Fllay Allster
It seems that the Gundam SEED fandom considers Fllay Allster The #1 Bitch from Hell (not that I'm surprised, I 'met' Fllay-chan this spring and my immediate reaction was something like 'oh, the fans probably bash her ALL THE TIME'), but... I MUST defend her because she happens to be my favorite Gundam SEED girl - yes, I love her more than Cagalli, Miriallia and Lacus.
Here are some common reasons to hate Fllay:
1. She is selfish and immature.
...uh, yeah, dude, and who isn't? Seriously, while Fllay's 'selfish motives' might be more obvious, it's not like everybody else around her is perfectly altruistic, kind and flawless. For example, Miriallia attacks a relatively helpless Dearka with a knife: yeah, of course, she's desperate after Tolle's death, and it's easy to understand her... but why do people fail to understand Fllay, who loses her father (yes, I know that Miri changes her opinion later and I don't have problems with her, but still, her first reaction is very aggressive)? I'm not saying that she can be selfish simply because everyone else is; my point is that many fans forgive other characters for doing the same or similar things and refuse to understand Fllay. As for maturity... Cagalli, the fandom's #1 idol (don't get me wrong, I love her), makes mistakes, too. Kira and Athrun spend the entire series trying to solve their multiple problems and they aren't always super wise. But Fllay is not given a chance, while Cagalli and the boys are treated quite well - better than Fllay, anyway.
2. She seduces Kira.
Honestly, the fandom treast Fllay as a... rapist or something. UH, NO. Frankly, it's not like Kira couldn't push her away. Yes, he was depressed and probably couldn't control himself that well, but... gosh, people, he's the ULTIMATE COORDINATOR. Ultimate. Coordinator. Who was raped by a fragile girl. Yeah, right.
3. She's so PINK.
Turn around and LOOK AT LACUS. And... frankly, if you can't think of a better reason to bash a character, perhaps you should shut the fu-... uh, be quiet. I'm not too crazy about the color pink, but, uh, you know, appearance is kinda not the most important thing? I can't stand the color blue, should I also hate Yzak for having blue eyes?
4. She is whiny.
...HER FATHER WAS KILLED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER (well, in a sense, she saw the exploding ship, right?). I'm sorry, but she HAS a right to cry and be depressed and yes, hate the opposing side, and I just hope you never experience something similar to this. Besides, she spends practically the entire series in what one could call an 'extreme situation'. Let's face it, Fllay's not suited for the army. She's just a normal sensitive girl who can't be a perfect fearless soldier. AND THAT'S NORMAL. Not everyone can fight and be super brave, especially after seeing things that she had to see.
5. She is a racist/hates Coordinators.
It's true that she isn't super nice towards Coordinators most of the time, but... as a LJ friend of mine has said, 'Fllay was raised in the Atlantic Federation (the most Anti-Coordinator country), so she's a product of upbringing'. Yes, sure, you can't always blame the upbringing, someday you'll have to think for yourself and not rely on your parents' views, but... that's what Fllay does, actually. She realizes her mistakes. She develops genuine feelings for Kira. Perhaps her relationships with Coordinators in general could've been noticeably better if she'd survived.
So... what can I say? Have mercy, people. Fllay is a very realistic characters, and while things that she does aren't always 100% good, I personally can't blame her. Try to imagine yourself in her situation - and be honest: would YOU be brave and noble all the time?
Here are some common reasons to hate Fllay:
1. She is selfish and immature.
...uh, yeah, dude, and who isn't? Seriously, while Fllay's 'selfish motives' might be more obvious, it's not like everybody else around her is perfectly altruistic, kind and flawless. For example, Miriallia attacks a relatively helpless Dearka with a knife: yeah, of course, she's desperate after Tolle's death, and it's easy to understand her... but why do people fail to understand Fllay, who loses her father (yes, I know that Miri changes her opinion later and I don't have problems with her, but still, her first reaction is very aggressive)? I'm not saying that she can be selfish simply because everyone else is; my point is that many fans forgive other characters for doing the same or similar things and refuse to understand Fllay. As for maturity... Cagalli, the fandom's #1 idol (don't get me wrong, I love her), makes mistakes, too. Kira and Athrun spend the entire series trying to solve their multiple problems and they aren't always super wise. But Fllay is not given a chance, while Cagalli and the boys are treated quite well - better than Fllay, anyway.
2. She seduces Kira.
Honestly, the fandom treast Fllay as a... rapist or something. UH, NO. Frankly, it's not like Kira couldn't push her away. Yes, he was depressed and probably couldn't control himself that well, but... gosh, people, he's the ULTIMATE COORDINATOR. Ultimate. Coordinator. Who was raped by a fragile girl. Yeah, right.
3. She's so PINK.
Turn around and LOOK AT LACUS. And... frankly, if you can't think of a better reason to bash a character, perhaps you should shut the fu-... uh, be quiet. I'm not too crazy about the color pink, but, uh, you know, appearance is kinda not the most important thing? I can't stand the color blue, should I also hate Yzak for having blue eyes?
4. She is whiny.
...HER FATHER WAS KILLED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER (well, in a sense, she saw the exploding ship, right?). I'm sorry, but she HAS a right to cry and be depressed and yes, hate the opposing side, and I just hope you never experience something similar to this. Besides, she spends practically the entire series in what one could call an 'extreme situation'. Let's face it, Fllay's not suited for the army. She's just a normal sensitive girl who can't be a perfect fearless soldier. AND THAT'S NORMAL. Not everyone can fight and be super brave, especially after seeing things that she had to see.
5. She is a racist/hates Coordinators.
It's true that she isn't super nice towards Coordinators most of the time, but... as a LJ friend of mine has said, 'Fllay was raised in the Atlantic Federation (the most Anti-Coordinator country), so she's a product of upbringing'. Yes, sure, you can't always blame the upbringing, someday you'll have to think for yourself and not rely on your parents' views, but... that's what Fllay does, actually. She realizes her mistakes. She develops genuine feelings for Kira. Perhaps her relationships with Coordinators in general could've been noticeably better if she'd survived.
So... what can I say? Have mercy, people. Fllay is a very realistic characters, and while things that she does aren't always 100% good, I personally can't blame her. Try to imagine yourself in her situation - and be honest: would YOU be brave and noble all the time?