Sep 07, 2021
To:Bubbles
I think part of the dissonance you feel may be coming from a light novel volume usually being a much smaller chunk of a whole series than normal. Many LNs tend to have upwards to 10 to 20+ volumes, so a single volume tends to require a razor sharp focus on a limited cast, while slowly introducing more to the fold that don't get fleshed out until later.
As such, you are correct that Snazzy was meant to be the most fully fleshed out one, as the theme behind this volume centered around him. Maribell is, as you believed, meant to be a character that conforms with the situation as needed. She is meant to be unsteady in the way that she only just learned to trust again, and it would be a future arc that would turn her into a person of self-confidence at her journey. Same with Seraphina. And Bella (Who isn't lusting over the priest. She's just overcompensating for others who can't the sight of her).
The breakneck pace and simple message at the end is, by design, targeted to the shounen crowd. It's as formulaic as the hrrr,drrr of having something purposefully eyecatching like 'tentacles' in the title.
So yes, I do get the points that you have made. Many of them are valid in the sense that very little has been wrapped up and addressed in a satisfactory way. It's never meant to be self-contained, so a lot of dropped-in moments are still waiting to be acted upon. Something that I think LN readers tend to just accept at face value.
Thanks for the detailed comments. I'll be sure to keep them in mind for whenever I decide to flesh out the next parts. It never hurts to have a contrasting viewpoint such as yours, because it really does remind me what I would have to do for later volumes (loose ends and whatnot).
