Does anybody else get annoyed when they read novels where somehow the mc has to save the ass of everyone around him and especially where it's a reincarnation novel where they join a known powerhouse. After a certain point you have to think that the organization that the mc repeated saves is a absolute lost cause and on life support. I think it's the problem of repeatedly raising the stakes but never allowing the mc to fail anything ever. Sometimes I want the mc to lose ok.
Dunno, I read one a while ago that had the MC losing all the time for a while. Like, over a hundred chapters. But like a cockroach he barely survived and kept running around. I couldn't stand it. I kept wanting a win, dammit! So after that experience, I don't mind so much reading where the mc pulls wins out. At least its more satisfying than the mc constantly losing. (I don't remember the name of the fic. I realize that 100 or 200 chapters is usually a small percentage of the whole story, but damn. Over 100 chapters is a long time to read about losing all the time)
I had read one where this guy got humiliated in front of his crush by pulling down his pants and prostrating so that his enemies wouldn't bother her, not long after his rival beat up the enemies to save his crush, and his crush looking at the MC with a disappointed and betrayed look because the MC act like some tough guy and showing off a bit before. He's training really hard after that, but I dropped it in the end cuz that's just not my cup of tea I know why you want the MC to lose once in a while, but sometimes it's better to be not over realistic, real life is already good enough
Tbh, it depends. I was reading a novel that I really enjoyed but the sheer fact that MC was so overpowered that the disparity between MC and the rest of the world (which had power rankings/levels, like a world list of strongest people) was so laughable that everyone else was literally useless and constantly waiting for Mc to save them.
That's a balancing act. On the one hand, nobody's interested in a fight with no stakes where the outcome is beyond obvious. Sure, we may get a kick out of watching some good old face slapping, but it gets old quick. It's like candy that gets cloying by the third mouthful. Then again, I think most people who enjoy light novels do so because of their simplicity - as in, the MC is always outstanding and OP in some way, shape, or form. We're here just to hop on the ass-kicking bandwagon and enjoy a relatively straight-forward power trip. This is one of the main differences between this genre of fiction and others, where the main draw is not always the strength of the MC but rather their growth as a character. Let's face it, as much as I enjoy light novels, the number of MCs that experience any sort of growth (and I do mean ANY amount at all) in several hundred thousand years of cultivation, life-and-death battles, and endless slaughters, can be counted in one hand. Mostly, they act like kids with superman powers. It's fun to read, but it does lack any depth. Now, if this kind of MC starts losing battles, he rapidly loses the appeal inherent to this genre.