The "Perfect" Protagonist?

So the two books above have got me thinking about how protagonists are written recently and it sparked a really interesting conversation with my brother that I wanted to lay out here and get others thoughts on.

I tend to read a wide variety of books but I'd say I read YA Fantasy the most. I have been feeling a little more disconnected from YA Fantasy though for a little while now and I think after reading the two books in question I'm starting to realise why, one I loved as it was refreshing and the other I wasn't as keen on for many reasons but mainly for the ones I'm about to discuss. I don't think what I'm about to discuss are issues exclusive to YA Fantasy it's just that is where I notice it the most because that's what I read the most. I also don't in anyway feel anyone who disagrees is wrong I think we're all right because there are no wrongs this is just my opinion.

Hey! Haven't I seen you before?;

      Too often authors write their protagonist's to be incredibly beautiful, skilled on every level, intellegent, avid readers, kind, loyal - The list is endless and to an certain extent I think this is part of it because characters always seem to be the same with different names, it's just the plot that changes. I personally think this is lazy writing, I think it's much harder to writer a protagonist who is flawed and realistic (an anti-hero) than it is to write someone who is brilliant at everything, stunningly beautiful and has at least 2 guys/girls after them at once. Even though it is harder to write I think it is worth it though if your readers are going to enjoy the book more and will be able to differentiate them from other books, I sometimes feel like many main characters all just blend into one. Nobody is perfect and despite the books I read being fantasy novels I still want to see at least semi-realistic characters! In the books where the protagonist's are written to be perfect I am often drawn to the side kicks or the side characters as they tend to have a little more depth to them or are at least a little more real - they also tend to be awesomely sarcastic and witty.
      I know that some people might love the "Perfect Protagonist" and I'm in no way saying there is something wrong with anyone who disagrees with what I'm saying but for me personally I use books as an escape and in a strange way I find it easier to escape if the characters are just as flawed as a real person.

Show and Tell;

       Another gripe I have is when authors tell and don't show! This is something that is as overly done as my last point but it's something that when it's done frustrates me a little. Some authors are big fans of telling you exactly how a character is feeling or how they are saying something and I personally would rather be able to see that from being shown not told. So for example instead of telling me someone is sad why not show me by the way they're sat or from the fact they've stopped doing something that makes them happy. Another example instead of always telling me how something was said "He said angrily" and show me "His knuckles were turning white as he balled up his fist and I could see the vein in his temple pulsing" I hope you get my point even with my example as I just wrote it quickly. When an Authors constantly tells I get frustrated because I'm able and very capable of using my imagination and connect the dots!

The "Perfect" Protagonist;

So I'm wondering what values/qualities would your perfect protagonist have? 

Do you prefer to be shown, told or a mixture of the two? 

What do traits/tropes do you like/dislike in books?

For me personally I love Anti-heroes, if I'm told about a book that has a well written anti-hero in it I almost don't care what the plot is I will buy it as soon as I can! I like my characters to only be good at one or two things and if the plot is about saving people/cities/worlds etc I kind of like it more when they are doing it for selfish reasons or out of necessity rather than because they are the "chosen one" or seen to be valiant.