Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata/How to Train the Ordinary Girl to be a Heroine [LN]

[Kuroageha]

New Maruto's series 'Mix Media Maiden' got canceled after just two volumes so far sold poorly, IMO the audience trusts Maruto no more after mistreating other heroines besides the main and not letting them go getting over their failed first love.

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by Kuroageha

New Maruto's series 'Mix Media Maiden' got canceled after just two volumes so far sold poorly, IMO the audience trusts Maruto no more after mistreating other heroines besides the main and not letting them go getting over their failed first love.

Damn, that's bad news. I thought that Saenai Heroine's ending for the main story was well-received. Was there really that big a backlash against Maruto that Media Mix Maiden had to be canned? Maruto even tried to make alternative manga routes for each of the three main heroines of Saenai Heroine too (they were Egoistic Lily and Koisuru Metronome), but this is the thanks he gets?

As for non-main heroines not moving on from the protagonist after being rejected, this was present in Maruto's most famous work, White Album 2, as well. Realistically speaking, the two main heroines (or at least Setsuna) of WA2 should have had suitors lining up out the door for them. But nooo, they were just so hung up on the protagonist that they were still single by the time he decides to come back into their lives after years have already passed.

[Nachtwandler]

I also don't get a backslash. And I still like Marutos works despite being slightly disappointed with the last one (Engage Kiss).

Though, I personally would rather see WA2 being fully animated or Classsroom Crisis getting a sequel. But both animes were not profiable enopugh for it.

[Marcus H.]

Maybe Saenai Heroine was a lightning in a bottle for Maruto. As you mentioned, all of his other works after Saekano did not take off, and Engage Kiss had to compete with a lot of hard-hitting titles during Summer 2022.

It is also possible that serializations not taking off is completely normal and Maruto can just work on another story. To be honest, I like how Maruto tries to integrate working-class characters in his works, so I wanted more shows like it.

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

Damn, that's bad news. I thought that Saenai Heroine's ending for the main story was well-received. Was there really that big a backlash against Maruto that Media Mix Maiden had to be canned?

Well-received? If you speak to Megumi fans, yes.

One of my friend who lives in Japan even joking that if I'm interested to buy Saekano for price cheaper than second-hand bookstore, I only need to look for Utaha or Eriri fans.
Considering that, I seriously doubt any of them would ever feel grateful to author for Egoistic Lily and Koisuru Metronome; more like damage control while trying to capitalize their popularity.

[WingedAccelerator]

Still don't understand the Saekano fuss. Megumi was the indisputable, most popular heroine from the franchise In Japan. No ifs and buts. Not even overseas was Utaha more popular, but I can only base that from reading multiple sites, polls, comments.

All in all, absolute victory for Megumi and it was obvious she would win this. Dissatisfied with the writing is another story. Utaha and Eriri fans are just loud minority.

[Nachtwandler]

Shipping wars are the dumbest thing ever. THey make the authors more prone to making harems or being hesitant to resolve the romantic plot. There is a bunch of series where MC choose not the character I liked but I still does not hate the series or the author for this sole reason.

[Marcus H.]

Well, whose idea was it to add Eriri and Utaha as a romantic interest anyway?
By making a romcom, Maruto basically let himself get involved with all the things related to it.

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Well, whose idea was it to add Eriri and Utaha as a romantic interest anyway?
By making a romcom, Maruto basically let himself get involved with all the things related to it.

His own approach to rom-com territory IMO.

If you look closely at Mixed Media Maiden, it pretty much Saekano casts with age upscaled to 27 and rotated importance.
The main girl pretty much Utaha revamped, the silent girl is Megumi reworked, the active girl is Michiru but related to manga instead of music.
The setting more or less Koisuru Metronome Ver. 2 under "main girl is obvious winner since day one"; visual novel writers tend to do it (recycling past resources) to keep things manageable IIRC.

He probably thought he can survive with it for 3-4 works (one heroine cycle), not accounting any possible backlash from dissatisfied fans.

[Marcus H.]

That sucks coz he didn't have to stick to the Saekano formula. Classroom Crisis wasn't even that bad.

[Kuroageha]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

Damn, that's bad news. I thought that Saenai Heroine's ending for the main story was well-received. Was there really that big a backlash against Maruto that Media Mix Maiden had to be canned? Maruto even tried to make alternative manga routes for each of the three main heroines of Saenai Heroine too (they were Egoistic Lily and Koisuru Metronome), but this is the thanks he gets?

As for non-main heroines not moving on from the protagonist after being rejected, this was present in Maruto's most famous work, White Album 2, as well. Realistically speaking, the two main heroines (or at least Setsuna) of WA2 should have had suitors lining up out the door for them. But nooo, they were just so hung up on the protagonist that they were still single by the time he decides to come back into their lives after years have already passed.

I'm looking it this way:
It had a good reception for Megumi fans and story enjoyers.
But if you add the numbers of fans who stick to it for Utaha and Eriri and then take them away I would say that's a huge loss.

WA2 had CODA it shows the consequences so at least that was good for players IMO.

IMO Maruto, ever since Saekano, hasn't made an heroine that is as popular on his new works.

Originally Posted by Nachtwandler

Shipping wars are the dumbest thing ever. THey make the authors more prone to making harems or being hesitant to resolve the romantic plot. There is a bunch of series where MC choose not the character I liked but I still does not hate the series or the author for this sole reason.

That's what you misunderstood.

Isn't a "waaaa I hate Maruto!!" it's a "Maruto? pass" situation.

The former fans and potential buyers don't care anymore, they just look up his previous works and simply move on.

Originally Posted by WingedAccelerator

Still don't understand the Saekano fuss. Megumi was the indisputable, most popular heroine from the franchise In Japan. No ifs and buts. Not even overseas was Utaha more popular, but I can only base that from reading multiple sites, polls, comments.

All in all, absolute victory for Megumi and it was obvious she would win this. Dissatisfied with the writing is another story. Utaha and Eriri fans are just loud minority.

If they truly were minority author wouldn't have had to make them return when they supposedly left. He needed them to stay (same with Ryuuou no Otoshigoto where he literally had to lie by pretending the Ais still were in some kind of race for the love MC despite he already confessed and kisses and make an oath to marry one heroine) lmao, come on, if an author makes a decision in the direction of his story he should stick to it and endure the reception from his own fanbase, you want a romance before the end of the series? That's ok, just don't backpedal the moment the loli/other heroines fans start dropping it and then have them return to stop sales drop, that's low and cowardly

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by Kuroageha

I'm looking it this way:
It had a good reception for Megumi fans and story enjoyers.
But if you add the numbers of fans who stick to it for Utaha and Eriri and then take them away I would say that's a huge loss.

IMO Maruto, ever since Saekano, hasn't made an heroine that is as popular on his new works.

Add some ...

Utaha still got re-release PO for her figurines and merchandise, by early 2022. If she's unpopular, or just belongs to loud minority, it doesn't make sense because usually a heroine need to be on Emilia <-> Rem (Re:Zero) or Saber (Fate) level of popularity (face of the franchise) to get that treatment. Also IIRC by times Megumi won, the following Comicket leaned hard to Utaha fan-made products, implying her fanbase do have strong position to affect with "This author? Pass". More or less similar to how, even with people happy Go-toubun end, Nino and Miku fans mourn in Comicket with their "What If" scenario.

Agree with last sentence, Megumi and Utaha probably his most popular heroines of all his works.

[BladeMancer]

Utaha already got her ending in her spinoff, I do not think that its seethe over heroines unless its Eriri, and she's not that popular.

[Tactics]

Originally Posted by BladeMancer

Utaha already got her ending in her spinoff, I do not think that its seethe over heroines unless its Eriri, and she's not that popular.

Anime-only audience still exist in Japan.

AFAIK there are more people using anime, be it new or old, as book recommendation instead of outright purchasing manga or LN simply because of writer fame. So it possible if there's part of audiences following the series purely because of Utaha and Eriri; after all, LN anime adaptation always come with expectation of significantly boost LN sales.

Got personal ending in spin-off doesn't guarantee everyone happy and walk away with smile.
My friend can made joke I mentioned because that's how he got Saekano complete volumes in his room.