I'm not only talking about novel, but also movies, video games, etc
Let's rewind back at least 15 years ago, where Marvel Cinematic Universe are still on their first phase, Isekai genre is on high boom that at least 70% of new published webnovel genre are isekai, Mega video game publisher racing each other to buy ip from indie game devs and hoping for them to be a cashcow, while tencent exist but hasn't makes any moves at all.
Back then, the popular and likeable main character in media were mostly the type that while they're not aspiring to be a hero, they're the type who can't just sit still and do nothing while something wrong is going on around them.
Those main characters would step out from their comfort zone, helping the people they care about, and trying to fix the world despite they are facing with such a big obstacle that even they know that it's too big to handle : their own needs and desire.
Back then, main characters would be aspiring to fix the world from problem, while they themselves facing with a problem of wanting to show off, needing an audience to feel validated, and totally bummed out when they found out that their hardwork is basically just a thankless job with no rewards.
Those inner struggle is what made those main characters to be so likeable and relatable because it making us to root for them, they obviously want to make the world a better place, yet they're the one who has to pay for it, which makes you think that even these heroes are given up, you wouldn't blame them.
But in the end, those main characters still preserve until whole problem is fixed, and basically just settle with some bit of compensation, then finally walking out of the scene without causing any fuss.
Now let's back to reality today, where it's a different generation took the baton of writing, where the millennial pass their legacy into the zoomer writer, what do we got?
The next generation were mising the part that the root of these characters are supposed to be someone who wants to do good but they got sidetracked by their own self interest.
What we got instead, is just some characters who just want to serve their own self-interest, who wants to have glory as hero despite there's no need for a hero, characters who just want to take arms because they're bored, not because there is an inevitable war to fight.
Which of course in the end, they ended up to be the hero they're aspire to be. Why? Because the plot dictate so.
Long story short, what we got nowadays is a bunch of characters who got it backwards. We don't get character who want to do right but then got hindered by their own desire.
But instead, we got characters who want to serve their own desire, but just ended up with saving the world.
What goes wrong?
Let's rewind back at least 15 years ago, where Marvel Cinematic Universe are still on their first phase, Isekai genre is on high boom that at least 70% of new published webnovel genre are isekai, Mega video game publisher racing each other to buy ip from indie game devs and hoping for them to be a cashcow, while tencent exist but hasn't makes any moves at all.
Back then, the popular and likeable main character in media were mostly the type that while they're not aspiring to be a hero, they're the type who can't just sit still and do nothing while something wrong is going on around them.
Those main characters would step out from their comfort zone, helping the people they care about, and trying to fix the world despite they are facing with such a big obstacle that even they know that it's too big to handle : their own needs and desire.
Back then, main characters would be aspiring to fix the world from problem, while they themselves facing with a problem of wanting to show off, needing an audience to feel validated, and totally bummed out when they found out that their hardwork is basically just a thankless job with no rewards.
Those inner struggle is what made those main characters to be so likeable and relatable because it making us to root for them, they obviously want to make the world a better place, yet they're the one who has to pay for it, which makes you think that even these heroes are given up, you wouldn't blame them.
But in the end, those main characters still preserve until whole problem is fixed, and basically just settle with some bit of compensation, then finally walking out of the scene without causing any fuss.
Now let's back to reality today, where it's a different generation took the baton of writing, where the millennial pass their legacy into the zoomer writer, what do we got?
The next generation were mising the part that the root of these characters are supposed to be someone who wants to do good but they got sidetracked by their own self interest.
What we got instead, is just some characters who just want to serve their own self-interest, who wants to have glory as hero despite there's no need for a hero, characters who just want to take arms because they're bored, not because there is an inevitable war to fight.
Which of course in the end, they ended up to be the hero they're aspire to be. Why? Because the plot dictate so.
Long story short, what we got nowadays is a bunch of characters who got it backwards. We don't get character who want to do right but then got hindered by their own desire.
But instead, we got characters who want to serve their own desire, but just ended up with saving the world.
What goes wrong?
