That this is not listed as a comedy. I swear it is. It has to be. This is an apocalypse, zombie mutation COMEDY. It should be labeled as such before anything else. It's a comedy with horror added in for spice.
I like the overall vibe and the premise but it's too early to tell.
This wasn't for you. You didn't like it. Go read this instead.
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/pass_the_monster_meat_milady/
Just a reminder for myself why I dropped this.
I already hated it before I even finished chapter 4. I decided to give it one more chance with chapter 5 and the ML (prince) is absolute trash. He INTENTIONALLY let her get hurt. The gun would have done nothing to him and he knew it. I get that he was suspicious of her at the time but he treats it lightly even now.
He basically says to her face that he knows she's angry he hid that but that he doesn't regret it, because at least now he can use her. Kept going just a bit further and I have to skip all their "romantic" moments because it feels too forced. Now she's been attacked and she's being blamed for fighting back instead of fleeing. I understand the logic behind it but ugh. I hate this story sm.
I knew I had read more of this. Here:
https://www.mangago.me/recommend-manga/my_contract_with_the_apothecary_monster/
Came expecting drama, left well fed. FL is hilarious and awkward but doing her best. ML likes to fluster her, which is a dynamic I adore. Misunderstandings are cleared up almost immediately on the spot, not dragged out 100+ chapters. There's a snarky aide even if we only see a little of him. Perfection.
The only thing really enjoyable is her ex and his new wife. I like how silly they are and how they laugh off most things.
The rest of the story is bland, boring, and not engaging enough for me. A lot of it is politics or "this is how intelligent fl/ml is" and I'm just not the target audience for that kind of story. I stuck with it until about chapter 20 but I can't anymore. I guess I'm too dumb to care about this sort of thing. Oh well.
I was staring at chapter 20, trying to figure out why there's a golden fist coming out of a cup. It's a honey wand.
I considered dropping around chapter 6. It felt too cringy, I didn't like the ML, and the only good part was the friendship between the girls.
It does get better. If you're thinking of dropping it, read three more chapters. While I still don't like the prince as a ML, I do like him as a character. And while it isn't a deep story by any stretch of the imagination, it's a nice little story to enjoy in your downtime.
I get it. The letter "w" is a very recent addition in the alphabet, all things considered. Even then, it was around by the 1500s and 1600s. It's not THAT new.
That is to say, making your company "A&V" is rather...unfortunate. the "AV" company huh?
I just can't. I can't with this story. Does anyone have any recommendations in regards to charm powers like the sister has? That seems interesting and I know I've read it before but it's been forever.
She's listed as near sighted/short sighted but can't see things close to her, like Rufus's face, clearly. That would actually be called farsighted.
I'm near sighted, I can't see into the distance but can see things up close and NEAR to me.. Far sighted can't see up close but can see FAR away. Hope this helps someone for the future!
She's going to panic turn him down and this is going to be dragged out even longer. The plot isn't even half way complete at this point. Ugh.
It was a one shot in a very short anthology. The story went, this high school girl was at a school fair, and came across these boys selling some kind of potion. She bought it out of curiosity and they went over to one of their friends and collected some of his tears as the "special" ingredient. She is blown away by how cute but sad he is and becomes convinced she needs to drink his tears again. Things happen, they become close, and it's revealed that his friends did that to cover up for the fact that he needed to cry that day. I don't remember why he was heart broken or anymore of the details. It was weird but cute, in that aimed at 2000s era girls kind of way. Wish I could find the artist because I'm pretty sure I adored other stuff they did.
I cannot stand Caesar. I would enjoy this if Curtis (glasses) was the ML and I was actually hopeful when FL said he was cute, too. He's an active character, and at least he's doing things, even if it's behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Caesar is passive af and it's clear he's being pushed as a love interest.
Tell me, what has he ACTUALLY done at this point? He took a nap (story pretending he was observing them but no, he was sleeping), told the FL to trust him and tell him everything without doing a single thing to earn her trust. When she naturally turns him down because that's sketchy af and he tells her if she DOES trust him, the children will be sent away and separated, what does he do? "Oo. Interesting." Then, in the bath scene, where she's trying to find the ledger, what ACTUAL help does he provide? A hint on which tree she should dig under. SHE digs it up, in exchange for the safety of the children. And what does he do? Immediately tests her again and threatens her job. The ONLY decent thing he's done to this point is keep his promise that he won't separate the children.
And given how many comments are clearly hyping him up? I'm done. He's a lazy character but not in a fun way. He's passive, doesn't help at all, and I'm not interested in "rewriting" every single scene with him in order to make him better. Maybe this is for other people but it's definitely not for me.
I can't stand her attitude. "You said I can't do something? I'll prove you wrong!" But they're trying to make it cutesy. Ugh.
I wouldn't mind her being stubborn. I don't mind her enjoying learning. I could even overlook her being a Mary Sue character. However, her personality grates on my nerves.
This just isn't for me. It feels like it was written by a 5th grader. I can't handle it. I'm out.
I don't see it fulfilling it in the slightest. That said, the amount of people used to Mary Sue characters who can do ensuring and experience no growth SHOWS HARD in this comment section. Never been a fan of Mary Sues but go off, ig.
Interesting premise and I like the idea that the one person who was ostracized, bullied, and treated as nothing is the only person who has the potential to become a "god." There's the chance that she could get amazing growth as a person. When she's not forced to be among the people who literally almkat killed her, she's very different. What little we know of her past outside the clan gives me the tiniest bit of hope. She used to work in an inn. She's capable of cooking, cleaning, and lifting heavy things. She's not afraid of hard work. And she's spent more time outside of the clan as a person, versus being treated as a punching bag while inside.
I have zero thoughts on the ML. They've done nothing with him, honestly. I get why people aren't happy so far but it's too early for me. So far, we've seen one flash back where he was frustrated with her and in the present, he's done very little. Sure he "saved" her but the alternative was letting her die and the world suffer, since she won't give birth to a "hero." That's, um. A choice, ig. He's currently more a plot device with a tiny bit of agency.
As for the FL? She was summoned back, against her will, in the first chapter. She brought a dagger as self defense. She was TRYING to protect herself. Then her world is turned upside down when she's forced into a marriage against her will.
THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL. I don't think commenters understand that. She HAS TO pick one of the 3 sucky choices. Just because she picks her childhood love doesn't mean that she WANTS to. She turns ALL THREE DOWN at first. She's held there against her will and later almost raped as a result. She's told point blank that even if she tries to run, she'll be dragged back. She has ZERO CHOICE when it comes to the marriage. Her only saving grace is that she can pick someone other than the person who almost killed her. That's it. This clan won't ever let her go, because of the prophecy.
Chapter 3 shows her briefly getting ahead of herself and then accepting her fate. She's trying to make the best of a bad situation. She's picked someone, the only person who's helped her so far, even if she knows this is a business deal. She's trying to find something positive to cling to. At least it's her first love. It's either this or turning him down and being raped by one of the other two.
Expecting her to be able to fight on the level of any of the men who trained from birth is stupid. She managed to fend one off and knew that she wouldn't be able to keep fighting, so she turned the blade on herself. She only asked for help when she was cornered to the point of her only other option being death. And it wasn't like they're were other people on her side. Everyone was ready to hold her down there, if ordered to.
I'm not saying it's good. I'm not even saying I have high hopes for it. It's not even mid. It has potential but it's likely to be yet another emotional torture porn. They're going to go wishy washy on both her and the ML, drag out the will they won't they, and not address the main issues for longer than necessary.
The potential is there. The next few chapters could have her bright, cheerful, and super helpful around the soldier quarters. Give her a week or two to semi start fitting then. Then, a small drama scene, and the cliche of her falling ill due to stress. ML shows up late one night to check on her and find her crying in her sleep. Or he catches her when she's alone and softly crying to herself. She's breaking down inside, not anywhere as strong as she pretends to be, and her cheerfulness is an act. But what else can she do? She doesn't have a family to protect her and what she can do to protect herself is limited. Have a scene where he finds her chiding herself, telling herself she HAS TO be stronger, and forcing a cheerful attitude.
I want the first emotions he feels towards her to be guilt. A pang at first, which he ignores. He continues to treat her coolly. He's polite but distant. His offered comfort is clearly out of duty, not emotion. But the more he tries to distance himself, the heavier the guilt weighs on him. He did this. He forced her into a corner. He made it so that she could only act cheerful in front of him.
Then, as he's becoming aware of her (in a general sense, not romantic) he notices how she acts with the other soldiers. She shows them more sides. She pouts, laughs, teases them and even gets angry. It slowly dawns on him that she doesn't show him any vulnerability. She ISN'T like her childhood self at all. She asks for help, occasionally, but it's for little things like moving something too heavy for her or opening a door while her hands are full. It occurs to him, as he watches her with others, that she no longer trusts him. She doesn't ask him for help again, even when she's later in serious trouble. She turns to others with her worries, tells others about her troubles, discusses with others when she thinks someone might be following her or want to harm her.
He confronts her about it. She brushes it off with a smile. Oh, she already received enough help from him. She could never ask again. It dawns on him that she will probably leave once they have the baby. She has drawn a clear line between them, and not only is he unsure how to cross it, he no longer knows if he has the right.
Meanwhile, she's spent this whole time growing as a person. She's gotten to know other people, expanded her world. She's befriended the soldiers, gotten to know the servants, made herself a little makeshift family. She cries when she's alone, then chastises herself, telling herself to be stronger. But later, finds people who accept her as she is. She's allowed to cry and be scared and get angry with them. She's allowed to be playful, pout, tease, and have a full range of emotions. She spends more and more time away from the ML. She still enjoys his touch and the intimate moments but her life no longer has him at its center.
And now that she's focusing on herself, her abilities are growing by leaps and bounds. Emotional healing has helped her grow stronger in regular healing. She doesn't need to be a sword weilder. I think it would be cool to see her use her abilities as a threat. Too much healing does just as much harm. Turning up the feeling on nerve endings as she heals, leaving them with debilitating pain. Screwing up the immune system so it leaves them weak as it attacks itself. Screwing up how certain organs function by sending them into over drive. There's plenty of ways to work it. It takes time and it's not an easy fix for protecting herself but it gives her some agency. And it puts power back into her hands. When she's attacked and defended, SHE decides what happens to those who hurt her.
Have her willing to have the child and even willing to share custody but starting to look forward to leaving. If they need her help raising the cold, she can stay nearby for a few years but then she wants to leave. She wants to meet more people, learn about new places. Maybe she wants to travel. Maybe she wants to study. Maybe she wants to open her own inn. What she absolutely hates is staying in a loveless marriage. She appreciates what the ML has done for her but she keeps the line drawn between them. She's distrustful when he tries to get closer to her.
Whether they are end game or not, building them as people for the next 20 to 30 chapters, even if it's a bit rushed in places, would be amazing. It won't happen, it's a pipe dream, but I'll leave this here in case anyone else wants to do something with this basic layout. Maybe one day, I'll get that character development in a story.
And I want them to spend an unreasonable amount of time clearing the rumors about them dating. Like a year or more, slowly but surely explaining to people bit by bit, they aren't dating. And shortly after they're done, I want them to finally realize they're into each other. But now no one will believe they're actually dating because they spent so long getting rid of those rumors.
"They're dating? Ha! I already heard that old rumor, they said they weren't! Old news."
It would be so funny to me. I doubt it'll happen but that would be hilarious.
The afterwards.
Idc what anyone says, that ruined the entire series for me. That guy breaks down the history and religions of the world, the beliefs, and it becomes "everything is the fault of women" and "women are inherently impure", something I've heard way too many times. If the "teacher" bit had not been added, I would have enjoyed the ending and found the whole series bittersweet.
Now? Now this story leaves a bitter, ugly taste in my mouth. Every time I remember the good moments that made me think and feel, that scene will be in the back of my head. Yeah, but at the end of the day, every scene in this story equals how women are the root of all evil. Yet again. Ugh. I wish I hadn't read this story at all, because while everyone else can look past that, I can't.
Please don't try to explain it to me, either. There's no "fixing" what was already published. Whatever their intentions. That's what the author wrote and put out and that's how I interpreted it. If you see it a different way, great! I CAN'T. You "explaining" it to me well not change my opinion.