Do you really care about bonus/side stories?
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I think the only side stories that were worth a damn were in How realist hero rebuild a kingdom. They were not important to the main story, but they added more flavour to the characters. On the other hand, most of the side stories in Grimgar seems to be worthless and I just keep skipping them.
Fair amount of side stories in Arifureta are worthless too in my opinion, especially the re-imaginings of character roles and such. Like, why the hell would you even put a story that is completely different to the main story in every aspect in the books?
I skipped most of the side stories in Unwated Undead Adventurer, giving them just a briefest of glances to make sure I dont skip something that is potentially interesting.What are peoples opinion about bonus/side stories? Do you ever read them?
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The best bonus short stories I've read so far is Realist Hero and The Magic in the Other World is too Far Behind.
Both adds so much
In Realist's case, it expands on scenes.
In The Magic in the Other World ''s case, it adds to the lore and introduces characters that are alluded to but hasn't shown up yet in the series.
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Yes, I always read them.
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@zing said in Do you really care about bonus/side stories?:
I think the only side stories that were worth a damn were in How realist hero rebuild a kingdom.
Those have been my favorite. Not necessary to the plot, but more interesting and substantial than in other series, especially the ones about Sir Poncho and the former slave owner / teacher.
I'm having a hard time thinking of any others that were nearly as good, but I do appreciate the chance to get the JNC Premium Editions that include them.
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Yeah I really them, whether or not they propel the story forward, fill in gaps, or expand characters I just like to read them. I do agree that Realist Hero has some great ones, and so does Infinite Dendrogram but I enjoy reading all of them.
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I allway read them, some bonus like the editor and translator comment in Kokoro connect were way more interresting that i though at first. Personaly i really like the short stories in the firsts volumes of Grimgar, the one in Vol6 where really good, but the one since vol10 are kind of bad (especialy the school serie). Infinite Dendrogram had some meh side story but the Faraway paladin's one were quite good. One of the best bonus tho was Echo's, i still prefer the original but that remix song is really cool.
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I went back and repurchased about 40 books that i already owned on bookwalker just the bonus stories that are in the premium epubs. Most of the time they are entertaining and help build attachment to the characters, even if they aren't canon.
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I like that they offer them. I don't always read them, but I feel like it'll be a nice bonus to go back to later. =)
I know people talked about some of the post volume stories in Unwanted Undead Adventurer being pretty good. Some thought the volume 1 short stories pointed towards a
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I liked the Faraway Paladin ones but otherwise don’t really dig them too much and would personally prefer author interviews or translation notes but completely understand why others love them.
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bonus stories, side stories, notes, maps, illustrations, index/glossaries, author interviews etc.
I'd like to see as many of these as possible included in the general publication of an ebook. These could be after the main story, as extra 'chapters' or integrated within (to whatever degree doesn't upset the flow of reading enjoyment). I especially like these thing in sci-fi/ fantasy stories but in the case of works translated into English, I'd like to see 'extras' in all where available. Sometimes due to cultural differences, localization or other reasons I might not fully 'get' the author's intent in a particular work. Yes, I could google who Tokugawa was and his relevance to the warring states period and the cultural allusion made by the author, or a particular otaku phrase or whatever - but a glossary would be easier/more relevant.
maps, pictures etc - all may make it easier to immerse in the setting
maybe the 'extras'/ annotations could be toggled on/off within a reader app?
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yes really do, especially side stories, sometimes posted on the author Twitter or included on BD release. I would also like translation of drama cds but I am not interested in interviews
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The ones in Rokujouma are also pretty good. Same with Lazy Dungeon Master.
I understand the issues with them in some stories, but I'd much rather have them there than not.
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Yes, I do care. I do not feel and of the bonus stories are useless. Maybe they are not needed for the main story but that does not mean they are useless. I will read everything a book has to offer, including foreword, afterwords, intermissions, side stories, bonus stories, everything. I like to get as much of my money's worth as I can get.
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Yes. I care. It's why I buy JNC and not Amazon. Well that and the DRM-lessness so I can port it to multiple devices easily and so forth.
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Realist Hero and Lazy Dungeon Master bonus stories have yet to disappoint me.
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Say what you want but I have a blast with the Arifureta Magic Academy and the Classic Tales series. Taking all these OP characters, throwing them into a situation way less serious than the main story and cranking them up to eleven. It's genius.
And it's hard to expect a side-story to further the plot by much when it's supposed to be premium material that only a fraction of the consumer base will acquire. For example, there's a side-story that Chuuni Suki wrote for the first manga volume release, and it was about Hajime and Yue's meeting in volume 1 from Yue's POV. I don't think it's ever had an official translation, maybe it was in Seven Seas manga release but I wouldn't know, but it was fan-translated when it came out and it's quite easy to find, but I'm pretty sure that those that are LN-only readers have never heard of this side-story. That one really drives home how hard Yue fell for Hajime, her emotional unstableness and her true character. It changed my understanding of Yue by a lot, it really shattered the image I had of her in my mind. And I find it a shame that it's hidden like that.
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I love the bonus stories and when I first started reading from J-NC, it was how I picked which series to use credits for. (Before I got a premium membership.)
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I love all the side stories - Realist Hero & Dendro probably have the highest quality ones, but I still dig the ones in Arifureta & Smartphone (though I'm not so hot on the daily life of the author ones in Smartphone, sometimes they're interesting sometimes meh).
I'm not far enough in my Rokujouma binge to have hit side stories yet (big pause after Vol12 to catch up on pre-pubs) but from the little I read of the fan TLs ages ago I think I'll like them.
For other content - the translators notes in Outbreak Company are great, especially with the links backwards & forwards (do the non-premium versions have that?) & the bit from the translator & editor in Kokoro Connect are great too.
It doesn't have to be a side story, it just has to be interesting.
(Edit to add:) Hell, Amagi Brilliant Park has recipes in it! One day I might actually try them out.
