Forum - View topicWhen is the right time?
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
kosmicdream
Posts: 2 |
|
||
|
When one opens up a manga and turns the first few pages, it has been something I have noticed in just about ever manga I have read; and that is the main plot or “Hook” of the entire series seems to be clear within the first chapter. (Around the first 30 pages or so.)
I understand might be something that needs to happen quickly, Since when artists first submit their work to magazines or publishers they don’t want to carry on their beginnings and cut to the case so they can get it published. Or even when someone is surfing through the graphic novel section in their local bookstore, it seems to be best to grab the reader’s interest quickly and to get them to want to know how the story carries onward and to get them to want to buy the book for themselves. However.. Have you ever read a manga that doesn’t issue its main “Hook” within the first chapter? If you have, do you prefer that particular type of opening which is slightly more drawn out, over the manga stories that cuts to the main plotline quickly? Or, if the story’s plotline does not connect fast enough; do you find yourself uninterested or bored with it quickly? What do you think? What exactly is it that makes you want to buy or read a manga book? Do you think that where the main plot turn appears affects a story, or is it irrelevant? |
|||
|
|||
Arkard
 Posts: 677 Location: Poland |
|
||
|
As always, it depends.
If it werent for that "hook" I would never become interested in many mainstream/simply entertaining titles. The kind that are not exactly "top shelf" but have some merit to them. Having been reading, lets say Video Girl Ai, Ichigo 100% or Psychometer Eiji, if I weren`t captured from the very beggining (with panty shots or good ol` shounen action), the chances of me continuing it (or simply reading further) would be very slim. And I wouldn`t want that, as those 3 manga are one of my fav, though in the "guilty pleasure" section 
I would say certain titles need that hook. Like, I had trouble getting into Get Backers. I didn't see that "hook" their so I dismissed it quite fast. But then I came to it after some time and whadda you know? The manga really picks up with time. But there was no way of knowing that from the beggining. And of course there are the other titles. The ones that dont need a hook, because you have a feeling they will be great from page 1 and will keep on reading. For example Saikano. I dont know what would be so appealing in it from the first few chapters but I couldnt stop reading it. It looked like a cute romance story, but with a twist, which sucked me in, only to later SQUISH me with the drama to the point when I was actually depressed for a few days. There is also a third group of great mangas that try to give you the overall idea in the first chapter. Such as Berserk or REAL. From the beggining you know what you are dealing with. One is a crazy dark fantasy violent series, the other is a story of overcoming diversity, concentrating on wheelchair and regular basketball. But even without that I guess you would want to read it. Be it by art or the "feel" of it, those manga are fated to be read by a mass of people. |
|||
|
|||
Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
|
||
|
It really just depends. Like Arkard said, some series really need a hook in order to catch my interest. Some shonen titles just don't have a strong enough story or characters to work without a hook. The nature of their audience and the fact that most of them follow an already laid out formula makes having a gimmick nessisary in some cases.
On the other hand, many title don't need a hook at all. Maybe they're meant to be more serious stories, or maybe they're just well-written enough not to need one. Using Arkard's example, REAL is a manga that seems to have a pretty obvious gimmick: it's Slam Dunk in wheelchairs. But that's not what the story is about. The characters don't exist to compliment the story/hook; but rather the situation (wheelchair basketball) exists to develop the characters. |
|||
|
|||
|
bobobobobobobo
SPAMMER
 Posts: 54 |
|
||
|
lol. like Dr. Slump has a hook.
|
|||
|
|||
|
Arkard
Posts: 677 Location: Poland |
|
||
Dr Slump is like Discworld. The "hook" became the story itself. |
|||
|
|||
Dranxis
 Posts: 591 Location: Ohtori Academy |
|
||
|
Well, I read alot of shonen and while I've noticed that many have a "hook," most of the series I seem to like don't get good until much later in the series. Hunter x Hunter, Bleach, Houshin Engi, and One Piece all took a while to get going, but when they did, it was difficult to stop reading. But maybe it's just me, since I have a hard time getting into new series.
|
|||
|
|||
|
.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
|
||
|
As aforementioned, it depends on the type of title. Generally the Shonen Jump titles and shoujo titles aimed at teenagers (because we all know they have ADD
 ) try to "hook" the reader within the first chapter or so. Some manga that are almost completely character driven take some time for me to get hooked, because it takes a while before I become familiar with the characters. For example, I didn't really like Nana when I first read it because the plot itself is unremarkable. It took until the fourth chapter for me to know the characters and therefore the series, which I now really enjoy. Other series just don't aim to snag readers by giving them excitement or intrigue if it's a mystery. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind isn't the type of manga to where the aim is to toss a lot of adrenaline around, although it's still a good manga. I definitely needed patience for that one.
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group