Yep, I’m not. I’m baffled when people assume that you are what you read. I know I was very vocal about how Takemoto (of Honey & Clover by Umino Chika) echoed my situation back then. Lost, confused, and afraid of the unknown—the future. We had a similar situation, but still, we weren’t the same. I’ve read several reviews, which are mostly negative reviews of the series I liked, assuming that because I liked this detestable character, I am inclined to like people of the same character in real life (this is stated in a general way, btw, not as a personal attack but by those who liked it). I find that notion really presumptuous.

I enjoyed a good, well-developed villain. Sometimes I liked the villain better than the protagonist. That being said, I do not aspire to be what my favorite character is, generally speaking. When I read, I’m well aware of the story being just that—a story. I know there are stories that can transcend and touch lives in more ways. And I do appreciate a good slice of life story—ones that occasionally even lead me to tears. But my appreciation has a limit; that just because I enjoyed it does not mean I will apply it in my life. As a reader, I set my discretion; that is why I have books that I want to read and those that I clearly will not. The real world is different from the fiction world I read & watch. And believe me, I’ve read and watched A FREAKING LOT ALREADY!

I remember when I was 12 years old. I was already watching anime as violent as Rurouni Kenshin. Even my late father commented on how violent it was. But I just shrugged and continued watching. I even watched more violent series than Kenshin, and I don’t think my moral compass has broken because I read/watched genres like these. As I mentioned, I don’t like being judged based on what I read, which suggests a baseless idea of how I’ll behave based on the literary piece that I consumed! That’s not me!

Yes, I love to drown myself in stories, but just because I like anti-hero characters like Light Yagami of Death Note doesn’t mean I share the same principles. If anything else, I opposed it, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a great character. He was one of the most interesting character developments I ever had the pleasure of both reading & watching: from a stellar, honorable student to someone who was obsessed with his ambitions! I appreciate characters, but I don’t aspire to be them! Even good, morally speaking characters—while they inspire—do not directly influence me! So I really don’t get these assumptions just because I liked a less unorthodox or ethically gray character, I am what I consumed.

I believe that as a reader, I’m free to read anything I want. That said, we are given the ability to think; you don’t just consume something and simply accept it. I, for one, am not that kind of reader, and while I read, I also think of many things (as I mentioned several times before, my mind is a hive of unorganized thoughts). I don’t presume things are simply black and white, and neither should you. At the end of the day, this is just a piece of fiction, and the realism of it might be just a tiny fraction of what the real world represents. I’m a firm believer that it is still up to me, the reader.

Now let’s stop holding authors back from writing characters that are unconventional. And stop shaming readers who like these characters. Regardless of how similar I am to some character or how much I adore him/her, I can seriously say I’m not them.

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How about you? Do you also think that your favorite characters represent your personality? Do you like morally gray characters as well? Share your views with me!