It’s not really the end, but even if they did the whole novel, I think I would still prefer “To be an Actor”. As the more successful sequel / predecessor, you can really see how the author improved from Music since the MCs have a lot in common. Maybe I could change my mind after finishing the story through the novel, but the actor is so solid that I doubt it.
Both MCs studied law (or at least the author did lol), had “shamefully” poor upbringings, hated familiar smells of their families’s work, the only child, but the actor is more pitiful since he lost his dad while music had both parents, his mom ditching her sexist and affluent family for love, and for some reason only on the second life did his grandfather reach out.
I’d believe it if his grandfather had visited a shaman or had some reason why (like they did in actor to explain why some characters got involved with MC) but no, he just randomly thought to do at the next family gathering (something that didn’t happen before, so why now?). MC was a hard working student (well, not at the time of his regression but later on) yet his grandfather wasn’t interested in acknowledging MC in after he regressed. It’s probably the music god/deer’s influence, but it feels weird to me that only now he has things and connections that he was denied in his past life. Then again, his grandfather did have a part in how MC’s upbringing turned out the way it did, so I can’t help feeling uncomfortably depressed when I think about his past life.
Different deaths: actor killed himself out of guilt for not being there for his mom, compared to music who was on the phone with his mom, diagnosed with cancer, and ended up dying full of regrets of how is life turned out while trying to save a drunk person who probably died with him. Unless the drunk guy was the deer in disguise and it was a test of MC’s character to give him a second chance—
Idk why I have all these dark suspicions of the deer lol. It’s not evil, but my hater brain keeps trying to twist it haha
FL: early introduced and shipped, but actor does not get together until the end because they’re co-workers/friends but MC doesn't keep tabs on her, while in music they're together a lot and the grandfathers are already considering engaging them if they both want to. My defense is still that they didn't know/have love in their past lives and this is a fictional work, so it's fine for them to have a physically aged appropriate partner.
Actor had a passion for acting, and his commitment to it led to his isolation and death, while music had a passing interest but had to put it down for survival. The deer took pity on MC and chose him to share the joy of music by giving him a blessing. (Actor already had his skills from his past life.)
I like the premise, but it feels like too much is going on. While I am kinda curious of MC potenially meeting his first life's wife, I'm not currently curious enough to find out what's the point of his regression and what he'll end up doing in life. Will he become a famous musician, take over the family company, or join forces with his potential FL? All of the above? His end goal is to be happy, but idk if I feel like continuing his journey.
It’s not really the end, but even if they did the whole novel, I think I would still prefer “To be an Actor”. As the more successful sequel / predecessor, you can really see how the author improved from Music since the MCs have a lot in common. Maybe I could change my mind after finishing the story through the novel, but the actor is so solid that I doubt it.
Both MCs studied law (or at least the author did lol), had “shamefully” poor upbringings, hated familiar smells of their families’s work, the only child, but the actor is more pitiful since he lost his dad while music had both parents, his mom ditching her sexist and affluent family for love, and for some reason only on the second life did his grandfather reach out.
I’d believe it if his grandfather had visited a shaman or had some reason why (like they did in actor to explain why some characters got involved with MC) but no, he just randomly thought to do at the next family gathering (something that didn’t happen before, so why now?). MC was a hard working student (well, not at the time of his regression but later on) yet his grandfather wasn’t interested in acknowledging MC in after he regressed. It’s probably the music god/deer’s influence, but it feels weird to me that only now he has things and connections that he was denied in his past life. Then again, his grandfather did have a part in how MC’s upbringing turned out the way it did, so I can’t help feeling uncomfortably depressed when I think about his past life.
Different deaths: actor killed himself out of guilt for not being there for his mom, compared to music who was on the phone with his mom, diagnosed with cancer, and ended up dying full of regrets of how is life turned out while trying to save a drunk person who probably died with him. Unless the drunk guy was the deer in disguise and it was a test of MC’s character to give him a second chance—
Idk why I have all these dark suspicions of the deer lol. It’s not evil, but my hater brain keeps trying to twist it haha
FL: early introduced and shipped, but actor does not get together until the end because they’re co-workers/friends but MC doesn't keep tabs on her, while in music they're together a lot and the grandfathers are already considering engaging them if they both want to. My defense is still that they didn't know/have love in their past lives and this is a fictional work, so it's fine for them to have a physically aged appropriate partner.
Actor had a passion for acting, and his commitment to it led to his isolation and death, while music had a passing interest but had to put it down for survival. The deer took pity on MC and chose him to share the joy of music by giving him a blessing. (Actor already had his skills from his past life.)
I like the premise, but it feels like too much is going on. While I am kinda curious of MC potenially meeting his first life's wife, I'm not currently curious enough to find out what's the point of his regression and what he'll end up doing in life. Will he become a famous musician, take over the family company, or join forces with his potential FL? All of the above? His end goal is to be happy, but idk if I feel like continuing his journey.