The Sword and Laser discussion

When reading this book, the images in my head insist on looking like something from an anime. I can't help it, or make it stop. I try to imagine the characters as real people, but, nope, large eyed anime cliches invade my brain regardless. It's not exactly a problem - it might even add some enjoyment, though this isn't the kind of anime I normally like, but I find it strange. Is anyone else finding their mind working this way? Do you think there is something in the way it is written that would trigger this? Would you watch this if it were an anime?

I hadn’t thought of this before but yeah... I can totally see Ninefox Gambit as an anime!

It might even work better as an anime. It is very visual and hard to visualise at the same time.

Now envisioning Ninefox Gambit as a manga, and I gotta say it works really well! Great, how will I go back to picturing real, 3D people now?

The other thread about Lee’s aphantasia (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) makes this thread both more interesting and ironic,

Trike wrote: "The other thread about Lee’s aphantasia (https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...) makes this thread both more interesting and ironic,"

WHOA! Suddenly, a lot of things make sense now.

Wow, that is so interesting! I didn't even realise that was a thing, but actually, irony aside, it might explain why anime imagery works better than something realistic with this book. I can think of a number of ways anime plays around with visuals to convey emotions. For example, a character can be tall and beautiful and detailed in one moment, and then they get angry and suddenly are short and cute (chibi) and cartoonishly red faced. What is conveyed is generally more important than what a thing actually looks like. If Yoon Ha Lee is more concerned with describing feelings than imagery, this kind of visual allows an unfixed jump around that suits the prose quite well, at least to me. Thanks, Trike.

Yeah that's very interesting as I have never heard of that condition before. But, i'm not going to give it an additional sympathy star.

I don't think he needs sympathy. He experiences things in a different way and his writing reflects that. This is discussed more in the other thread, and on the latest podcast, but it sounds like we all vary in how strongly we visualise things.