Hate on what you Love. Let's air our grievances.
-
@kuali personally, I'd have preferred just miia and papi myself. Anything past 2 or 3 girls is just redundant.
-
@salientmind - Strongest Rearguard has some good powers-based battles and a decent handling of the power creep, and the labyrinth country is an interesting setting.
I agree that the harem members don't get much character development though they do get some. Each novel has only covered a few days so there hasn't been a lot of time for major changes with the non-stop battles.
As for them all thinking the MC is awesome, that's pretty typical for LNs and he is the strongest (most OP) rearguard not a "zero to hero" style weakest rearguard.
I'm still enjoying it as of volume 6, but that's just me.
-
@harmlessdave I agree on the power creep being done well, as long as we're talking about time in units of volumes. But in terms of in-universe time, I wouldn't really call the present power curve a "creep" given that only three-ish weeks passed in the first 5 volumes and everyone else thinks of growth in terms of months and years.
I think the author really shot themselves in the foot by starting the cast off in district 8, but then required them to blitz their way to district 5 to rescue Elitia's friend. So regardless of the MC's view on their current behavior, they pretty much have to rush around to gain power and friends to make it there; there simply isn't time available to simply stop and smell the roses.
P.S. I'm waiting for volume 6 to arrive in the mail, so I'm currently limited by my knowledge through volume 5. But I'm also not expecting volume 6 to affect any of the criticism I wrote.
-
@folker46 Yeah, I was going to say that I like the Seven Seas editions as well. Thick books feel nicer to me than thin books. When reading, I can just flip the pages and see a whole thick book still to read so I know that there are hours and hours to read.
-
@kuali So the monster version of Love Hina?
-
This post is deleted! -
Hello,
As I said earlier in the topic, let’s avoid going down the real world politics route in this topic.
The topic has been (for the most part) very on point, and a great way to discuss things that frustrate us about something we all really enjoy.
A win win, for discussing what we enjoy, while admitting that we know they can be better.
If we continue to steer down the real world politics discussion, where it is less about the books and more about real world politics, then I will lock the topic.
Please, let us all avoid the topic being locked down.
Thank you
(I removed 1 post) -
TBH, I hate how many titles with almost exactly the same premise over and over are translated. It's like listening to the same song on repeat with only one or two words changed on each repetition.
Since i opened the can of worms, if they are going to just hunt the same tropes time and time again, I wish the good translators at least pick the LN I am interested in so MTL doesn't become mandatory.
This 2022 I will definitely make senpai notice me!!!
-
@avatarian Well, the forum does have a 'licensing suggestions' section, so you can at least make some suggestions for some more original future licences...
I mean, it won't make the problem go away (jumping on the bandwagon is pretty common in entertainment in general, rather than being a problem specific to JNC), but at least you might be able to jump the stuff you're interested in to the top of the queue.
-
@avatarian - yes, for example there are stacks of "game villainess attempts to escape her fate" stories right now and JNC is publishing several of them. But they can still be distinct enough from each other to be worth reading.
A one-sentence description of the plot doesn't tell you whether it's a generic trope-fest or is fun like Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! It also feels very different from I Refuse To Be Your Enemy, or Villainess Reloaded, or (not from JNC) I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem!
-
@harmlessdave I have to at least give I Refuse To Be Your Enemy props for using the villainess from a non-Otome game. I think that's the only time I've actually seen a series use a game from a different genre...
https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/6701/omnibus-builder
https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/5745/ascendance-of-a-bookworm-omnibus-editionsThe Primal Desires: Food, Sleep, Sex, StroZero, Hypnotism, and Awayuki Kokorone.
Item Diaria Apothecaria legi debent.
-
@kalani You're missing out, the manga for The Apothecary Diaries is really good and funny.
-
@kuali said in Hate on what you Love. Let's air our grievances.:
@harmlessdave I have to at least give I Refuse To Be Your Enemy props for using the villainess from a non-Otome game. I think that's the only time I've actually seen a series use a game from a different genre...
I loved the fact that that one had the game be not-Fire-Emblem. The other twist the series pulled on the formula was also interesting.
-
@kuali is Her Majesty's Swarm another example? Since it's an RTS, she isn't exactly in the role of the villain. But the bugger do eat people.
-
@salientmind Maybe? Sorry, I haven't read that one.
-
@salientmind - I don't think the protagonist of that story cares much about not being a villainess. I'd put it closer to Overlord than to any of the villainess titles.
-
@rsog412 Yeah, HMS strikes me as more an Overlord type of title. It's also seemingly designed off an RTS like Starcraft or Warcraft, which... well, there are occasionally villains in those, but more often than not the campaign mode of those games has you play at least a few missions as each side, so...
Like, in an otome game, you don't play as the rival, or if you do it's because there's a reveal that you've been playing as a rival this whole time. But that's not the case with an RTS.
About the only RTS I can think of where you don't have to play as the antagonist/villain faction is the Command & Conquer series.
-
@folker46 said in Hate on what you Love. Let's air our grievances.:
@kalani You're missing out, the manga for The Apothecary Diaries is really good and funny.
I'll probably read it when its on catch up since its my favourite light novel series.
I just started getting physical manga of Apothecary Diaries in since there's no physical copies of the light novel. I haven't cracked them open yet though. (probably won't until I've got 4+)
-
@kalani unfortunately it will never be on catchup, JNC don't do the manga for Apothecary.
-
Here goes yet another grievance: On the topic of Slave-buying in manga and LN, I kind of hate how it never get anything besides: "MC helped me so I am madly in love with him now". Not that it doesn't make sense as much as it is way too convenient (wish-fulfilling to the max). In reality, buying a slave means you really have to put some effort in keeping the contract airtight in case the slave(s) decide to rebel and/or seek their freedom (it doesn't have to go so far killing the MC/owner as much as running away or looking for a flaw in the contract to exploit).
I know, this is fantasy, but I still can't get why there is not even a small disagreement between the characters. "Whatever the slave owner says is right" without a second thought. I have yet to see an small argument or a reason for the slave to be their own character somehow.
