Full transcript
0:00Now , the topic we're going to discuss
0:03today is which web novels are praised
0:07as masterpieces . There are works that
0:14are lauded as masterpieces regardless
0:17of their actual sales figures . Hmm .
0:23Well , of course , sales are good , too .
0:26Among those released as masterpieces
0:29and praised as such , it seems difficult
0:32to actually find a novel with low sales
0:34. Most of them are praised as
0:36masterpieces because communities or web
0:39novel readers evaluate them as " wow ,
0:41this novel is seriously amazing " or " a
0:44masterpiece . " It is actually hard to
0:47find works with low actual sales . But
0:49there is another characteristic here .
0:52Works like * Omniscient Reader's
0:54Viewpoint * , * Skull Noun * , * The Rebirth
0:58of Gluttony * , * Ghost Story Club * —
1:00these kinds of novels are often praised
1:04as what are commonly referred to as
1:07masterpieces . Of course , there may be
1:09differences of opinion regarding these
1:11novels . Hey , I am certainly aware that
1:13there are people who say , " I watched it
1:15, and how is that a masterpiece ? " and I
1:18respect that opinion . However , looking
1:22at the general consensus and public
1:25opinion , it is a work that is praised
1:28as a masterpiece . Actually . But hey , I
1:31think there are some characteristics to
1:34these works . When I thought about it ,
1:37the narrative is heavy . First of all , I
1:42think we need to define what " heavy "
1:44basically means . The level of immersion
1:47is very high . Also , the characters in
1:52the novel are serious . Ah , I’m sure
1:55of it . They are serious . I don't think
1:57there have been many novels that made
1:59it into the ranks of masterpieces when
2:02they were all cocky and just saying "
2:04yes , yes . " However , that does exist .
2:06One that was a bit unique here was
2:08probably * Ghost Story Club * . Actually , *
2:11Ghost Story Club * isn't a heavy novel .
2:14It is a very light novel . To be honest ,
2:16regarding * Ghost Story Club * , it is
2:18considered closer to a light novel , but
2:21novels like * Ossuary Wanja * or similar
2:23works are generally actually heavy .
2:28When reading them , you have to be
2:30extremely immersed and focused ; they
2:33are dark , so the overall atmosphere is
2:36dark — heavy and gloomy . I think people
2:40tend to look for novels with a
2:42generally dark atmosphere . I've seen
2:44quite a few of them . So , does that mean
2:47you can just write darkly ? Is writing
2:51darkly enough ? Oh no , that's not right .
2:55It's not . You might think , " Most
3:03masterpieces are dark . They are heavy .
3:05The content is very serious and highly
3:07immersive . So , I guess I can just write
3:08like this . " No , that's not right . You
3:14could die . The difficulty level is too
3:16high . First of all , it has to be easy
3:21to read . It has to be easy to read . So ,
3:27you have to make them immerse
3:29themselves . To put it simply , yes ,
3:31simply . These heavy and dark novels
3:37require immersion . You have to just
3:41grab them and bury them in the story .
3:45These three novels possess an enormous
3:47level of immersion for the reader . But
3:50then , first of all , what needs to be
3:53good ? What should be good ? Oh , of
3:56course . Writing skill is essential . I
3:59can say this with certainty . You cannot
4:03write without writing skill . Because
4:05you cannot make the reader immerse
4:06themselves , you cannot draw them in , so
4:08it just ends up being a frustratingly
4:10slow novel . Since you cannot draw them
4:14in , it is just damn frustrating . Hey ,
4:16you know those dark novels ? Most of
4:18them have frustrating plot developments
4:19. You know , the ones we commonly call "
4:21frustrating plots . " They are
4:23overflowing . Frustrating plots . But
4:26what drives those readers through is
4:29writing skill . Writing skill . Without
4:32this writing skill , people really won't
4:34buy the book . They won't buy the book .
4:38However , so , ultimately , if you think ,
4:42" Okay , I have writing skill too , " is
4:46writing heavy novels the right answer ?
4:53No. I actually don't think that is the
4:56case . Let's change our mindset a bit .
5:01So , let's shift our perspective and
5:03think from the writer's point of view ,
5:05not the reader's . Let's think about
5:06this from the perspective of a
5:07commercial writer . Why does a
5:09commercial writer write ? It's to make
5:12money . To make money . Ah , the love of
5:15our readers . Thank you so much for the
5:18interest from you readers . Alright then
5:22, please give me some money . Ah , uh , uh
5:24, if you liked those comments , that
5:25interest , and love so much ,
5:27when would you ever do it for free ? No ,
5:30that's not it . I'm doing it to make
5:32money . Uh , I'm a commercial writer . I'm
5:34a full-time writer . I'm doing it to
5:36make money . To make money . But if you
5:39consider the difficulty , actually ,
5:43light novels are much easier to make
5:47money from . I think they are easier .
5:52Yes . Because , you know , excluding the
5:54works praised as masterpieces . Let's
5:57look at pure sales figures excluding
6:01the works praised as masterpieces . When
6:11looking at pure sales figures in the
6:12top ranks , which works do you think are
6:13more numerous ? Will there be more works
6:15praised as masterpieces ? Or will there
6:18be very light , easy-to-read , and ... well
6:19, if you just walk down the street
6:20today and poop a little ... you shouldn't
6:21poop while walking down the street ,
6:23right ? Would the popularity of " Light
6:25Han-su " — the kind where you just lose
6:27a chapter or two while pooping in the
6:29bathroom — be high ? What is it ? Well ,
6:32there is a situation like that . It is
6:33decent , and since it is difficult to
6:35make a comparison in Korea right now ,
6:37if we look at the markets in the
6:39neighborhood next to Japan , there is a
6:41novel called " Sword Art Online . " This
6:43novel is a work that was incredibly
6:46successful commercially . It is a work
6:48that was unbelievably successful .
6:49Besides this , let's go back to the
6:52exact same thing . There is a novel
6:54called " Zero's Executioner Mara , " right
6:55? This is also a novel that was a
6:58massive commercial hit . Now , this novel
7:01isn't exactly praised as a masterpiece ,
7:05is it ? Of course , there are many people
7:08who actually enjoyed reading it , and
7:10there are probably some who call it a
7:11masterpiece . But actually , the feeling
7:14is a bit different from being praised
7:16as a masterpiece . However , it sold well
7:19commercially . Because it sold so well
7:24commercially , it is a bit ambiguous . We
7:28fall into the dilemma of whether high
7:31sales volume makes something a
7:33masterpiece . I fall into this dilemma .
7:35In my opinion , high sales volume
7:36doesn't automatically make something a
7:38masterpiece . However , I do believe high
7:39sales can be one condition for a work
7:41to be considered a masterpiece . Because
7:43, of course , you might call something a
7:45masterpiece and it flops completely —
7:47nobody watches it . No one is watching ,
7:50and the views are just 15 , 3 , 10 , or
7:5320. Saying , " This work is a masterpiece
7:56, " is just a silent cry , a feeling of
7:59being empty — something like a hollow
8:01cart . So , high sales are , first and
8:03foremost , a basic requirement . However ,
8:05there is also the issue of style . Style
8:08, style . But there is a bit of that .
8:12That is precisely the main topic I want
8:15to discuss here , the main subject I
8:17want to talk about in this video . Just
8:20because a heavy novel is treated as a
8:24masterpiece — that is , praised as a
8:27masterpiece — actual sales figures tell
8:31a different story . It is true that many
8:37of the novels praised as masterpieces
8:40are heavy and dark . However , these
8:43novels have downsides . They have
8:45downsides , and they are exhausting .
8:51Seriously , they are exhausting . You
8:53know how you've read those novels that
8:56draw you in so much immersion ? Then
8:59you'll understand what mental
9:01exhaustion is . Anyone who has read a
9:04novel like this will naturally know
9:06this . Because you're so focused , it's
9:08physically exhausting . It's just hard
9:10to keep reading . But the advantage of
9:14light novels is this : the advantage of
9:17a light novel is that you just read it .
9:22There is no mental exhaustion . You just
9:24read it while laughing , giggling and
9:27giggling . That is why novels like this
9:30one achieve high sales figures , in a
9:33slightly different sense than
9:35masterpieces . They are , you know ,
9:37novels for killing time where you clear
9:39your head . Just kidding . But it's not a
9:41joke ; if you look at average sales
9:43figures alone , " killing time " novels
9:45are likely much higher than heavy
9:47novels . As far as I know . This is
9:49because heavy novels — dark novels ,
9:52masterpieces — need to draw in
9:54tremendous immersion , and the
9:57difficulty level is fundamentally too
10:00high . To reach that level , there are
10:04fewer of them . They are few and sloppy .
10:08If they are sloppy , the absolute worst
10:11thing is that they become novels with
10:14nothing but flaws . Honestly , with dark
10:19novels , the author uses extreme writing
10:23skill to draw the reader in and
10:27essentially eliminate those flaws .
10:30However , if these novels are poorly
10:34written , they have nothing but flaws .
10:38They become novels with absolutely no
10:40redeeming qualities . On average , for
10:43example , don't look at the top 1 to 5.
10:45Don't look at the top ; just look at the
10:49top 20 to 40. Then it's hell . There ,
10:55they try to force you into writing
10:57heavy novels that are poorly written .
11:00It destroys you . It really crumbles . " I
11:04will write * The Eye of the Demon * . " You
11:09aren't Author Lee Young-do , are you ? " I
11:12will write * The Reincarnation of
11:13Gluttony * . " You aren't Eugene Ro . " I
11:15will write * The Skeleton Soldier * . " You
11:18aren't Novel Lee . It absolutely
11:21destroys you . Because of this , I think
11:25there are pros and cons . I mean , there
11:28seems to be a bit of a downside , but
11:31there is this aspect : as a web novelist
11:34, putting money aside , setting aside
11:39sales figures and such , there is a
11:42feeling of honor , honor . If my work is
11:44praised as a masterpiece , naturally
11:46there is honor to be gained ; that is
11:47honor , and that honor is truly
11:49important . To achieve this honor ,
11:52honestly speaking , I believe that
11:57heavier novels are more advantageous
12:02than lighter ones . This is because the
12:06biggest characteristic of heavy novels
12:07is that they make it easier to draw the
12:09reader in . So , the reason why
12:12masterpieces take a heavy and dark
12:14stance is that it makes it easier to
12:16draw the reader in . For example , the
12:19atmosphere in horror movies is dark ,
12:23isn't it ? I mean , it's pitch black .
12:28It’s horror , but a ghost doesn't
12:29appear in broad daylight in a bright ,
12:30empty field or in the middle of a
12:31desert , does it ? Why is it pitch black ?
12:35Because it creates a lack of immersion .
12:38To create that state of tension and
12:40immersion , you have to build that
12:42feeling of darkness , claustrophobia ,
12:45and stifling claustrophobia . That is
12:48why most heavy novels are dark . Because
12:51they need to draw the reader in to an
12:52extreme level of immersion . As a result
12:54, I think they are somewhat similar to
12:57horror movies . Actually , I don't think
13:01this is a story limited to novels alone
13:04. Whether it's animation , comics ,
13:08movies , or dramas — frankly , among the
13:11novels in all these subcultures that
13:14are considered " wow , this is amazing , a
13:17masterpiece " — it is actually really
13:20hard to find a super light , frivolous
13:23comedy novel . It is really , really
13:25difficult . There are many that go for
13:29an absolutely dark and edgy atmosphere ,
13:32like Berserk . There really are a lot of
13:34them . They make up the majority . In
13:36fact , the absolute majority of
13:38masterpieces take a dark stance . But
13:41now , let's look at the market , not just
13:45the masterpieces . Let's look at the
13:48market itself . Let's look at the entire
13:52market for web novels , comics , movies ,
13:55dramas , and animation . Uh , what is the
13:57most common ? Are there many light ones ?
14:00Many heavy ones ? Uh , overwhelmingly ,
14:02there are many light ones . Really light
14:05ones make up the majority . When you
14:07read a comic , you think , " Ah , the
14:08quantity is increasing . " " Ah , it's this
14:11again . " Again , God-tier monster ,
14:13God-tier monster , again , C , this song ,
14:15swoosh , again , again , this , this , Kai ,
14:17with this , this , ah , this is the song .
14:20You must be going on and on about this
14:21. There are overwhelmingly more
14:21of these . If you look at the actual
14:24numbers , the difference will be more
14:24than ten , twenty , or even more . Why is
14:29that ? There must be a reason . No , no
14:32matter how well you write it . No matter
14:34how well you write it . No matter how
14:36good the sales are . It's just a crappy
14:38new release . You'll never hear it
14:41called a masterpiece . You won't hear it
14:42. But why are there so many ? It's
14:46strange , isn't it ? Why are there so
14:48many ? First of all , there's the fact
14:49that the difficulty is easy , right ? The
14:50difficulty is easy . Relatively easy . Of
14:52course , relatively easy . Relatively
14:55easy . That's part of it . There is the
14:57issue of difficulty , but putting that
15:00aside , readers — readers — don't really
15:03like to get immersed . It's a bit like
15:05that ; there is something there . There
15:08are quite a few readers who don't like
15:10to get immersed . There are far more
15:12than you can imagine . So , regarding
15:15masterpieces — that is , absolute heavy
15:18novels — since there are so many heavy
15:21novels among masterpieces , you think , "
15:24Ah , to write a masterpiece , I must
15:27write heavily . " That is true , but I
15:30don't think it's right to think , " I
15:32need to write heavy novels just to make
15:35a living and sell well . " In fact , we
15:39need to think deeply about what
15:41constitutes a masterpiece once again .
15:45Since the perspectives of commercial
15:47writers and readers differ , and this is
15:49a matter of taste that varies so much ,
15:51it requires deep consideration . However
15:54, I think it would be good to ponder
16:00why the market is largely composed of
16:07light novels . That is all for today's
16:11discussion .