Board Thread:Manga/@comment-5774380-20190607184944/@comment-35822279-20190611014513

Interesting to see that the Gabi discussion hasn't quieted down yet but I guess I'll add my thoughts on it. I don't think she's a mary sue as much as her problem is that she's the victim of being a slave to the plot as she's conviently where the plot needs her to be and while this problem is shared with others (Ex. Squad Levi investigating Nicolo in 111 and Hange/Floch teleporting to Levi and Zeke right after there big fight) she's the most emblematic of this narrative shortfall with everything involving her character happening in a specific and implausible chain of events (Jean gains strategic braindamage in Liberio -> Redshirt #133 is by himself and hooked to the entrance of the blimp -> Gabi/Falco boards and shoots Sasha -> Pair is imprisoned in shoddily constructed and poorly guarded prison -> Pair escapes and conviently meets sibling of person Gabi just killed in a island bigger than Switzerland with a Pop of over or under 1 million -> family meets possible lover of said victim). This was obviously done to make the character go through the motions and express key thematic points in the easiest way possible but unfortunately it hurt Gabi's character, the plot, and ironically those same themes because of it's implausibility, rushed plotting, and blunt approach when this character arc needed to be handled with sensitivity and played out over a longer stretch of time. I think ultimately I don't really dislike Gabi as much as I find her to be the definition of an OK character (she has good scenes and bad scenes fairly equally) that could have been something greater if not for some botched execution along the way.