I agree with most of what you said but I just want to list down some stuff too
I feel like the redemption arc did make sense with pacing , like yes Jjk isn't going to magically become a better person , but honestly I just wanted a better representation of why exactly he did what he did you know? I feel like as reader's we're left to interpretation on that part but if the author had no real intent behind it or explanation of why Jjk did it , it just adds to the list of stories that use rape/SA/non-dub-con as plot points and that's really upsetting and that's also part of why I didn't like this story
It's not just this one but we tend to have many stories within the yaoi/bl genre that have all these topics but not really much reason for them being added into the story or if it did have a reason, other aspects of it like the trauma of victims etc. Weren't expressed well , some people would brush it off saying it's fiction so of course it isn't going to be realistic but if your going to add it in do it the right way , its a genuine thing people go through like what ╥﹏╥ , okay out of context I'll move on
But I agree with you on how most people keep reading it to see the growth of character's or to see their choices in the long term , honestly I think it's too late into the story for a timeskip but that's something I would definitely read
The opinions in this manhwa are very intense , some intensely hating it and others defending it through it's faults , and I really love your netural , love/hate opinion on it cause I feel that way too
And like you said I too don't think I could ever think Dan should forgive Jjk just yet for what he did but I know the author won't keep the redemption arc going on any longer since their introducing new plot lines
Your long rant was honestly fun to read beacuse it's the one thing I could read through completely while agreeing
Anyways this is just my opinion as well and I'm leaving it here ꉂ(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵)
Agree with most of this
Good points. Honestly, I’m here for the romance, which after the all toxicity feels like a wild thing to say. But I love a bad boy turned teddy bear. We’re not there yet, and may not get there at all, but I’m enjoying the realistic pacing and am still holding on to hope for a satisfying ending. Imo we definitely need the Heesung thing addressed and for JK to make some kind of significant sacrifice for Dans happiness.
Ladies and gentlemen.... please clap
sorry for the longest rant ever, if someone actually reads through this whole thing and wants to share their opinions with me im open to anything, I dont judge.
but there is so much debate about this story and honestly both sides are so annoying imo. as a reader of jinx I can say that I do really enjoy the story but it does piss me off. it HAS come a long way and the character development has honestly just been realistic. of course jaekyung's not just gonna magically be a better person one day. and i think him choosing the match over his feelings for dan is simply just realistic. hes worked most of his life to get to where hes at. and especially with the circumstances that put him into this life of mma in the first place, why would he give it up? he wants the little kid in him to defeat his father at the end of the day, and he thinks winning is going to do that.
in my total honesty i am still not the biggest fan of jaekyung up to this point of the story. I feel for him and I understand his determination. and i do think he has changed. but I still think that hes dumb, and hes still an ass, and he needs to own up to ALL of the shitty things hes done to kim dan. yes, hes apologized to kim dan about being an asshole, and in chapter 90 he came to the realization that he was just as shitty (if not, worse) as the hospital warden, or the loan sharks. but i wish we could have seen him truly be torn apart about it and honestly just take a step back from dan. but instead, we just got more sex, and then he was just magically okay with himself afterword.
AND, I still want him to own up to what happened in ch. 34 (the heesung incident). the fact that kim dan STILL has no idea about what jaekyung did really upsets me. i want to see jaekyung on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness, and i want to see kim dan NOT give him that forgiveness. I want to see kim dan be selfish and truly choose himself. I think the "chasing arc" that we got when kim dan moved to the beach, was really weak. jaekyung chased after him for his own selfish needs at the time. yes, I get that he hadnt realized his emotions for kim dan at that point but still, it was a weak chasing arc and I would be happy if we got another stronger one at some point. to be honest, im not a fan of timeskips in stories, but I wouldn't be mad about one in this story, where kim dan finds a job and finds himself, and finally completely cuts fully away from jaekyung and then they meet again in the future where jaekyung finally fully asks for forgiveness (on his knees with tears shed ofc, lol).
although I may be a jaekyung hater some of the time I do truly think he has had character development. and im not saying hes a green flag at this point at all. he still has a long way to go before I will ever believe hes a green flag and people that think he is one at this point are wrong, but he has had development and im excited to see his future growth.
also, I feel like im backtracking a little, but I think that people defending jaekyung sa-ing dan by saying, "it was a transactional relationship", is genuinely weird. just because he was paying dan for sex doesnt make any of the brutal things he did to him any better. and on the other side of the spectrum, I think people that hate on people that read this story are weird too. yes people are entitled to their own opinions about things and i would not blame a person for hating this story (there has been many times where I have). but a lot of the people that do enjoy this story, dont enjoy it just for the angst, or the toxicity. they enjoy it because they see the potential of the characters and the potential of it having a good ending. I think if people really want to loudly express so much hate on jinx, they need to express it loudly about other toxic stories too like low tide in twilight, painter of the night, roses and champagne, etc. etc. (dont hate me for using those stories as examples, im not saying i like or dislike any of those stories, I personally havent read some of them yet so I don't have opinions on them as of right now). but this is coming from somebody who has read their fair share of toxic yaois and non toxic yaois, and enjoyed both, so I can understand both sides of people's opinions.
thank you, thats all.