SPLIT

"If you want to be a GOOD GIRL, get yourself a BAD BOY...", as a BSB song goes. Though I completely don't completely agree with this statement, it made me think about the so-called "BAD BOYS". In reality, I am still quite clueless why some girls are attracted to troublemakers, arrogant and egoistic males. I especially don't like "braggers" and boastful ones but I can't help but notice that some girls are attracted to these qualities in the opposite sex. I am attracted to guys who are the total opposite. Quiet, shy, intelligent and simple. Well, you might be picturing something close to a "geek" or "nerd" (no pun intended), and you're just about right. The "Harry Potter" is best enough to describe my type of guy physically. And for other people, these are the total opposite of their dream guy. Oh well, people really are different.

But then, setting aside reality, there's fantasy and I just notice that when it comes to fictional characters like in literature, t.v., movies and even anime, I kinda like those with a mix of the nice boy side and the bad boy attitude. Intrigued? Confused? Well, whatever you're thinking right now, as long as you're interested, read on and I'll give you a short list of these characters:

Let's begin with ANIME:

SASUKE

From prey to predator, he had one of the biggest transformation on my list. His innocence, angst, determination and power is what brought him to my attention but what gets me continually interested is his metamorphosis from being a nice lad to a mean young man. It really is astonishing and though he already went to the dark side, the fact still remains that he's not completely evil at the least because there's been so many chances for him to kill his best friend, Naruto, but he still didn't. If you're a Naruto Shippuden fan, you'll understand. And yes, he has every intent to kill his older brother, but you can't blame him if you know the whole story, and despite this fact, I still believe there's still a grain of goodness in his heart. Oh Sasuke, what does lie ahead of you?

BATTOUSAI / KENSHIN HIMURA

Opposite of Sasuke, his transformation was from a cold-blooded assasin to a kind-hearted wanderer, but his tranformation is astounding nonetheless. With a desire to turn his life around and do good instead of evil, he turned his back to his past filled with hatred, blood, war and betrayal. It took him years to achieve this change but he emerged victorious. I liked him as Kenshin the wanderer in terms of attitude but I like him better as Battousai because I personally think he had better fighting skills and interesting personality when he's the legendary swordsman. Oh well, at least in the end, he achieved the happy life and the peace he'd been longing for. It's what every good boy/man deserves, eh?

DENNIS / KURAMA / MINAMINO

As Dennis/Minamino, he's a genius highschool student with a hidden persona named Kurama, a silver-haired demon who was once the leader of a group of thieves in the spiritual world. He was a demon who went to the human world to escapea former partner in crime but when he was reincarnated as a human, he was exposed to love from his family especially his mother, thus, his cold heart has softened and his views on life was somehow dramatically altered. After numerous events, he's been able to change back and forth to his good boy human form and his bad-ass demon form. In all aspects, I like him better as the demon Kurama because like Himura, he's much more interesting and good-looking as a "bad boy". Hehehe.

HEERO YUY

Ammoral, I think, is the best word to describe Heero. He's bad 'coz he doesn't hesitate to kill someone if he have to but I think he does because he was raised and trained to. He does bad things not because he deliberately wants to be bad but because that's what he thinks he needs to do. He doesn't have a clear perception of what's right and wrong but he slowly discovers why people care so much about doing what is just and denouncing what's bad. In the whole series, he doesn't show much of his good side but he does reveal his soft spot to his "lady love" towards the end, and that didn't even look romantic. Oh well, I still believe he have what it takes to be a good man.

On to the silver screen...

ANAKIN SKYWALKER

A little boy with a potential to become the greatest Jedi and predicted to being the "Chosen One" to bring balance to the force, a series of events led him astray into the dark side. Pledging himself to the Sith Order, he became a powerful force against the Jedi in which he came from under the name Darth Vader. But like a classic story of redemption, he was given the chance to be good again in the form of his son. With a final heroic effort, he sacrificed himself and saved his son Luke, and helped him to defeat the last of the Sith Lords. He repented in the end, showing his son and daughter that despite of what happened in the past, he still had goodness inside of him and died being one of the force. In the end, he did fulfill his destiny. I really appreciated the development of his character and his character somehow justified that goodness still reigns over evil. Of course, physically speaking, Good or Bad, Anakin (or rather, Hayden Christensen) is very appealing.


CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW


Face it, he's so easy to hate but then I can't help but like him. He considers himself as the perfect representation of a free-spirited person. A pirate with an odd fashion statement and a crazy attitude, he seems like only interested in money and will not blink twice to get it even with the knowledge that other people can be put in danger. So in that sense, he's a bad boy. But then, he finds a way to reddem himself and make you see that he still have goodness in him in a different yet amusing manner. He can be a cunning pirate and a clumsy adventurer at the same time. Crazy, Funny and sometimes Mean - a rare but great combination.

Now, in Literature...

SHERLOCK HOLMES

You might be a little surprised to find him on this list, but let me explain my reason for choosing him. If you read the short stories of Arthur Conan Doyle about this great detective, it's easy to see that Sherlock Holmes indeed have split personalities. He can be kind and compassionate at one time and be hot-tempered and insensitive at other times. He may not be your typical bad boy, or rather, a mean gentleman (his age qualifies him as that of a man), but he can be mean if he wants to. His genius is extraordinaire and luckily, he used it for good 'coz if was bad, well, there's great trouble at Scotland Yard.

T.V. Series it is...

AH MENG/JIANG MENG

His is an aura of confidence and arrogance - which exudes the statement "I always get what I want!". Indeed, in the beginning of the story, you can't help but agree with people's perception of him- a mean, self-centered, rude spoiled brat. That's one sife of Ah Meng but upon meeting his first and true love, he simply reveals the other side of him, a loving, caring and thoughtful person who'd do anything to fight for his love. The combination of his handsome face, straightforward attitude, his unconventional sweetness and his "I'll fight for what I want" perception is what makes this "devil" so irresistible. :)

MICHAEL / JIANG ZHI SHU

Genius, Rich and Handsome-qualities of a Perfect Dream Guy and which Michael possess. Then, there's the catch: he's insensitive, rude and mean- a total opposite of a gentleman. He doesn't give a damn about other people's feeling aeven his family and most especially the girl who's so in- love with him. Yet, eventually, you'll realize that this kind of persona is just a mask to protect himself from getting hurt. Same with the others on the list, he's bad boy on the outside, a good man on the inside.

And lastly, let me include this man for personal reasons ;)

NICK CARTER

Started as a GOOD BOY, slowly transformes into a BAD BOY, had a life-changing experience and came back trying to be a GOOD MAN.

Hope you liked my entry, until next time... :)