Wow, you have some really valid points in your argument. This webtoon has no substance or textual integrity at all. The social context of the time is not explored thoroughly nor is it presented effectively. It’s as if the author threw in (more so sprinkled) in the ‘historical’ genre with no accuracy to the hierarchy. I do understand the use of an “alternate universe” but the duke is no duke at all.
Secondly, as you have mentioned in your review the characters really have no depth; more so empty vessels like a puppet strung by the author. Aerum possesses no redeeming qualities to be liked as a female MC. She is selfish and has no depth at all. Her thoughts and actions are only evident through her interactions with the duke. There’s no independence at all. At first I did like the duke because of his tsundere blushes, however furthering into the plot, he becomes just as bland as all the other characters. Has he forgot his duty and class as a duke? He has the audacity to concern himself with such a lowly ranked peasant so easily with no regard for his rank. Ugh the worst shoujo I’ve ever read.
Thank you, xX__CUMBLASTER__Xx for your insightful and detailed review.
It's ok not to like something. You don't have to force yourself to understand or like it.
lol i bet the people who thumbs down didn't even read ur post. i agree though. sadly, that's just how it is when it comes to mangago ratings. i don't usually pay attention to it.
I love that through your whole comment, it ends wth you still gonna read it. Why do we do that? like sometimes I just wanna see how a story ends but I actually enjoy this story.
While I do disagree with you, (because this is nowhere near as abysmal as most of the manwha on this site) I do have to give you credit for not disliking because others dislike it.
I'm kinda glad you posted this. I really liked this story at the beginning, but lately even when I see that it's been updated I'm not at all excited to read the new chapters. I think all of your points are valid (though I imagine they're using her "reincarnation" as a basis to develop the whole empty shell plot?).
Areum's character is so flat and there's barely been any character development; she's maintained a consistent level of oblivious naivety throughout everything that it's becoming less and less believable. Particularly, why does she immediately and completely adapt to a subservient role as a maid, to the point where she's telling the Duke that he needs to treat her like other maids? That's the kind of attitude you'd expect in a story where the character has grown up in that environment or as a maid.
It's easier to reason away inconsistencies with the Duke's character, but at this point, I can't really believe any kind of romance between Areum and the Duke because it feels like there's such a disconnect between the two characters.
I don't think I'd say this story is terrible; the art is great, the dialogue reads pretty naturally, and individual chapters flow well. Like another commenter said, there are so so so many other stories on this site that are an absolute trainwreck. It's a good webcomic and started with a lot of potential, but has been disappointing in story development.
Dude, you made so many points in this that i'm starting to re-think my opinion on this Manhwa.
I For one enjoy it, although it lacks in some departments It makes up for that in others. Like the art for one is really cute/nice, the backgrounds for one never clash with the art either. The dialogue is smooth enough to read, and fits together and not choppy like some comics.
But character wise you basically covered it girl. laid it down flat without smearing it softly. You full on spreaded that cream cheese thick, and you did that with no hesitation. So I appluad you for that!
But seriously no matter what I agree with you on sticking with this till the end, thats just what people like us do lol.
@BongoCat fuck you to the moon. Ding DONG YOUR OPINION IS (quote trump: “W R O N G”)
Your points are like a ranging 12 year old who just developed leukemia. You need to calm the fuck down you STUPID WHORE.
nice. 21 dislikes
Decent work, Decent story, decent characters. Its an average story that's good for entertainment, and its honest and doesnt claim to be more than that. Any one who makes a long ass essay to exaggerate and hate it... must have never been hugged by their mothers. Is that why they are so miserable with everything?
Then why are you here???
You mistake "Amateurism" as "Intentional cringe trope". It is clear that you know this is an amateur piece of work, and yet instead of looking at its good sides, you nit pick the amateur side of it and start accusing everything based on the amateur storytelling.
Even in the current chap 32, You can see her reluctance in talking about being Hit by a car. She is still extremely 1. traumatised by her own death, 2. Sad for leaving her world behind. Furthermore, if you even Remember the first chapter, She literally Clung to the Duke because he Threatened to send her back to the Slave market. And what is one of the things that the Duke first did to apologise to Areum? Dismantle the slave market. Also she has already been in that world for a long time in the slave market. As stated in chapter 1. That is why she got used to life in Vampire world. And do you honestly want her to MOPE all the time thinking about her death and her family that she'll never see again? And being a maid is much better than being in a slave market. That's why her resentment for everyone is so subdued. She wanted to take a chance of getting free of the slave market. And she took it. It wouldnt make sense, to suddenly resent it after u literally escaped the jaws of slave market life. It would be detrimental to her goal of living a good life and avoiding death.
You think she is just like Sanghee from They Say Im a King's daughter, just cos she's Korean with black hair.
I think you need to broaden your definition of what "Strong women" means. You have a very childish view of it. You think adjusting to life under a vampire isnt strong? Tell me a time you actually schemed silently to get back at your oppressor. And this is why so many people hate sjws nitpicking everything.
You say, "She harbours no resentment towards the people who trafficked her, the Duke who bought her and treated her terribly at first or the background characters that attack her.
If she showed resentment towards the duke, she'd be sent out the door back to the slave market in no time. Her whole bargain to be admitted as a maid to the household was to show the duke that she can be a good employee and not turn traitor. That's the whole point why the interaction is always between her and the duke. Its rushed, but the substance is still there. The whole point of the story is about the duke vampire and his loyal employee. In no way has the story EVER claim to be any other plot.
Why do we like Rosa Parks even though all she did was sit on a bus? Because the point about being strong is being able to confront their oppressor. Which she finally did, to stop the Duke from drinking a frightened lady's blood. She wasnt just saving the lady, she was also saving herself who didnt want to lose her voice and just be a yes-man to the duke. In that act she told it to him straight that she isnt just going to curry favor with him and let him forget that he traumatized her. Even though she could get killed, she still said it straight to his face. She resented his favor because he forgot how badly she was treated when he didnt like her and made sure to not make him forget. She would rather be treated badly, than have the duke act like a "Good person" favouring her despite all the trauma he inflicted upon her.
She certainly did not go "Sanghee Syndrome" where all the sexist bastards never gets confrontation by Sanghee in King's daughter, and just get forgiven because the bastards are nice to her. heck, even after his apology, sanghee still needed time to think about it herself. You love a Queen that takes her time for herself, instead of going through what Sanghee did which is "He's hot, I'm His now"
"The character of Travis/Duke Millard/whatever is also wildly inconsistent. Other background characters continually reinforce his apathetic and cruel demeanour, however the story portrays him as essentially falling in love with the lead upon first glance."
The duke's abusiveness is still outlined negatively, he has its good sides when he changed for Areum, BUT him reverting back to slashing his employees and poisoning them, is shown in a negative light. Yes the romance is fast however cos of the uneven pace, but he fell in love with her because she's the first friend he's ever normally conversed with. He knew it was fake, but at the very least she held up her promise to be a good employee unlike the silent world he lived in where none of the servants gave a shit about him and just waiting for him to die and claim the prize. But the story is good in a sense that his violent nature is not Romanticised. And just like in reality, there are people who can be loving to one person, but be absolutely cruel and tyrannical the next minute to others. Thats how abusive relationships happen. And good for Areum to finally call out that shit and now the duke isnt hurting anyone
"He knows that falling in love will kill him. So why hasn't he killed her, as soon as he felt himself have the smallest bit of affection towards her?" Uh.... Drinking poison tea isnt a BIG HINT that he actually wants to die? He's not exactly happy from existing. He acted on this feeling because she was a ticket out of this life, but then he fell in love with her deeply. Yes the pacing is bad, but substance is there.
"The story doesn’t show their love, but rather shows Areum spouting some sappy shit and him blushing, which again makes no sense when you consider his characterisation." Did you just like... skip the entire 30 chapters. She has never Loved the duke for 30 chapters. Only after he apologised that she started making an effort to be sincere with her feelings, and i mean PLATONIC feelings between an employer and an employee. only around 31, 32 did she finally start having romantic feelings. She didnt go "I forgive everything that you never tried to apologise, now take me, im yours". She got him to apologise, then she became a friend to him, sincerely trying to support him, and in 32, she's only still having a bit of romantic feelings. All this time, she still tries to enforce the master and maid distinction between them.
"Im not going to reread this garbage" I think that's where the problem lie. You binged through everything... And missed out all the details. I dont blame you for missing it out because of the pacing but still, If you are going to critique, at least read it twice.
So yes, this manhwa is great. its still an early work but its great Go make your own.
So, I have some major qualms about this Shoujo. Where do I even begin?
This Shoujo is absolutely terrible, I cannot understand for the life of me why this is garnering such praise, and a score of 9.3/10. The characters are flat and one-dimensional, there’s no textual integrity, world-building is shoddy and the plot is too complex and hard to follow.
To begin with, none of the character’s actions make any sense. Areum finds herself in an alternate realm and somehow adjusts almost instantaneously? If someone from the 21st century were transported into what appears to be the Victorian Era, I think they’d be more than a little shocked. As the story progresses, it almost seems to forget this plot point and is rendered completely insignificant. What was even the point of the entire ‘reincarnation’ aspect if it isn’t referenced or explored further?
Some parts of the story detail her inner monologue and thoughts, however this is not effectively utilised. This could provide real opportunities to further develop her character, reveal her motivations and her feelings. Following the first few chapters, she rarely, if at all, thinks about that fact that she is somehow in an alternate universe. She doesn't question how exactly she ended up there, or how any of this is possible. She never thinks about her life on Earth, her family or friends etc. Her entire character seems to revolve around her interactions with the Duke.
She is trafficked and sold into the slave trade, facing verbal abuse from society for her appearance and doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. She harbours no resentment towards the people who trafficked her, the Duke who bought her and treated her terribly at first or the background characters that attack her. The effects of such a seemingly traumatic experience is hardly referenced further.
Which leads me to my next point. The motivations of background characters attacking her makes no sense. Throughout the shoujo, the fact that he is supposedly a cruel and ruthless man is repeated. So why would his workers attack someone he clearly values, if he has no problem killing them?
The character of Travis/Duke Millard/whatever is also wildly inconsistent. Other background characters continually reinforce his apathetic and cruel demeanour, however the story portrays him as essentially falling in love with the lead upon first glance. He is cold and stoic in all interactions with other people, but as soon as he talks to Areum he blushes and becomes flustered like a schoolgirl? It simply doesn't make sense at all. If he truly is hundreds of years old, a vampire etc., a pretty face isn’t going to do much for him. Nor is someone as flat and uninteresting as Areum is. Whilst I understand she resembles a vampire in whatever universe this is, her character as a whole is not unique or different than any of his other workers. The audience cannot understand WHY the Duke has taken such a liking to her, because the Shoujo makes no attempt to develop either of the leading characters.
The plot is also a major problem I have with this shoujo. The plot is simply too complex and too disjointed that I honestly don't even know where this is going. From what I remember (and I'm not going to go back and reread this garbage), a curse is placed on him, so that he dies if he falls in love with someone? And many people are invested in his death and so plot to make him fall in love? Wouldn't that make him apprehensive of everyone he meets, and wouldn't he be suspicious of Areum?
Following along this plot thread, the Duke is definitely aware of this curse. He knows that falling in love will kill him. So why hasn't he killed her, as soon as he felt himself have the smallest bit of affection towards her? Objectively considering this, he doesn't act like a duke. As this is an alternate universe, I am assuming that societal values are very against classes acquainting with one another and is very frowned upon. So why does he concern himself with Areum when he doesn't care about anyone else belonging to her class?
Their romance plot thread is too sudden. The story doesn’t show their love, but rather shows Areum spouting some sappy shit and him blushing, which again makes no sense when you consider his characterisation. I simply couldn’t empathise with any of the characters because I don’t care about them. At this point, I couldn’t care whether either of them suddenly dies or what because this story is utter garbage.
The only redeeming aspect of this shoujo I can think of is the art style. I, however, cannot think of the reason for the artistic choice to make Areum's eyes so large in comparison to all other characters. It's a personal opinion, but I think it's strange.
To conclude, I am shocked by the amount of praise this has received. Anyone that has read a decent shoujo can clearly see how terribly written this is in terms of the characters and the plot. Characters are bland, the plot is too complex and disjointed and the story does not leave me with a burning desire to find out what happens next. I don’t care about any of the characters, in fact I hate the majority of them. Their actions don't make sense. Either way, I'm already too invested in this and will finish it to see if the shoujo somehow miraculously improves.
xX__CUMBLASTER__Xx