about question
Looong post fair warning. Tldr: Semes have became boring and I'm whining while knowing that I can't write anything better (If you can't do, critique lmao)
What led me here were "Flip the Script" and "It starts with Isaac". I'm also reading many of the current angst works that have 50+chapters, but I mention these two in particular as they disappointed me the most when they had actual potential to stand out in the genre but just ended up like more of the same.
Both of these works had a good enough plot (especially Flip the Script) and I had highhh expectations for the regret, redemption, and reconciliation arcs, but the one-dimensional seme portrayal ruined the whole story for me. All semes have become soooo bland these days and they all have the EXACT SAME personality. I mean it's no surprise considering that the genre more or less has a formula of
controlling/asshole seme doesnt understand his own feelings and treats uke like trash > starts losing control but doesn't know why> learns complicated emotion for the first time lmao >lets go (for now) without giving up>gets stabbed or saves uke's life or family> gets forgiven and becomes simp who still needs to be the boss in bed cuz plot amirite?
While I have learnt to live with this formula, what really irks me is how some semes start out extremely interesting; they have unique traumas or moderate justification for acting the way they do, but once the angst and regret starts, they allll turn into the same person and the process of learning love becomes like a one-line explanation that was copy-pasted from every other work.
Like the seme in 'Flip the Script' realised that the uke loved him, and he comes to understand that the uke was not delulu. However, he falls in love in like 2 chapters when the uke leaves after like 46 chapters of having a cold and non-chalant disposition?? However you choose to look at the story-telling, there is justification for regret, pity and sympathy, but the love came out of nowhere. The author needed the seme to be in love, and thus he was in love-- is what I felt when I was reading it.
Now I am not saying you can't fall in love in a day or in a moment, but I am saying that the seme in this case was an extremely rational person, and the way he fell in love was so OOC he'd be penalised if this was a chinese transmigrator story. I know that these days all stories are uke-centric and the uke's pov takes precedence, but the seme is literally the most important plot influencer in the story and he needs to be well-developed for the story to make sense and for us as readers to connect with both him and the uke. There are sooo many stories where the flow is almost identical from mid-end of the story, and it's starting to annoy me when semes start to cry during the regret arc for no reason without sufficient emotional justification just to gain the uke's sympathy and behave no differently from semes in other stories, but since the author just wanted a crying seme, we get such an OOC crying seme it makes me laugh.
All of this takes me back to a work I consider a cornerstone in the BL angst genre "From points of three". That was a seme that I haaated (and I still hate him), but I couldn't help but be curious about him. His POV was really interesting and his evolution that led to the reconciliation was extremely organic. His crying scene faaantastic. It was one of the first ansgt works I read, and it remains of the of best main story endings I have ever read with few works coming even close (I am happy to be challenged on this opinion because I am always hunting for works that will be better).
At the end of the day, be it josei or BL or even shounen regret/revenge stories, I just want to read a story without too many clichés that delivers a novel reading experience and makes me feel feelings other than mild annoyance and exasperation (too much of this these days)
To those of you who read this far, I apologise but am grateful for your time spent on this.
What led me here were "Flip the Script" and "It starts with Isaac". I'm also reading many of the current angst works that have 50+chapters, but I mention these two in particular as they disappointed me the most when they had actual potential to stand out in the genre but just ended up like more of the same.
Both of these works had a good enough plot (especially Flip the Script) and I had highhh expectations for the regret, redemption, and reconciliation arcs, but the one-dimensional seme portrayal ruined the whole story for me. All semes have become soooo bland these days and they all have the EXACT SAME personality. I mean it's no surprise considering that the genre more or less has a formula of
controlling/asshole seme doesnt understand his own feelings and treats uke like trash > starts losing control but doesn't know why> learns complicated emotion for the first time lmao >lets go (for now) without giving up>gets stabbed or saves uke's life or family> gets forgiven and becomes simp who still needs to be the boss in bed cuz plot amirite?
While I have learnt to live with this formula, what really irks me is how some semes start out extremely interesting; they have unique traumas or moderate justification for acting the way they do, but once the angst and regret starts, they allll turn into the same person and the process of learning love becomes like a one-line explanation that was copy-pasted from every other work.
Like the seme in 'Flip the Script' realised that the uke loved him, and he comes to understand that the uke was not delulu. However, he falls in love in like 2 chapters when the uke leaves after like 46 chapters of having a cold and non-chalant disposition?? However you choose to look at the story-telling, there is justification for regret, pity and sympathy, but the love came out of nowhere. The author needed the seme to be in love, and thus he was in love-- is what I felt when I was reading it.
Now I am not saying you can't fall in love in a day or in a moment, but I am saying that the seme in this case was an extremely rational person, and the way he fell in love was so OOC he'd be penalised if this was a chinese transmigrator story. I know that these days all stories are uke-centric and the uke's pov takes precedence, but the seme is literally the most important plot influencer in the story and he needs to be well-developed for the story to make sense and for us as readers to connect with both him and the uke. There are sooo many stories where the flow is almost identical from mid-end of the story, and it's starting to annoy me when semes start to cry during the regret arc for no reason without sufficient emotional justification just to gain the uke's sympathy and behave no differently from semes in other stories, but since the author just wanted a crying seme, we get such an OOC crying seme it makes me laugh.
All of this takes me back to a work I consider a cornerstone in the BL angst genre "From points of three". That was a seme that I haaated (and I still hate him), but I couldn't help but be curious about him. His POV was really interesting and his evolution that led to the reconciliation was extremely organic. His crying scene faaantastic. It was one of the first ansgt works I read, and it remains of the of best main story endings I have ever read with few works coming even close (I am happy to be challenged on this opinion because I am always hunting for works that will be better).
At the end of the day, be it josei or BL or even shounen regret/revenge stories, I just want to read a story without too many clichés that delivers a novel reading experience and makes me feel feelings other than mild annoyance and exasperation (too much of this these days)
To those of you who read this far, I apologise but am grateful for your time spent on this.
about question
you know how one punch man is famous for having incredible storyboards and connectivity from panel to panel? can you think of any good manga/manhwa where the story flows deliciously like honey. any genre is fine
an example i can think of is mistake lover. it's been a while, but the first time i read it, i remember thinking that the story was paced in the best way it could have possibly been. like i'm not talking about plot, because i know some BL like don't mix business with pleasure or sunday's consolation that have relatively good plot but omit scenes here and there and make the flow a bit weird.
it's like when you pick up the next chapter you're like huhhh, 'that's not where it ended in the last chapter??' or 'that panel looks weird i don't understand what just happened.'
so just any suggestions for a story with incredible flow and pacing in the story telling and panels.
an example i can think of is mistake lover. it's been a while, but the first time i read it, i remember thinking that the story was paced in the best way it could have possibly been. like i'm not talking about plot, because i know some BL like don't mix business with pleasure or sunday's consolation that have relatively good plot but omit scenes here and there and make the flow a bit weird.
it's like when you pick up the next chapter you're like huhhh, 'that's not where it ended in the last chapter??' or 'that panel looks weird i don't understand what just happened.'
so just any suggestions for a story with incredible flow and pacing in the story telling and panels.