The helplessness of Japanese creators! Half finished products have received over a thousand likes, but meticulously completed works have gone unnoticed

The Challenge of Social Media and Creators

In today’s society, social media has become an important platform for creators to showcase their works, receive feedback, and enhance their visibility. Many creators not only share the final product, but also post behind the scenes footage of semi-finished products or creations during the production process.

However, recently some creators in Japan have started discussing a phenomenon – why are semi-finished products sometimes more popular than final products? This phenomenon has sparked extensive discussion and reflection.

Why are semi-finished products more popular instead?

A Japanese netizen nicknamed “monsieur” shared his experience in 3D modeling on social media. He usually likes to share his practice works, but recently when he was making a 3D model of the character Seven Seas Mami in the popular manga “Renting a Girlfriend”, he unexpectedly found that the semi-finished product had received great attention.

Although he worked very hard to complete the final product, the response was far less than that of the semi-finished product.

I feel like I often encounter this kind of thing in my creative career, where the semi-finished product in the production process can get 2000 likes, but the work I work hard to complete doesn’t even have 10 likes. It’s really uncomfortable

Monsieur posted his unfinished 3D model on social media, which quickly attracted tens of thousands of likes from netizens with just the shape of the character’s face and lips.

However, surprisingly, when he finally completed this 3D model after going through a lot of hard work, the response was not as expected, and even the heat of a small part of the semi-finished product could not match it.

This phenomenon is not an isolated case, and many creators have had similar experiences.

Someone said, “The likes on my draft are always higher than on the finished product, I really don’t know why

This situation confuses many creators: why are works in the production process more likely to receive attention, while the final product is often overlooked?

The gap between the audience’s imagination and expectations

Many netizens have expressed their opinions on this phenomenon. Some people believe that the appeal of semi-finished products lies in providing the audience with imaginative space. A netizen said, “Semi finished products often stimulate the audience’s imagination. They can brainstorm the appearance of the finished product according to their preferences. However, when the work is truly completed, if it does not meet their expectations, it is difficult to gain attention again

Another netizen expressed a similar viewpoint: “The draft stage allows people to see infinite possibilities, and once the work is completed, those possibilities condense into a fixed result. If the result is not ideal, people lose interest

This reflects a paradox that creators face in the sharing process: the audience is filled with expectations for unfinished works, while completed works actually limit their imagination.

Is the process of creation better than the outcome?

Some people also mentioned that imperfections in the creative process can actually evoke more resonance. Some netizens pointed out that drafts or semi-finished products often allow people to see the creator’s efforts and thinking process, just like the behind the scenes footage in movies, satisfying the audience’s curiosity about the creative process. I think watching a draft is like watching behind the scenes footage of a DVD, which allows people to glimpse the creator’s usually unknown side. This feeling is very attractive

Similar phenomena exist not only in painting, but also in creative forms such as photography and cosplay. Some photographers have reported that unrepaired images posted during the shooting process actually received more likes than polished images.

A netizen joked, “In photography conferences, posting any selfie can receive a warm response, but when I later posted professionally edited photos, almost no one paid attention

Inspiration from Classic Artworks

This phenomenon is not limited to modern creation, there are also similar examples in history. Someone mentioned the ancient Greek sculptures “Venus de Milo” and “Goddess of Victory in Samothrace”, which are considered art treasures due to their incomplete state.

Some people believe that these unfinished works are precisely because of their incompleteness that people have endless imaginations about their beauty. It is this unfinished state that allows the audience to complete the meaning of the work through their own imagination.

How do creators cope with this challenge?

For creators, how to deal with this phenomenon is a thought-provoking question. On the one hand, sharing semi-finished products during the production process is undoubtedly an effective way to attract attention; On the other hand, the completion of the final product is still the result of the creator’s efforts. Perhaps creators can find a balance between finished and semi-finished products by showcasing more creative details and behind the scenes stories to continue attracting audience attention.

In short, whether it is a semi-finished product or a final product, every stage of creation deserves attention and appreciation. For creators, it is important to adhere to their own creative philosophy, while also understanding the audience’s psychology and sharing works from different stages at appropriate times to achieve better interactive effects.