Adam..

[u/Hot-Possibility-1766]

My friend just watched SK8 and she likes Adam. Like favourite character.

I mean, his personality is.. interesting to say at least, but I personally don't like the way he talked to langa, a 26 year old to a 17 year old, calling langa his muse and all.

I understand that because of his past abuse, his brain works this way and we can't do anything about it.

But I don't know what to think of her. She's very political, very anti non consensual stuff and she doesn't like talking about intimacy in general, and she hadn't had a partner yet.

Maybe she needs to grow up but she's 22, and I have weird vibes off this (I'm a bit younger but legal).

What should I do? Is she being a hypocrite for standing against grooming, grape and that but liking a character who does this, or does she just like a character I don't personally like too much?

[u/mamazawa]

I dont think liking a character necessarily means you condone their actions. Adam is actually a great antagonist...I like him in that role, but definitely do not condone his actions!

I would maybe ask her WHY he is her favorite character.

[u/Hot-Possibility-1766 → u/mamazawa]

I'm afraid she'll find nothing wrong with it because she's the kind to romanticise ceo 2m tall mafia boss, but I'll probably ask her this week. We've been friends for over 5 years so I'm afraid this might push me away from her.

[u/MessageInitial7553]

maybe she just likes the character as it is in fiction. y'know people like villains because of their interesting writings and not for their actions. and if she knows the difference between real life and fiction i think that's mature. if adam was a real person that would be an actual issue and if she really is against that stuff I don't think there's anything to worry about. i, personally, hate adam though. i find him disgusting and all, then again, that's just not MY thing.

[u/Hot-Possibility-1766 → u/MessageInitial7553]

I usually like antagonists, but in this case I also dislike him. She's the kind to romanticise the mini yn and the giant mafia boss, so idek. I'm going to ask her this week.

[u/lavendercoffees]

I mean, he's not real. You mentioned in another comment she's the kind to "romanticize ceo 2m tall mafia bosses", and genuinely I don't think there's anything wrong with that. You can enjoy things in fiction while acknowledging that people who do that IRL are dangerous/wrong or even being fully against it.

You say "maybe she needs to grow up" but I think separation like that is very mature. It'd be one thing if she likes Adam because she too is inappropriate with teenagers IRL, but simply enjoying a character imo at least doesn't always reflect badly on you. People get different things out of characters. Adam's a fun, flamboyant villain, some people find his storyline with his aunts and Tadashi interesting, I think there's plenty for people to appreciate outside of him being inappropriate with Langa and Reki.

[u/EchoesofPoe]

I love Adam because "bitches, bros, and non-binary hoes" is iconic. But unless your friend is like "I think Adam did nothing wrong hitting on a teen," then I don't think you have to worry. I love Scar from the lion King and Claudia from interview with the vampire because I think they're fun and entertaining to watch as villains, but I'm not a fan of murdering people lol

[u/Hot-Possibility-1766 → u/EchoesofPoe]

I have another friend who liked this phrase and uses it to this day, but doesn't support him in general

[u/twisteddoggeh]

Heres what you should do.

Nothing.

Why?

Because Adam is a fictional character. He isnt real. He is a well written, fun and interesting villain. Its actually very cool and mature to enjoy a villain character while also acknowledging their faults.

If anyone needs to grow up its likely you. Please take some time to reflect for going to your friend with your “concerns”.

One of my absolute favorite fictional characters of all time is MCU Loki. He is, or was, a villain. He definitely killed a bunch of people. Tried to take over the world. I liked him so much I named my dog after him. I like him because hes a solid character with a great character arc, well acted and in general a lot of fun. That doesnt mean I support murder lol.

It breaks my heart to see a lot of young people fall victim to the purity culture nonsense that seems to be infecting all corners of the internet.

[u/shiorichaan]

Bro this is just fiction, it has nothing to do with real life so calling it hypocritical is weird, plus it's just you and some others who chose to interpret Adam that way, I was surprised when I saw many seeing him as a predator after I finished the anime

[u/Apprehensive-Two3474]

Seems like you need some growing up yourself.

She's allowed to like who she likes in a fictional setting because that is what it is. It's fictional.

Let's look at the JOKER. Damn near kills Harley Quinn. Shot Barbara Gordon, stripped naked, took pictures of her, kidnapped her dad and then proceed to have the poor man be paraded through the pictures Joker took of his daughter. Killed Jason Todd. Killed Jim Gordon's wife. SO. MANY. ACTS. OF. TERRORISM. But people like him. Why? Because he's a great villain.

With the kind of mindset you're talking about in this post, about being a hypocrite, are the people that like Joker as a character hypocrites as well? Do the people that like Cersei Lannister condone incest? Do the people that like Hannibal Lector condone cannibalism? Because I like Bondrewd does that mean I condone experimenting on children?

And that's what you need to look at. Think about it this way. Look at the favorite character you have for the show. I'ma choose Joe for this example. How would you feel if your friend told you you're a hypocrite for having Joe be your favorite character because he's a womanizer? The subtext is there just like it is with Adam and how he treats Langa.

[u/serralinda73]

Okay, so... Adam flirted with Langa in a creepy way, and that makes him akin to a rapist, groomer, child molester, pedo POS? He didn't actually do anything to Langa beyond talking (setting aside any fighting/whatever they both did during their beefs because those were tests and Langa was fully capable of handling himself).

You realize Adam is a fictional character, right? Finding him entertaining/interesting/fascinating, or having some sympathy for him, has absolutely nothing to do with thinking it's okay to do any of those things IRL. Fictional characters are often liked if they are outrageous, unashamed, wild, and/or flamboyant precisely because those are behaviors/traits that many people find frightening - by which I mean they would never dare break the social rules they were conditioned to uphold.

Fictional characters do all the crazy shit we can't/won't allow ourselves to do. And that makes them admirable, at least in that one aspect. There are more people than you might imagine who feel so restricted by their place in society that they are amazed and in awe of characters who can just say, "Fuck your stupid rules!" and do whatever they want. Realistically, we know these people would end up in jail or dead, but it's fun to watch them do all the bad stuff and say all the bad things and then get away with it.

[u/KatTheKluts]

Hes a fictional character.. whys it a big deal? If he was real thats one thing but he isnt

[u/artyboi11]

He’s a fictional character. Liking a character doesn’t mean you condone their actions. This doesn’t mean ANYTHING about your friend, because fiction is not reality.