Discussion Nitpicking disguised as constructive criticism.

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by AndyIvres, Jul 13, 2022.

  1. AndyIvres

    AndyIvres Well-Known Member

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    As the title implies, I’m going to use this thread to nitpick light novels and translations. Most complaints are over extremely trivial and inconsequential things. It’s just me, well, nitpicking and whining. Nothing is off topic. If you feel inclined to, nitpick too.

    In transmigration stories, why do all (at least, all I’ve seen) stories I’ve read say the MC was possessed? MC’s soul transmigrates to another reality and enters a body that does not belong to them. So HOW ARE THEY POSSESSED WHEN THEY DID THE POSSESSING?!? Is it a problem with the translation? Or is this one of those ‘then’ instead of ‘than’ errors? Or one of those ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it’ vs ‘You can’t east your cake and have it’ debates. (A saying that pisses me off cause it’s clearly ‘You can’t eat your cake and have it’ because you can literally have a cake and still have it while you eat it, then no longer have it. But you can’t eat cake and then have it cause it’s gone!) Anyway, i digressed……
    Or maybe I’m wrong in all of these.

    The jump between 1st and 3rd POVs concerning the MC’s POV.
    My God, that pisses me off beyond all measures. I know I should be grateful for translation, which I am but I can’t do that.

    Romance stories that center the concept of ‘love at first sight’. Attraction at first sight, I get but ‘fierce love’? These two characters never really interacted. They just saw each other and started intensely longing for each other. And somehow, I’m supposed to relate and sympathize with their longing when it feels extremely contrived? I can’t get immersed into that kind of shallow story.
     
  2. Zeusomega

    Zeusomega M.D of Olympus Pvt Ltd. Seeking [Boltzmann brain]

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    Welcome to asian ln/wn.


    That's how it rolls around here, either you on it or under it :blobpopcorn_cool:
     
  3. otaku31

    otaku31 Well-Known Member

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    Oh boy, when you said you were gonna nitpick, you really meant it, didn't you? As for the cake conundrum, don't bother; language always lends itself to multiplicative interpretations, so both can be correct when construed in certain ways.
     
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  4. Xian Piete

    Xian Piete Author of many mediocre stories

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    Yes. The higher quality translations do a lot of interpretation rather than direct one-for-one translations.
     
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  5. Nimroth

    Nimroth Someone

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    To be a bit fair about possession, it becomes a bit more complicated if the character has the memories of both, you "could" in some ways see them as both possessed and possessing in those cases, though I don't think that is quite what the story usually intends.
    Although I wish more stories would actually make the character fully identify with both sets of memories as their own simultaneously rather than just seeing themselves as one of them and the other set of memories being extra information.
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2022
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  6. HealingMoon

    HealingMoon Well-Known Member

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    For transmigration stories, the MC mostly doesn't even get the permission of the original body to possess it. Like, the Mc's are like, 'oh you're dead, so may as well give the body to me!' It's basically stealing everything from the original body, just in a supernatural way, so people won't even know the body is possesed. For transmigration to ancient times as an illegitimate daughter, maybe the body didn't want to counterattack. Maybe they didn't want to ruin their reputation to become powerful, and instead wanted to remain out of sight and virtous. Maybe they didn't fight back because they had sympathy for the legitamite child, because like, who wants their father to cheat and get a mistress and bring their child while the main wife is suffering?
     
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  7. Goblin Sleuth

    Goblin Sleuth Well-Known Member

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    You know what's annoying, how all isekai protagonist are such worthless trash. Like seriously get rid of their cool cheat power, put them back in a mundane setting and try writing a story about them. You can't because it would be as boring as dirt. What happened to the characters I grew up with as a kid? What happened to the boldness, the attitude? Protagonist had so much heart and soul in the old days. Now they're about as interesting as dirt. It's like someone said hey you know those nameless background characters that never do anything, lets make them the main character, and people just went with it.
     
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  8. ToastedRossi

    ToastedRossi Well-Known Member

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    This sounds like a translation issue. Unless you can check out the original text you're not going to know what was originally intended so you completely reliant on what the translator relays. And given how many iffy translations are out there I wouldn't automatically put the blame on the original writer.

    At least you know that this story is going to be a loser early on. It's better than getting baited in deep into the story before finding out it's junk.

    Also note that this is exactly how translations should be performed. One-for-one translations are for schlubs and will actually lead to greater inaccuracy.
     
  9. ShadowAscetic

    ShadowAscetic Well-Known Member

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    that's why most main characters are just transparent passerby in their original world. they died by overworking just because some people passed their job to them and they couldn't say no, or died from alcohol poisoning because of the need to entertain others. idk what those authors are thinking, there are all kind of people in the world yet they choose to write spineless main character and force them to save the otherworld at the age of 10
     
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  10. moonlhgt

    moonlhgt ~Is in la la land~

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    FR!! The 'love at first sight' always pisses me off so much! If it's love at first sight, it means they only like eachother for their looks. And theres always a little sentence in there.. "the ml had seen so many beauties before, but only she can attract his eyes." That one.!. if your falling just based on sight, you should've been a lovesick guy a couple dozen of girls before the fl, right?
     
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  11. LeniSnow

    LeniSnow New Pretty Member

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    I have so much to nitpick about that I can't complete a novels these days, I would read halfway and skip to the end. I have an unending list if complains.

    There are so many misunderstanding that if it happens to anyone in reality, the ml would be the one to breakup with the mc. Like so much misunderstanding from the MC's side, so much running away. Like the troupe where the mc would make so much shit and lying that the child isn't MLs, making up a character that got them preggo but the MLs still acts like a dog who loves you unconditionally. Then finally admits it's their child together after so many emotional damage done to ML. MC making their own life miserable and complicated by lying and creating their own conclusions without knowing the whole thing. Having a good relationship, someone pops up says something, MC believes and runs away.
    I seriously have no problem if ML cuts off their leg. Escapist mentality isn't my thing. But at that point I believe anyone would get tired yet this ML is so 2d the author sets hit to love this unlovable MC who gives the bare minimum. Or revenge seeking MCs who complicates their life by inviting that mentality of only being happy after making others miserable like that would make them happy, especially to the ones where the act didn't happen to them yet then commits the same crime. MCs have free pass to be rude, to be judgemental, to be barbaric, to embarrass, to be depressed but the ml doesn't. MC depressed ML must cure, like go to a psychologist for f sake, help yourself, no one can lead you out of the darkness except when you yourself wants to and when you do that darkness will never return because you yourself lit up your own world.
    I also don't see it reasonable for MCs to be so rude because of their past, or what happened to them. I also don't see a good reason why MLs would fall for those MCs, if they have consciousness they would be like in those novels where they would resist their fate.

    MCs always gives the bare minimum!!!! To be honest they are basic, but with good life settings favored by their world god, then the Main Lead falls by themselves.

    Although I've read a novel where the MC was admirable and have good guts and that I can count in one hand, the others I've read are trash MCs. BG are so mary sue, I always have to expect that there will be at least 2 other guys who like the mc which is for me too annoying and unecessary. I don't have respect for people who butts in another relationship, it's more toxic than their toxic relationship.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2022
  12. littleoctopus

    littleoctopus White Lotus Slayer ✦ Villain Sympathizer

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    I cannot stand Mary sue characters , Mc could be bland and dumb as a bunch of rocks and a self-righteous attitude with nothing to back it up but is still desirable by everyone because she is more beautiful than every girl in the story and is Hella overpowered and has infinite potential. If she had none of those people wouldn't easily excuse her behavior.

    The Mls wouldn't look twice at her and no one would care for her at all. Lets face it , she would be jailed or killed for the crimes she would commit or the stupid actions she made causing and inconvenience everywhere especially in those revenge stories but because she is "amazing" she gets a free pass to commit heinous crimes, hurt others without cause, be disrespectful and cause chaos over all. i.e overturning the world. If she wasn't there would be no love at first sight either. She would be considered weak and trash , only a petty face and no substance.Which just further shows how shallow everyone in the novels are. Not just the Mls but side characters too are shallow.

    She literally contributes nothing to her relationships except demand help, look as helpless as necessary to achieve her goals and cultivates nothing to the development of her relationships. Yet expects the Ml , her friends or whatever side characters there are to do what she says, read her mind, sympathize with her and not criticize her otherwise que abandoning them without an explanation, misunderstandings , running away, the lying and self-righteousness and causing more chaos behind the scenes sigh.
     
  13. ragingphoenix

    ragingphoenix Well-Known Member

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    Both of these seem like translator issues. For the first one, either the translator's English isn't very good or they're using MTL as a foundation for their translations. For the second one, well, I'm not sure why a translator would make this decision if it isn't that way in the original text. This seems like it might be an extension of how verb tenses work differently in English. Maybe the TL isn't very fluent in English or doesn't read a lot of English works? No clue, really.
     
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  14. Kaylee

    Kaylee Well-Known Member

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    So many to nitpick
     
  15. Blossom_Honey

    Blossom_Honey Well-Known Member

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    1. Why are the synopses so corny and edgy like

    MC: I’m going to befriend this pitiable dude and then go on my way afterwards I guess
    ....
    ML: you can’t run away from me (or some other corny yandere lines or something that makes you think he needs to go see a therapist)
    MC: what’s wrong with him? and yadayadayada...

    Like it’s so stupid and corny I don’t know how many novels I’ve decided not to read because the synopsis was like this.

    2. Why are the titles so weird like “I lost the leash” or something, that sounds so wrong like ML is some animal to be trained rather than an actual character or person. Those titles sound so wrong just reading them gives me second hand embarrassment.

    3. When the FL is perfectly capable of doing something but the ML always just comes in and does it for her or is just so excessive about being with her and you’re supposed to think “awe look how much he cares for her” meanwhile I feel like punching a wall because I’m thinking “just. Let. Her. Do. Something. HERSELF” I actually dropped a novel where FL could use a sword and was a perfectly capable woman but ML just never really let her do anything.

    4. I hate the word “pamper”.

    5. Why is her family so protective of her? Please just be normal for once!!!

    6. I hate those transmigration/reincarnation stories where the transmigration/reincarnation could be left out and it would change absolutely nothing or even worse, make the story way more interesting. Don’t get me wrong I know the charm is in that the MC knows further so how are they going to react or whatever, but sometimes it’s so annoying when the MC has full conviction of the future events or how certain characters are going to act even though they’re acting blatantly different and the story has so drastically changed.
     
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  16. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    For the record, I've seen an author write like... 100 chapters of a novel in first person, then suddenly add a random chapter at 3rd person to show the PoV of some 3rd party... Except that the author had already written other chapters from the PoV of 3rd parties by using 1st person narration.

    It made no sense at all to me, but it happened before.

    So uhn... It may be the translator's fault at times, but at other times it's just the author being dumb. It happens.
    Oh, I remember being frustrated at that! Like how the MC was the best magician in the country in Otoburi, yet her husband was super overprotective and always got angry whenever she tried doing anything dangerous (He participated in dangerous stuff all the time though), even though she is like... The best mage in the whole country.

    It pissed me off... >.>
     
  17. ragingphoenix

    ragingphoenix Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I'm just guessing based on OP saying it was a switch from first to third person for the MC. Honestly a weird decision regardless of whether it comes from the author or the translator, but it seems slightly more likely to be a translator issue in this case. Switching to a first person POV for one single character who is a third party isn't as strange a decision for an author, lots of webnovel authors use extra chapters like that as a way to try new things.
     
  18. Mr gentleman

    Mr gentleman Ok

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    I second that.:blobpeek: I quited My death flag shows no sign of ending because of that.
    And Imma rant now so just ignore it.
    ......
    ......
    :blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob::blobsob:
    Why TF if 99% of web novel harem?????? Hxnsjssnsnsjsjensjsjs freakin perverts. Just die:blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse::blobcurse:
     
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