2011-10-01, 10:30 | Link #121 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: USA
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The crusades are the best parallel because it unified the many rival European states, but the Mongolian conquests of Genghis Khan were another good example given Genghis had to unify the feuding Mongolian tribes. The nation was at war on multiple fronts for an extended period of time in China, Central-Asia, Korea, the Middle-East, Russia and Europe; but they enjoyed greater prosperity and generated increased trade and economic prosperity in the territories they controlled as a result of their wars. They acknowledged war consumes resources, but in the current conditions of the world the story is set in it has had a net positive effect. Given more time that would likely shift to a negative effect, but considering the demon queen possesses advanced knowledge/technology it might have had a lasting positive effect similar to the Yuan dynasty of China. |
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2011-10-01, 18:04 | Link #122 | |||
Banned
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Hamburg
Age: 54
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No, what the story is saying is that it's the RULERS of a marginal country which is waging a proxy war and which is constantly propped up by outside help feel constricted by it. And that without the outside help, they'd have poverty and starvation where they currently have an uneasy balance. That's something completely different, and it's also something for which there's been many examples in history and even in nowadays times. Quote:
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Sorry man, that felt very unconvincing to me. Especially taking into account that nowadays' situation is very different from the medieval setting which the story is taking place in. I give Maoyuu Maou Yuusha alot of credit for being pretty realistic. |
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2011-10-02, 03:33 | Link #123 |
Le fou, c'est moi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Age: 34
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yuzen003 raised a bunch of examples, and Mentar pointed out what was really the case, so let me add one more point of consideration:
Nosauz, you're ignoring the in-story information that before this large scale conflict there was already plenty of fighting, mayhem, famine, and general destruction. Low level warfare is a staple of Medieval society. Indeed, with the absence of the Demon Queen it's already restarting in the demon world -- the latest chapter had the Hero intervened in one of those conflicts as a representative of the Queen to, more or less, reassert the authority of his lovely "master." Were this great war to end in current terms the southern kingdoms of the human world would be flooded with armed men with no employment. Bad, bad things happen when a large number of armed and unemployed exist in famine conditions. Pillage, rape, slaughter, banditry, rogue armies, warlords, you name it. It is only relatively recently that human societies developed to the point where expansion in resource production and medical advancement allowed the population to grow exponentially, and really very recently that the developed world see a demographic trend that see a gradual population stabilization and even decline. Throughout history things worked differently: the graphs swing wildly up and down, up and down, and every wild upswing is a population boom exceeding resources which brings about famine, carnage, plague, and migrations (which generally provoke more carnage) to produce a downturn. This manga is not the broken window fallacy at work; windows were already being broken on a daily basis. What the situation in this manga is about is that the great war forced each side to abandon its internecine conflicts and cooperate, directing their military energies against a common foe. The war's boon isn't that killing people and fairies creates production, it's that it forced an increase in organizational level to allow for far better utilization of untapped potential (+ artificially raising demand creating a persistent war boom). Moreover, the leaders are well aware that they're trapped in a situation that cannot last forever, hence the Demon Queen's actions, the Hero's endorsement (nothing to do with useless meat so he says), and the newly introduced prince in the winter kingdom having explicitly wondered if the new agricultural advances might allow his people a way out of this uneasy equilibrium. |
2011-10-02, 05:12 | Link #124 |
Carbon
Join Date: Nov 2003
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There are indeed elements in the story that intentionally remind you of Afganistan.
Remember when the Soviets invaded Afganistan and the US armed the locals? That was a proxy war, because there would be serious repercussions if the US fought the Soviets directly. But everything said and done, Afganistan was abandoned after the cold war. Along with stocks of RPGs. Guess what happened? Well, as the Demon Queen said, when you have generations of people who are fighting with guns their entire lives and are suddenly left to their own, there is only one inevitability. A lot of them are going back to tribal warfare. Because it's hard for them to live any other way. Also keep in mind that only around 10% of Afghanistan is arable and even less is cultivated. And what's cultivated is used to grow opium, because.. that's what brings in the dollars. The situation in this manga is similar to that. These people in these lands pick up their swords because they don't have many options. The demon queen is introducing a wonder crop among other things to help persuade people put down their swords and show that it's not entirely hopeless to do other things.
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2011-10-02, 06:35 | Link #125 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
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I wouldn’t actually call what happen in this series reflect what actually happens in medieval times. This series just made it convinient so that potato or whatever could be actually be considered as miraculous ingredient. When you actually read medieval histories and books starting from the era of the Eastern Roman Empire (aka Byzantines), their economic trade and capital that of Constantinople, their relationship with the Rus, the Norman’s conquest of South Italy establishing a trade route with the Tunisian Muslims (or the Almoharivids Sultanate at the time) , medieval economics are actually much more complex and mostly depends and involving self pety / warmongering pride of its rulers at the time. When I see the demon queen with her economic fiasco it reminded me of Roger II of Sicily or the Great Emir of Cordoba.... but memory fails and I’m too lazy to look for my books from the storage, its been ages since I read those.
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2011-10-02, 07:58 | Link #126 | |
Banned
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Hamburg
Age: 54
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So, what the story is doing is trying to maintain the late-medieval fantasy setting and trying to explain the effects which advanced agriculture techniques had in Europe starting in the 18th century. Which is necessary, because in that time, the story-breaking use of firearms became more and more prevalent. |
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2011-10-02, 08:41 | Link #127 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Hmm the story isn’t actually a late middle age setting, but more like earlier ones (like 1000 – 1250) Because in the late medieval Europe setting (circa around 1500-1550) they were already familiar with gunpowder and sea exploring and the medieval trades were at its peak with the Portugese and Spanish brought several ingridients from the new world (includes the potato). The Ottoman Turks (who ruled most of the Middle East) focuses their trade and controlled the Silk Road until the outskirts which reaches until China. Not to mention the Ottoman traders manages also to reach South Eath Asia and established a trade route which brought spices. China and India also had their history with medieval crops and agriculture, some were more advanced than their European counterpart.... dunno about Japan though.
And thanks for the info on the potato impact for 18-19th century Europeans, but my point was they’re trying to make the agriculture stuff the main issue of the story out of convinience without actually addressing others (i.e lords who wished to conquer more lands, religious motivations), which were more prevalent back on those days. Agriculture was just an additional bonus which folllows the policy of the ruler, like the implementation of wheat in the outskirts of Norway, or Denmark in the early medieval times during the rule of Valdemar the Great. |
2011-10-02, 09:06 | Link #128 |
Know who you are
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Resides within the depths of Ned infested Glasgow
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Yea way I see it is they take some RL stuff but put a little manga spin to it, I don't think one should really be putting too much thought into the details of timelines and what not.
Sure if you want to then go ahead but I don't think it's really gonna mimic real world history to a T here, cause don't forget this is about demons and humans and magic for that matter.
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2011-10-02, 09:29 | Link #129 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Well as they say, when you apply real life into manga/anime then God kills a cat girl.....
For now let's enjoy more useless meat! I always liked fantasy manga/anime stories where a strong/skilled male lead being paired up with smart women, not mention she's a pompous smart demon queen to boot! Light and Dark being paired in the most bizarre situation.... And we learn the demon queen did have a name...being called 'Ruby Eye'..Now I just hope she didn't come from the future or anything (due to her coming from the magical library and all)...because that'll ruin the story for me. Fantasy setting all the way. |
2011-10-03, 22:34 | Link #132 | |
Banned
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what a simple name yet funny at the same time I wonder if she'll be called "Twin Melons" because her big bust Is this monthly?, I hope it become popular and bi-weekly. Too bad no translation for the light novel |
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2011-10-03, 23:01 | Link #133 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
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2011-10-24, 03:45 | Link #137 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
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I was wondering what you were talking about, I forgot the different versions of the series. I much prefer the one that is currently getting translated. Chapter 6 raw has been out for a couple of weeks and it was pretty good.
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adventure, economics, fantasy, romance, threesome |
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