'Just… all of manga. Everyone has a backstory, and whether you want it or not, you will learn it'... this made me laugh! It's so true! I also skip through backstories sometimes. I generally believe less is more in storytelling (there are exceptions of course, I don't really belive in 'hard rules' when it comes to writing or creating a narrative) and I think that's true of backstories.
I really like the point you make about whether a character is compelling enough in the present story, and I think sometimes backstory is used as a way to make a character who isn't actually that developed more interesting-- which I think is the wrong way to use it. I like the idea of a character being enough in the present storyline-- we don't always need to know how they got to where they currently are or even why. And sometimes it's enough to give the reader subtle hints through a character's behaviour or interactions that provide a clue to a backstory but don't necessarily fill in all the gaps.
Having said that, backstory can be used effectively... I do love it when a backstory completely flips a reader's perspective on the morality of characters and their actions and our entire understanding of the plot. Even then, I think I prefer the backstory narrative to be presented in broad strokes and kept limited... sometimes too much detail can kill a character or so change your perspective of them that you lose the edge that made them interesting in the first place. It's nice to leave the details to the reader's imagination too. Of course, I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions to that though. This is why crafting a good story is so tricky but also why you can't just say 'this is the definitve, right way to create a narrative'.
Anyway, I would be interested in finding out a bit about Sakura's past, but at the moment I'm enjoying the mystery. He's such a great character, I don't feel like I need more right now, I really like not knowing and just taking him as he is... but then I'm only on the first season of the anime and haven't read the manga, so it's still early days!
Less is absolutely more, I couldn't agree more. I've been reading Ayashimon and they convey Maruo's entire backstory in essentially one page. We get the picture. That's all you need, hit the emotional core of the backstory and get out.
Yes, yes, yes to subtle hints. Which ties into less is more, right? Readers love to put the pieces together themselves, to not be explicitly told what to feel. And subtle hints in the present, little flinches or ticks, are a great way to hint that something is off.
I do agree with you about a well-deployed backstory. I will always point to Demon Slayer for that. The way they vindicate the demons, or at least add complexity that wasn't there before, through their backstories. It's a great example of how to do backstory right, and Akutami made it even harder on himself by waiting until the very, very end to deploy a backstory. So he had to have full confidence in that backstory's ability to do what he intended it to do, and it really does. And if I recall, those backstories are pretty brief, I could be wrong though. I do think brevity is the name of the game though. Again, Ayashimon is a great example of that, you should check it out if you haven't. It's by the same guy who did Hell's Paradise and it's only 25 chapters.
I'll say about Sakura's backstory -- I'm fine without it. If they never tell us anything, fine by me. I'm just so invested in him that I'll buy into anything they put out. I'm in volume... 14, I think, of Wind Breaker, and there's still nothing about his past and it doesn't hamper the story at all. It's mores a selfish "I love this character" need than a "the story needs this for the sake of its integrity."
Thanks as always for bringing such a great response! I really enjoy discussing these things.
When I'm creating my comics, sometimes I don't have an idea for a backstory until I've been drawing the characters for a while.
Then it works into my head once I'm comfortable with writing them. The current comic I'm working on will have a backstory that doesn't get full treatment until later, but I've been dropping small hints of it in the main characters' mental dialogue.
Eventually I'll dedicate a whole storyline to it, but I tend to gather my character's pasts over time as I work through their present. Maybe it's a little backwards, but it's how my brain likes to work.
'Just… all of manga. Everyone has a backstory, and whether you want it or not, you will learn it'... this made me laugh! It's so true! I also skip through backstories sometimes. I generally believe less is more in storytelling (there are exceptions of course, I don't really belive in 'hard rules' when it comes to writing or creating a narrative) and I think that's true of backstories.
I really like the point you make about whether a character is compelling enough in the present story, and I think sometimes backstory is used as a way to make a character who isn't actually that developed more interesting-- which I think is the wrong way to use it. I like the idea of a character being enough in the present storyline-- we don't always need to know how they got to where they currently are or even why. And sometimes it's enough to give the reader subtle hints through a character's behaviour or interactions that provide a clue to a backstory but don't necessarily fill in all the gaps.
Having said that, backstory can be used effectively... I do love it when a backstory completely flips a reader's perspective on the morality of characters and their actions and our entire understanding of the plot. Even then, I think I prefer the backstory narrative to be presented in broad strokes and kept limited... sometimes too much detail can kill a character or so change your perspective of them that you lose the edge that made them interesting in the first place. It's nice to leave the details to the reader's imagination too. Of course, I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions to that though. This is why crafting a good story is so tricky but also why you can't just say 'this is the definitve, right way to create a narrative'.
Anyway, I would be interested in finding out a bit about Sakura's past, but at the moment I'm enjoying the mystery. He's such a great character, I don't feel like I need more right now, I really like not knowing and just taking him as he is... but then I'm only on the first season of the anime and haven't read the manga, so it's still early days!
Less is absolutely more, I couldn't agree more. I've been reading Ayashimon and they convey Maruo's entire backstory in essentially one page. We get the picture. That's all you need, hit the emotional core of the backstory and get out.
Yes, yes, yes to subtle hints. Which ties into less is more, right? Readers love to put the pieces together themselves, to not be explicitly told what to feel. And subtle hints in the present, little flinches or ticks, are a great way to hint that something is off.
I do agree with you about a well-deployed backstory. I will always point to Demon Slayer for that. The way they vindicate the demons, or at least add complexity that wasn't there before, through their backstories. It's a great example of how to do backstory right, and Akutami made it even harder on himself by waiting until the very, very end to deploy a backstory. So he had to have full confidence in that backstory's ability to do what he intended it to do, and it really does. And if I recall, those backstories are pretty brief, I could be wrong though. I do think brevity is the name of the game though. Again, Ayashimon is a great example of that, you should check it out if you haven't. It's by the same guy who did Hell's Paradise and it's only 25 chapters.
I'll say about Sakura's backstory -- I'm fine without it. If they never tell us anything, fine by me. I'm just so invested in him that I'll buy into anything they put out. I'm in volume... 14, I think, of Wind Breaker, and there's still nothing about his past and it doesn't hamper the story at all. It's mores a selfish "I love this character" need than a "the story needs this for the sake of its integrity."
Thanks as always for bringing such a great response! I really enjoy discussing these things.
When I'm creating my comics, sometimes I don't have an idea for a backstory until I've been drawing the characters for a while.
Then it works into my head once I'm comfortable with writing them. The current comic I'm working on will have a backstory that doesn't get full treatment until later, but I've been dropping small hints of it in the main characters' mental dialogue.
Eventually I'll dedicate a whole storyline to it, but I tend to gather my character's pasts over time as I work through their present. Maybe it's a little backwards, but it's how my brain likes to work.
That's the great thing though, there's no wrong way to tell a story. If that's how your brain works, let it work that way. Tell your story that way.
That's why I essentially never give, nor do I listen to prescriptive "do this" writing advice. It's never the same for more than one person.
Thanks for the recommendation-- I'll have to check out Ayashimon, especially as I love Hell's Paradise!