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DTM108
Joined: 05 Jun 2017
Posts: 22
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 Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 8:18 am
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One of the greatest manga of all time? I've read the first 6 volumes and I was about to put it down. I understand the groundwork that it set for so many series after it, but it's an extremely dull, anticlimactic read. The story is unbelievably repetitive. Evil guy shows up, Kenshiro effortlessly kicks their ass, repeat. The only examples of any change to the story beats so far have been the Rei and Raoh chapters, but those certainly weren't groundbreaking. The villains being irredeemably evil is also a detriment to any kind of excitement. I can't fault it for its historical importance, but it doesn't hold a candle to many other manga.
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BadNewsBlues
Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 6373
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:12 am
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| DTM108 wrote: | | The villains being irredeemably evil is also a detriment to any kind of excitement. |
On what way?
Especially in light of many manga awkwardly trying to redeem irredeemable villains.
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mrsatan
Encyclopedia Editor
Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 916
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 5:29 pm
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| DTM108 wrote: | | One of the greatest manga of all time? ... but it doesn't hold a candle to many other manga. |
 Go on, name them.
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dtm42
Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:39 am
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| DTM108 wrote: | | The villains being irredeemably evil is also a detriment to any kind of excitement. |
Sometimes irredeemable villains are a positive for a story. The writer can drop the pretense of making wickedness look sympathetic, and instead focus on making the villain as deliciously and bombastically evil as possible. Think Iago from Othello, or Imhotep from The Mummy, or Frieza from Dragon Ball Z. All memorable and beloved villains, and none of them deserve to be redeemed.
As the review pointed out, the true strength of this volume of FotNS is not the villains themselves but how they all play off one another. Take some uber-strong guys with big personalities - and differing worldviews and agendas - who clash with their arch-rivals in a bitter battle to the end is a staple of drama. It's always captivating when written well, as it is here.
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Beatdigga
Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4638
Location: New York
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 10:15 am
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Too many works these days demand sympathy for antagonists despite not giving effective reasons to warrant it. In contrast, while FOTNS has some unrepentant villains, it makes their defeats and demises all the most satisfying and cathartic when Kenshiro finally gets his hands on them. That catharsis is nonexistent in too many of those modern productions.
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BadNewsBlues
Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 6373
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 8:04 pm
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| Beatdigga wrote: | | Too many works these days demand sympathy for antagonists despite not giving effective reasons to warrant it. In contrast, while FOTNS has some unrepentant villains, it makes their defeats and demises all the most satisfying and cathartic when Kenshiro finally gets his hands on them. That catharsis is nonexistent in too many of those modern productions. |
That’s usually not through the writers deciding to make the guy that’s viciously backstabbed friends, killed mentors/father figures, or just be an asshole in general, get redeemed through some nonsensical shit at the end. You’ve had stories where the writer just decided to screw the good guys in the end allowing the villain a victory or a last laugh.
Why feel good at the end of arduous and painful good vs evil/ somewhat good vs evil story when we can be left confused, stunned, or asking WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS!? Instead?
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