Why are romance manga so... bad?

[knight_evangel]

So my title is a bit misleading; rom-coms are my guilty pleasure. I love them despite being completely out of the target demographic.

However, I just finished HoriMiya. And it's not a BAD series, I don't want to dump on it or anything because they all have the same issue: the authors don't know where to go with the story after the MCs get together. And I don't understand why they're ALL like this - it's like the old Disney 'they lived happily ever after' nonsense, but why is this so prevalent? There is SO much more story that could be told there, why aren't we seeing couples go into college or the workforce? It's like the only plot device they can think of is goofy misunderstandings based on teenage angst. I've been fuming on this for a while now as I blow through more and more stories only to find the same brick wall of plot development and I just need to know WHY. Why do these authors just write the same stories over and over again?

And I mean, sure there are some cultural differences here but you can't tell me the domestic audiences don't have the same gripes about stories spending forever in plot limbo.

It is a product. Products generally follow two major rules.

1. Do what makes money.
2. Don't take risks.

Both of those things create a process of elimination that overlap. The end result is gimmick and cliche.

Neither of which are inherently bad until creative control is lost. An easy way to lose control is to make a lot of money and not take risks because the work then becomes an asset-protecting an asset becomes slightly more important than improving it.

That 'slightly' slowly creeps into creative control until having done too well turns the product into something generic from taking too little risks and catering to making money.

And the older you are, the more you recognize the process until they all blend together. And that's why things you grew up with sometimes seem better than they really are. What you're feeling now is an extension of that.


Someone who grew up with Horimiya might think you're full of shit until five years later when they complain about a new romance manga that's like all the rest.

Spoiler

Or it could be that the Horimiya author sucks at writing. : }

 

[ryla]

For HoriMiya, afaik it's an adaption of an existing webcomic. I don't know how the webcomic goes but a lot of flaws in modern manga are due to authors mishandling adaptions and not doing the original work justice. Whether it's due to wanting to appeal to a different audience or simply not understanding what made it good.

A lot of stories sort of follow templates. Whenever you read manga you can usually sense that it's based off an existing work in some form. Stories typically end when the characters get together because that's how it's always been, and a lot of authors nowadays don't know how to write something unfamiliar to them.

 

[ThatSoulsGirl]

Because if the romance is the most interesting part, then you already know the story outside of that is already lacking, so when the goal is complete, ie: they get together, then what else is there to show? And it's not that all mangas revolving around romance do this, or are bad, some can adapt, but most don't. I would even say it's probably harder to make a romance slice of life interesting without overusing love triangles. That's why I prefer series that have a plot outside of romance.

 

[BzzBzz]

HoriMiya

Demographic: Shounen <-- Here's your problem

If you want somewhat adequate romance go for shoujo/josei works.

 

[Trevoga]

Demographic: Shounen <-- Here's your problem

If you want somewhat adequate romance go for shoujo/josei works.

That's hilarious. Shoujo romance feels even more like every other one came fresh out of the same factory.

As for HoriMiya, I honestly don't see the problem with it, unless you don't like slice of life, which most of it ends up being. The romance isn't dragged out, they get together, they progress, and there's a gradual transition into non-eventfullness of, you know, life. There isn't a new love rival every arc or whatever. The few characters that get introduced beyond the first, like, 2 volumes, don't feel out of place. Most of HoriMiya is fun character interaction. I'll grant you that it is lacking when it comes to romance past the main couple development, but honestly that's infinitely better than most of the slop with almost no progress over like 10 volumes before ending on a (finally not misunderstood or misheard or whatever) confession and one meaningless epilogue chapter.

And yeah, Sturgeon's law applies. Most of romcom manga nowadays is boring formulaic slop, that's just how it is. I'd say it adds to how special and lovely the exceptions are.

 

[dementati]

Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu, the best shounen romcom ever, neatly sidesteps this problem in the way you want it to. First there's will they/won't they, then they start dating, and then it just keeps going in a natural way and it's still just as great and compelling. Unsurprisingly, the author is female.

 

[Mr-Manga-Cat]

There are multiple problems with romance manga. They get tropey and more involved than say stupid romcoms. Let us review a few issues

1. Communication: This is a big problem in the romance genre in general. If people would stop and talk to others about any situation it would resolve most of the issues. Hell, if anything this would solve a lot of issues in manga in general. Someone catches someone in a certain position, jumps to conclusions, and it leads to nothing but problems.
   
   
2. Annoying is Annoying: This has been a problem in recent romance manga. Where annoying is seen as endearing or some kind of enticing. If you know someone irl that is annoying. You don't like that person and probably try to keep your distance.
   
   
3. Character Chemistry: When two characters have good chemistry they play off well and you enjoy seeing them together. In HoriMiya the characters actually do have chemistry really well, talk, and handle issues like actual people so it isn't the most offensive manga in terms of romance.
   
   
4. Harem: This is the killer. This is the thing that really ruins a good romance manga. The harem being there, but the main character being involved in so many women's lives that it comes off as idiotic or annoying. There has been a fad in certain harem manga where the main character decides to man up and pick a girl. (My monster secret is an example of this.)
   
   
5. Tropes: Nuff said

I can go on and on with what is wrong with romance manga. I'm just picking things here that really bother me. Romance manga can be really well and good. Hell, there was one I read awhile ago that ended tearfully because high school romances rarely last for the rest of your life, and can even ruin a friendship if you catch feels. It had a sad end, but the journey was nice with a lesson to appreciate what you have.

Most of the time the author just doesn't know what to do with a couple once they are a couple. So they introduce a love rival, they make them break up for a stupid reason, or they make one of them fall on their head and lose their memory. Whatever fluff to keep it going.