Shock value. That’s the word.
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There’s other ways to show corruption. How awful they acted and treated the villagers of Tanimura I think showcased that.
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God. I can’t wait till I get paid again so I can meaningfully join in the discussion for Book 3.
That said:
Thank you, Devon. This is a series I picked up on a lark, having been okay with Fatehaven, and didn’t fully expect it to wrangle my emotions as much as it did. The romance scenes are awkward, but I honestly don’t care for romance in general. The world you created, that weird and interesting blend of Shinto and animism, the depth and complexity and flavor you give even minor characters, and the ability of the story to wring tears out of a stone. That’s what I’m here for.
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I’m actually worried that Momoko and Kuniko’s trauma is relegated to further either male character arcs (i.e. Kuniko for Hatch/Kohaku, and Momoko in general reads as someone for cis-male consumption) rather than their own tbh – hoping the next book addresses this further
I’m generally wary and not a fan when authors do this. And very much agree on the romance – I am happy though that Toshio and my MC are somewhat together but I’d have liked it if it was done differently? Does that make sense?
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I understand that you and other people may not like these topics and you’re right that a warning should have been issued about it but I don’t think the scenes should go. As I said before, they ain’t there just for their shock value, they have a purpose. The biggest thing to take into consideration is that we’re dealing with fiction and not a real life scenario, even if these things do happen in real life.
If the author decides to make a point of including these gritty topics in future releases then peraphs people should be more cautious and mentally prepared to deal with it. Or simply avoiding it. At least the author doesn’t focus too much in it, so there’s some comfort there.
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True…but a problem, like particularly with the rape scene, is that it feels like it’s purpose was for Kohaku’s and Hatch’s character development. And that’s a really awful thing? I’ll outright admit I love Kuniko and that she definitely had a personality and a purpose beyond JUST being a rape victim but does that mean it should have happened?
And if it’s “because of the setting” or to “set a tone”, both have already been established? We KNOW nothing is easy in Hyuga, we KNOW that terrible and corrupt things happen. I feel…I don’t know what I feel. Kuniko gets raped, Momoko gets maimed… bad things happening to the female characters is common and unfun.
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So you’re saying it wouldn’t be so bad if the same things happened to male characters or did I misunderstood? Peraphs you simply don’t like seeing characters suffering for the benefit of others, no matter their gender, specially if done through rape or getting maimed?
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I do believe your review were well written but however I do not agree with a few of your points.
About your first point I believe that the mention of those particular matters does not degrades the story in any form. After all this is feudal Japan we’re talking about, matters like rape and pedophilia were more or less a common occurrence. I do not have a problem with those being mentioned in the story as long as they are not out of context. And after seeing the commercial success GOT had I do believe there is a market for gritty, low level fantasies like this.
I do agree with you on the romance mechanism though. I think the author wanted us to experience all the romantic options available before committing. But it somehow felt unfulfilling to me.
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I’m saying it shouldn’t happen at all. And that a lotta physically awful things have happened to the female characters
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But this isn’t feudal Japan. This is Hyuga, where magic is rare in a person but you can also buy magic voice enhancing fans. Where shampoo exists and opium can be fed straight into a person’s mouth.
I know and appreciate Devon tried, otherwise why would give us the option to go or not? I’m genuinely appreciative he did that.
Low fantasy is fine, but being gritty just for grittiness sake is not.
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BUT I’LL ALSO ADMIT, that this is very much my personal opinion and isn’t true across the board. And I"m sorry if I seem like a wet blanket or being overly rude ><
Nah, candid discussion like this is why the board exists in the first place! Why bother even having a game up for feedback if you’re not willing to give the time of day to said feedback? Why have a forum if there aren’t differences of opinion to be shared?
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@River i get what u mean tho it does kinda leave a really bad taste in the mouth having all these tragic events happen to one particular set of gender >.> and as much as i love everything else in this book the romances were kinda rushed…
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Again I don’t believe the grittiness here were just for the sake of it. I personally think they were within the context and serve certain purposes to the story. I am not a fan of excessive darkness either but as here it was compatible with the story I didn’t mind it.
Not at all. I think feedback is essential to every creative endeavor, be it positive or otherwise.
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On a different note I have to agree that some, if not most, of relationships felt a bit shoe-horned. My character was a pervert so she was all in for one-nights stands but not really into serious relationships (she still has a lot of unpacked bagage with Jun). I’m not against the romance itself just how it was done since I believe subtlety would have been a better choice for certain characters.
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Well the romance wasn’t exactly rushed per se but rather a tad bit poorly written. I was excited to see the Toshie option in book 3 but it just felt underwhelming after finishing.
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True… i did like toshies development but yah the romance couldve been handled better >.<
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I don’t think either scenes should be removed from the book.
The game explicitly states that the story contains mature themes along with scenes of graphic nature. If you have a problem with fictional stories including graphic themes that are relevant to the stories development and setting, then don’t read. The scene doesn’t provide any explicit details either, I think the author handled Kuniko’s scene very tastefully.
I also strongly believe that Jun/ko’s childhood trauma is extremely relevant to the story as it adds development to their character and provides insight to the reader of why Jun/ko is how they are. I didn’t write no essay on this revealed factor for nothing.
Despite Kuniko and Momoko’s bad luck I highly doubt that the author ‘degraded’ these female characters exclusively for the betterment of the male characters. Relating topics of gender equality into these fictional events is honestly ridiculous.
Now, if Kuniko was gender flippable and whether they were raped or not depended on their gender, then I’d be worried. But seriously, are you guys trying to jinx bad shit happening to other characters? If something traumatic happens to Hatch because of this, I’m blaming all of you guys ha ha ha
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So why are people okay with murder in their stories, but rape and pedophilia are too far?
If Devon removes those then he should remove every instance of murder and violence too. It’s weird to me how you can cut people in half, and be fine but need to put down the game and take a walk when the aforementioned “touchy” subjects are present.
Is murder not equally serious or worse? You’re taking a life!!!
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The difference here, I think, is that many readers are victims of those crimes, but murder victims, for obvious reasons, can’t read these stories. It becomes sensitive to people because the thing being written are their own life experiences. When not handled properly, it can feel hurtful to see something that resulted in significant trauma for oneself be used like that.
A few years ago, a friend of mine died in a car accident. This loss hurt me to a point that even today I still have to mentally prepare myself when I watch something that I know has a vehicular death, injury, or some sort of exploding car. I don’t want to get into specifics, but after my own accident this year, this sort of trigger did end up getting worse for me… That’s why I try to avoid any sort of media that involve car accidents. When people experience traumatic events that directly affect their lives, it’s natural that they want to have some form of warning so they don’t have to live through it again.
I don’t necessarily think that Devon should remove the scenes, because I believe that doing so risks becoming a bad example for other writings, but I think there should be some form of warning, beyond “scenes of a graphic nature.” If possible, I think that rewording the warning to “scenes that could be triggering for a reader” would be better, with an option in the stat menu or something that offers specific warnings so if someone wants to avoid being spoiled for something in the story, they can avoid that, and other people have an opportunity to know what they’re getting into.
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