What do you like to find in your novels?
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If I were to say what I like in just one word it would be:
Characters
I have to "like" the characters. When I say "like," i quoted it because I can just hate them but I still love them as characters. Think the other 3 heroes from shield hero. Characters that make you feel "I love them as characters but I hate them as ppl" would fall under here. Characters like Loki, Haruhi, the main cast of Konosuba.
Another thing I like is character interaction. Series like Konosuba, Goblin Slayer, and Monogatari series fulfil this aspect of characters for me. I really like the fantasies with a small group of adventurers or hero's who go out on quests and adventures.
I think this is part of the reason why I halve trouble continuing certain series like Accel World and Index. Aside from the drawn out writing of Accel world the characters just get boring after a while. In Index, the 2 main characters just suck, the writing and exposition are way better then Accel World but the 2 main character, who we spend the most time with just are bland and boring (does not help that MC has the most boring power imaginable whether or not vol 2 foreshadows any hidden potential). At least in Index, the other characters are interesting for the most part (and the events of vol 3 and Railgun anime/manga has been one of my favourites arc for a very very long time).
I guess to put things simply.
To me the characters can break or make a series.
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@terrence
I think I kinda started to understand what you mean with pseudoscience but I won't really use the same term for everything you mean or mentioned.
I like older characters because I like romance to go places beyond just simple crushes or blushing (cohabitation, marriage, divorce, affairs, etc), and I do like seeing a writer's attempt to paint the situation for working / out of work adults in Japan. There's mature storylines you obviously can't do with teens either (or at least are tough to do, like anything with drugs or alcohol).
Well, there are many serious romance novels with teens too (they just won't be romcoms—I don't remember I suggested one or not. Well, even if I did, I'll suggest something like that soon. Also, I'm getting a few new books from Vertical soon and they have drugs, sex and teens together—and they are no light novel in any way)
Well, some the titles you suggested like "Attacking The Dungeon With My Beautiful Boss is Overtime Work?" doesn't seem to follow the pattern 'cause it's more serious with adults but 'cause it has older female (Well, I'm more into petite and lolis—that even my autocorrect rectifies 'lol' as 'lolis' for some reason.)
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Attacking The Dungeon With My Beautiful Boss has work-life stuff combined with Monster Hunter style hunts in dungeons. The beautiful office lady on the cover doesn't hurt to gain my attention of course, but the contents inside deal with a man who is trying to find relief in his life through trying a new pursuit while his OL boss drags him back into his past a bit by asking him to hunt with her. So there's elements of serious stuff.
I love almost anything comedy though (besides some of the more harem focused comedies that drag on and reuse jokes). I guess a comedy element could be my point 6.
- Laugh out loud moments.
Sometimes I try to count these in my head, moments where the book actually made me laugh, not just smile.
Some comedy doesn't come across as well in translation I think, and so you get these comedy series that are more cute than funny, you just grin but you don't put the book down as you holler or go show someone. Comedy is super subjective, and it's an in the moment thing, so I can't really quantify it or point to instances. You know it when you read it though.
@drone205 said in What do you like to find in your novels?:
I have to "like" the characters. When I say "like," i quoted it because I can just hate them but I still love them as characters. Think the other 3 heroes from shield hero. Characters that make you feel "I love them as characters but I hate them as ppl" would fall under here.
I hate them and their role in the plot. I guess it teaches you that you may have to deal with cocky yet wrong teammates sometimes to advance towards your goal. T_T
But I agree overall. There can be characters that are completely evil, but they work for the plot, and I like their role. I think Dendrogram's Giga Professor Franklin is a character I like having in the plot, despite being a maniac who has said that he'd do what he's doing in game in reality if he had the power.
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@drone205 said in What do you like to find in your novels?:
I have to "like" the characters. When I say "like," i quoted it because I can just hate them but I still love them as characters. Think the other 3 heroes from shield hero. Characters that make you feel "I love them as characters but I hate them as ppl" would fall under here. Characters like Loki, Haruhi, the main cast of Konosuba
Haven't read shield hero.yet but I ended up instantly thinking of Monogatari's Nadeko lol.
Seriously, I really love characters falling apart or being really flawed (but as long as it's done in organic and believable way)
One of the reasons I like NisiOisiN stuff so much is his characters and how they interact, after all.
I also watched The Anime Man's interview with Natsume Akatsuki, apparently he decides on the characters' attributes including the little idiosyncrasies and habits even if they ain't used instantly keeping them constant all the time. (and more like a person) -
@terrence said in What do you like to find in your novels?:
Attacking The Dungeon With My Beautiful Boss has work-life stuff combined with Monster Hunter style hunts in dungeons. The beautiful office lady on the cover doesn't hurt to gain my attention of course, but the contents inside deal with a man who is trying to find relief in his life through trying a new pursuit while his OL boss drags him back into his past a bit by asking him to hunt with her. So there's elements of serious stuff.
You know you really haven't conveyed this aspect in your thread (that's why I passed on it, since it felt like some regular fantasy romance thing with a lot of fanservice but with adults).
But again, it's not exactly a innovative theme for LNs (I wonder if MediaWorks Bunko is more suitable for adults than Novel)go show someone
I've done this way more than I can remember lol
Especially with NisiOisiN, Eromanga-sensei and Konosuba. -
@bloodygaikotsu said in What do you like to find in your novels?:
When I think of such dialogs, I always think of NisiOisiN and Spice & Wolf (Actually, every time I read smth by NisiOisiN, I feel like I wanna write something too)
I've just finished a Spice & Wolf novel, and the dialogue was definitely a huge plus, and it was partially that series to which I was referring. However, I totally get what you mean about NisiOisiN as there was some great lines in LN adaptations Monogatari and Katanagatari. In terms of anime dialogue I also quite like OreGairu anime (based on the LN by Wataru Watari). In a slightly different way the dialogue can also be quite fun at times in the Kokkoro Connect and Rokujouma light novels, and indeed The Tatami Galaxy anime (which is based on a novel) and The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria.
