I think what really sells this for me is how insane everyone becomes. Abuse is a rlly hard thing to depict and (while I’m not at all saying this manhwa did it well) one of the many things it does to ppl is make them lose it. I think the characters r rlly… relatable. They rnt good but I can understand them well. I think the author had a lot more intention with their portrayal of this kind of insane situation. The mc for example is aware that the ml likes him. Very aware. And normally the mc is clueless and idiotic and stuff, but the author backs up this kind of naive mc with the very real reasoning of grief. The anatomy of mcs grief, so to speak, almost becomes hatred for the ml. But it morphs into guilt as well. The ml becomes quite literally the only living thing left from the mcs dead fiancé. The ml bears both an uncanny (intentional) resemblance and also the memory/connection to the dead fiancé.
So when the mc gets super dumb and super avoidant of what normal people would consider like horrible things, it’s somewhat understandable. Grief can make people go insane. I don’t think I’m wrong to say the mc didn’t ever rlly love the ml either, whether or not he knew it. The mc I think loved the image of the dead fiancé and so loved the ml. And at some point, that love interlocked with the grief and shame he felt post funeral, becoming his attachment to the ml, the only living remnant of his dead fiancé. And while in captivity he’s forced to confront this guilt, but he doesn’t. As the ml calls him, he’s a coward. Mc sees this horrible terrifying guilt and looks for the one thing that soothes it, an alive version of his fiancé, one that does not hate him nor blame him nor leave him alone.
For the ml, his story I think was very concise and very clear. I am curious why he liked the mc over the dead guy, and my only answer is that the mc resembled his mother while the fiancés taller build resembled his fathers. But idk if that even holds up. I really liked seeing the ml unravel near the end, lose his cool and his grip. Oftentimes, the victim is shown to have no power, to be the only one going insane while the abuser stays sane, maintaining this image of calm vs panic. However, seeing the ml genuinely get angry and reveal the “true” nature of himself was so liberating. Him lashing out at the mc and calling him stupid and all that shit, no yeah I do really think that’s the real ml when the dead fiancé act burns up. I think his act of kindness helping nari was bullshit though. I think he did that js so that when mc met her again, he wouldn’t hate the ml. But tbf idk. I think I come off rlly mean towards the ml and I wanna say I don’t mean it all. His abuse wasn’t chosen and some ppl rlly get overlooked by the system meant to help them and I think mc had a serious hand in how the mls personality was shaped. However it’s rlly hard to talk positive abt a guy who I js saw ejaculate all over his legal guardian's face so bear with me.
I think they both should’ve died. Either that or attended therapy on screen for several years. I’m very ml in the way that I think we should put things out of their misery. I don’t wholeheartedly agree with it, but sometimes confrontation is so much more painful than stalling. I think both the mc and ml embody that.
As for the side characters, I think nari is rlly interesting. I think if my friend was at risk of getting assaulted by the child they raised, I wouldn’t ask for their permission. I’m kidnapping them and never letting that happen. I appreciate her being so forward abt her hatred for the ml and also sensitive abt the MCs relationship to him. Not with the ceo guy. I understand that it’s hard to intervene in abusive situations, especially ones as complex as the batshit story I just read so sometimes it seems better to just bide ur time until the writing on the wall isn’t doom and gloom. But I don’t think that was the right move. So many people failed so many people in this story. Like finishing this felt like finishing hogu hagyeongsu. Everyone’s insane.
Would I reread it??? Not unless I get insanely bored. Would I read it for the first time ever??? No. I wanted to drop it when the plot slowed so that should tell u all abt the pacing and side stories.
it’s like watching a train wreck but in slow motion and the rails on purpose collide
Iwakura Mitsumi always had big dreams, of leaving her small town, advancing to the top tier universi...
- Author: Takamatsu Misaki
- Genres: Slice Of Life / Romance / Seinen
Haven’t finished it but I know one thing. I love Mika egashira. I’ve always had a soft spot for characters who r unlikable or different. I hope she finds smn who loves her. ALSO I THOIGHT BLONDIE AND NERD WERE GONNA BE LESBIANS WHAT THE FUCK
In the distant future, a new life form called Houseki (gems) are born. The 28 Houseki must fight aga...
- Author: Haruko Ichikawa
- Genres: Action / Fantasy / Drama / Sci-fi / Seinen
Super fun manga, I watched the anime first and you can tell love was put into both. The manga prides itself on the clean geometry of it and makes a point to emphasize the regular geometric shapes of the gems homes compared to the irregularity of nature. Now for reviewing, I think this is worth reading. Hatred is a very strange emotion in this manga because it almost never feels… like vile or personal or raw. Most beings don’t rlly experience a true emotion until they go to the moon. So I find it interesting how phos’ love and hatred combine into their goal of being some useful. I liked rutile, padparascha idk how to spell it and Antarcticite.
In the distant future, a new life form called Houseki (gems) are born. The 28 Houseki must fight aga...
- Author: Haruko Ichikawa
- Genres: Action / Fantasy / Drama / Sci-fi / Seinen
Watched the anime, read the manga omfg. This manga lwk gave me depression. Also spoilers duh I’ve never had humans be inspected quite like this manga. For one, the gems r surprisingly stubborn and especially phos. Phos almost never leaves their goal of being “useful” making them a tragic character who ends up alone for like forever I think??? I think the other gems r cool too but I love rutiles mental breakdown and how he became basically an antagonist (iirc) to phos.
Haejoon Goh, who ran from home, and Eunyung Baek, the problem child who lives in a tent. These two, ...
- Author: Wanan
- Genres: Comedy / Drama / Slice Of Life
I have very complicated feelings about this comic. NOT BECAUSE ITS BADb!!! I am someone who struggles very much with being a bad person and as such, I heavily relate to eunyung. While my parents have never been that physically violent with me, I can understand his usage of violence and also his disdain for it. I think the characters in this comic all have very important lessons in understanding the external and the internal of the human. But eunyungs lesson in particular is important to me because I think I get what it means to want power over others, to feel like u won’t get hurt again, to be this hateful person because hate cradles you, etc etc. I think these stories resonate with me a lot because grief isn’t a process reserved only for the dead, it’s for the living too. I think I’m correct when I say eunyung has to grieve the person he could’ve been if he was raised right, in order for him to become that person. I think that this process of grief, throughout all of the characters stories, is vital to us as humans. We have to grieve our potential, our families, our friends, the image of ourselves, our lives, etc for us to be better people. I think eunyung resonated with me so much because to me, loss is anger, it’s frustration and worst of all, it’s humiliating. U have to grieve ur pride, the history of being humiliated when asking for love, in order to ask for it again. I think wanan understands teenagers well and especially what it means to love yourself. I’d recommend reading this.
Haejoon Goh, who ran from home, and Eunyung Baek, the problem child who lives in a tent. These two, ...
- Author: Wanan
- Genres: Comedy / Drama / Slice Of Life
SPOILERS!!! Also it’s been a while since I’ve read this so I might get some names places people things verbs nouns adjectives everything else wrong
I think this manga is rlly gorgeous. Story, characters, narrative ANYTHING aside, the art is pretty. However. That does not mean it’s good. I think I had a lot of issues with this manga, the first being that the ml never really proves his worth to curls. He keeps relying on his father, his family money, i don’t rlly rmbr but he never really proved himself to curls. Second, i dont think curls should’ve been the ml or deuteragonist or wtv the term is. He constantly vacillates between wanting to leave and wanting to stay (iirc) and doesn’t ever really make a solid choice. I’d argue that the real protagonist SHOULDVE BEEN the secondary character to curls. The wittier one who had much more to offer in terms of complexity and in character relationship variety. ALSO WHY DID THE DAD WANNA FUCK THE SON???? IDK IF IM RMBRING RIFHT BUT DIDNT THE DAD LIKE HAVE A CRUSH ON HIS OWN SON???? THAT WAS SO FUCKING WEIRD!!!!!!! LIKE WHAT LITERARY PURPOSE DID IT EVEN SERVE LIKE IS IT A MORAL CONUNDRUM IS IT EXAMINING A PART OF THE HUMAN CONDITION LIKE WHAT NARRATIVE PURPOSE DOES IT GENUINELY SERVE TO HAVE THE FATHER WANNA KISS HIS SON????????
I don’t think this mangas good at all honestly, I think it missed a lot of marks and seems more to have more cheese than it should. Do I recommend it??? If you like shows where u can yell at characters and complain about them, this is for you! I like those kinds of shows so I did enjoy this (enjoy defined loosely)!
Kind of??? Spoilers
I js did a reread so I’ll add some of my changed thoughts below! Also that means this comment got even longer…
I personally don’t dislike either the MC or the ML. I think that they’re both making somewhat rational choices compared to what I would’ve expected (a little less rational for the ml ngl) and they’re both being like respectful to each other. But I think my big issue with their relationship is that I’m really struggling to understand how they’re gonna come back from this weird awkward relationship they have. As I understand it, mc WILL end up with the ml but I can’t see that happening like honestly.
I think they both social checkmated each other by following the other’s requests, which irl is a very normal and decent thing to do, but by doing so (at least in terms of the storytelling) it feels like they’ve limited their character interactions and now there’s no real stakes at play. They’ve both distanced themselves, at least in the others POV, and I don’t think ml is the type to beg for affection given what he’s experienced and (likely?????) thinks about the mc (but we don’t know anything because he doesn’t even change his facial expression).
But I don’t think mc will beg for his affection either, given that he’s done the opposite for like the entire series. Unless it gets cheesed with some stupid arc like “I’m moving away and u need to tell me u love me so I don’t” or smth.
Idk, I wanna know what u guys think of their relationship. I think they’re both decent people, it’s just that right now it really feels like they don’t click the way I thought they would. At the beginning of the series, I could definitely see their chemistry and stuff like I think they would’ve been fine then, but since those past 30 chapters, putting them in a relationship seems so like… forced. Like if I was in either ml or mc’s shoes, I would think the other guy lwk hated me like idk. I think that their interactions have really only worsened over time because mc is stubborn and needs answers while ml is stubborn and too fucking quiet all the time. I do need to add I do like both of the characters it’s just… they’re frustrating me these days….
This isn’t meant to be hate or anything, I’m still interested in the story and stuff and I really do wanna see how the authors gonna make them fall in love. Cause if the ml reveals that he saw the guys butt tattoo, that doesn’t erase how he treated the mc and didn’t tell him anything. Same with the mc, if mc discovers the butt tattoo, it doesn’t undo all the distancing (because he felt uncomfortable???? iirc) and walls he put up either.
I think I js wanna see what’s gonna happen that could possibly change the current situation. I do hope it isn’t cheesed out by like a memory loss arc or a “saved my life in an accident” arc or “I’m drunk and confessing everything to u and ur gonna pretend u heard nothing” arc or smth. Like idk reading it now js feels like im getting embrassment cucked idk. I wanna hear smn else’s thoughts though cause it’s been a while since I’ve read the beginning and I might’ve totally misunderstood their characters in the storytelling pls don’t attack me I swear I’m trying my best to understand the storytelling and authors mind ╥﹏╥
Post reread: I still stand by the fact that they’re both good characters. I think they’re both still interesting however I take back what I said abt decent human beings. I think the ml lwk shouldn’t feel this angry. I think it’s unfair for him to have treated the mc like an experiment (he literally is like “will mc still fall for me even though I made a horrible first impression”) which implies he 1. Wasn’t sincere towards mc for a long time and 2. Had way less to lose in the war that is social chess.
If there’s one thing “define popularity” taught me, it’s that the one who cares more always has more to lose. I think that’s what currently happening. The mc can’t make up his mind on whether he even likes the ml while the ml seems to be putting up either a facade AND/OR dealing with conflicting emotions post 6month internship. So the ml’s role/value in the mc’s life didn’t necessarily change, arguably it actually lowered due to his actions post mc apology.
However to the ml, things seem to have changed. I think his distancing (said this in a reply also) is an external result of trying to retain the status quo. The ml’s friend says that ml never tried to win over anyone like this before. I think the ml’s attempts to spark jealousy or hurt or whatever are his attempts at “winning” over the mc, emphasize winning. I don’t think the ml understands courtship nor do I think that currently he genuinely wants the best for mc.
I’m pressed to argue he’s angry at the mc for multiple reasons, but the biggest one being that he has lost his value in mc’s life. Mc has a bf, mc ghosted him for 6 months, mc didn’t console him post breakup, like etc etc. I think the ml is indeed a bad person but I don’t think his actions r necessarily irrational.
Now for mc. I think because he has such an aloof, bag of rocks eq nature, he actually hasn’t changed much. I will say his adoption of ml values (especially of the dating one) is prolly pissing the ml off and also I think, a really good storytelling technique to show us he still does care abt what the ml thinks! BUT, big but, he hasn’t rlly changed how he thinks of the ml. iirc, it was his friends who thought the ml was trouble not the mc. The mc is still agonizing over whether he even likes the guy as a friend! Idk the mc frustrates me sm BC WDYM U HAD A WET DREAM AND “idk if I like him like that tho” I THINK U DO!!!! Idk I’ll add more later maybe
Spoilers for the stuff duhon idk his name blue hair does
I FUCKING KNEW HE DIDNT KILL THEM NOR DID HE STEAL THE PHONE OR ANYTHING ELSE I WAS A BELIEVER I KNEW FROM DAY ONE HE DIDNT DO THAT SHIT DUDE OMFG CAUSE HOW WOHLD HE KILL THEM IF BOTH HIS ARMS R IN CASTS AND OF COURSE HIS PHONE HAS SCRATCHES IT FELL TWO FUCKING STORIES OMFG DUDE DAY ONE BELIEVER I KNEW HE DIDNT DO THAT SHIT
anyways how r both of their lives so astronomically chopped cooked like dude call this hogu hagyeonsu or stalkers game or hells kitchen the way that their both so chopped in every single regular person ability (I say this lovingly (ish))
Hate this manhwa so much it’s so shit I cried like a bitch every 3 chapters fycmung hate wanan i hope they never write again thsi was so beautiful omg it has a dedicated crash out page in my diary i can never forget this story ever
I thought life would be fun if everyone loved me. An ordinary office worker gets enchanted by the al...
- Author: Go seon-young
- Genres: Webtoons / Josei / Fantasy
A story that wonderfully depicts the emotions of an overweight woman with low self-esteem surrounded...
- Author: anno moyoco
- Genres: Adult / Drama / Josei / Mature / Psychological











