Can Jap Isekai Novels send their MC in a world that is not inspired by Fantasy Medieval Europe?
- Thread starter IamUNKNOWN01nnr
- Start date
- #13
By realistic, I meant characters, their development and plot stuff. Heck, it doesn't even have to be realistic as long as it stops copying what other isekai stories are already doing cause whatever they're doing, there are already some people getting tired of it even in Japan. World-building is more of an afterthought.
- #15
I've been reading it. It's a cut above most other isekai novels and it's obvious that the writer put a lot more work into it. On the downside I'd still say that it's a bit below novels like "the Great Tang Idyll" because it uses overly convenient contrivances and the story feels way more modern than it should. Still, it's definitely a step in the right direction. Ideally, I wish there was a Japanese web novel (or any other kind of novel for that matter) out there that was as complete as a book like "Return to Ming" but I guess that's unrealistic.
- #17
The food gets even worse in some series, where the foods the person wants are often there, but not being eaten or treated as nothing more then feed for livestock when the medieval european diet basically consisted of everything edible found in the area (like most of the worlds traditional foods, other then foods that were introduced and became staples). Rice was not native to europe same for corn and potatoes, but we see them popping up in series as foods that are present but not eaten until the MC shows people how to make rice, popcorn, or fries.
Applying modern standards of beauty kind of makes sense in visual mediums, but is not accurate and unless you have radically changed the quality of life for the world to remove starvation it ignores the factors that lead to their sense of aesthetics. In Medieval times the poor were often starving and barely had enough food with famine being a constant threat. This meant that they were thin.The better off you were the more you could eat, and the more "developed" you would be, so having extra weight became a status symbol, because it meant you had the resources to afford more food.
Which is why these series that fat shame (some of) the character(s), or have their engagements being broken off because the Mc is overweight, are all missing important points. And overweight daughter means you could expect a good dowlery, and probably strong political allies. A plump man meant he could provide for your children so they would not starve to death (a real threat). Unless the person was in a position which required some level of physical ability being overweight was never a social disadvantage,
Thought I remember one series (NA fantasy novel from the late 80's) where a character comments he had been careful to not get to overweight because he did not want to look to much more prosperous then those of higher rank (he was very prosperous but not a noble, and did not want to offend the nobles he was trying to marry his daughter to).
The preferring a more modern aesthetic could be justified, if the author shows how the world differs from medieval europe due to the presence of magic so the factors leading to what is considered attractive match modern ones (little starvation with lots of cheap unhealthy food). without some form up justification like magically enhanced crops, or limitation on taxes so the masses are not constantly starved they do not make sense.
Applying modern standards of beauty kind of makes sense in visual mediums, but is not accurate and unless you have radically changed the quality of life for the world to remove starvation it ignores the factors that lead to their sense of aesthetics. In Medieval times the poor were often starving and barely had enough food with famine being a constant threat. This meant that they were thin.The better off you were the more you could eat, and the more "developed" you would be, so having extra weight became a status symbol, because it meant you had the resources to afford more food.
Which is why these series that fat shame (some of) the character(s), or have their engagements being broken off because the Mc is overweight, are all missing important points. And overweight daughter means you could expect a good dowlery, and probably strong political allies. A plump man meant he could provide for your children so they would not starve to death (a real threat). Unless the person was in a position which required some level of physical ability being overweight was never a social disadvantage,
Thought I remember one series (NA fantasy novel from the late 80's) where a character comments he had been careful to not get to overweight because he did not want to look to much more prosperous then those of higher rank (he was very prosperous but not a noble, and did not want to offend the nobles he was trying to marry his daughter to).
The preferring a more modern aesthetic could be justified, if the author shows how the world differs from medieval europe due to the presence of magic so the factors leading to what is considered attractive match modern ones (little starvation with lots of cheap unhealthy food). without some form up justification like magically enhanced crops, or limitation on taxes so the masses are not constantly starved they do not make sense.