Board 8 > Top 35 Stories in Fiction

(+) Yeah! (+)

KamikazePotato posted...

and a few of the fights like All Might vs. All For One have an incredible amount of emotional weight behind them.

I almost don't wanna watch S4 and Beyond because that fight was so good and All Might won't be relevant outside giving advice anymore.

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banananor posted...

I will say that I thought DDLC was absolutely brilliant for about 10 minutes in the middle, right about when things first started getting weird. I thought this because it was so obviously based on someone's real voice.

I'm not sure it was worth the 2 hours of awkward dating sim leading up to it, though

And the subsequent hour (or whatever) if nonsense afterwards could have been much shorter

Do you mean around the leadup to Sayori's suicide? Or the stuff immediately after?

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I feel like this topic should have waited for Death Stranding to come out first
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I have no idea what to expect from Death Stranding.

On the subject of DDLC - I've played over 150 games. Making even the honorable mentions of this list means I hold its story in high regard.

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I would expect a story worth talking about, either for good or for bad...!
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Hard

Fucking

Tag
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Tag

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Black Lagoon is incredible, yeah. So many hard-hitting moments and arcs. Top 5 anime for me for sure, and on some days I might even go as high as 2 or 3.

I do agree with you that it does feel like an odd choice in that there isn't really much of a main story, if any. Even Bebop has its 5-episode "main story/Spike" arc but Black Lagoon doesn't even really have that. Manga is still ongoing AFAIK though so maybe that changes later idk I've never read it.
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20th Century Boys would be in my top ten. Would be my number one if it was just the first two arcs (the first 2/3 of the series). I still like the third arc a lot, and it has some amazing moments ("you can't shoot a man who's singing a song"), but it has some weak parts too. Did you know that the author has performed Bob Lennon live in concerts? What a great man.

Harry Potter 7 did feel kind of forgettable, but its movies are my favorite of the lot. Splitting it into two was a great idea, and I wish they'd done the same with 4, 5, and 6 too.

KamikazePotato posted...

Bastard
Manhwa

Thought this was

Bastard!
Manga

for a second and it was going to be a writeup about how powerful Dark Schneider is.
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I didn't care for Undertale much when I finally played it earlier this year. I'm sure it didn't help that I'm terrible at the bullet hell stuff and just did not have a good time with that aspect whatsoever. I went in pretty much completely unspoiled though and there were a few really charming moments. I think I'd give it like a 6.

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I mostly think of it as the 'story' of Rock and Revy, if that makes sense.

The manga is barely ahead of the anime. Author unfortunately lost interest in it.

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It does, if anything I was going to say Rock's character arc is the closest thing to a main story there is there and Revy is obviously very tied into that.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

("you can't shoot a man who's singing a song")

This is probably my favorite scene in the whole thing, it's incredible. Will agree that the first 2/3 were stronger than the last 1/3 too.

Did you know that the author has performed Bob Lennon live in concerts? What a great man.

I didn't! That's even more incredible.

Bastard!
Manga

for a second and it was going to be a writeup about how powerful Dark Schneider is.

I just tried finding a site to read Bastard (the manhwa) on and one link has the cover art for Bastard on it but links to chapters to Bastard! the manga. Incredible. The original site I read it on now has it restricted to their mobile app, so that's cool too.

SaveEstelle posted...

I didn't care for Undertale much when I finally played it earlier this year. I'm sure it didn't help that I'm terrible at the bullet hell stuff and just did not have a good time with that aspect whatsoever. I went in pretty much completely unspoiled though and there were a few really charming moments. I think I'd give it like a 6.

I'm a big fan of bullet hell gameplay so it was a selling point for me. One thing I forgot to mention in my Undertale writeup is that the battles themselves often tell stories, especially if you want to Spare the enemies. Really good story and gameplay integration that was highly appreciated.

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Mac Arrowny posted...

KamikazePotato posted...

Bastard
Manhwa

Thought this was

Bastard!
Manga

for a second and it was going to be a writeup about how powerful Dark Schneider is.

I was confused for a second too. "huh, I didn't know Dark Schneider's father was a serial killer. wait how do you ban Dark Schneider from exercising"
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where is fortnite on this list
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Tag

ZenOfThunder posted...

where is fortnite on this list

You really think a masterpiece like Fortnite is going to be in Tier 4?

Drakeryn posted...

I was confused for a second too. "huh, I didn't know Dark Schneider's father was a serial killer. wait how do you ban Dark Schneider from exercising"

http://mangaowl.com/reader/50722/481529

Finally find a link to Bastard that was alive and didn't link to Bastard!. Weird sentence.

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Paranoia Agent
Anime Series

"Take a rest."

Paranoia Agent is an episodic, vaguely-connected series of segments about messed-up people getting hit with a baseball bat. This is going to be a short writeup because it's impossible to explain what makes Paranoia Agent good without removing a large amount of the enjoyment of watching it - you're not even sure what Paranoia Agent is about until most of the way through the series, and connecting all the disparate weirdness together to create a cohesive whole of a story is extremely satisfying. It's a show that you can appreciate both from an intellectual standpoint and a "hey, that was entertaining" way.

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Yeahhh
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Tales of Berseria
Video Game

"I really thought I could have my old life back, and I could forget everything else. I tried to act like I was doing it for him, but it was all for myself.

...But I can't forget. I shouldn't forget."

Tales of Berseria is an experience that is hurt by its mid-budget JRPG trappings. The art style doesn't lend itself well to serious scenes, the voice acting for some side characters can be so wacky it takes you out of things (looking at you, Bienfu), and it can be difficult to get immersed in the world when every environment looks like ass. Plus, Tales isn't a series known for its stellar writing in the first place.

It still baffles me how fantastic this game's story turned out. The plot hook is simple - revenge stories were invented millenia ago - but it takes that hook and runs with it. It's not often that you get to play as a group of people this dedicated to their own goals, no matter what happens to everyone else, and it results in a lot of entertainingly morally-dubious scenes. Berseria has a lot of parts where you feel like the bad guy, and just as many where you ARE the bad guy, giving it a unique tone not seen in most other stories. I've never been a fan of games where you play as the villain, but Berseria dips into toe into EVIL just enough to make you feel bad for what you're doing while still retaining the conviction to see everything through until the end. Just like it works for the main characters!

Every member of the party has their own uniquely satisfying story and is written extremely well, to the point where it's maaaybe the best main cast of characters in any JRPG I've seen. And even among tough competition, Velvet Crowe stands out as an extremely memorable character. While her lines can veer a bit into edgelord territory, especially near the beginning of the game, she overall gets a ton of good moments and character development and is the defining reason behind why the game works so well. She carries the game's emotional weight on her shoulders.

It's that emotional weight that makes Berseria as memorable for me as it is. The game likes to lull you into a false sense of security with good-but-low-key writing before blasting you with a segment packed full with emotion, and it got me every time. A few of the scenes are very, very memorable for me and will be for a long time. Unfortunately, the ending has some questionable parts, and the last 1/4 isn't as good as what leads up to it, which prevents me from ranking the game higher, but the highs far outweigh the lows.

P.S. Velvet for Smash. Make it happen

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And that's all of Tier 4!

TIER 4
Harry Potter
Bastard
Black Lagoon
Re:Zero
Undertale
Paranoia Agent
Tales of Berseria

Looks like all the Anime series and the one Manhwa got wiped out. Tier 3 starting up whenever my hand stops hurting for some reason.

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Still need to play Berseria one of these days.

Not sure I'll ever play Undertale.
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Tag!
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The final third was what made Berseria not my favorite Tales game (though I still liked it a lot). Arthur's villainous plan felt really dumb. Took all the nuance out of the plot.
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Great taste alert for Black Lagoon, Paranoia Agent and Berseria.
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Tier 3

Nier
Video Game

"Nothing will stop me. I will fight for Yonah until the end.

...Until the very end."

Emotional responses is one of the things I most highly prize in a story. I can look past a lot of bullshit (within reason) if a game, book, ect. makes me feel. Nier definitely has some BS to look past. Mediocre-but-underrated gameplay aside, the plot falls apart if you stare at certain parts of it too closely, and some of the major beats can feel forced if you're not all-in on the concept behind the setting.

It also made me FEEL, like, a lot. For all the flaws in its setting, Nier still does an excellent job at creating the most casual post-apocalyptic world I've ever seen. Everyone kind of understands that they're screwed, but they're willing to keep on living for however long that is, and it's Papa Nier's drive to give his ill daughter the best-possible life she can despite their shitty situation that makes his tale so compelling. The game doesn't pull punches on what it means to dangle a glimmer of hope in front of someone with nothing to lose, and the end result is something I'm not telling you, if you haven't played the game why are you clicking on this? Go play it!

The rest of the main cast is so well-written that their emotional stories matter as much as Papa Nier's do. Kaine, Weiss, and Emil are all fantastic characters who you really grow to care for because of REASONS REDACTED. Nier's various endings got me so worked up that I was one of the pushy people telling everyone to play it back when it was obscure, something I definitely don't do anymore.

Also, the music. The music is so good that it makes the story better. Anything feels like a gutpunch when certain themes start playing.

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Ahem, I think you mean Grimoire Weiss.

But yeah, I totally agree with you on just the emotional gutpunches the game throws at you, especially once you start the NG+ runs. It's one of the reasons I still prefer it over Automata.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Ahem, I think you mean Grimoire Weiss.

But yeah, I totally agree with you on just the emotional gutpunches the game throws at you, especially once you start the NG+ runs. It's one of the reasons I still prefer it over Automata.

I overall prefer Automata's story (SPOILERS) but it's for different reasons. Automata's is more introspective while Nier goes straight for the heart. Both are amazing in different ways.

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Chrysalis
Web Serial

"Ah.

English.

We had tried to talk to them. To negotiate our surrender. We had sent messages in every language, in every conceivable way. Entire committees devoted to the task.

But they had known English all along."

I love a good revenge story, and Chrysalis is one of the craziest I've ever seen. The hook is simple but effective - a sentient AI awakens to a ruined earth, where all of humanity has been eradicated by aliens. The AI is unsure of how it's alive, or even how it came to exist, but it knows one thing for sure: fuck that. After scouring the earth and finding absolutely no survivors, and spending just as much time giving the entire human population proper burials, it decides that the next-best use of its time would be to strip mine the earth, develop advanced spaceflight, and fuck up the motherfuckers that fucked the human race.

Chrysalis juggles a lot of different tones extremely effectively. It can be absurd, introspective, depressing, and hopeful, all depending on the chapter and scene. It delves deep into its themes regarding revenge, posing tough questions and then showing what happens when a being a wrath capable of exponential growth finds the answers to those questions...wanting. Chrysalis' placement on this list is held back by an ending I wasn't 100% happy with, but that first readthrough is so full of escalation and emotion that I love the story anyway.

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Good choice.

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I am shocked that another person on B8 has read Chrysalis.

Mac Arrowny posted...

The final third was what made Berseria not my favorite Tales game (though I still liked it a lot). Arthur's villainous plan felt really dumb. Took all the nuance out of the plot.

I mostly agree with this. I still really liked some of the scenes in the last 1/3 but some of the developments were...eeeeh.

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when people agree that a game doesn't finish well it makes me very hesitant
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NowItsAngeTime posted...

Do you mean around the leadup to Sayori's suicide? Or the stuff immediately after?

I guess my main complaint about the game was pacing.

I thought the waySayori described her experience of mental illness was very powerful. Her suicide was obviously surprising as well. In fact, all of the heartfelt revelations were worthwhile. That one sure-footed pivot from empty to meaningful was worth 30 minutes of playtime. But as someone who wasn't 100% comfortable with the basic premise in the first place- a set of teenage girls with low self esteem pathetically groveling for your attention- I don't know if I needed to spend the full multi-hour process to be told they should already be in a dark place. Or have to play through the whole game multiple times to try to save her.

What I wasn't as much of a fan of was the subsequent 'glitching out', random text, inverted color, and so on- time-wasting scenes. They were neat as genre-breakers, but I wish I knew what the name of the trope for it was. It reminds me of homestuck, oxenfree, and undertale to the point where I guess for me personally it isn't surprising. And it went on for toooo looong

It was valuable setup for Monika. I think the game could've skipped past some of that. The core story is good- NPC in dating sim breaks the fourth wall and sabotages the actual video game to make every other character depressed and unavailable so that she will be the only one left for you, the player, while ignoring the character you're supposed to be playing as- the pacing is just so so so so so so bad.

Again, the raw concept of the story is really good, it's just better on paper than in execution. And I guess this topic is about stories, not pacing or camera work or attention to details or anything that technical, so it shouldn't ding the overall ranking, which I guess I've talked myself back into being ok with

I should collect my thoughts and start thinking of what stories I actually do like!
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banananor posted...

Again, the raw concept of the story is really good, it's just better on paper than in execution. And I guess this topic is about stories, not pacing or camera work or attention to details or anything that technical, so it shouldn't ding the overall ranking, which I guess I've talked myself back into being ok with

Stuff like pacing and attention to detail is something that is taken into account when making a list like this...as long as it affects (positively or negatively) my enjoyment of the story as a whole. This list is subjective, not objective, and the impact a story leaves on me is more important than anything else. DDLC has issues, but I considered its strengths to be enough for me to really enjoy the story regardless.

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Transmetropolitan
Comic Series

https://i.imgur.com/mL36FVd.jpg

Transmetropolitan is probably the most audacious story that's still good. I've spent the last fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to describe it. It's main character, named Spider Jerusalem because why not, is an insanely bitter and violent asshole who somehow still manages to be sympathetic and enjoyable. The world is a future-dystopia that should be depressing (and sometimes is) but not as much as it should be, simply because of how absurd the story gets sometimes. Society is shit and the people in it are morons, but the main character is so upfront about his misanthropy and disdain for the populace that it loops around to being comical. That there's some real messages about the importance of truth and the degradation of society to be found in it almost seems accidental.

There's other characters, and they're good too, but Spider Jerusalem is easily the star of the show. I could post dozens of comic excerpts of the guy being ridiculous and it wouldn't even scratch the surface. His hidden depths and the nuances of his character come into play in the second half of the series, where the major story arc of Determined Journalist vs. Insanely Evil President starts up. For a series that grounds itself in absurdity, the conflict gets surprisingly tense and emotional at times. Now that I think about it, 'surprising' is a good way to sum up the story. It always aims to mess with your expectations, and does so while managing to maintain a cohesive narrative that doesn't feel sloppy, and that's a feat that very few stories manage to pull off.

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Mac Arrowny posted...

The final third was what made Berseria not my favorite Tales game (though I still liked it a lot). Arthur's villainous plan felt really dumb. Took all the nuance out of the plot.

Yeah, it feels like they really lost their nerve by making Artorius's plan so overwhelmingly nonsensical that it no longer felt like the main party may have been in the wrong.
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Avatar: The Last Airbender
Cartoon Series

"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, how the four nations once lived in harmony. How everything changed once the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he disappeared. Nobody had seen him for a hundred years, until my brother and I found him, an airbender named Aang. The problem is, this Avatar is still a kid, and even though his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. The Fire Nation will do anything to capture Aang before he masters all four elements, so I must keep him safe until he's ready to fulfill his destiny. My brother thinks I'm crazy, but I believe Aang can save the world."

Avatar is a prime example of why execution in a story is so important. The story, when boiled down to its base components, is pretty simplistic. Kid's gotta go an extended training montage and save the world with magic - sorry, bending. It's in the way Avatar tells the story where it excels. Literally every character in the story is good, some of them very good, with strong character arcs and emotional depth. I'm quite partial to Zuko's development over the series, which goes in directions I did not at all expect. Even the more simplistic characters never cease to be entertaining and/or likable. The main cast could have been a bunch of stereotypical archetypes but their chemistry with each other and the little details they add to each characters makes the viewer invested in them almost effortlessly.

Where Avatar truly shines, however, is the world. Few fantasy stories can claim to have a worldbuilding as interesting and consistent as Avatar's. From the major elements like the history of each of the four factions, to the little things like how every animal is some weird crossbreed between species, everything just...works. I especially like the way that different types of bending look like actual martial arts styles that have been uniquely developed by their separate cultures. I always felt like I was learning something new about Avatar's world, and it made episodes with little main plot development still interesting to watch.

And above all else, it's fun. Big events happen, not all of them good, but the show never loses its positivity that makes it so easy to love. Just writing this out makes me want to go watch it again.

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And that's all for today!

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And how.

The last episode of book 2 is one that's stuck with me even this many years later.
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Book 2 ending is nuts, yeah. Probably the peak of the series.

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If 20th Century Boys got into your HM, I hope Pluto and Monster make it to the Top 35.
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So cool to see Transmetropolitan on here!
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I really need to read 20th Century Boys.

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banananor posted...

Again, the raw concept of the story is really good, it's just better on paper than in execution. And I guess this topic is about stories, not pacing or camera work or attention to details or anything that technical, so it shouldn't ding the overall ranking, which I guess I've talked myself back into being ok with

I should collect my thoughts and start thinking of what stories I actually do like!

That's basically why I personally gave DDLC around a 6.5/10

I basically have almost the exact same positive and negative thoughts about the things you listed

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Great writeups! Looking forward to the rest.
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Snake5555555555 posted...

So cool to see Transmetropolitan on here!

Glad someone else on B8 has read it!

Cybat posted...

Great writeups! Looking forward to the rest.

Thanks! Comments like this really mean a lot.

Raka_Putra posted...

If 20th Century Boys got into your HM, I hope Pluto and Monster make it to the Top 35.

I can neither confirm nor deny.

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Oh, wait, yes I can.

Pluto
Manga Series

Technically this should be under the Fanfiction category. Naoki Urasawa, almost certainly the greatest manga author of all time, decided to adapt his favorite Astro Boy story into something entirely different and unique, and because he's a genius of course it turned out amazing. Pluto combines sci-fi with a hard-boiled detective story, starring a robot investigating the deaths of some of the most famous robots in the world. I'm a sucker for stories about sentient AI discovering themselves, and what it means to be truly alive, so this story was right up my alley. Pluto explores the weight of a life, and what it means for others when that life is taken. Every character is written with depth and feels like a real person (or robot) despite the limited screentime each of them get. SImply put, Pluto is really, really well-done and I love pretty much every moment in the manga. And I knew absolutely nothing about Astro Boy going in!

It's hard to describe what makes an Urasawa story so good, because his greatest strengths lie in how everything is executed. Pluto's sense of pacing and the way each scene is framed, even for the simplest moments, is perfect. It can sound pretentious to describe a piece of fiction as 'intelligent', but that's exactly what Urasawa's works are. They never talk down to you or force the story on you, giving you enough material to come to your own conclusions while simultaneously tugging at your heartstrings. By the end of Pluto, you're left tired but satisfied, confident that the story ended exactly when and where it should. I cannot recommend it enough to people who...well, like good stories.

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I think I remember discussing transmetropolitan with you on AIM back in the day, glad to know you didn't forget about it, good choice
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