This is just a fictional character. People get really pressed in all these stories when you dislike a character. I for one love riftan! But it’s just a story
I font agree with you on hating riftan, but it's true he's not a green ML nor is he red, which why I like the story more. And I agree that your opinion is yours bb I just can't read all of this sryyyy~~~
No offense but if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing, then why bother responding at all?... I'm just saying. You hopped in here telling me you disagree with my opinion on Riftan yet don't offer a rebuttal as to why you disagree, and you admit you basically didn't even read the whole thing, so it tells me you don't understand why I dislike Riftan as a character. Don't bother responding next if you're going to blatantly disregard my rant, lol.
See, your opinion is completely valid, and I'll respect it. However, what genuinely frustrates me is when fans—or rather, his sympathizers—accuse me of mischaracterizing Riftan and insist that I need to read a 43-chapter POV prequel to “properly understand” him, as if I lack reading comprehension or somehow missed the so-called "nuances" of his character.
The thing is, I noticed issues with Riftan from the *very first chapter of the manhwa.* I couldn’t quite name it at the time, but he gave me an immediate "uncanny-valley" feeling—I mean straight-up "ick" vibes—and that’s before even getting into the first two non-consensual sex scenes with Maxi. Despite that, I stuck with the story for years, quietly hoping to see this promised “character development.” And despite how harsh I may sound now, I honestly wanted to like this guy. Why wouldn’t I? Why would I want to read a story where a deeply relatable, sympathetic, and endearing heroine escapes an abusive father only to end up trapped in a borderline abusive marriage?
Things took a sharp turn for me around Chapter 26, when Maxi—attempting to take her role as lady of the castle seriously—confronts a group of men who tried to raid the castle while Riftan is away. When he finds out she was there, he explodes at her, shouting, “And what the hell could you have done?!” and later, tells her to “shut your mouth.” That was the moment I put the story down. Suddenly, that uncanny feeling clicked into place. He was becoming that kind of ML—the type who can’t control his temper or his sexual aggression, but whose behavior is excused because he “loves his wife.”
I didn’t pick the manhwa up again until years later, after hearing it had concluded its fourth season. Around that time, I learned about the novel spoilers—specifically the Book 2 scene where Riftan has raw fucks Maxi nonstop for an entire week. That was the breaking point for me. As I read the chapters myself, I realized it wasn’t some playful or mutual encounter, nor a justified reaction to her petty, albeit reasonable taunts at the banquet. It was far worse. Her provocation was understandable, and his response was not consensual. He assaults her despite her crying and protesting. Full stop.
And just to drive the point home: in the very first chapter of Season 5, when Riftan learns that Maxi went on the expedition without his knowledge, the opening scene is of him slamming her against a wall—or a bedframe—and looming and shouting over her, framed deliberately to look menacing and intimidating. At this point, we’re well over 100+ chapters into this toxic muck stain of a relationship, and THIS is still how he reacts. What kind of “husband material” treats his wife like that? Where is the growth I’m supposedly missing? They argue, then fuck, then Riftan bitches about struggling to "stay celibate" whenever Maxi's within a 2-foot radius of him, and that basically sums up his dynamic with his wife. How lovely. What a fucking charmer.
And even then, with all of THIS, I’m expected not to feel angry or resentful? Am I supposed to stay quiet and swallow that? No. I had real hope for this story, and what I got instead was an otherwise well-written, compelling heroine undermined by an insufferable, immature man-child of a ML she is doomed to be bound to—one whose behavior the narrative (and his fans) repeatedly excuses rather than meaningfully confronts.
Ay ay
well he's obviously inferiority complex incarnate, so I do understand people wouldn't like him. Do I need to discuss it? No. I'm jus giving you a pat on the back cuz I feel you being overly stressed by other's opinion. *pat pat*
I suppose. I apologize for my prior rudeness.
Okay! Sooo, I’ve come to notice my spoiler rant ruffled a few feathers down in the comment section, so let me make one thing painfully clear here and now:
*My opinion should, in no way, be a threat to your enjoyment.* Okay? If you genuinely like this story, my dislike should not matter to you in the slightest, especially when you're 100% firm in your enjoyment of the narrative and its characters. Why is that such a difficult concept to understand for some of you? Oh no! — Several fans happen to agree with a stranger online who openly loathes the male lead?! Big freaking deal. If you don’t agree with me, why are you taking it so damn personally?
Let’s be honest about what’s actually happening—what all of this is actually about. You’re upset because I’m criticizing your favorite story. Or more specifically, I’m criticizing Riftan—a character you like despite his obvious flaws, his one-note, insufferable personality, and his near-total lack of meaningful behavioral change beyond “desire Maxi, get angry, have sex, repeat.” And that’s fine. You’re allowed to like him. I don’t care. What I’m not obligated to do is soften my opinion to make *you* more comfortable.
And the audacity of some of you to accuse me of “misinformation.”
Don't accuse *me* of spreading misinformation when the platform itself has spent *years* falsely advertising this story. Since the story's inception, Manta—across its multiple social media accounts—has consistently promoted this series and its main couple as the pinnacle of a wholesome, fairytale romance. Riftan was sold as “husband material,” a “green flag,” a “whole forest.” That wasn’t just fan headcanons—it was marketing done by a major webcomic publishing company. And the actual story doesn't deliver what it was advertised as. If anyone misled readers, it wasn’t critics like me; it was the way this story was framed and sold.
Also, let’s stop pretending I’m some lone outlier here. Many current and former fans share this exact sentiment. Several. *A lot!* The difference is that people are only now becoming more vocal and confident enough to say it out loud after being stifled for years by a fandom that treats criticism as a personal attack. This conflict didn’t just suddenly appear, rather it was mostly buried under toxic positivity and aggressive defense. In fact, what frustrates me most is that exact echo chamber. For a long time, I kept my criticisms to myself because any negative take got brushed off with excuses: His trauma, passion, "you're just a hater! (Damn straight, I am)" "he loves her too much," "Just wait, he’ll grow!" "Read his POV side story, it justifies his actions in the main story (It, in fact does not justify his actions in the main story)." So I waited. I read. I hoped.
*And nothing happened.*
Riftan didn’t meaningfully evolve. Ever. He fucking stagnates in book 1 and becomes absolutely intolerable by book 2. Conflict after conflict is resolved the same way: possessiveness, rage, and sex standing in as an unhealthy substitute for communication, accountability, or growth. These moments piled up until they all culminated into the infamous "banquet scene," where Riftan basically SAs Maxi (yes, what he does is essentially sexual coercion) for an entire week, and the moment itself left such an awful taste in my mouth that it was enough for me to finally give up on the story completely. Arguments never lead to reflection, and instead lead back to the same cycle, framed as romance instead of what it actually is—borderline sexual and emotional abuse. Maxi was the only one who pulled her own damn weight in the relationship, and yet somehow she was still held responsible for her husband's emotional volatility. The story keeps insisting this is devotion, that THIS is "true love," when it’s really just control and avoidance with a pretty rose-tinted filter slapped on top of the festering garbage that is their relationship.
Ironically enough, with several of his sympathizers hounding me to read his POV side story to "better understand" his character, I think the only thing that garbage narrative accomplished was giving me more undeniable proof that Riftan doesn't love Maxi in the way a husband should love his wife. Through his POV story, it's revealed that his obsession with marrying Maxi mostly stemmed from his dependency on Ruth’s illusion magic—where he becomes addicted to it, and falls deeper into his delusion of "love" for the Maxi in his mind, *not the real Maxi,* so of course it's almost expected of him to behave like a petulant manchild upon realizing that the Maxi he married is a far cry from the Maxi of his fantasies. How about that, his prequel POV story shows that Riftan’s fixation on Maxi was never grounded in knowing her as a person. Go figure.
With all of that being said, you’re free to enjoy it regardless. Truly. But I’m also free to say I hate it, to explain why, and to vent about how disappointed I am that a story with so much potential—with a lovely female protagonist and strong supporting cast of characters—chose stagnation over meaningful growth. In fact, the only reason I shared my spoiler rant is that someone asked me to share the spoilers leading up to book 2 and onward. That's it. If my rant ruins your experience, that’s not on me, bro. That’s on how fragile your attachment to this story is, damn. Have your doc write you up another prescription to help you sleep better at night if my words live THAT rent-free in your minds.
I’m not here to convert anyone, and I'm not here to debate my hatred out of existence. I’m here to speak honestly after being quiet for far too long. If that bothers you, scroll past. Disagree. Keep loving the story. Just don’t demand my silence so you can stay comfortable in your own little, fragile bubble.