Abyss beated........... I still can't tell if it's my first time because end stuff actually back to getting familiar again augh
maybe my mid teenage brain just really really does suck at remembering stories
Character Ranking's gonna take a bit of work because oooo boooy there's a lot of named nobodies in this to wade through. From my old impressions to new clear though...
I mentioned before hating Natalia and obviously now I said she's a real strong character and yeah I mean that. Boy how did young me mess that one up, I think I was really influenced by the cast's initial impressions of her joining them in the factory.
Tear I never had strong feelings about and I still just... don't. She's got a good design, I like the hidden fan of cuteness quirk... I feel I should like her more but can't feel indifferent. All I can really think is I'm not a fan of Tear x Luke, she just feels like his mom.
Before I never really had the hatred for Anise that a lot of people do, and I guess I still don't buuuut I do feel more strongly about the gap between her and everyone else. Really as the game goes on I can't help feel just "why are you even here still", and helping Mohs all along was such a weak reveal. She does have some good straight jab quotes sometimes tho I gotta hand it to her..
Jade, I mentioned before about my first playthrough feelings being underwhelmed from all the mass Jade hype that I've been exposed to on Board 8.... and maybe that underwhelming feeling helped me actually really like him this time. Dude is absolutely *the* Tales King of Sarcasm and it's enjoyable. He's very much above the rest of the team's childishness, which he can always see right through whatever the rest of the group try to hide. He is a great adult companion, and one that very much lives up to his high rank and in-universe infamy with his wealth of knowledge.
I've always liked Guy, and he's been my fav Abyss character....... not until Jade though now with my new perspective above though, sorry Guy! He's a surprisingly talented guy though with a cool best friend character... unfortunately being Luke's best friend puts him in some lame positions at times but thems the breaks.
Asch is very conflicting, I very much want to like him - especially during Luke's shittiest phase - and it's great seeing a smarter version of Luke who very much is doing good on his own against the antagonists... but my god towards the end he's just still such an incessant dick and it's like come on just chill out.
Pre-Redemption Luke my god he was even worse than I remembered. Like I always hated the brat but I never understood why I end up liking him acceptably enough post-redemption, and this playthough I was thinking man yeah this is just a lot he can't make up for... but he still does fine. It's not even like it's an instant flip to him acting good or anything, he still stumbles right up to the end. Maybe because the game goes on for so long since Akzeriuth but he really does change into a different person that actually cares. He's still not in my top Tales characters or anything but he's one of the few redemption characters in media I actually get. Also not necessarily related to Luke but boy the cast can be jerks about giving people a second to mourn - I'm mostly thinking of Nat crying for Asch at the very end right now but it's been a sentiment throughout the game.
Oracle Knights are definitely more fleshed out than most sub-antagonists in Tales (ie Grand Cardinals)... but at the same time I don't care for them either. Legretta's best developments are just Tear's flashbacks of training, Largo is untouched for sooo long, . Arietta's probably the most likeable but also the one that seems least involved with the Oracle Knights - she just makes for a better Anise rival. Oh wait yeah I forgot Dist yeah he's by far the best, he's the most antagonistic, his relationship with Jade is an interesting frenemies bit, and I like how he's also just doing stuff for his own means and not just being a zealot of Van.
Van I've also never cared about and I probably have a lower opinion of him this time than before. Still in the context of Tales games so far he's one of the few serious big bads which helps, but there's nothing to like about him or anything particularly intriguing? Still tho that voice actor aww yeah FFCCTCB's Jegran I can never unhear. I also mentioned catching his voice in Tales of Phantasia: The Animation in the intro for Mars.
funfact tales ranking: Main Tales Couples
Veigue/Claire Stahn/Rutee Lloyd/Colette Kyle/Reala (somehow decent... ending scene saves it) Reid/Farah (if they even count? I don't remember much romance...) Luke/Tear Cress/Mint Senel/Shirley
actually holy shit this ranking made me stumble upon THIS NATALIA WHAT