Yamamaya (post: 1346213) wrote:The whole concept of a visual novel actually turns me off. I mean, the artwork the visual novel makes me want to vomit. Also, I would much rather read a novel or read a manga than pay a whole lot of money to read a visual novel. Seriously are people that lazy that they need a visual novel? No offense to people who enjoy them, I'm just ranting about the whole concept.
I'm feeling like you have a misconception of what a visual novel actually is. Have you actually ever read one? I'm asking because of your inference that visual novels => lazy. It's not like the things read them for you, so I'm a bit confused as to why you seem to think this is so. Considering the amount of text that you'd have to
read to get through Episodes 1 through 4, it would take over 24 hours to get through, which is close to three times the amount of time you'd spend watching the anime.
Visual novels offer a few things light novels and manga do not. The biggest thing is the possibility for branches. Of course, that's a non-issue for Umineko, since there are no branches. In addition to branching, the advantages visual novels have over normal novels are music for setting atmosphere and art for establishing setting and character designs. The advantage visual novels have over manga is in the density of text and the narrative.
In fact, most anime adaptations of existing visual novels (Higurashi, Tsukihime, Fate/stay night to name a few) have been detested by its visual novel fans because the adaptation (almost necessarily) dulls and simplifies characterization and reduces the complexity and intricacy of the plot. Higurashi's atmosphere was changed. Fate/stay night's superior routes were never adapted. Clannad, even though it is probably the best adaptation of a visual novel, had it's ending confuse tons of people because it was dependent on branching, which was difficult to translate into a linear medium like anime.
Like light novels and manga, visual novels similarly offer some great stories that aren't adapted in other media yet. Planetarian, by Key, is one of those, that probably wouldn't work in novel or manga. Ever17 is another fantastic one and one that would be impossible to pull off in another medium since it exploits the multiple branches in visual novel structure.
Anyone who has seen both the anime and read the visual novel for Umineko will agree that the atmosphere and characterization offered in the visual novel is superior to the anime. There is an example in just about every scene in the anime in which I can show that the characters were better developed or had much better pacing in the visual novel. Everyone I've encountered who believes otherwise was
too lazy to read the visual novel.
And regarding the terrible artwork, yeah, it's bad and it's unfortunate. But the strength of the writing is more than enough to get me to forgive it. Umineko's greatness is not something that's dependent on the art and I'm not going to let myself get hung up on something like that.
I feel like completely disregarding visual novels as a medium is the same as saying anime, light novels, manga, or games are devoid of any merit as a medium. They're just a different medium for delivering a narrative.