So I’m watching an anime based off a visual novel. The latest episode ends and I find myself thinking “holy moley, what the hell just happened there?”. So I head off to read some forums and maybe some anime blogs to see other peoples opinions on what just happened. And what do I find? A bunch of fucking whiny VN readers.
Did you guys know that we don’t want to hear about what the VN version was? We don’t want to hear about what was different, what they left out, what should have been put in. I don’t care that the story is ruined because they didn’t include a certain thing. This is not the VN, is it? It’s the anime version. Of course it’s not going to be a replicate of your precious source material. In fact, several times you’ve bitched that something was left out only for it to be included in a later episode as the director decided to take a different approach.
Here’s another thing: the VN is not the ultimate untouchable perfection you think it is. If something is done differently from the VN, that does not mean that it is instantly inferior. If the story takes a turn that was not in the VN, that does not instantly ruin the anime adaptation. Neither does that mean that if the anime copies the VN word-for-word that the scene is therefore perfect. I can’t believe it when someone declares they felt a scene wasn’t done well only for a VN reader to defend it with the retort “that’s how it was done in the VN”, as if their VN is the absolute pinnacle of perfection and if a scene is copied exactly then it is therefore without flaws.
Take a lesson from the manga readers why don’t you. Oh no, I’m not saying that manga readers are saints or anything, but their reaction runs more along the lines of ‘oh ho ho, we’ll soon see what happens with that!’. Manga readers are like a girl who taunts you by not telling you some juicy gossip she has. VN readers are like a girl who, upon you hearing about the latest gossip, then gives out about how you haven’t heard the full story of what goes on in their heads and how it didn’t compare to when her parents got together and were heavily into bondage. Basically what this long winded and slightly disturbing simile means is this: We don’t want to know.
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12 Comments
I agree with you wholeheartedly — Thankfully, my VN reading friends are considerate enough to simply force me to play the VN instead of spoiling every last tidbit of it . Sure I get mocked for watching the anime instead, but I know I liked it enough and their mocking doesn’t change that. So…All in all, they act more like the manga readers you mentioned before.
Indeed, and the anime version is SH*T.
I love you for this post. You didn’t mention light novel fans but I think they’re somewhere between VN and manga crowd…I remember the bullshit clouds they’d write up to cover up for JC Staff making a shitty anime of Index.
I don’t have the time or energy to check out every manga, novel and VN whenever I watch anime based on those — and I don’t think anybody has. As such I simply try to judge anime based on how well it stands on its own. And as for Umineko, it utterly failed in this regard in my opinion, but most people have indeed only focused on bitching about how it’s so different from the VN rather than its actual weaknesses as an individual show.
Also, I don’t read VNs. I can’t. I started Ever17 before I started my blog and I still haven’t played it even halfway through — even though I loved the story and characters. VN as a format has some significant weaknesses that turn many people off and that’s a fact. Well, this doesn’t really relate to the topic at hand but I guess I just had to let it off my chest.
>Implying the manga readers are any better trollface.jpg
Let me guess, “anime based off a visual novel” = Umineko and “some forums” = AnimeSuki Forums. Geez these people made such a rave when the Umineko anime started airing that I just payed no attention to them after that. Not that the Umineko anime turned out to be all that good, but the noise these people made, you’d think someone had just taken a shit on St. Peter’s Basilica. They’re almost as bad as Type Moon fags, what an miserable, annoying bunch of fucking mouth-breathers those guys are.
Argh, why was comment moderation turned on? Sorry anyone who typed out a well thought comment only to think it had been eaten by the site.
@Miken
All I can really say is ‘lucky you’. If you can find the right places on the internet you’ll get nice VN readers, same way it took me a while to find places to read about FMA:B without buthurt manga fans.
@sage
I’m not just talking about Umineko you know
@NovaJinx
I know exactly what you mean when you say you like a VN but just can’t get through it. I get the same problem with manga. I’m trying to read Yotsuba& and I absolutely love the thing but I just can’t get through it without getting bored and wandering off to watch some anime. I’m an anime fan through and through. Manga, VN, novels etc. bore me nowadays, even my old favourites.
@Sorrow-kun
Yes, about half of what I’ve referenced I’ve found in regards to Umineko but I’m not really talking about the Animesuki forums. They’re pretty damn bad and I remember seeing an entire page bitching about the lack of a moefang on Beatrice but no matter where you go you’ll find some VN reader bitching about the Umineko anime. In fact, a huge part of what I’m talking about is Key adaptations being immune to criticism because they are a totally accurate adaptation of the source material. Now that annoys me quite a lot.
@Ani-nouta (seeing as I can’t comment on the blog itself)
18 months and 180 posts at Bokutachi and yet it only takes 2 posts to be recognised by nouta? It was more of a backhand praise but I’ll take the constructive criticism and do less whining in the future
@Scamp
Trufax, only reason I read this post was because it was on Ani-nouta. Now I’m subscribed to the feed.
Also, it doesn’t matter how much whining you do. Doesn’t matter one bit if you’re making good points.
@Sorrow-kun
Ani-nouta does have a point though. This was meant to come out as a rant but reads more like an extreme whine. But if it gets me more subscribers then hurrah!
VN apologists are the worst because they’re such pests about it and bring up references to the VN as often as they can. Sometimes manga fans are like that too, but because of the natures of the mediums, anime being a passive entertainment and VNs being active (I suppose), the differences in adaptions become even more obvious.
Haha, going off NovaJinx’s comment, light novel readers can be pretty bad sometimes, yeah. I remember when Toradora aired and some of them were getting pissy because they thought Toradora’s pacing was too quick.
Also, I have fun writing my FMA: Brotherhood posts because I enjoy being a taunting manga reader!
Ah. Word. I do plan to go back, and ‘watch’ the VN for Umineko on Youtube, but while I don’t think Umineko was the best thing ever, except for the ending, it was pretty solid.
Although the whiny people I ran into were on MyAnimeList, so I kinda walked into that. But really, people shouldn’t be looking for a carbon copy of the VN, just realize it’s going to be different, things will probably be left out, and take interest in whether they do a good job or bad job with the adaptation, not whether they copy it.
Of course, the worst in my opinion, are people who want movies to be just like the books.
@kadian1364
Another difference between the two I’ve noticed is that when a manga reader spoils you, it’s because he’s thick and thinks everyone has obviously read it already. VN readers seem to think they are giving the non-VN readers helpful information. Which is why the bolded text in the article is those final words.
@Shinmaru
Yeah, reading your FMA:B posts has probably made me think too well of manga readers. Casting my mind back to what it was like if I read Kuroshitsuji forums. I could have stood the constant fangirling if it wasn’t for the constant complaints that this latest arc was a filler, especially when it was the arc I actually enjoyed the most out of the series. Oh, and Pandora Hearts fans who give out when you call an episode entertaining filler who say its totally relevant to the plot because its in the manga. Grrr.…
@Janette
Anyone who thinks the Lord of the Rings books are better than the movies are total idiots. I read those books about 3–4 years before the movies came out. I loved them but they don’t come anywhere near the quality of the movies.
@Light Novel Readers
I must admit, I haven’t heard much from them. I didn’t do that much reading about for Toradora while Bakemonogatari fans seemed pretty damn happy about that adaptation. In fact, the only time I can remember a bitchy LN fan was at Kampfer, and that was probably deserved
@Scamp: Manga or VN fans should just ignore the fact that most of the time, an anime series takes a different approach than the original plot. I always say to myself, “Why watch an anime series that follows strictly to its manga predecessor when I can just read it from the original source itself?” whenever an adaptation is made. Truth to be told, I do watch adaptations (FMA, Soul Eater, Chobits, Evangelion etc).
Furthermore, I don’t think that adaptations are not that bad. let’s take FMA (2002 version) as an example. The first arc follows the manga strictly but later on, BONES decided to change the plot a little since it was already catching up to the manga. How was the result? An excellent piece of good storyline and it’s worth every minute of my time.
I have to confess: I do continue an adaptation by reading its manga predecessor (which advances the plot; something like Kimi ni Todoke, Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Air Gear and Suzuka). Now that is what I refer to as “fandom”.
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[…] excellent with the exception of the slightly disappointing Umineko, which isn’t nearly the calamity VN fans want to suggest. Bakemonogatari is a reasonably safe prediction. I think it’s going to win […]