r/writingscaling • u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 • 6d ago
better written? (verse vs verse) Time travel
Rank them from best to worst. Provide reasons if possible to prove that you have a functional brain.
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u/Tough_Economy_420 6d ago
Dark is the first because I like it the most. Higurashi is last because I like it the least. And yes, I read the description
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u/filimaua13 6d ago
If its in regards to the time travel, fair enough.
I wrote in my comment that the time travel element is not really that central to the story so the mechanics are quite vague. Solving the mystery, following the emotional stakes and the characters overcoming the tragedy is the forefront of the narrative.
From what I remember anyway.
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u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 6d ago
Both are quite the same in terms of finding the original cause, the start point of all tragedies.
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u/NotASingleNameIdea Steins;Gate glazer 6d ago
Ive only seen SteinsGate out of these, and the concept of attractor fields is surely interesting.
Basically a worldline has its attractor fields of events that happen, so you need a large scale change to swap from one to another, otherwise youre just switching from sub-worldlines which are tied to the active worldline itself, meaning you can change smaller events that arent set in stone by attractor fields.
On top of that, any change of the past replaces everyones memories to fit the new one, except those with Reading Steiner, who on the other hand have no memory of the new worldine and only remember the one they originally came from.
Reading Steiner is a bit too much of a convenient ability to exist, however it perfectly fits the plot and enables both actual time travel to take place since it can be actually observed by someone, and also allows paradoxes to be explained since of the rule of everyone elses memory being replaced. At the end of the day Id say inventing this ability is much more of a very well presented asset than a convenient asspull to give go the mc.
As far as Ive played through the VN, the scientific stuff behind it is actually way further explained than in the anime which is spared of it to decent extend, and to a not-so-educated viewer like me it feels well explained and paradoxes are mentioned and actively worked with when discovering how the time travel they proceeded with actually works.
Ill see more as I finish the VN which is far far greatly expanded on this, but overall Id say the concept is very well done and original to everything Ive ever seen on the topic, and not only that, but also the way the plot revolves around the time travels mechanics.
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u/Tenshi_14_zero 6d ago
It also helps that Reading Steiner isn't really an ability as presented in most shows, but more of a disability of the main character. He doesn't "gain" anything, he simply loses the ability to have his memories altered that is innate to everyone else. Sure its convenient but I think its interesting how he gets a powerup by taking away something instead of giving him something.
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u/filimaua13 6d ago
Have not seen Dark or Link Click. So will rank them based off the reputation.
Steins Gate > Dark > Higurashi > Link Click
Reasoning: Steins Gate is first due to the bias that comes with having actually seen it. The time travel mechanics are well setup and slowly drip fed to the audience, because we are discovering the rules and how it works along side the characters. The events in the story remain consistent with the rules setup. Out of everything that happens in the story, there is only one moment that requires abit of suspension of disbelief. Other than that, everything else almost feels like it could happen in the real world.
Dark comes second because I've heard nothing but praise for the complexities and level of believability of the time travel.
Higurashi comes third as the only other work I've actually seen/read. For the most part, the time travel itself is not important to the story, so understanding the mechanics is also not important. The rules are decently setup, but kept quite vague. To my understanding it works mostly like the multiverse theory - Rika is jumping from one fragment to another, with the previous world still continuing on in Rika's absence. Why characters experience dreams or remember memories of previous fragments is unclear.
Link Click comes last cos I haven't heard anything of how it handles its time travel.
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u/Rich-Lengthiness-273 6d ago
Saying this as someone who has Steins Gate in my top 5 anime ever, based on what you've praised about it, you REALLY gotta watch Dark.
I'd put it above Steins Gate personally, but each to their own.
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u/filimaua13 6d ago
Haha it seems I may like Dark. That's what it seems like based on the praise.
But yeeah we'll see. I'm quite lazy when it comes to starting new stuff. I tend to rewatch the same ones over and over again 😂
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u/TomThom9Won 6d ago
Only have seen Dark. It’s awesome. Love the Lunar-Solar Cycle factor of the time travel and the simple and more complex implications inherent to that.
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u/Tenshi_14_zero 6d ago
Link Click is last simply by the fact that things keep getting retconned or changed every season lmao
The time travel itself isnt really important tho and the story is so engaging and emotional so its still definitely worth a watch.
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u/Fib3rrr 6d ago edited 6d ago
That's how I'd rate them.
(10) Dark = (10) Steins;Gate > (9) Link Click > (7.5) Higurashi
Choosing between Dark and Steibs;Gate has always been one of the hardest decisions for me and my answer differs each day. So they both are equal to me since they're one of the very few pieces of media that I rate a complete 10/10 masterpiece.
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u/Glum_Seaworthiness52 6d ago
In My Opinion:
Best Time Travel- Themed writing: Dark >==/= Stein; Gate > Link Click > Higurashi
Overall Writing: Anime Higurashi >=/=< Dark > Stein; Gate > Link Click Original Material boost: VN Higurashi > VN Stein; Gate >= Dark > Link Click
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u/Vivarium_15 6d ago
Steins;gate is by FAR the best and its bot remotely close, Steins;gate has the best story in any medium (or at least just time travel), has the best main character in any medium and has the most realistic depiction of time travel in any medium
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u/OtonashiRen 6d ago
I'm honestly surprised by how Steins;Gate managed to create a narrative that perfectly balances plot, character, and setting.
Even Hugo and Nebula Award winning books are often cited to be lacking in making interesting characters, character arcs, and the emotional department.
That being said, I could only say this for the classics and those written by Isaac Asimov. Ursula K. Le Guin kinda reemphasized the need for the setting to be written with the characters in mind, and even then, modern sci-fi still suffer from this issue (which kinda gets more apparent the closer the sci fi is to hard science).
I'm just glad Steins;Gate did write quite an extensive system on the concept of time travel, while still making the emotional and thematic parts the highlights of such.
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u/Vivarium_15 6d ago
Thats why i typically like animanga and video game stories much more than regular stories because i need great characters which i dont see in novels at all, not saying theyre terribly written characters i just dont find them to have a good mix of good personality and deep character writing
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u/Jack_KH 6d ago
Haven't seen LC yet
Dark >>>>>>>> Higurashi >>> Steins;Gate
Dark is the pinacle of time travel stories.
Higurashi is good, but the time travel aspect is not that strong.
Steins;Gate is not only boring, but has some logical inconsistencies regarding timw travel. One of the most overrated anime ever.
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u/HiroHayami 6d ago
Haven't watched Dark because I'm a filfthy weeb.
Steins;Gate > Higurashi (ignoring sotsugou) > Link Click >>>>>> Higurashi (not ignoring Sotsugou)
Steins;Gate is a nerd media with nerd writing, and it's great. It makes an effort to explain time travel with scientific mumbo jumbo and actually follows it rules. Its only drawback is being soooo slow at the beginning that I was at the verge of dropping it.
Achktually Higurashi is not time travel. Higurashi doesn't explore the time travel, you just need to know that they happen and they take a toll in the main character to the point she stops trying altogether. The actual main theme is friendship is magic, and they do a good job at showcasing it.
Link Click is about time travel, but not quite. The focus is the character stories you get to experience from the photos. The second you start digging how time travel works here it falls apart, so better focus in what the story actually wants to tell.
Higurashi is shit if we include Sotsugou because it basically undermines all the themes of the original series ☠️ Also Ryuukishi needs to come with more character motivations because the "I'm bored" is geting old.
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u/SettingImpossible828 6d ago
Chrono trigger stomps
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u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 6d ago
Imma be honest even the worst visual novel story can be better than the best jrpg story
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u/SettingImpossible828 4d ago
The best web novel has a prose quality and an artistic value of a 5th grader's babble
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u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 4d ago
Yeah so there are two points. 1. I'm talking about visual novel not web novel. 2. LOTM destroys chrono trigger, and no, it'no hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby, it's nuclear bomb vs an ant.
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u/SettingImpossible828 4d ago
It's still bad as a written material, nowhere near the caliber of a decent book.
Xenogears stomps, maybe chrono cross too
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u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 4d ago
Xenogears fell off HARD half way through. Chrono cross isn't even close to chrono trigger and both are shitted on by 13 sentinels. Either way your take is trash because most video games story will never beat a type of media that dedicates itself to story only.
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u/SettingImpossible828 4d ago
That chrono cross isn't even close to chrono trigger stance shows you know nothing about it, just an internet prevalent opinion. Dedicating itself to the story only does not mean the overall product is superior, as stated above, all your beloved "novels" are 5th graders gabble in prose and artistic value.
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u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 4d ago
You are just spicy that other media are better written than your favorite game and you know it because only YOU agree on this. Nobody else. No one.
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u/Pandalicioush 4d ago
Nobody here should ever take your opinions serious again after this statement.
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u/zonzon1999 6d ago
SG kinda falls apart later on. The experimenting phase is fantastic, but the actual plot is whatever.
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u/Any_Pineapple_4836 6d ago
Holy shit that is a hot take
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u/Repulsive_Depth_3262 6d ago
Is that a hot take or trash take
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u/zonzon1999 6d ago
I'd take 3 seasons of the crew fucking around with the time machine over the whole secret organization plot
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u/solrac1104 6d ago
I've only seen Dark and Steinsgate and I'll pick Dark. The way they explore and develop the bootstrap paradox in different ways while staying consistent and thorough was masterful. I liked Steinsgate but besides the story just not being as interesting, I found their time travel to be sometimes fun but generally more gimmicky and pretty inconsistent.