:sparkles_pink: Navi :sparkles_pink:
@navi@hey.pomnavi.net · Reply to Dr. Neon, PhD in Tragedy

@geraineon thanks for linking the article! It's an interesting read, despite its inaccuracies lol.

I think the author is getting at something that feels real though, which is that light novels (CJK) feel fresh, entertaining, and expansive compared to western fiction right now.

I think they could have pushed this thinking a little further, since the popularity of Romantasy (booktok adjacent) and gamelit/progression fantasy like Dungeon Crawler Carl are meeting the same fundamental need or "reading pleasure" as this author calls it.

Royal Road/Kindle Unlimited is sort of functioning in the same manner as Korean free chapters/paid chapters model.

1 reply

Dr. Neon, PhD in Tragedy
@geraineon@sakurajima.social · Reply to :sparkles_pink: Navi :sparkles_pink:

@navi@hey.pomnavi.net yeah, I was kinda thinking about those gamelit type stories and Royal Road. I think the space the author is trying to explain is a lot messier than the author is capable of actually explaining. But I also agree that it touches on the edges of something real here, which is that there's an unfulfilled space that these stories are filling. Not only that they are fresh and exciting, they are also affordable (well, mostly, kinda... Danmei in translation is expensive like all other books here)