Dear Chuck Wendig: To Be or Not To Be
Interesting
By: Vedhik Kodavatiganti
Having been exposed
to manga at a young age, I’ve developed unique interests in fiction, as well as
having been accustomed to aspects that are troubling to some. I guess I should
start with my interests in this field. Having read the mainstream magna as they
come out, such as One Piece, Naruto or Bleach, I notice that something that
entices me in fiction are relatable themes such as friendship or family. All
most all manga considered to be mainstream usually explores those kinds of
themes, and having been immersed in that kind of culture, I have as well.
Another
aspect of fiction I enjoy is romance. I haven’t read any actual romance novels
or such, but I just enjoy when there is romance in fantasy novel or manga I’m
reading. The degrees to which romance is incorporated varies widely between the
manga and novels I’ve read. It can be as small as a fandom romance from hints
in the manga or have the majority of the plot dedicated to their relationship. An
example of the first is from Fairy Tail. In this manga, there aren’t many
romantic scenes involved; however Hiro Mashima drops hints that allows a fandom
for a couple. In Fairy Tail, there are actually two main fandoms, a straight
one, Natsu x Lucy, and a gay one Natsu x Gray. There are actually a number more
and a wiki pages dedicated to the different fan-made couples as well as in
depth explanations as to how it makes sense. If you’re interested or don’t
believe me, check out the page; however some of the ones are actual couples (http://fairytailcouples.wikia.com/wiki/Couples).
An example where romance is a much larger part of the story is in Legend of
Maian. Though it’s unfinished and not as well known, this is one of my favorite
manga. The entire plot basically adds to further the relationship with two
people who started with a distaste for each other. The way the author works
romance and action into the plot is incredibly enticing.
When
reading a story that targets you’re your fears, you’re not necessarily
overcoming the fears. You’re just facing them. For example, you wouldn’t want
to be placed in a supernatural horror story situation where a ghost is causing
people in a class to die one by one from accidents. Reading these stories
causes us to confront our fears, which some people, including myself, find
thrilling; however, I wouldn’t want to be placed in the situation. These
stories serve as a catalyst for us to confront our fears and feel thrill we
would not normally find.
Japan
has the stereotype of being kind of weird. Exposing myself to the many forms of
unconventional themes in manga numbed me to things that would normally trouble
people. An example of this is No Game No Life, a light novel series with an
insanely good story, but having a brother-sister relationship theme. People
would generally find something like that disturbing, but I’ve become accustomed
to those kinds of themes from what I’ve read.
This
isn’t to say that nothing troubles me when reading fiction. When a character
makes unethical decisions or just exhibits, for lack of a more appropriate
word, inconsiderate behavior. By inconsiderate, I mean the kind of behavior
that we saw Jessica display in Neverwhere.
Because we were meant to grow a distaste for Jessica, it wasn’t as troubling as
it would normally be. I usually find this kind of behavior the most troublesome
within relationships. For example, in this one manga I’d been reading the
protagonist had gotten dumped by a girl he likes and eventually gets another
girlfriend, who was the perfect girlfriend, but dumps her to get back together
with his ex-girlfriend. I immediately stopped reading the manga. To avoid
spoilers, I left out the name and kept the description as vague as possible,
but this wasn’t necessarily of the speculative fiction genre. It just serves as
an example of what I would find distasteful from a speculative fiction story. I
find villainous characters such as Iago, or any other antagonist fine, despite
the deeds they commit. Sometimes I even respect them for their novelty and
their cunning personality; however, when a relationship is brought into the
equation, I find it too agitating. I guess I’m just a romanticist.
Vedhik,
ReplyDeleteYou've hit on a fundamental truth of storytelling when you say stories that confront our fears thrill us in a way that actually BEING in that situation wouldn't. There's a kind of "safety net" established in a story, the distance between page and reality, that can make what we wouldn't tolerate in reality fascinating and even edifying. I'm a little thrown in your post about the jump from discussing this to the idea of Japan being "weird" and wonder if maybe in the course of editing your writing you lost something transitional? Is there some trend in Japanese manga and SFF that toes the line of fear and fascination differently than western lit does, do you think?
Best,
TT