Yes, the manga wasn't too kind to most of the villains. I think what Naoko was going for was a preferred development of the protagonists over the antagonists.RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:I've read the manga, yes. I... like the anime better. The villains in the manga are blink and you'll miss it! No way Nephrite gets his arc there. I also liked the monsters of the day-go figure.
But you do gotta admit that the manga did have its shining moments and did dwell on some things that the anime pretty much skipped over. Regarding the villains again, in cases where the anime focused on some villains and not others, the manga did develop those villains that the anime somewhat ignored. In particular, Queen Metaria and Master Pharaoh 90. Both of which pretty much got shafted in the anime.
Metaria did little in the anime other than speak and be used as a power source for turning Mamoru evil. Master Pharaoh 90... was not a character. He was just a big, tenticular ball of blackness that was basically a living explosion and barely made any real appearance at all, being instantly killed shortly after his debut.
In the manga, both of these characters were protrayed as the true masterminds behind their respective villain groups. Both were sentient, frightening, and almost god-like in their protrayals. In all honesty, I was impressed by these two in how so much better they were than their anime counterparts.
Glad to here that you're okay with him. Lately, I've been coming across others who claim just the opposite. I've even encountered those who seriously hate him with a passion. And they also highly prefer Seiya or Prince Demand, or anyone, just as long as Mamoru is not with Usagi.RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Mamoru? I liked him. Kinda take or leave, but he's a good guy. Got the almost obligatory tragic past going.
I, on the other hand, do like Mamoru (he's my favorite SM character, after all). I like all three verisons of him that I've seen (anime, manga, and PGSM) equally. Sure they each have flaws of their own, but in cases were one fails, a different one succeeds. And where that one fails, another succeeds too. And so on and so forth. He's not meant to be perfect. If he was, he'd be far more boring that his current self.
And, not only is he (or at least his manga version) based on Naoko's ideal man, but he's also her favorite character too.