Media Things You Would Consider "Peak Fiction"

It's criminal that somehow the GOAT, Chrono Trigger hasn't been mentioned anywhere here yet!
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If you like JRPG's i suppose this game needs no introduction - a SNES classic also available on DS and PC (I played on my 3DS!!), this is a game with a simple but deep plot around time travel, and a group of commoners turned heroes in a quest to journey through time and prevent the world from being destroyed by the extraterrestrial entity, Lavos. no, not that guy

I feel any praise this game can receive isn't any less than deserved, every character feels important and unique in their own way with their own arching plots and themes, each time period feels charming and unique with varying moods. The combat system can be played both in "real time" or not, and features an emphasis on area of effect, alongside having elements, yet, nothing in this game feels absurdly confusing or hard to understand; the gameplay is very unique and elaborate, yet intrinsicaly simple, easy to comprehend, and specially, FUN.

Not only is this game a blast from start to finish, but i've never quite seen any JRPG do the art of having a gigantically inflated replay value like this game - with many different possible endings not only affected by your overall choices, but even with how early you decide to tackle the final boss; on New Game+, you can literally, no speedruns, no tricks, no gimmicks, go from the first ever area of the game straight to fighting Lavos! "Unfortunate" won't begin to describe his fate!
 
bdt2002 said:
Everyone has opinions on what they enjoy and don't enjoy. This is news to no one at this point. With fictional media, there may be several different reasons a person thinks about something in such high or low regard. Every now and then, though, you'll find someone online who enjoys a fictional media piece so much that they'll be willing to die on the hill that whatever this is has no problems whatsoever.

Whether it be games, books, movies, shows, or anything in between, these are the examples we commonly refer to as peak fiction. The best of the best. The magnum opus. Upon exploring some of the various Cong threads as of late, I've had an opportunity to look at what people tend to enjoy in various mediums. Now, I'd like to propose the big question. What installments or series would you consider peak fiction?

I'll start with one of my own that I and many others love (not my artwork by the way):

View attachment 497806

Super Smash Bros. Brawl, released for the Nintendo Wii in 2008, was always one of the more... divided Smash games as far as people's opinions on it go. There tend to be two kinds of Smash fans: people who love it for the wide array of casual appeal and impressive amount of content for a Wii title, and people who hate this game because it's one of the worst Smash games for competitive play due to several perceived designed flaws. Hidden inside this game's offerings, though, lies an Adventure Mode- an Adventure Mode so good that even Brawl's nay-sayers can't help but love it.

Let me get something straight. There are very, very few things in this world that I would consider perfect. I can count them all on one hand, and I genuinely believe The Subspace Emissary is the closest the video game industry has ever gotten and likely ever will reach to straight-up perfection. The game mode itself is already popular for its gameplay and nostalgic impact, but it's the little things that The Subspace Emissary does that demand respect. Every stage in the game is meticulously designed, down to the tile. Stages with various characters play and feel like you're actually playing that character's games. The famous story cutscenes manage to do so much with so, so little, with almost no expositional dialogue during the entire process. When something goes wrong in this game, you can easily identify what went wrong and practice to get better. It may not have much in terms of a post-game, but it almost doesn't matter sense the game's 30+ stages have a surprising amount of replayability, since stages can be replayed after completion to find secrets you may have missed the first time through, with any character already unlocked. All of this is included inside of a streamlined package that captures the feel of the glory days of retro gaming while still feeling new and modern to incoming fans all at the same time.

With any other game mode in any other video game I can think of on practically any console, I can think of at least one slight negative about it if I think hard enough. This simply isn't the case for this game. The story with multiple fulfilling character arcs, the gameplay that remains even better than the base game, and a beautiful OST composed by some of Japan's best composers... I cannot think of a more fitting example of peak fiction.
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One Piece, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Undertale/Deltarune and To Your Eternity are all peak imo
 
The thought of wanting popcorn simultaneously forgetting the a-hole kernel shards later.
least 2-3 in the teeth, one stuck to ya throat and you're just there like "Ya know what? I did this to myself, everytime."
 
  • On videogames: Bloodborne. No question. I don't think a videogame has ever impacted me as much. Shoutout to the Monster Hunter franchise which is the opposite of Pokemon when it comes to innovation, and Etrian Odyssey for difficulty.
  • On the topic of anime: Shinsekai Yori has already been mentioned as has Code Geass, through I would argue the later is objectively flawed but just too entertaining, at least the first season. I'm surprised there are no mentions of JJBA- I understand it isn't from everybody, it's hard to get into and it's easier to love it ironically for how memetic it is. And it sure has lows. But when it has highs? They are *REALLY* high. I may dislike part 4, but Kira and the Sheer Heart Attack battle are the most memorable thing I have ever watched. It's also the only media like ever where I will genuinely encourage people to specifically watch the adaptation on japanese, even as someone who had a blast reading the English manga. There are things that just can't be propertly translated and it's so bombastic in nature. Couple that with the most memorable soundtrack and sound effects ever and it's just going to stay on your brain forever.
  • On reading: if you can stomach it, just read Berserk. It has issues but it's so ridiculously beautiful. I wish I had a hundreth of the drawing talent Miura had. Every page spread is breathtaking on details.
  • On films: Shrek 2 is often quoted as better than the first, but Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots 2 are right there if you want peak animation. Completely unrelated, but Mr Nobody is a great film.

That being said, out of all media, my favourite is still Gintama. Again, hard to get into, has a very particular sense of humor, and it's filled to the brim with references to other anime/manga that you may not pick up. But if you like me find the comedy gold, you are in the ride of your life because the serious parts are also awesome. I still can't bring myself to watch the finale.

Honestly however, it's hard to make a compelling point about anything being peak fiction without spoilers.
 
DrrT said:
  • On videogames: Bloodborne. No question. I don't think a videogame has ever impacted me as much. Shoutout to the Monster Hunter franchise which is the opposite of Pokemon when it comes to innovation, and Etrian Odyssey for difficulty.
  • On the topic of anime: Shinsekai Yori has already been mentioned as has Code Geass, through I would argue the later is objectively flawed but just too entertaining, at least the first season. I'm surprised there are no mentions of JJBA- I understand it isn't from everybody, it's hard to get into and it's easier to love it ironically for how memetic it is. And it sure has lows. But when it has highs? They are *REALLY* high. I may dislike part 4, but Kira and the Sheer Heart Attack battle are the most memorable thing I have ever watched. It's also the only media like ever where I will genuinely encourage people to specifically watch the adaptation on japanese, even as someone who had a blast reading the English manga. There are things that just can't be propertly translated and it's so bombastic in nature. Couple that with the most memorable soundtrack and sound effects ever and it's just going to stay on your brain forever.
  • On reading: if you can stomach it, just read Berserk. It has issues but it's so ridiculously beautiful. I wish I had a hundreth of the drawing talent Miura had. Every page spread is breathtaking on details.
  • On films: Shrek 2 is often quoted as better than the first, but Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots 2 are right there if you want peak animation. Completely unrelated, but Mr Nobody is a great film.

That being said, out of all media, my favourite is still Gintama. Again, hard to get into, has a very particular sense of humor, and it's filled to the brim with references to other anime/manga that you may not pick up. But if you like me find the comedy gold, you are in the ride of your life because the serious parts are also awesome. I still can't bring myself to watch the finale.

Honestly however, it's hard to make a compelling point about anything being peak fiction without spoilers.
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It's the localization names that really get to me. With such wonderful examples as:
Bruford-Blueford
Sticky Fingers-Zipper Man
Gold Experience-Golden Wind (literally the name of the arc)
And best of all,
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap-Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price
 
RainWaiv said:
It's the localization names that really get to me. With such wonderful examples as:
Bruford-Blueford
Sticky Fingers-Zipper Man
Gold Experience-Golden Wind (literally the name of the arc)
And best of all,
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap-Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price
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nvm forget what I said watch the English version if those are the names. SBR when

But seriously tho, that's charming. Just like the Engrish of the characters in Japanese because it usually comes from nowhere. JJBA must be hell for copyright issues. I don't remember most of the localized names because the first time I was introduced to them in the videogames I had yet to read their parts. Still haven't watched 5 and 6 dubbed either. The only one that stood to me is Stone Free- I think it had the same issue that you mention with Gold Experience, being called Stone Ocean? And it was distracting to hear Jolyne clearly say "Free".

jojo can run from it, but it can't escape the duwang translations
 
as a kid anytime my mom would tell me the vitamins she had us take "were cherry/grape flavor" was peak fiction.

I even told her once "It's chalk" as a kid and even she couldn't hold back laughing like she ain't gonna make me eat em tomorrow night too a lil before bed.
 
Dungeon Meshi and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. I have no issue calling them the two best anime of all time, not that I've watched them all, but the worldbuilding and writing in general are absolute masterclasses. I do want to give Dungeon Meshi a slight edge, though: Frieren's exam arc is roughly 15% good worldbuilding and character moments and 85% uphill slog. And yet it's still top 2 in my eyes.
 
I would say: Pokemon (the adventures manga and the anime, as well as the mainline games), most Mario, Sonic, Kirby, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong games, funko pops, anime plushies and/or figures, and animes such as Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, Toradora, Isekai Quartet, My Hero Academia, Space Patrol Luluco, and another game series I like is Puyo Puyo. I'd also count Animal Crossing and Mii games, such as Miitopia and Tomodachi Life as well.
 
I think I'd add Blood Meridian and Deltarune to my list of peak fiction

Blood Meridian is a book but it kinda transcends it's own medium through the sheer mystery it spreads across every single line in it. I think I could read this book another 10 times and find something new to ponder over that will change the way I view the story and its message. It's also just the most memorable and impressive pieces of fiction ever written, the fact that it resonates with people more than 40 years after its release despite never having had any adaption is a testament to it

Deltarune meanwhile is halfway done and I'd dare say that it's probably the biggest mystery ever laid out in a video game format. Again, every line, every visual piece of it, every soundbite can in some way engage the mind and bring upon some genuine thought processes that come ever so little by little closer to whatever this game entails at its core. It all just kinda fits, even something tiny like the water-adjacent darkners you fight turning pink when they become spareable has connotations across the entire narrative. And the characters are better than anything I've previously mentioned. Susie alone is such a goated character
 
It's awfully early to call a fiction a peak mystery when the answer(s) are yet to be given

Many properties get a ton of engagement because they seem like good mysteries, they're enticing, but the ending sucks, because the mystery and its answers were always bad (or not even decided), but the show was carried by the hope that the mystery and answers would be good

Lost comes to mind

Many stories depend on their endings for the story to actually work but mysteries (at least those uninterested in guiding the player to learn on their own, like deltarune) are especially true here, because you learn less about the story before, so there's more potential for story material to be bad in a way you don't know yet
 
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Adeleine said:
It's awfully early to call a fiction a peak mystery when the answer(s) are yet to be given

Many properties get a ton of engagement because they seem like good mysteries, they're enticing, but the ending sucks, because the mystery and its answers were always bad (or not even decided), but the show was carried by the hope that the mystery and answers would be good

Lost comes to mind

Many stories depend on their endings for the story to actually work but mysteries (at least those uninterested in guiding the player to learn on their own, like deltarune) are especially true here, because you learn less about the story before, so there's more potential for story material to be bad in a way you don't know yet
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yeah that's entirely true

I just love deltarune because it's the first piece of media where the actual reality to the so far revealed mysteries were

1) every time more interesting than the theories established
2) have simultaneously been unpredictable without being cheaply subversive or contradicting the previously established story
3) have, despite being unpredictable, established themselves in many, many details of worldbuilding, visual language and story beats through foreshadowing and literary/narrative instruments

It could go bad. Like there's this theory that states that

Deltarune is just a game created by Gaster for research purposes

There are some pieces across the game that could lead towards that but it would be such a horrible reveal. Would genuinely ruin the story for me honestly. But I trust that Toby Fox is a better writer than that and I think the theory ignores too much and singles on too much on certain aspects

Also, I only focused on the mystery aspect of Deltarune because that's what I spent a lot of time on currently. But it's soooo much more. It's a beautiful game
 
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