05 of the eight
Republic
5
Does anyone owe a neighbor, a law, or a town — or is every person out for themselves?
On Animal Crossing: New Leaf, republic is a 5. In the middle. Neither the strength of the story nor the thing that fails it. A free town still has to be governable. If the story's only adult idea is that everyone is a grifter, the style does not save it.
What it is
A free town still has to be governable. If the story's only adult idea is that everyone is a grifter, the style does not save it.
A high mark
A person belongs to other people, and duty is not the punchline.
A thin mark
Everyone is a predator, every office is a grift, and the story enjoys saying so.
What it is not
Not a pageant. A story can criticize a town and still believe you owe that town something.
What to look for
- 1Look for a duty to a neighbor, a law, or a town, not only a circle of friends.
- 2Freedom with nobody who can say no is not the same as a free town.
- 3A flawed town can still be worth keeping. If every office is a fraud, the story has given up.
- 4A cynic can be one voice. He should not be the only grown person in the room.