An Honest Sinfest Critique

[BabyFem]

I've barely even touched the surface of this forum since it's too inactive for me, but even in my silence on this platform, I have been keeping up with the comic as it has been running for at least two to three years now (and yes, I did go back to read older strips as well). I have been holding my tongue from expressing some of my more critical thoughts for a long time now as the strip has changed over the years, but my resolution for the foreseeable future is to stop silencing myself and making myself small because I think my words will possibly get me banned or make other people feel a certain way over the internet. It's a forum for a reason; because it's being used for the expressions of thoughts, so it's about time I actually blow the dust off of this account and use it for once.

The thing with making content to share with other people is that not everyone is going to like what you create, and I think that's totally fine. It's impossible to please absolutely everyone on the planet, so that's not what I'm getting at here. What I am saying, however, is that I'm still going to have an opinion at the end of the day, and since this is the place where I can talk about Sinfest with others who have actually read the comic, looks like I'm dumping said opinions here. Enough dancing around with wordiness, it's time I get to my points.

I'm going to start by saying that this comic actually does have so much potential that isn't being utilized. There are so many interesting characters or characters who have the potential to be interesting that just aren't being used or developed. I get it; comic strips aren't exactly kind when it comes to creating a certain amount by a certain time, especially depending on the level of detail being included with each strip. That being said, however, I very much would have loved in many parts of this comic to see more time taken to develop these characters and mold them into sorts of people rather than hollow speak-pieces. Take Abby, for example. We know she works for the Devil alongside Blue and that she's in a relationship with Monique. That's okay, but at the same time, I can't help but feel sorry for her. Aside from Abby's relationships to others, it doesn't appear that she has an actual identity of her own.

Really, I would like to know who Abby is. What does she like to do for fun when she is not working? Does she have any other friends? What are they like? Is she completely dependent on Monique for positive attention, and if so, why is this not being addressed or explored by Monique like one would normally do if they were caring in a seemingly dependent relationship like that? Again, there are limits to what you can portray with each comic strip, but I wish that we could see some dialogue or something regarding these topics at least a few times in the series. Not only would it have readers become more attached to Abby and Monique, but it could be such a good portrayal of healthy and functional relationships with other people as well as yourself. We don't normally see such things getting addressed, especially in fiction, but isn't it important to try all the same?

I'd also like to talk about the current turn that the comic strip is taking. The author is going to create whatever story he wants; I think that's already been established. At the same time, however, I'm noticing a couple things that should probably be addressed. A lot of these strips seem to be copied and pasted from already published strips. The layout, setting, or situation is identical to several other strips from the past, and this seems to be increasing in volume. I get that it's difficult to come up with new things when you run a strip from pre-2000 to the present, but if I am being completely honest, it makes it so much harder for an audience to read the story when they're re-reading things over and over again. Attention soon fades away and any sort of point trying to be made can easily get lost or ignored. Furthermore, when it comes to the actual storyline, I have been reading and trying to follow along, but at this point, I am really having a lot of trouble figuring out exactly what Tatsuya is trying to convey in these comics. At first it was just satirical comedy, then it transitioned into a comic from a radical-feminist ally's point of view. In the year of 2021, it's taken a sort of tangled turn to now look like it's supporting conservatives in one form or another. This begs the question: Is Sinfest going from Radfem to conservative? Or could it be that the comic is now trying to say that radical feminists and conservatives are both being oppressed and/or silenced in the wake of far-left liberalism starting to grow? The fact that I cannot clearly see what the plot is at this point in time (and have not been able to for the past five months) is a really big problem that should be addressed in some form or another. Anything is better than nothing at this point, really.

Finally, I just want to say that everyone is free to believe whatever the hell they want. Nobody can legislate your thoughts, and I don't support anyone doing so. If you wanna make a radfem comic, conservative comic, or anything else, please be my guest. But creating something different does not automatically absolve it of all criticism or critique. I don't know if anyone will really end up reading this or taking it seriously, but I just really had to say something because it's been killing me to keep my mouth shut for such a long time about so many different problems I have with the strip. I probably won't stop reading it any time soon, but I'm just tired of internally begging for scraps of substantial comic strips with actual plotlines or character development. Sinfest could still potentially become something much greater, but the first step to this happening is for us (the audience) to know that we are being heard and acknowledged, even if the author does not ultimately agree with us. The strip may not even change after people posting critiques such as this one, but it would be nice to feel like our suggestions were being received in some capacity rather than feeling like we're talking to a brick wall that cannot or will not talk back to us.

Earnestly, Tatsuya Ishida, I would love to hear a response to this thread or any others like it rather than being met with radio static. Even in times when I did not openly critique, but rather asked inquisitive questions ("What was your journey to accepting radical feminism?") I heard not a solitary word from your end. While I am not entitled to responses, I am saying that I am noticing a pattern here where people on this forum will say things or ask questions and you won't respond at all. I know you see our posts too, both because you run this forum yourself and because I have seen your responses to a few select posts. So, again, I would love to hear any of your thoughts with regards to my own thoughts. Otherwise, I'm just going to put this post here.

[RikkiTikkiTavi]

I began reading this comic in 2012 and have read it daily since then. One of my hobbies is comics and I used to read over 100 per day but now have settled down to about 30 - 40 a day. A comic of this caliber that posts every day is a unique thing. A comic that can shift perspective and continue forward without ceasing production is unique.

We the readers consume this comic and evaluate its message. We may agree or we may disagree - but although the comic is being made for an audience, this comic is also being made as a way for Tat to reflect the world back to us through his own lens. From his comic I can tell he disagrees with many things about this current world and he is using his art to illustrate his dissatisfaction. He is using his art to shine a light on what he wants people to see.

Humor is a funny thing (pun intended). Humor works best when it turns the world on its side. Dog bites man - not funny. Man bites dog - funny. But in this world that is already turned on its side, humor is much harder to achieve. The world is outlandish and outrageous things are happening daily. In such an atmosphere it is hard to convey simple humor. I think Tat is doing very well in balancing his outrage with the world and the story line of this comic. It may not be as simply funny as it was in earlier strips, but neither is the world.

Anyway - that is my take on things.

I've barely even touched the surface of this forum since it's too inactive for me, but even in my silence on this platform, I have been keeping up with the comic as it has been running for at least two to three years now (and yes, I did go back to read older strips as well). I have been holding my tongue from expressing some of my more critical thoughts for a long time now as the strip has changed over the years, but my resolution for the foreseeable future is to stop silencing myself and making myself small because I think my words will possibly get me banned or make other people feel a certain way over the internet. It's a forum for a reason; because it's being used for the expressions of thoughts, so it's about time I actually blow the dust off of this account and use it for once.

The thing with making content to share with other people is that not everyone is going to like what you create, and I think that's totally fine. It's impossible to please absolutely everyone on the planet, so that's not what I'm getting at here. What I am saying, however, is that I'm still going to have an opinion at the end of the day, and since this is the place where I can talk about Sinfest with others who have actually read the comic, looks like I'm dumping said opinions here. Enough dancing around with wordiness, it's time I get to my points.

I am not under the impression that simply expressing your opinion about the strip - your critical thoughts - in a respectful way would ever lead to being banned. The only instances of banning I am aware of are due to those who strongly focus on pro-prostitution, pro-pornography and pro-TRA stuff. Mind you, although I have read the comic since 2012 I only joined the forum in 2018 - the old forum which seemed to be a wild west of bad forum behavior was not something I witnessed. I am pretty sure that Tat is determined this forum will not become like the old one.

I'm going to start by saying that this comic actually does have so much potential that isn't being utilized. There are so many interesting characters or characters who have the potential to be interesting that just aren't being used or developed. I get it; comic strips aren't exactly kind when it comes to creating a certain amount by a certain time, especially depending on the level of detail being included with each strip. That being said, however, I very much would have loved in many parts of this comic to see more time taken to develop these characters and mold them into sorts of people rather than hollow speak-pieces. Take Abby, for example. We know she works for the Devil alongside Blue and that she's in a relationship with Monique. That's okay, but at the same time, I can't help but feel sorry for her. Aside from Abby's relationships to others, it doesn't appear that she has an actual identity of her own.

Really, I would like to know who Abby is. What does she like to do for fun when she is not working? Does she have any other friends? What are they like? Is she completely dependent on Monique for positive attention, and if so, why is this not being addressed or explored by Monique like one would normally do if they were caring in a seemingly dependent relationship like that? Again, there are limits to what you can portray with each comic strip, but I wish that we could see some dialogue or something regarding these topics at least a few times in the series. Not only would it have readers become more attached to Abby and Monique, but it could be such a good portrayal of healthy and functional relationships with other people as well as yourself. We don't normally see such things getting addressed, especially in fiction, but isn't it important to try all the same?

This is why people write fan fiction... I assume Tat is a busy person with all sorts of things that go with life such as a mortgage or rent, family, taxes, etc. So exposition on all these things would take time and effort. Right now it seems Tat wants to spend his time and effort telling the story he is telling.

I'd also like to talk about the current turn that the comic strip is taking. The author is going to create whatever story he wants; I think that's already been established. At the same time, however, I'm noticing a couple things that should probably be addressed. A lot of these strips seem to be copied and pasted from already published strips. The layout, setting, or situation is identical to several other strips from the past, and this seems to be increasing in volume. I get that it's difficult to come up with new things when you run a strip from pre-2000 to the present, but if I am being completely honest, it makes it so much harder for an audience to read the story when they're re-reading things over and over again. Attention soon fades away and any sort of point trying to be made can easily get lost or ignored. Furthermore, when it comes to the actual storyline, I have been reading and trying to follow along, but at this point, I am really having a lot of trouble figuring out exactly what Tatsuya is trying to convey in these comics. At first it was just satirical comedy, then it transitioned into a comic from a radical-feminist ally's point of view. In the year of 2021, it's taken a sort of tangled turn to now look like it's supporting conservatives in one form or another. This begs the question: Is Sinfest going from Radfem to conservative? Or could it be that the comic is now trying to say that radical feminists and conservatives are both being oppressed and/or silenced in the wake of far-left liberalism starting to grow? The fact that I cannot clearly see what the plot is at this point in time (and have not been able to for the past five months) is a really big problem that should be addressed in some form or another. Anything is better than nothing at this point, really.

I have not noticed a problem and my attention is not decreased. The layouts are similar (maybe exactly the same) because things are happening in the same places. Many, many comic artists reuse backgrounds as a time saving step. It is difficult physically to draw - wrist and hand problems abound in the comic profession.

In the current strips I think Tat is pointing out that certain areas of life are being 'cancelled' and this includes Radfems, conservatives, and even the concepts of male and female. As a person who sees the conflicts created by 'woke' culture - a force that is trying to exact an iron fist control over everything in every culture - a force that is succeeding in altering long standing cultural values practically overnight - I can see exactly the plot that Tat is creating and I know what he is responding to in the world.

Finally, I just want to say that everyone is free to believe whatever the hell they want. Nobody can legislate your thoughts, and I don't support anyone doing so. If you wanna make a radfem comic, conservative comic, or anything else, please be my guest. But creating something different does not automatically absolve it of all criticism or critique. I don't know if anyone will really end up reading this or taking it seriously, but I just really had to say something because it's been killing me to keep my mouth shut for such a long time about so many different problems I have with the strip. I probably won't stop reading it any time soon, but I'm just tired of internally begging for scraps of substantial comic strips with actual plotlines or character development. Sinfest could still potentially become something much greater, but the first step to this happening is for us (the audience) to know that we are being heard and acknowledged, even if the author does not ultimately agree with us. The strip may not even change after people posting critiques such as this one, but it would be nice to feel like our suggestions were being received in some capacity rather than feeling like we're talking to a brick wall that cannot or will not talk back to us.

Glad you are posting your critique. As a daily reader of both comic and forum, I do not respond very often but I do respond to posts that seem to warrant it. Now mind you, I do not expect you to alter your thoughts just because of what I have said - I also would not counsel you to hold your breath about Tat changing the strips in response to your critique. He is obviously not a brick wall - just look at what he is saying in his comic in response to the world. He is responding to a much larger picture and he is making his critique of the world. I personally am glad to read his comic. I am glad he is holding up a mirror to the world. I don't see things exactly the way he does but I appreciate his view.

Earnestly, Tatsuya Ishida, I would love to hear a response to this thread or any others like it rather than being met with radio static. Even in times when I did not openly critique, but rather asked inquisitive questions ("What was your journey to accepting radical feminism?") I heard not a solitary word from your end. While I am not entitled to responses, I am saying that I am noticing a pattern here where people on this forum will say things or ask questions and you won't respond at all. I know you see our posts too, both because you run this forum yourself and because I have seen your responses to a few select posts. So, again, I would love to hear any of your thoughts with regards to my own thoughts. Otherwise, I'm just going to put this post here.

Tat has never responded to me except to bring me onto the forum- not that I have asked questions. I think his participation in the forum is by necessity slight. This is most likely due to time. He is a busy comic drawing person who also has a life. He is doing something that few other comic artists choose to do. He is continuing a daily comic for over 20 years. Just the logistics alone - thinking of the idea - sketching the idea- drawing the comic - formatting the post for the website - uploading the comic - monitoring the forum - and so on and so on - this takes time and can be complicated by a lot of things. His deadline is daily. He does not seem to do a lot of advanced work - his comics seem very timely. I doubt he has much more than a few days to a week of pre-drawn work.

So, what I am saying is that he probably has a lot going on and you are a fan who wants his attention. If your really, really want his response, try emailing him. It probably will not get a response either but it is a private way to connect and maybe he would prefer to discuss things privately. There is definitely a lurking portion of this forum who are not a friendly bunch.

But also - and I cannot stress this enough - if you want more interaction with him - become a patron. Support the artist. After all he is providing you with food for thought and also this forum to disagree with him. What a thoughtful gesture on his part. (of course I understand those who do not for financial reasons toss a dollar Tats way, but really for most of us it is not too great a thing to ask). I am not implying that you can buy your way into a response from Tat, but if you thought enough about his work to make this post you probably should toss at least a dollar a month his way in appreciation.

Anyway - enough of my response to you. I know you want response from Tat but at least the void answered you back... lol.

[Z6IIAB]

Thanks for your input, Rikki. Ditto.

[Russly]

Twenty to thirty years*.

People originally want Tat to make a new comic to cover this stuff but it seems Tat's mind really does operate in this comic's universe. What may actually occur is stuff such as Abby's identity would get formed through that very cacophony of Simpsons level character introduction. He needs the other characters to understand what's even going on.

Sinfest will remain unhappy as long as Tat remains unhappy, or at least as long as he comes off as cynical or overcritical. But the humor is there for sure. Makes your points worthwhile, we will see where they play out. What Sinfest is doing is reintroducing the satire within the radfem viewpoint (no character is immune from a joke, it's a comic). The reason the plot is so tough to follow is because it's a realtime observation of Tat's take on the world at large, meaning some demographics include overlap. In the real world there are no singular groups represented here, only movements, and no movement is... black and white, I suppose. Whatever that even means hahahaha.

Celina talks about being here in good faith. In reality we could think of the Forum as a Woke Autonomous Zone in that we all do disagree in lots of ways here, and that takes getting used to. What sets the Forum apart from actual Woke Autonomous Zones is we do -allow- disagreement. In fact really the ban hammer has started to come down to who are actual trolls on the site....

Tat has been conspicuously quiet since I joined. I, while not exactly a proponent of the porn world, still have real friends from then who I have honest interaction with, just as I seem to in the community here. I am open to talk with a lot of people, and even though it comes down to I like to help friends through stuff, I think that may have an impact on my impartiality. But no ban hammer as of yet. And I mean like I will talk to cops normally, and Texans and so on. We will never know how to address these problems without understanding what the people even think.

"But neither is the world" is exactly right. There is a significant chance that Tat is quiet because how are you going to know what to say to those in a forum as varied and in depth as this one? What we say likely informs where to go with the comic indeed. However I can tell there is a month buffer or longer because of how long it takes for characters to show up (think about the Capitol Insurrection characters versus when the Insurrection happened). This happened in Bittersweet Candy Bowl where the lady actually lost her buffer and had to explain buffer levels to calm the audience (and upload only one strip a week for two years). Tat probably has a system and the development of the comic over the decades reflects that honing of the craft.

Also, in my experience celebrities of any caliber are screwed. Sure, you can go talk to Jimmy Carter, or maybe locate Trump's Discord. Yet those are exceptions to the rule and what really hurts me is when I commit that atrocity myself. Not taking the time for others in my life regardless of who they are. "Nobody is better than you, and nobody is worse either."

-Russly