The remaining edits were pitifully minor: I changed a 'weren't' to a 'wasn't' because I thought it sounded better.
In addition, I changed '17' and '18' to 'Juunanago' and 'Juuhachigo.' This is because Android 17 isn't really the number 17, but more like the 17th edition, ditto for 18. There's no good English translation of that, so it's better to leave the names in Japanese. Plus the characters were invented in Japan so they should be referred to by their Japanese names, not their English versions of their names. It would be like calling Sakura 'Cherry Tree' instead of Sakura. This might cause some people confusion since they don't know enough Japanese to realize I'm referring to 17 and 18, but it should become obvious who they are when you look their names up and they show up under the Dragon Ball franchise in the index. In any case, I can't sacrifice the quality of people's names just because someone somewhere is too ignorant to get what I'm saying.
There were things I wish I could edit -- phrases that felt clunky and transitions that didn't flow well -- but I couldn't think of any better alternative so I left them all alone. I'm sure God could have written the scenes more poetically but I'm content with getting the content of the messages through.
There were also names I'd like to switch out, but it's impossible right now. Until I get a PS5 and play Tales of Arise, Final Fantasy 16, watch the new season of Precure after Tropical Rouge, etc., any name changes will have to wait. I've done everything I can for the book as of this moment.
I definitely use the word 'even' too much, but I don't know how to correct the issue. Unlike 'just' there are no effective substitutes for the word 'even.' I need the word so I can't really complain. It would be like saying I use too much iron to build a bridge. Well, yes, but then again this way the bridge doesn't collapse.
With all that said, this is definitely the best book ever written. There was very little to edit this time, I mainly just enjoyed it as a reader. Somehow the book was even more erotic than before, even though this was my 30th time.
The romance was as smile-inducing as ever, and all 100 waifus got a reasonable amount of representation, which is really remarkable. This is a book with over 100 characters that nevertheless follows a single plotline. It combines the beauty of a kaleidoscope with the accuracy of an arrow.
If you wanted to think of it like a manga, I could break the story down into 'arcs.'
1) The village founding arc
2) The courtship arc
3) The first times and first children arc
4) The technological growth arc
5) The Goddess' descent arc
6) The philosophical arc
7) The satisfying everyone arc
There's a clear progression of both time and characterization throughout the novel. Everything grows towards the same united purpose. Like One Piece's quest for the One Piece or Naruto's wish to become Hogake, it's all tied together.
Though this is 1 book, it's as long as three normal books, so 7 arcs can all be squeezed in. By the end of the novel I feel like everything imaginable has been said. This is the best book ever written, and by that I mean the book encompasses so much of what matters in life that there's practically no reason to read any other.
I've often said I liked the beginning more, or the end more, or the middle more. But that isn't exactly right. What I really feel like is I like each arc for a different reason and they're all perfect at conveying their own emotional weight.
Just as there is no dropoff in the quality of children's names from the 1st to the 10th generation, there's no dropoff in poignant or profound moments no matter which arc you're in. No scene is strictly superior to another because they're always moving on to something new to say about something else.
This was the 30th time I read '100 Waifus' but it was my favorite time. This is because this time benefitted from the previous 29 edits, with all the new and better material that wasn't there before, and this time I didn't have to stop and edit any more, because it was already perfect. This was less work and more like enjoying the finished product. A celebration of a job already well done.
Though I do intend to keep improving the book and I did in fact improve it a little this time through, proving it's still improvable, the benefits are so minor as to be dismissible. People may as well read it now:
I probably won't read this book again until after I play Tales of Arise. There's plenty of other stuff to do, like Aiyoku no Eustia and Bravely Default II. I wanted to get this book shipshape and I have, so there isn't any pressing need to go over it again. The third time wasn't the charm, but the 30th one was. All's well that ends well.
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