Emotional Value
Emotional Value is something that’s brought up a lot in my friend circles. What exactly is that? Well, Emotional Value to me is how much I connect with something, and how my emotions are wrought from me due to something.
For example, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is something that I connect with deeply. It got me out of a difficult place in my life, and makes me cry often when I think about it. It changed my way of thinking, my perspective on relationships, the strength that can come from hope, and so much more. I can acknowledge it’s flaws while still appreciating it the same amount because of the fact that it means so much to me. Other people feel this way, too. Some people get emotional value through ideology, or thought processes. The way some media can change how someone views life for example, is Emotional Value. Taking things for granted is such a common aspect of modern life. When something challenges that, it makes you feel intensive appreciation about the things in question. Connecting with characters from media is also something that can increase your love for the media itself.
As a quick example, if you value family, you probably value a character like Maria Ushiromiya from Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Connecting with Maria as a character and feeling emotion from her presence also impacts how I view Umineko itself. I see Umineko in a better light because it contains this character I connect with. When it comes to characters, being able to see all of their nuances, faults, strengths, and even their lack of strength is a prime example of increasing the chance of connection. Of course, connection comes naturally with everyone and you can’t force it. There is no sure-fire way to ensure that there’s connection with the reader and the media, but there are ways to make it more likely that a connection can be made. Writing strategies like archetypes, full character exploration, and presentation are all used by most authors to establish a connection. Emotional Connection is the most important aspect of media, so authors try to establish this whenever possible.
A type of connection I dwell on often is a connection with people. Good or bad, some media can remind you of other people, and oftentimes can be the only thing you associate said media with. Music for example is the easiest way to show this. Think about music you listen to that reminds you of someone else. It’s so easy to make associations like that. They could sprout from a multitude of things. Being recommended music from someone and then forever associating that music with that person is the most common form of this. There’s also lyrics that remind you of people, too.
Experiences that you share with a character can also fall under archetypes. Archetypes of trauma, mental issues, or flaws are all easy to connect with, because everyone is flawed in their own ways. Not all people will share the same flaws or issues, but the ones that do share them will connect because they share aspects of the character. I think Presentation is one of the more important and author-controlled things when it comes to establishing an emotional connection. The way you present a character or scene or media in general can establish feelings like hype and nostalgia. It can even create an immense and unique atmosphere. These are all very intentional when it comes to writing and there are many ways to establish these feelings.
Emotional Value is the most important part of media. It’s the soul and heart. Without the soul, you’re left with a bland and empty meal. There’s nothing unique about a soulless meal. It just exists for sustenance and nothing more. But a meal with soul has love put into it. It has value. It gives you a reason to consume that isn't as shallow as needing it to survive. You want more because it has love put into it. You appreciate it because you feel the emotion and it means something to you.
