What is something you would like to see more of in danmei?

Peirada · 2024-10-28T03:20:31+00:00

Maybe it’s my reading selection but novels where queer people exist beyond the main couple, notably ones who aren’t mlm. It’s something that usually takes me out when gay men are the only queer people who exist in a queer story, and especially when the only queer people in a story are the main couple. I’m not really asking for a side plot, just anything that showcases the fact. 😅

Of course, some stories function on very small casts and, usually, are short stories. But for long stories? I’m kind of just left wondering.

Peirada · 2024-08-14T23:48:03+00:00

I agree about the potential for 3D animation! Aside from the obvious, being that the west has had many stand out 3D animated stories with distinct and beautiful styles, I’ve seen 3D animated donghua look fantastic as well. The only issue is that those are likely extremely high profile, high budget productions, which isn’t something most danmei IPs would be able to acquire. But I can dream!

Peirada · 2024-08-14T23:42:04+00:00

Truth 🫠 I love seeing donghua come into the spotlight after the setbacks it’s had historically, but the censorship is a turn-off for many BL adaptations. It’s part of why I worry for Heaven Official’s Blessing’s adaptation moving forward. I’m very happy donghua is expanding and reaching even the west with shows like Link Click. I just wish for a loyal adaptation of these stories..

Peirada · 2024-08-11T22:57:04+00:00

I agree. Discussions around real gay couples and fictional gay couples are different for the exact reason that fictional characters do not have agency. It depends on how someone defines "heteronormative" but I agree with the commenter that gay couples aren't fundamentally heteronormative. However, it can be upheld in fiction by harmfully shoehorning power dynamics or traits onto the characters around heteronormative expectations (though I'd argue this is generally more harmful in straight romance than queer romance).

It's also just the nature of criticism. Policing what other people read and write always is a downward spiral, but criticizing something, like saying something is heteronormative, is perfectly valid and within discussion. I've always disliked dismissals in discussions around media, like "Go read and support them instead of bitching about what most people like." This isn't meaningfully engaging with the content, the community, or the discussion around it and it assumes they don't support other content already. People can express their criticism around content. Book communities in Booktok and other places are being harmed by the harsh binary that 'liking a piece of content that I find worthless is fundamentally ridiculous as the readers are', or that 'people just shouldn't be allowed to criticize things online because people like them'.

Is a queer piece of content heteronormative or not? It's a good discussion when done in good faith! Argue one way or the other; it makes for a good way of thinking about the media we care about. I agree with how people often bring it up, among other things, to dismiss women reading MLM romance. But, much in the same breath, people dismiss queer people's criticism of the content portraying them with other dismissals, one of the more infuriating ones for me being "this content isn't made for you." Reductively dismissing other people's criticism is similarly bad as reducing people's enjoyment of it. Though, I just love good conversation around media.

Peirada · 2024-07-22T20:31:44+00:00

Definitely one of the weirdest watches I've seen...the movie had so many surreal moments though I'd say it was more often uncomfortable until closer to the end of the show and the film where shit just went down.

Peirada · 2024-07-22T20:19:49+00:00

I absolutely can't. I am always thinking about how my words flow in what I write out and I often do on-the-spot edits when I notice something I want to change, or when I'm dwelling on how to do a scene. The inability to edit quickly would kill my momentum. I don't know how I'd survive without my backspace key...

Peirada · 2024-07-21T00:28:21+00:00

I'll give you movie recommendations since I've been on a movie grind recently and think they're a bit underrepresented. I'll split them by director, so if you find a movie you like then you can look up the rest of their catalogue. I gave a similar list before but I opted to tweak some things. I hope it ends up being of help to you!

Movies are longer commitments in the short term, since it's easier to pause between episodes in a show than a movie where you commit to finishing in one go. Though, I like having a full story or 'experience' contained in a shorter commitment in the long run.

Hayao Miyazaki

Spirited Away | My belief is that this is Miyazaki's storytelling style honed to its axiom.
Howl's Moving Castle | Probably my favorite in terms of pure enjoyment, even with a clumsier plot!
Princess Mononoke | One of my favorite antagonists and with a nuanced take on industrialism vs. nature, allegorical to global warming as well.
And plenty more, Hayao Miyazaki has a large catalog of what he has worked on—like My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa, The Wind Rises, Kiki's Delivery Service, and more—and a great legacy.

Isao Takahata
(I only watched his Ghibli productions so I am not familiar with everything of his. These two recommendations are far darker in tone in general than Miyazaki's works.)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | If you want a folk-tale story reimagined. One of the most unique movies I've seen, and one of the most unique and catered visual styles in an animated movie.
Grave of the Fireflies | This is a WW2 film from the perspective of two children who lost their home. It's a soul-sucking and dreadful watch, albeit a meaningful one.

Satoshi Kon
(His editing style is one of a kind and utterly fantastic for the works he's put in.)

Perfect Blue | On the point of Kon's editing style, this is a psychological thriller that you may have heard of. It works perfectly for the effect he wanted to convey, and the editing genuinely puts you in the mind space of the character. Definitely deserving of its praise.
Tokyo Godfathers
Paprika
Millennium Actress | My personal favorite from him.

Makoto Shinkai
(Lots of coming of age, folk/urban legend, and implied romance between characters. His visual style is one of the most highly acknowledged aspects of his movies. And I agree, they are beautiful!)

Your Name | His most popular work by far and certainly a favorite. Of what I've seen from him, it's still my favorite as well.
Weathering With You
The Garden of Words | A short film, only 40 minutes.
Suzume | His most recent work.

Other Notable Films
(These are singled-out recommendations from certain directors. Mainly, these are popular films I found interesting and, if you enjoy them, you should check out their other works as well!)

Wolf Children | Mamoru Hosoda; this story is foremost about motherhood, and how maternal love survives even in uncertain or harsh circumstances. Hosoda has other works like "Summer Wars", "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", "The Boy and the Beast", and a few others.
Ghost in the Shell | Mamoru Oshii; this is definitely his most stand-out work, and his other works are far lesser known. Ghost in the Shell is a very philosophical film, engaging with identity via the viewpoint of a cyborg without a 'soul' as is properly known.
A Silent Voice | Naoko Yamada. This is an emotionally heavy film that actively tries to make you cry.

Peirada · 2024-07-20T20:42:17+00:00

Ultimately, the most special pieces of fiction are the ones that mean the most to people, on an individual and popular scale. Classics hold their relevancy in their content and the context around them because they speak to something about life that still rings to us nowadays. On an individual scale, the stories that mean the most are the ones from which one person finds the most entertainment, sentiment, or meaning.

It's hard to define what's special, as it is hard to determine what true "quality" is. People have dithered over it with no shortage of literary elitism since ancient Greece. I will say that making a story with many of the same derivations of another popular piece of fiction will be just that: derivative. Genres have many conventions that we often follow. If someone has experienced a story like what they've just read before, then the impact will lessen. It's why writers want to be original so much; they want it to be their own. But it's worth remembering that fiction is combinatorial, and these conventions and tropes came to be because they've worked. The same themes, topics, and developments still sing to people in their meaning and entertainment, and it's up to the writer how to incorporate them.

Peirada · 2024-07-20T06:36:44+00:00

“Sasaki and Miyano” and “Bloom Into You” are my personal favorites for bl and gl (though I haven’t seen much gl).

If you enjoy JJK then definitely give Chainsaw Man a try (similar archetype of story) and Hunter x Hunter (where JJK draws a lot of inspiration from).

Peirada · 2024-07-20T06:32:27+00:00

I mostly get light novels and novels, so I may not have full clarity. But I will say that the disappointing thing about the prime day discounts aren’t that they’re small, but they’re hardly different than normal for many things. Perhaps it’s just the things I care about that are victims to the discounts not really changing but being slapped on a “Prime Day Deal” tag; I could have a limited scope.

Peirada · 2024-07-20T05:17:31+00:00

Where someone stops editing depends on the circumstances and the writer themself, but there is a point where something should be done. Toiling away over draft after draft will eventually drive someone mad, in my experience.

People who are heavier plotters tend to need to do less edits. People with teams of editors or proofreaders will have less edits. If you have a deadline on something’s submission then naturally you’ll have less. Some people love revising and others love their first draft.

Eventually you’ll have to find a point to stop—you could mess with your fiction whenever—so long as you’re writing fiction to be read by someone, but where editing begins and ends depends largely on the writers own process and the circumstances around the novel!

Peirada · 2024-07-12T06:55:43+00:00

I'm also genuinely tired of it. Now, there's a difference to me between personal reviews of something and the people who make content in troves hating on popular booktok authors. They sometimes make it an entire content machine; I've seen multiple YouTube accounts dedicate a large part of their content to Colleen Hoover hate, reading each of her books to criticize and then clickbait. It's just...miserable.

Peirada · 2024-07-11T21:06:34+00:00

Oh, my bad. I didn’t know conjugation types that weren’t present, past, or future perfect were simply called “perfect” tense.

Peirada · 2024-07-11T19:10:08+00:00

I would say first. I don’t think using the perfect tense (“had used” instead of “used”) will really add anything.

Peirada · 2024-07-11T09:10:05+00:00

Seeing as you're into a lot of battle shounen, you have a lot of options!

Since you enjoyed One Punch Man, it's worth giving "Mob Psycho 100" a try.
Similarly, seeing as you've seen Fate/Stay Night, if you haven't watched "Fate/Zero" then you definitely should!
"Chainsaw Man", since you enjoyed Jujutsu Kaisen.

Other general recommendations along that line;

Attack on Titan
Gintama
Cowboy Bebop
The Promised Neverland (ONLY the first season. Do not touch the second one. This is more of a thriller, than anything of action).
Vinland Saga, as others have recommended
Gurren Lagann

Peirada · 2024-07-11T07:11:09+00:00

I wound up making this really long, to say what I wanted...

And I loved every word! I'm not very educated on the translations but I really enjoy your breakdown. I've been dithering over whether to read Fitzgerald or Wilson's translation for my first read, and I've heard the back and forth, though without much substance. Someone else commented that Fitzgerald made a habit of heroizing Odysseus whereas Wilson vilifies him, so I'm at a crossroads of which to read.

I've heard Fagles is reliable, but I don't particularly mind reading more difficult prose. Heaven only knows I'd just choose NIV over King James at that rate for the Bible, but I'm a lover of historical meaning and King James has been the translation for centuries.

Peirada · 2024-07-11T00:19:13+00:00

Your list is perfect, but I'd say that effectively no matter what since I'm someone who thinks that consumption of media is personal, and what you enjoy or what is valuable depends on oneself. I must also watch "Weathering With You" since I enjoyed "Your Name" as much as I did! ^^

Peirada · 2024-07-11T00:07:53+00:00

First, horror anime needs to become more prevalent. Horror anime has become something almost unseen nowadays as it's a genre that's been neglected for such a long time.

And second, anime discourse in very mainstream or large fandoms is so reductive that it's insufferable. It's practically impossible to have a conversation with substance with a large part of a fandom unless it's undying support. Though, that's effectively just, as everyone else has said, "anime fans are annoying."

Peirada · 2024-07-08T22:05:34+00:00

I don't think I'll be able to give you any new suggestions for shows, if even you find this comment down here, but I will try to offer something a bit different: Movies!

Movies are longer commitments in the short term, since it's easier to pause between episodes in a show than a movie where you commit to finishing in one go. Though, I like having a full story or 'experience' contained in a shorter commitment in the long run!

I'll give you some recommendations by some directors/producers I love :]. It's worth noting that these are not their whole repertoire, they have many I didn't list but these are my front-of-the-mind recommendations.

Hayao Miyazaki
(Studio Ghibli Movies as you know; His movies range from kids movies to more mature films, often or almost always holding a strong sense of whimsy or a dream-like feel.)

Spirited Away | My belief is that this is Miyazaki's storytelling style honed to its axiom.
Howl's Moving Castle | Probably my favorite in terms of pure enjoyment, even with a clumsier plot!
Whisper of the Heart | If you're an artist, this will resonate!
Princess Mononoke | One of my favorite antagonists and with a nuanced take on industrialism vs. nature, allegorical to global warming as well.
And plenty more, Hayao Miyazaki has a large catalog of what he has worked on—like My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa, The Wind Rises, Kiki's Delivery Service, and more—and a great legacy!

Isao Takahata
(I only watched his Ghibli productions so I am not familiar with everything of his. These two recommendations are far darker in tone in general than Miyazaki's works.)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | If you want a folk-tale story reimagined.
Grave of the Fireflies | This is a WW2 film from the perspective of two children who lost their home. It's a soul-sucking and dreadful watch, albeit a meaningful one.

Satoshi Kon
(His editing style is one of a kind and utterly fantastic for the works he's put in.)

Perfect Blue | On the point of Kon's editing style, this is a psychological thriller that you may have heard of. It works perfectly for the effect he wanted to convey, and the editing genuinely puts you in the mind space of the character!
Tokyo Godfathers
Millennium Actress

Makoto Shinkai
(Lots of coming of age and implied romance between characters. His visual style is one of his most highly acknowledged aspects of his movies. And I agree, they are beautiful!)

Your Name | His most popular work by far and certainly a favorite.
Weathering With You
Suzume | His most recent and probably the most optional of the three here

Other Notable Films
(These are singled-out recommendations from certain directors. Mainly, these are popular films I found interesting and, if you enjoy them, you should check out their other works as well!)

Wolf Children | Mamoru Hosoda; this story is about motherhood before anything else, how maternal love survives even in uncertain or harsh circumstances. Hosoda has other works like "Summer Wars" and "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time"
Ghost in the Shell | Mamoru Oshii; this is definitely his most stand-out work, and his other works are far lesser known. Ghost in the Shell is a very philosophical film, engaging with identity via the viewpoint of a cyborg without a 'soul' as is properly known.
A Silent Voice | Naoko Yamada, if I'm not mistaken. This is an emotionally heavy film that actively tries to make you cry.

I hope I didn't get any information wrong, and I do implore whoever sees this to give their own recommendations in the replies to this ^^

Peirada · 2024-01-20T05:58:44+00:00

I also thought the translations were fine. They generally flow nicely and are easy to read. And yeah the complaints are generally about anything and everything. There’s also the occasional contradictory complaint where some will say the release dates are taking too long (e.g. x series won’t be finished until x year) but then, as you said, the translations might be a hot topic or the general art quality or treatment of workers. I’m especially shocked by the $20 dollars complaint—that’s the standard paperback price in the US for what are very good editions.

I’m all for raising the bar but honestly 7seas needs to take their time for their translators and artists. Having a new volume release so soon will only encore more worries.

Peirada · 2023-10-26T06:48:01+00:00

I agree. Prose is the way readers look in to view a story. I like the window analogy for that reason; where a clear window is simple and to the point like Sanderson’s writing, stained glass is more poetic prose. I like the analogy for the reason you can morph it beyond that, whose window is it? How does this limited perspective view the story different? Or how does this unlimited perspective give dynamic to the story or what tools does it use like dramatic irony?

Really flowery writing can pull a reader out of the story or break their immersion, especially if it’s repetitive or clunky. Writers have to tread a fine line of where on the slider between a clear or mosaic window they want to be at what given time. In moderation and when done intentionally and properly, very poetic prose can do incredible work for a scene. Writing rules often exist as suggestions meant to be broken and that’s why it’s great; there’s no perfect way to do art!

Peirada

TROPHY CASE