Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?
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I just saw this cover:
Not Sure, But it Looks Like I Got Reincarnated in Another World
^ That's certainly a title. Here's the synopsis:
http://lanove.kodansha.co.jp/k_lanovebooks_new_books/2019/2/#bk9784065147610
The synopsis was more informative and almost necessary to sell you on it. I almost wonder why they went with that title, what's the reasoning (is it supposed to lull you into a sense of genericness and Isekai comfort for some reason, and then they'll pull a rug out from under you or something?).
What are some of your (least?) favorite titles in terms of lack of informativeness?
One that comes to mind for me is the anime "Charlotte". I think there was some small connection or character appearance in it that had the name Charlotte, but none of the main cast were named Charlotte iirc and I don't think this Charlotte (whatever or whoever it was, possibly the [spoilers]
was even that significant to the overall plot. I could be wrong though, it's been a while.
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Star Driver
Asobi Asobase
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Most titles I can think of fall into this category, since they go more for catchiness and memorability than descriptiveness. In fact, I'd say the actual descriptive titles are probably in the minority.
For example, just from the popular titles everyone probably knows, there's "Cowboy Bebop", "Neon Genesis Evangelion", and arguably "Akira".
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Well, there's some titles that have less meaning to the story than others too.
Like, Akira I'd argue is a better title than Charlotte. It won't tell you a lot off the bat, but Akira is an integral part of the plot. I wasn't sure how to word that in the OP, so I gave the Charlotte example.
Basically, there's one level of titles where you can say "I see why they named it that after finishing the book" and another where it's basically either "This title is trying to be descriptive, but it fails at that" or "I don't know why this title is even here after reading the whole thing".
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"If it's for my daughter i could even fight a demon lord" i haven't read it yet but i was looking at the blurb cause the serie look interesting and with the relationship the 2 MC seem to have it's seem like a terrible choice of title.
Mushoku Tensei is also quite bad, the complet title kind of have the idea that Rudeus is gonna remake his life but the job part is irrelevant.
In manga Medaka box is also a poor choice of title, Medaka okay that the MC name but why the box it's barely important for 2 vol then forget.
Conserning "Charlotte" wasn't it the name of the comet which give them their power ?
Also with how popular it's people will likely forget but most Fate title are terrible like why "Fate"(that one kind of have a meaning) or "stay/night" ? "zero" make sense for a prequel and "UBW" or "Heaven's feel" has some meaning but "extra last encore" and "apocrypha" doesn’t make much sense once again. The worst are probably the prisma Illya title.
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Dragon Ball, the Dragon Balls started out as important but as the manga went on they became nothing more than a reset button to be used after the story arch was finished.
Durarara!!, still have no idea what that title even means.
Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a Dungeon?, This title has absolutely nothing to do with what the series is actually about.
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@eternal-wanderer
FYI a literal translation of Danmachi's title is actually Is it Wrong to Wish for an Encounter in the Dungeon (ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているのだろうか). As you can see there is nothing that says about picking up girls. That's just YP's localization doing it's magic.I can only guess that it implies Bell's wish to encounter Aizu.
JNC LN Ranking:
1st - Rokujouma
2nd - Realist Hero
3rd - Bookworm -
@eternal-wanderer said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
Durarara!!, still have no idea what that title even means.
Well, the afterword of Vol.1 holds the answer to this one. Here's the excerpt:
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^ Amazing.
In games / anime, Punch Line is another title I think doesn't have too much significance plot wise or meaning wise. I mean, it just signifies that there's jokes in it? And punching action sometimes? Maybe the line refers to the line he can't cross when it comes to viewing undergarments?
Uchikoshi does a lot of interviews, so the answer may be out there if it's not in the story proper explicitly
Maybe I'm forgetting again, and one of the organizations in the story is named Punch Line, or maybe like Charlotte
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@terrence said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
^ Amazing.
In games / anime, Punch Line is another title I think doesn't have too much significance plot wise or meaning wise. I mean, it just signifies that there's jokes in it? And punching action sometimes? Maybe the line refers to the line he can't cross when it comes to viewing undergarments?
Uchikoshi does a lot of interviews, so the answer may be out there if it's not in the story proper explicitly
Maybe I'm forgetting again, and one of the organizations in the story is named Punch Line, or maybe like Charlotte
The title of Punch Line is a play on the pronunciation of Pantsu Line, with the world ending if the mc sees the other residents of the dorm in their underwear.
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Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. (Oregairu)
While the title is kinda referenced a bit in 1st volume but the series ain't much of romcom as much as it's teen drama/coming of age& there's this title that I don't really get COOL Kyoushinsha's Sabi Nuki Kanojo (=A Girlfriend Without Wasabi)
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@terrence said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
Not Sure, But it Looks Like I Got Reincarnated in Another World
When you're lazy and everyone else already have all the cool names and we all are isekais, right?
Let's not think about it too much, right? -
@bartzbb
Both are kinda = meeting the dream girl in the smelly dungeon which ain't descriptive of what lies after volume one.
Many novels series titles just show how the authors sometimes change the direction of the story after volume one. -
@raitoiro actually the only thing I'm not completely sure about in the Illya title is the Prisma part lol. Kaleid comes either from the kaleidosticks (Ruby and Sapphire) or the Second Magic Kaleidoscope which deals with interdimensional travel. The liner part wasn't clear until 3rei when the Ainsworth's goal is revealed to be something that closely resembles the A-liners from a short doujin story by Nasu called "Notes". Prisma might just have to do something with Kaleidoscope as well.
Apocrypha kind of makes sense as it arose from the ashes of a cancelled MMO, something that was not meant to be, though I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be called Apocrypha even back when it was still in development, but hey, now it works!
Last Encore should be seen as an extension of the Extra game, so it's essentially another ending on top of the true ending of the game.
Stay night still eludes me though.
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@terrence said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
Not Sure, But it Looks Like I Got Reincarnated in Another World
Generic title but looks interesting. Do you plan to make a suggestion for it? Also I find almost every story gives practically zero useful info for the story on the cover (part of the reason I made judge a book by its cover.
Ediy: I mean mostly in synopsis. I am also the type of person to just by a book purely based on how much I like the front cover.
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@raitoiro said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
"If it's for my daughter i could even fight a demon lord" i haven't read it yet but i was looking at the blurb cause the serie look interesting and with the relationship the 2 MC seem to have it's seem like a terrible choice of title.
That's one of the "it makes sense after you read the first couple of volumes" titles.
It's a cute and fun series that completes the main story arc fairly quickly (4 volumes), has a couple of decent epilogue / side story volumes, then is done for now and possibly forever.
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@drone205 said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
@terrence said in Least Informative Titles in Novels / Manga / Anime / Other Media?:
Not Sure, But it Looks Like I Got Reincarnated in Another World
Generic title but looks interesting. Do you plan to make a suggestion for it?
Won't at the moment since I don't know enough besides the description. I probably won't look too closely into it for a while yet if at all. So fair game if anyone wants to make a topic proper.
I don't know where it'll go, but having someone who did experiments in their real world as the lead sounds interesting. I like characters that create things or experiment with the laws + objects of the Isekai. I don't know if this will be that kind of story or more action based.
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@bartzbb I've seen this translation for Danmachi, but 'deai' would never be used for 'Encounter' in the sense of encountering monsters. It's specifically meeting someone, likely a girl. The English title certainly played that up, but the translation you're giving plays that angle down.
Translator for Discommunication and Last and First Idol. (Not Bookworm.)
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@harmlessdave I'm waiting for a catch up to try it, but from the blurb i get the impression that the title make less sense as the volumes goes
