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teddogI got bored last night and rewatched the final arc of Higurashi again. It's very much a "because I can" sort of thing. I find the closing arc fascinating, because it's so far removed from the start of the series.
Usually around the last handful of episodes, I'm reminded of a type of riff that shows up in Mystery Science Theater. It's usually towards the end of the movie when one of the characters, often Tom, points out that the movie has strayed far from its original point. An example I can recall off the top of my head is "Hey, wasn't John Saxon in this movie?" from the episode Mitchell.
One of the big deals with Higurashi is that everything is interconnected. EVERYTHING. Slight references and off-handed comments early on carry huge wieght later. How the final arc plays out only makes sense if you had been following the actions of the minor characters up until this point.
Which begs the question... is the proper way to carry out character development?
Higurashi is, in the end, a murder-mystery with supernatural elements, which might explain why the audience is pulled along for so long. However, a lot of the character development is rushed in the last two arcs, as suddenly the true nature of the characters needs to be cleared up to understand how the events play out. The role of one character who serves mostly as comic relief isn't touched upon until the last ten minutes of the show. For reference, this is a series that runs for 50 episodes. That's a very long time to have something under the surface.
The creator of the series has admitted that he enjoys confusing readers; his stories are written for people who enjoy trying to piece together the puzzle. People looking for a story told straight up need not apply. Thus, he's relying on this level of interest to fuel his readship and in turn, his fandom. However, it's not a large fandom and a good amount of the fandom over here became angry when the tone of the work later changed.
I often worry while writing fic that I keep too many details too subtle to the point that there is no impact for the reader. If there's no impact, is there a reason to keep going? At the same time, I'm reminded of Higurashi's fandom. The end that signed up for a horror story later complained that the storyline was one giant bait-and-switch.
So, to those still with me:
Writers, be it fic or pro - How subtle is too subtle? Should an author lay out his/her cards all out on the table early on? Should he/she be expecting the reader to follow every tiny detail? How those one deal with someone missing the point completely?
Readers, not just of fic but in general - What's your opinion on a storyline that starts extremely subtle? Do you still feel the urge to keep reading? And are you annoyed and upset when the plot suddenly twists and it's based on plot details that you ignored up until now?
Usually around the last handful of episodes, I'm reminded of a type of riff that shows up in Mystery Science Theater. It's usually towards the end of the movie when one of the characters, often Tom, points out that the movie has strayed far from its original point. An example I can recall off the top of my head is "Hey, wasn't John Saxon in this movie?" from the episode Mitchell.
One of the big deals with Higurashi is that everything is interconnected. EVERYTHING. Slight references and off-handed comments early on carry huge wieght later. How the final arc plays out only makes sense if you had been following the actions of the minor characters up until this point.
Which begs the question... is the proper way to carry out character development?
Higurashi is, in the end, a murder-mystery with supernatural elements, which might explain why the audience is pulled along for so long. However, a lot of the character development is rushed in the last two arcs, as suddenly the true nature of the characters needs to be cleared up to understand how the events play out. The role of one character who serves mostly as comic relief isn't touched upon until the last ten minutes of the show. For reference, this is a series that runs for 50 episodes. That's a very long time to have something under the surface.
The creator of the series has admitted that he enjoys confusing readers; his stories are written for people who enjoy trying to piece together the puzzle. People looking for a story told straight up need not apply. Thus, he's relying on this level of interest to fuel his readship and in turn, his fandom. However, it's not a large fandom and a good amount of the fandom over here became angry when the tone of the work later changed.
I often worry while writing fic that I keep too many details too subtle to the point that there is no impact for the reader. If there's no impact, is there a reason to keep going? At the same time, I'm reminded of Higurashi's fandom. The end that signed up for a horror story later complained that the storyline was one giant bait-and-switch.
So, to those still with me:
Writers, be it fic or pro - How subtle is too subtle? Should an author lay out his/her cards all out on the table early on? Should he/she be expecting the reader to follow every tiny detail? How those one deal with someone missing the point completely?
Readers, not just of fic but in general - What's your opinion on a storyline that starts extremely subtle? Do you still feel the urge to keep reading? And are you annoyed and upset when the plot suddenly twists and it's based on plot details that you ignored up until now?
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Date: 2009-01-30 05:45 pm (UTC)Subtle, for a visual story or a book is very good for me too-- I want to be engaged and I want you to string me along with delicious gooey plot goodies. Not only is is a good idea to do this, it keeps watchers watching the series. They're intrigued and want to know more.
The cons for this sort of thing is that some times writers get a little gung-ho on the subtle and start narrowing their audience with references and clues that only a few may get, making a series more WTF WHY HAPPEN?!!!!;;; more than anything else.
The biggest thing I think a writer should try and remember when writing something is how to hook someone who has never, ever, ever heard of what they're writing about. I'm pretty sure a few won't agree with that, but I think it helps pull everyone into a story, be it the uber smrt "haha I knew your plot before it started but I'm still reading omg," to the, "huh how do I shoot web?" clueless.
As for cards, an author should always keep one or two up his or her sleeve--it just keeps the rest of us on our toes.