Thoughts on Side Stories and Similar Products?

Off-Topic
#1

Yeah, I didn’t really know what to do for a title for this thing… Anyway, the concept of side stories has come up a lot for me recently (With Summer Pockets and planetarian and other stuff) which made me realize I don’t really know what I feel about them.

Supplemental products to bigger stories have been a thing for decades and can come in a million different forms, so do you have any thoughts on them? Like, favorite side stories; examples of how they helped you see the original differently; what you want from a side story, etc. (Anything that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘side story’ really.)

Remember to tag important spoilers for stuff, yada yada you know the drill.

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#2

I think there’s 3 broad directions side stories can go in. They don’t often do just one, but usually have a mix with one being given more focus.

  • More quality time with beloved characters. The ones that mostly just have some random plot that’s a vehicle for the characters to bounce off of each other. Nothing really changes, but you had a nice time.
  • World building. The ones that exist to expand on all kinds of details or answer questions people may or may not have had about the original.
  • Retelling or reframing central themes. The core of the original is reused but characters or plot can be completely switched out. Very freeform, but you can have a similar plot with different characters or the same characters going through a different story which ends up enforcing the same values, for example.

Personally I prefer the third and sometimes the first type. I guess there’s also the “Just give the people what they want” type which just do whatever by popular demand. Making characters not die or commit some crucial mistake because to hell with conflicts and themes. The ending was fine, great even, you didn’t need to do this, Saga Planets.

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#3

Personally I love side stories, as much fun as it is spending time with characters, the best thing for me is learning more about a persons character in a situation that would not normally fit into the actual plot. For example Akio’s from Clannad Side Stories which really deepens his character and actually changes how he is his actions are viewed and understood. This can be clearly seen next time you read Clannad after reading his side story.

That is what side stories do the most for me, changing the context of a characters actions as it changed the view of Akio’s character from lazy skipping work duties to a character that has loads of self sacrificing commitment raising other children other than just his own despite the loss of sales and time it costs him.

#4

There’s a term we use in the IT industry for what I feel about side stories: Nice-to-have

Are side stories appreciated? Of course! As long as they are enjoyable, I will always take the time to read the side stories. But are they necessary for the overall completion of the main product? Definitely not.

But hey, to discuss Key side stories, we had some good, some bad. The best ones that come to mind are Hoshi no Hito and A Special Night from CLANNAD. The Little Busters ones were pretty so-so for me; more entertaining than anything. Really interested in the Rewrite ones, though! I should get to them when I have the chance

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#5

Oh yeah, the wording was sloppy, but I generally think of that as part of world building. “How does character A react in situation X” stories are definitely a very big part of Key’s supplementary products. Those work very well for the “straight forward” characters. Akio’s an example and also Komari showing she’s not such a total ditz.

I’ve experienced the opposite problem where I finish a side story and then it influences your thinking whether you want it to or not. It’s not common. The most recent one was the Pockets one that explains why Shizuku is obsessed with tits. I didn’t really need to know that. It worked better when it was just this extremely random facet of her character.

They sure are a mixed bag. Most of the Clannad and Rewrite ones are just terrible but a handful are on par or above the original story.