This Episode Is Not Filler, Isekai Is Filler, Light Novels: Faraway Paladin

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Filler, Fluff, Fuzz, or Futzing? Good, bad, or mediocre? Necessary or nonsense? The Weeb Cabal- Isekai Sensei-Sama, Kermit D. Grog, and Bento Baggins- discuss the phenomena of filler in anime, if and entire genre can be filler, and the light novel for Faraway Paladin and how it stacks up against the manga and anime.

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Comments

  1. RinaMarch 20, 2023 at 2:40 PM

    This was a good discussion! I am also so frustrated by people mislabeling 'fluff' as filler. I love One Piece and it drives me nuts when a new chapter comes out we get some fun character interactions and there's people screaming 'Filler!' in the comments because no one is punching someone. This even happens with TV shows. I've been watching The Last of Us and if there isn't any violence or zombies on screen there's someone talking about how it isn't plot relevant and therefore filler.
    I think a lot of the problem is that people seem to mistake action for plot, but good stories often include slice of life moments or stretches that elaborate on larger themes or character arcs without strictly progressing the plot. Theme and emotionally driven storytelling like this is super common in Shoujo. Fruits Basket is very slice of life, but it's still a powerful story because the focus is emotional arcs rather than things happening. Each moment of 'fluff' is actually necessary for the impact of the story as a whole.

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    1. Isekai Sensei-SamaMarch 20, 2023 at 2:45 PM

      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
      You nailed it. The "futzing" that a story does are the emotional threads that tie the protagonists together and make the action parts more satisfying because you actually care about the characters.

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