I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to my choice of entertainment, I always (always) think that it’s not real; it’s just fiction, and whether I end up liking it or not has nothing to do with the story’s realism. Sure, I do want some hint of it (realism, I mean), but it’s not really that big of a deal if it isn’t—especially if the story is overwhelmingly fictitious. It’s just too much to ask for when it embodies something that is all made up.

But the matter of how much I will let it slip is something that I still consider and heavily relies on the nature of the thing I read. For example, in Dr. Stone (ドクターストーン) (story 稲垣理一郎, art by Boichi), this is a post-apocalyptic story, and its main theme is Science. Yes, it’s fiction, and like I said before, I tend to separate the realistic elements as much as possible, BUT! The case here isn’t easy to make because the main theme is science—it’s using scientific terminologies and theories, so if possible, it should carry at least a huge chuck of realism in it! The reason why I adore this new JUMP series is because of the Science aspect! I find the experiments and the jargon (yes, the jargon—I’m a nerd through and through) really cool. So yeah, in this case, I want it, and if possible, spot on! (But again, it depends on the series or story.)
While, yes, it all depends on the nature or theme of the story, most of the time I don’t crave too much realism in otherwise fictional stories.

Let’s flip the coin this time. You know how exaggerated Kuroko no Basket (黒子のバスケ) was when it comes to its play (I mean, one time the author made a mistake by making the protagonist punch the ball when it is actually prohibited in the actual game). While I salute him for correcting his error and changing it, it’s actually nice that he minded some reality in his story, but aside from that, the basketball style in Kuroko no Basket is way too fictional, and yet, I still enjoyed the series regardless. This is, in this instance, where I suspend my belief and actually just enjoy this series for what it is—realism withstanding.

While, yes, it all depends on the nature or theme of the story, most of the time I don’t crave too much realism in otherwise fictional stories. And I’m probably one of those people who enjoys things as a reader only. I don’t need to see myself in the series or stories I read every time or for them to have such a realistic aspect for me to enjoy them. It also doesn’t need to jive with my beliefs—because I’m the type of reader who enjoys stories as stories—a momentarily exile from reality. So I want things to be different, so it’s okay for it to be what it is—just fiction.