EndlessRain0110’s “That Goth Girl,” Part 5

Good morning all,

Today’s review will cover “That Goth Girl” Part 5. This is the latest iteration of an ongoing CGI comic series created by EndlessRain01010 (a.k.a. EndlessRain). (NOTE: Readers can read an interview with EndlessRain0110 here and the previous review of the first four parts here.) Part 5 was released on January 20th, 2021.

This consists of 77 color images (including the cover) in 1920 x 1080p resolution. This takes place entirely within the posh spa resort which readers first saw in Part 4. The cast consists of Dan (a.k.a. Danny) our point-of-view character, his girlfriend Valeria (a.k.a. Val), Val’s mother Veronica, and Danny’s co-worker Ash. Of note, this features both female and male growth!

One of the things I want to highlight is the inclusion of conflict in this comic. Too often, growth stories are merely a chronological list of events and not actual stories. What do I mean? Well, they omit conflict, drama, and tension. Instead, the protagonists achieve their goals without significant opposition. Examples of such include Bust Artist’s grOw/cinema “The Ever-Expanding Universe” (read a review of Part 1 here), Dinner Kun’s “Project Izanami” (read a review of the finale here), RedFireD0g’s “Kaylee,” etc. In those examples, the main characters face no adversaries capable of even delaying their progress.

There have been works in popular media which were entertaining, but also omitted conflict. At least, they did not portray conflict in a traditional manner. One example is the 1988 Japanese animated film “My Neighbor Totoro,” a work which at most was light on conflict. There were problems to be overcome in that film, such as the mother’s illness and Mei running away. However, those problems were easily resolved. Personally, I think of My Neighbor Totoro as the exception that proves the rule. That’s not to say that Totoro is the only example of a low stakes narrative, but nonetheless I feel safe claiming that most popular works try to incorporate drama and tension. In general, it’s difficult to build excitement without significant conflict to create drama and drive interest in the outcome.

That’s why superheroes are given supervillains to oppose them. DC Comic’s Superman started out fighting street-level thugs and other criminals who had no chance of fighting back. However, those stories quickly became stale and more capable opponents such as the Ultra-Humanite, Lex Luthor, Mister Mxyzptlk, etc. were introduced.

(FULL DISCLOSURE: One of my own stories, “Johnny Helps,” was also called out by a reader on Amazon for lacking conflict! Thus, I’ve since strived to always include conflict in my works.)

That noted, while “That Goth Girl” has the potential for tension, in the form of antagonist Ash, it could be stronger. For example, at one point Ash was unceremoniously tossed into the pool by Veronica. I expected Ash to confront Veronica afterward. Ash was by no means a physical match as the giant-sized mother was much larger, but Ash could have at least complained to the staff. It felt odd that she would accept the assault in a nonchalant manner. Yet, the next time we see Ash she is talking to Veronica and seemingly was fine with being violently pitched into the water. In fact, the process was repeated and she was pushed back into the pool, the second time by Val.

Presumably, the spa employs a few staff members to run the place. (NOTE: Surprisingly, employees were never shown.) Those workers might object when a few customers throw others into the water against their will. Additionally, the workers would probably speak up when customers make love at the poolside ❗

Overall, I recommend “That Goth Girl” Part 5 to gentle growth fans and I’m excited to see how the plot develops. Folks can purchase it for $6 here: https://endlessrain.e-junkie.com/3 My hope is that future issues will show that Ash is indeed a formidable opponent and will include more drama and tension.

That’s all for now, next week will feature an expansion-themed video clip from a new creator who hasn’t been covered by There She Grows before. Until then, keep growing!

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