Plot Driven or Character driven?

[StarStealinGirl]

This applies to anything, videogames, books, anime, etc.

I'd take characters.
An interesting plot with not-so-interesting characters can lead to tedium. There is this really simple RPG called Lunar. Both Lunar 1 and 2 have some seriously basic stories to tell. There is a bad dude who is evil, let's kill it! That's about it. However, due to the incredibly strong characters, the plot feels more personal and important. I can say the same thing for Tales of the Abyss, I would not haved liked that game as much if it wasn't for the lovable cast of characters and their interesting backstories.

Also, look at the novel "The Grapes of Wrath". Seriously, the plot is about being poor and looking for a place to not be poor. That's it. But it's considered
a masterpiece because of the great characters.

Without great characters, there can rarely be a great plot. But that's just my opinion...>_>

[Rain]

Plot driven, 100%, not a doubt in my mind xD

having the plot advance the story enables the characters to progress naturally, and to seem more like they should be, nothing feels forced

great characters don't seem great if the plot is bad or not well thought out, having a great plot can make up for less chaarcter development and help the characters become better later on

[♠ Saint ♠]

Personally, I think that there's got to be a decent balance of the two. A really good plot is really boring with dull characters. Besides, characters are supposed to drive the plot well-written ones will affect the story in profound ways. The book Shogun by James Clavell is a good example of this. The characters may seem flat on the surface but they each have their interpretations of bushido and their inner personality is reflected. Buntaro is a bully, Toranaga is a master manipulator and general, Lady Ochiba is a hellcat, and Lady Mariko is intrepid, clever, loyal to her liege lord while being true to her faith. The plot's overall goal is simple but the path getting there is illustrated in intriguing ways. The characters drive the plot towards it's final fantastic conclusion and the characters grip you for the whole ride even if you hate them.

[Fyrefox]

XD Plot driven.

I'm kinda in the middle on this though. In Tales of Symphonia, the plot is fairly well thought-out, and the characters are simple, but it's one of the greatest Gamecube games of all time (plus the real-time battle system). But you can sorta control which characters develop relationships with who, and that adds a different depth to the characters. As far as that goes, these extra elements aren't really needed, it's the base parts of their personalties that helps drive the plot.

Does that make sense?

[Rain]

Saint- I agree you definitely need both to have a great story, but really a great plot will yield greater characters

its pretty evident which of the two some manga are

bleach is pretty clearer character driven, what happens to the story is a result of what the author wants the characters to go through

and the story suffers because of this, instead of getting what should happen, we get plotkai :XD

other series make the story more important, using characters as the are needed, none taken importance over the plot itself

[SakuraTsuny]

Character driven.

One my #1 reasons to love Bleach.I love complex characters and Bleach definitely has a lot.Main or not, the Bleach characters are complex, interesting and complicated.Urahara is a good exemple.He isn't a main character but he got backstory and he stills the centre of everything has happened or is happening in Bleach (he created the Hogyoku for short.He's not a main character but he is just as important as a main character is).Kubo knows to make every of his characters important.That makes them less hateable, in my opinion.I can't hate them.There are few I don't like, but almost no one I hate (maybe one..but I'm not sure if I hate a Bleach character...however...it doesn't matter..blah)
I always look at the characters, that's me..get over it :XD I EAT great characters.

On the other hand, I agree, the plot is also important but the characters are like some pawns on the chessboard. I know, they get developed anyway...

You know, Naruto was a character driven shounen but once Part 2 Shitpudden came out, it turned kind of plot driven.And got pwned.I don't enjoy it as much as I did and most likely i'm gonna drop it :sweat


Saint - True! We need good plot as well as good characters XD
Rain - You are right..this is the bad part of character driven...plotkai..

So yes, I do like a great plot but I love the characters even more.Just my opinion.

[kiera2]

having the plot advance the story enables the characters to progress naturally, and to seem more like they should be, nothing feels forced
Seriously? Having a plot that forces the characters behave a certain way is a sure-fire way to make them seem inconsistent and forced. It's always painfully obvious in TV shows that put plot before characters, because you see characters acting one way one week, and very differently another week - just doing whatever is necessary for them to advance the plot. It makes for poor believability. Good characters should drive the plot themselves, not be used in whatever way is convenient to act out a preplanned plot. Look at Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - a book he apparently wrote by starting with a guy making spaghetti in his kitchen, and just seeing where the characters took him.

[Rain]

Seriously? Having a plot that forces the characters behave a certain way is a sure-fire way to make them seem inconsistent and forced. It's always painfully obvious in TV shows that put plot before characters, because you see characters acting one way one week, and very differently another week - just doing whatever is necessary for them to advance the plot. It makes for poor believability. Good characters should drive the plot themselves, not be used in whatever way is convenient to act out a preplanned plot. Look at Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - a book he apparently wrote by starting with a guy making spaghetti in his kitchen, and just seeing where the characters took him.

thats just a poor plot though, I tend to think of plot driven as a story where the plot is planned, and what the story follows that plan regardless

I won't make the characters seem OOC or anything as long as it has been planned

I look at bleach for example. It is character driven, so you know that in general those characters won't be written off, even if its better for the plot

having the plot drive everything does what is best for the story, not what

granted both are important, and there are good and bad examples to each, but i tend to think you need a good story idea before a good character

[sparticus]

Secret option number three: Crack driven! XD

Lol, seriously? I prefer a nice balance of both. You can have a really great plot with characters you don't care about, or awesome characters without a plot, which ultimately diminishes the awesomness of the characters. :/

But, seeing as how there's only the two choices, I go with great characters. You can get by on a flimsy plot so long as the characters are awesome. :)

[07Janina07]

All plots are characters driven in a story. Many people leave books opr shows because thery hate the characters. The character is the one thing in the story where you connect to. If you don't feel anything for the character how can you cheer for them or even be interested in their problems at all?

One must love a character in order to stay with the story. A characters reaction determines the outcome of the story. Their attitudes, morals and way of life drive the plot.

It is true that their must an outside force but in any story the foundation of everything is the characters. They are the ones that keep you coming back for more.

So, yes, Character Driven.

[cornflakes]

Both are legitimate approaches IMO. I've enjoyed books and movies that used either approach. For example:

--The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is character-driven, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is plot-driven.
--Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger is character-driven, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is plot-driven
--Serenity is character-driven, Star Wars is plot-driven

Any attempt to say one or the other is 100% better is to denigrate a whole swath of great works, IMO.

EDIT: Actually, there is another division, IMO-- idea-driven. I would say, for example, that Starship Troopers (the book) and Animal Farm is idea-driven.

[♠ Saint ♠]

Animal Farm was one of the most brilliant books George Orwell ever wrote, methinks. I liked Boxer and actually shed a tear or two at his fate.