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kotomikun
Joined: 06 May 2013
Posts: 1205
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2019 11:06 pm
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Quote: | the “reborn in another world” aspect is more an excuse for the protagonist to be where he is than an integral part of the story. |
I'm not really sure what that means, but it doesn't sound fundamentally different from other isekai. Usually it is, as you said, reincarnation as an excuse to take a normal person from our world and put them in a fantasy universe, without much involvement between the two universes beyond that. Though there may or may not be some sort of gimmick based partly on the protagonist's personality or original life.
In this case the gimmick appears to be prodigious quantities of edge. It's less D&D harem fantasy and more D&D BDSM fantasy, but the general principle of "what if (my) life was more like a video game, and sexier" is still there.
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MiloTheFirst
Joined: 10 Dec 2014
Posts: 429
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 4:56 pm
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kotomikun wrote: |
Quote: | the “reborn in another world” aspect is more an excuse for the protagonist to be where he is than an integral part of the story. |
I'm not really sure what that means, but it doesn't sound fundamentally different from other isekai. Usually it is, as you said, reincarnation as an excuse to take a normal person from our world and put them in a fantasy universe, without much involvement between the two universes beyond that. Though there may or may not be some sort of gimmick based partly on the protagonist's personality or original life.
In this case the gimmick appears to be prodigious quantities of edge. It's less D&D harem fantasy and more D&D BDSM fantasy, but the general principle of "what if (my) life was more like a video game, and sexier" is still there. |
Well, I haven't read it myself yet (which I hope to do soon) but what Theron might be saying is that unlike the Isekai trend where the formula is for the Main character to use his modern world knowledge to cheat and become OP in a new world, etc. Here the story focus on how a modern day person would cope with living in that horrible world instead of trying to change it, the reincarnated into another world is used just as an excuse for the protagonist-narrator to have modern values and react to certain events with them, he is still an audience surrogate except he is not built to be a self insert canvas. Imagine this, if the character-narrator was someone originally born in that ruthless world his entire mind frame would be about how might makes right and if disaster strikes well, shit happens, deal with it. which although it could be interesting in its own right, I don't think it would be appealing to most people.
you could say there were already other grim isekai titles such as Grimgar, but those are plagued by being a video game world with levels and stuff. as afar as I understood by this review, Torture princess is just a very violent world were monsters do exist.
By "not being integral to the story" Theron probably meant that the plot is not about the protagonist wanting to return to his original world or wanting to become better people only because of how much they lamented their previous life (mushoku tensei, et al)
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harminia
Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 2038
Location: australia
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:09 pm
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What I got from the Isekai line is that it's not a story that focuses on it being Isekai. Rather than a character being transported to a world and being like "omg I'm in another world this is just like my anime" it's more, the character is transported, now let's ignore that because here's the main story? Maybe?
I haven't read the book so I can't say...
I have been interested in the book though so I'm happy to see this review and the one in the LN guide, because I wasn't sure whether this would be trashy or something. Sounds like it's a bit more interesting than that so I might pick it up. Thanks for the review!
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2637
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:54 pm
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harminia wrote: |
I have been interested in the book though so I'm happy to see this review and the one in the LN guide, because I wasn't sure whether this would be trashy or something. Sounds like it's a bit more interesting than that so I might pick it up. Thanks for the review! |
I think Theron hit the nail on the head by calling this Gothic; it's much more inspired by the classics in that genre than it is trashy. It's difficult and uncomfortable at times, but there's a point to it, which for me takes it out of the realm of literary junk food.
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Key
Moderator
Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18396
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 7:03 pm
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MiloTheFirst wrote: | Well, I haven't read it myself yet (which I hope to do soon) but what Theron might be saying is that unlike the Isekai trend where the formula is for the Main character to use his modern world knowledge to cheat and become OP in a new world, etc. Here the story focus on how a modern day person would cope with living in that horrible world instead of trying to change it, the reincarnated into another world is used just as an excuse for the protagonist-narrator to have modern values and react to certain events with them, he is still an audience surrogate except he is not built to be a self insert canvas. |
Pretty much this. The isekai aspect becomes a plot point again at one other point late in the book, but the way it is handled at that time much more resembles a horror story than a traditional isekai title. Otherwise it's a non-factor.
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TarsTarkas
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5914
Location: Virginia, United States
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:08 pm
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I found it an interesting read, hopefully more novels will be forthcoming to our shores.
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Fred Lougee
Joined: 01 Oct 2018
Posts: 127
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 1:06 am
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Key wrote: |
MiloTheFirst wrote: | Well, I haven't read it myself yet (which I hope to do soon) but what Theron might be saying is that unlike the Isekai trend where the formula is for the Main character to use his modern world knowledge to cheat and become OP in a new world, etc. Here the story focus on how a modern day person would cope with living in that horrible world instead of trying to change it, the reincarnated into another world is used just as an excuse for the protagonist-narrator to have modern values and react to certain events with them, he is still an audience surrogate except he is not built to be a self insert canvas. |
Pretty much this. The isekai aspect becomes a plot point again at one other point late in the book, but the way it is handled at that time much more resembles a horror story than a traditional isekai title. Otherwise it's a non-factor. |
I got a couple of volumes in, got side-tracked. Fully intend to get back to it.
You have heard me say this before, Theron, it's that over-poweredness that makes me wish all manga editors would take everyone who says "I have an idea for a new isekai", wrap them in a futon and throw them off the bridge into the Arakawa River. It's refreshing then to find one where the new arrival acts mostly as the passive observer for the real main character, the Dr. Watson, as it were. I said "mostly".
There are a lot of things to like here to my mind, very high on that list is Elisabeth's entire attitude of "No big deal. Just taking out the trash before the big barbecue."
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gridsleep
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:40 pm
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I have Volume 1 right here, unread as yet, so I am not reading anyone else's opinion of it.
I would like to see everyone who thought 50 Shades of Gray was edgy, be made to sit down and read Torture Princess. Or de Sade's Justine. I alway enjoy seeing clueless people's delusions being shattered.
It's Nietzschean. If you want to properly understand the premise of Torture Princess, go read Nietzsche. Why aren't you reading Nietzsche? Do you want to be a pinhead your whole life? I'll give you a clue: "We each become what we most fear."
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