Japan? Known for subtle characters?
I dunno. I find almost all characters in anime to be two-dimensional, overly dramatic, or just plain stupid. I'm sure some of their endearing qualities gets lost in translation, as I've only ever watched dubs, but I refuse to believe that re-watching these shows in Japanese would be a significantly different experience.
Thing about Japanese character writing is that all the standard character archetypes needed to drive the story are present, they're just amped up to 11. That's not subtle. It can be endearing, yes, but in the same way having clowns throwing pies at your face is endearing. I have never seen Japan produce anything subtle... or even clever. I'm not saying they haven't, just that I haven't seen it. I've seen a few things by them that started out clever, but wound up being convoluted and hackneyed instead.
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