special attention, then you must think that his problems are pretty trivial. They are not. He has been dragged from a life where he wants to only right what he sees as wrong, into a criminal underworld with a possessive and powerful figure of that underworld, going against his very convictions.
If that is whining, then what would be a legitimate complaint? Now, can you stop whining about his motivation for his legitimate complaints, please?
Let's see he abandoned Asami when Sudohs thugs caught him and Sudoh made him choose between his carrier and Asami he picked his Camera and left. Not to meantion in the scene when he first sees Sudoh Asami is with his I guess "people" and like any sane person he thought Asami was cheating.
And about Aki fighting Im going to amend what I said It came off wrong. Hes been kidnapped how many times? You just listed off everything so you know and yet he hasn't learned how to shot a gun or how to box? Aki is one badass dude but after he gets himself in these situations he should have learned by now how to atleast fight he may be "new to Asamis world" but he's been in it enough to know these guys are strong fast and they will shot me hell they have shot me so WTF is the point of being scared of a gun.
The best part about Aki is how resourceful he is and Quick and how he bounces back but it gets to a point where can't blame anyone but himself for all the bad shit he's been through
Making a personal decision to leave a situation you were never 100% committed to and had been manipulated into is not abandonment. And you said "he is so quick to abandon Asami." First of all, that wasn't quick. He agonized over that decision. Second of all, that was the only time he did that. Seeing Asami with Sudoh weeping on his shoulder and being jealous is not abandonment. It's a natural reaction. Plus, when Akihito came back after those three days away, Asami assumed HE had been cheating, so it's not like Aki is the only one with these feelings.
Why do you think he hasn't learned to shoot or fight? We've seen him doing both. He shot Yuri. Yes, he blanched when Asami handed him the gun in chapter 52. So he doesn't like guns and gunfights. Plenty of fine people feel the same way. But he took the gun and he's willing to use it. Be aware that just handling a gun in Japan carries a high legal penalty. It's not like the US where every toddler has access to one. As for fighting, he fights all the time. Just because he's usually outnumbered isn't his fault.
Re: going after Fei Long and setting the Hong Kong arc in motion. I agree that was stupid. But you have to look at the sequence of events. He's just had this emotional reunion with his friends, who he hadn't really been able to help. He's carrying guilt about the fact that while they were tied up, he was being dragged into a night of wild lust with Asami and forced to admit he likes it. And then after he manfully faces up to Asami, Asami just dismisses him with a jerk of his chin. Akihito has been completely without power through that entire situation. He is feeling helpless, unmanned and frustrated and he fixes on Fei Long as the cause of it and goes after him. It doesn't make it any less stupid but it does explain his motivation. And he realizes very quickly that it was stupid and tries to salvage the situation by just texting Asami and trying to get out of there. He just realizes it too late.
You can agree or disagree, Aki was a rebellion child as young age known, when he met asami he was 23yrs old and old enough to think for himself and make decisions. As asami said , Aki act without thinking that's why he get himself in trouble. Yes, Sudou put the thought in aki head but he did make aki make that choice he did that all by himself. He had time to think about it when wondering around and when made that old man he thought more before he got o more in trouble with those guys which cannot be helped. So he choice his job over asami willing and clearly. Asami all use manipulation on Aki all the time and he never catch up on it right way until later. He said, he got me. Aki questions people motive when he being approach by one, if he think the right tactics before approach an enemy or prey weather involve asami or his job things will be less painless or say better for everyone. I hope you see my point that I am making here.
Just say in life, if someone suggest that you kill yourself and you going and kill yourself. That person only put thought in your head but didn't put a gun in your hand. You made that choice to do that all by yourself. Someone say jump of the roof will you jump of the roof. You got what I am saying? Now with fei long situation , aki choose to follow fei long car to the parking lot to repay asami for betraying him . Where he at in the parking lot he can see them but can't hear what the saying, he wanted to get closer that's when the notice him. Now, when he texted asami about fei long where about, he should have left right way or waited for asami until he get there to handle it .
He tried to leave right away but Fei Long's men saw him on the security camera. Not his fault.
Nope. Sudou did not put the thought in his head. That thought was already there. The entire volume six was about that thought that was in his head. Sudou just underscored what Aki had already been debating all that time. And take another look at that scene in chapter 41 where Aki is sitting in the park. He has not yet made a firm decision one way or the other. The choice is taken out of his hands when he is taken to jail and Kirishima finds him there and brings him home. So you can't say he chose his job over Asami because he makes no definitive choice there. In fact, I'd say he seems to be leaning towards going back to Asami and dealing with the problem. "Do not act like a lost child. I must respond to the humiliation that made me go." That's not the thought of someone who is giving up. Aki is a fighter, physically and mentally.
When I said thought I am expressing that Sudou brought it to aki attention to choice to be be asami lap dog or his job.
I like Aki's fighting spirit, cheerful demeanor and ambitions. I hate how he never learns from his mistakes and is constantly fooled by people he should be suspicious of. Even after being kidnapped multiple times and used by former coworkers, he still takes everyone at face value. He really thinks he can pay for information with money, and was fooled into the BJ. He really thinks he can trust a drink from an actress who was not at all kidnapped. He thinks he can work with the other cameraman and not be used. Really, it's a wonder he can survive in any world, much less Asami's. Luckily, Aki has a cut butt, and that makes up for many flaws.
Oh yes of course, I absolutely agree. That moment doesn't really bother me all that much, because, as you said, it's stupid but somewhat understandable as his motivations are clear. What gets to me more is, like I mentioned already, that he never learns. He keeps making the same mistakes over and over and doesn't evolve or use past experience to his advantage. But well, no one really learns anything in this manga ^^ (except maybe Feilong)
We commented about our like and dislike about Asami Ryuichi . What do you like and dislike about Takaba Akihito beside the obvious we already know about.