As the title asks. I have a story idea I am itching to write that would probally be classed as YA BUT as of now it's cast is made entirely of anthropomorphic animal characters. The setting is not earth, and I simply can't imagine making one side in the conflict, or both, human. However, I fear that anthropomorphic animals may be too "childish" and a turn off for teens so I had the idea to make a "compromise." While I cannot bring myself to make these characters human, I can see them as a unique species that can shift between an animal form and a form that looks human except for the fact they have the ears and tail of the animal they turn into.(think catgirl style if you know anime). While anthro characters would be ideal for this, I feel that the second route may be more palitable and less "childish" however I'm not fully sure which direction to take. If any of you have suggestions for me I would greatly appreciate them. Also, please excuse any spelling errors. I am on a machine that lacks spell checking functions....and don't have access to a dictionary either. So yeah.
Animal people (not counting ET animal people) are a turn off for me, but I'm not a 'youth' and I think it's just a personal preference. Look at "Watership Down", isn't that YA? My brother loved that series and I couldn't get past the first chapter in the first book.
Just Write it. It doesn't matter if your characters are anthromorphic. People will read it if it's well written. If you feel they're too childish, then make your chars have conflicts that a child would never have.
i agree with blackstar and a good story counts much more. and since its not on earth i dont see how it becomes childish you instantly have anthromorphic aliens i find it really proggresive
I also agree with Blackstar. There are going to be people who love it and people who hate it. A premise means very little. At the end of the day it comes down to how it's written. If you feel strongly about this you write in the way you feel is best!
ditto all the advice to just go ahead and write it... no one can tell you if this or that will work, till it's written...
I absolutely agree that you should go with what you want to go with. However, I will still throw out a few thoughts on these options. Anthros/Furries target a far more specific group of people. There are a lot of those individuals out there (they have big conventions), and of varying ages (which I mentioned in your other thread about this), and I don't think your story would come across as childish if you used them. Culture, I think, has progressed beyond anthros just being in children's stories. The shifters/animal people would have a broader base of interest. More people can relate to them as they are more humanoid. You can even find crafters who make animal ears that you can clip into your hair or wear as headbands (or as hoodies, or as a thousand other options) and tails you can wear with a belt. The love of this aesthetic, I think, is a milder form of the love for furries (but definitely related), which thus gives a larger group of people to target. I don't watch anime or have anything to do with it but I think (based on how much related art is available on an art site) this style is fairly common in anime, which is itself extremely common and highly loved by mass numbers of individuals.
