Complexity delusion?
Good evening everyone. Lately I’ve been noticing comments where some people keep saying that a manga/manhwa is “complex” and it got me thinking about something I wanted to share.
I’m just a reader sharing my take (not claiming to be a literature expert) and I’d like to know what you all think about it too.
I've seen this a lot specifically with BLs that handle themes like rape, sexual assault, murder, etc... Sometimes people justify a character’s actions by calling the story “complex” when in reality it’s just poorly written and I believe that people fail to realistically see what’s actually happening and end up excusing problematic behaviors under the excuse of "depth" . They see a story that’s confusing, has morally grey characters or includes extreme stuff like abuse or obsession and automatically assume there’s some deep meaning behind it. They think contradictions, shocking behavior or plot twists = layered storytelling.
Of course I think that complex characters can be morally grey or unpredictable but their actions must be justified in motivations you can trace. If a character’s behavior makes zero sense in context, that’s not complexity... that’s inconsistency if it makes sense. They aren't chaotic for shock value but they're following a twisted but coherent logic (for example horse-face Jaekyung vs Sangwoo).
But then again... How do you guys determine whether a story or character is genuinely deep and complex?
Thanks in advance for any answer.
Ppl think trauma = complexity
1 reply
11 hours
thank you for saying this
i thank your mother for birthing you
you're so real
1 reply
12 hours
I love your question and statement btw. So here is my opinion. (brace up for a little lengthy answer)
As you said Sangwoo vs jaekyung. Imma use them as an example too for familiarity and difference between them.
See, sangwoo is a complex character, his actions are rooted from past trauma, as people have read this know. About his parents especially ......
3 reply
11 hours
I love this question. my opinion is that as soon as there's something like rape involved between two characters and then 5 chapters later that trauma is ignored and brushed over without ever addressing it, then I consider it dogshit.
I have a few ways to tell if a story actual shows depth and complexity in their "messed up" characters. if lots of ......
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4 hours
when people talk about "complex" stories, they're typically referring to character-driven stories. things are considered "deep" when they are layered and often hidden. a flat, superficial character or plot doesn't leave much room to the imagination--it's a "what you see is what you get" type of thing. good "complex" narratives challenge our perspec......
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8 hours
I would say it's more of the norm for stories that have morally grey characters, tragedy, dark themes, etc to generally have more depth just because there is more back story and more time is taken to explain a character's actions, sometimes it isn't done fully (or well) but I often see even just a little bit of this compared to a wholesome/fluff st......
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10 hours
I believe that's just the human brain trying to make sense where there is none.
I do think a big part of complexity is about contradiction. People contradict themselves all the time, but even in real life, usually we find excuses for it. Like if your house is neat and tidy but your car is a mess, you might say something like "but I don't live in ......
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2 hours
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
For me, what makes a story/ character intriguing is how much and to what degree they resonate with me, stir up my emotions, and/or how they reflect the deep societal issues (or a new perspectives to them) that are prevalent in the world around me.
Having said that, those are purely through my lens so subjectivi......
1 reply
11 hours
