I feel like everyone is going to stone me to death for saying this because ppl here don't engage with their horny manga in more depth or they think if you do that it means you are just bashing, but honestly I'm so fascinated by how openly problematic this webtoon is lol.
Like I feel that stories like this that don't tiptoe around weird problematic shit and keep it honest about weird racist romanticisms helps us understand a lot more easily what it is that makes weird tropes still stick around in our minds (like the whole people of colour being seen as more animalistic or more hypersexual and savage, this is like... the most literal version of that ever - they are literally made from mixing humans with beasts and they sold them as slaves... like -, also straight up using a real life slur for roma people and having the straight up real old school stereotype that they are all witches that can curse you and control you and not to be trusted, meanwhile white mc is seen as virginal and frail and angelic)
Like it's kinda wild but ngl this type of shit is so interesting to me it makes it double fascinating you know? Cause it's like all of someone's impulsive problematic thoughts turned into a romantic horny story lmao idk it's honestly one of my guilty pleasures and I also find it legit funny that this somehow passed a bunch of editors somewhere hahahaha
only sad thing is I feel like if I was roma and poc idk if id be able to read this without having my blood boil I guess so there's some food for thought
As a poc, I sigh and turn off that bit of my brain oftentimes when reading manhwas unless it's a blatant call out. Lets say, a blatant racism for me would be not only all of the above, but the poc in the manhwa are appropriating a certain culture in terms of clothes and beliefs and way they live (like desi or ottomans with the clothes and culture, and egyptians/north africans/arab with the desert and allat). When all that is added to the slurs and stereotypes it becomes a lot more obvious and hard to ignore, and at that point it's your own choice to continue reading abd being disgusted or just ignore that again.
what makes this all the sadder is the person writing such things isn't even white, and asians know what it's like to be discriminated against for your ethnicity, so why do it against another race? But having those thoughts and discussing them is a hit or miss on this site because, as you said, hardly anyone likes to thing too deeply about their horny stories they read for fun.
Well the real answer is that if you are Korean living in S. Korea you aren't "Asian". You are just part of the majority and are a lot more ignorant to things like racism, a little similar (but not the same as) to how whiteness operates in Northern American and European countries.
S. Koreans are also quite right wing in this regard (they tend to have a pretty negative view of communism North Korea and all, and they have their very own breed of effed up neoliberalism due to the 90s financial crisis), so matters like racism or discrimination or exoticism aren't really as expanded conversations as probably in the US where "race" is kind of a foundational aspect of the culture (sorry if I am assuming you are american if you're not!). I live in northern Europe and most of my Asian friends are first gen migrants and they all say they saw themselves as Asian for the first time when they moved to Europe. I mean Asians discriminate amongst themselves as well and have complex beef with each other, you know? A S. Korean for example might have a very negative view of Japan due to the colonial history between them or they may be very critical of Chinese migrants moving to Korea in a discriminatory sense. "Asianness" is a lot more polymorphous as a concept than we simplify it as in the western world. I mean Middle Easterners are also Asian but we do not think of them as such for example, with most people in the west not referring to that region as "West Asia". They are Middle East in comparison to Europe (big oof).
So it's all a matter of perspective.
Honestly for me even appropriation I find interesting, and idk if I'd call none of this appropriative, they just kind'a did a mishmash of different ethnicities, regions and races lol. But it's also more honest, an American or idk British novella about magical POC people would try to tread the line more and obscure the weird racist parts, which makes the deep dive and conversations around "why x trope is seen as interesting here" more difficult. It's just interesting to see cultural perceptions be revealed honestly in the middle of all the horny lol
First of all I love you and how well articulated you are. Forgive me for not being able to reciprocate as I just got up from bed.
I also forgot what manhwa this chain was even under and it took me a minute to remember, that says something about the variety of manhwas and stories here that does this very thing about other races.
I am not American, heavens forbid. I'd hate to be one and I never wish it. I am northern african, and while living where I am definitely makes me the majority and it's not like I wake up and go about my day being discriminated against, I like to believe people nowadays engage more often on the internet and be exposed to so many varied opinions and cultures that it's easy and quite common to know what others think of you as a collective, and all the prejudices that come with it. It's enough to make me and anyone think deeply before attempting to travel anywhere even for fun and vacation. I have to worry about how I'll dress, my skin color, my accent, my religion, and how I'll be viewed and treated based on it all. I assume this is not a worry the westerners have when they travel which makes them have a huge privilege.
I'd understand being a bit unaware to the gravity of this if you were a community that's been closed and surrounded by what the government wishes you to see and interact with, e.g. north korea and china (as china has its own social media and any other social media that's globally used is unavailable there unless you use vpn and bypass many restrictions). They cater what their public will consume and see, so it'll definitely be hard for them to view themselves as "Asian" the way the global views them unless they get out from there. Oh well.
I agree about the mashing of ethnicities and cultures the authors and artist tend to do. Often times it's not really that bothersome, you just stop wondering if mashing ethnicities is intentional ignorance or genuine ignorance, and if it's the latter then does that count as racism that you wouldn't even give the courtesy to research the culture you're trying to adopt? Considering how they heavily search up for places like US and UK when they decide to set their stories there and that's a lot of manhwas and novels. Even actual place names and laws are researched. It's quite ironic.
Ok why am i reading for the plot now is my brain broken or what
Ooof. I wish they showed Miguel more kindness instead of all of this not saying what they really feel. He doesn't need to be more isolated right now. Also unfortunately I think Carcel is right. He has to go to war because indeed it will never stop, and him not going to war is playing into Oscar's hand. Damn though we finally found out why Regina helps Inez, crazy shit
I agree
ok but I feel like this baddie was made to be a gay thirst trap you can't change my mind like-
Oh my lord coming here from the anime, is it just me or does it feel like that pretty first year that's scheming is accidentally actually getting Koyun and Minato closer lol.
Like the things she said made Koyun realize she has a crush, and I feel like what she told Minato will make him apologise or confront in some way Koyun lol. I feel like this mangaka doesn't like dragged out misunderstanding types of conflicts so that's also a plus point for why I think it's going there. hohoho the classic trope from the age of Jane Austen lmao
edit: SPOILER I read ahead, turns out im an idiot and this mangaka is going to milk the shit out of this misunderstanding omfg. I guess the Seihantai is like the opposite of this manga lmao
I feel like this could have been better told, and had potential. It's interesting cause it's not the type of story you often see with k-webtoons. It's essentially a story about toxic attachment, codependency, resentment, agency, and (lack of) trust. Maybe even martyrdom?
I also feel like even if they are using a well known myth, it would have still been good to give more detail, as we don't really get how he put his wife into this curse in the first place. What I do really like is that they used the command of the gods to "not look back till you exit the underworld" to signify someone who is not willing to let his love "go" and keeps on metaphorically "look back" in the past, trapping his lover there.
It's an interesting interpretation. Hadestown is one of my favorite musicals and I love the original myth too, so it's nice to see a variance of the story. Also because it focuses on Eurydice's perspective, and her going mad from this pact. You get the sense of asphyxiation she feels, from how nothing going on in her mind can be expressed outwardly, and how her realizing they both have fallen out of love for each other, and now have twisted and ugly feelings due to their predicament, leads her to "act out" and break the cycle. It's kind of telling how the only things she does with her own agency are to cheat with that guard and take poison at the most crucial moment. She's been turned a puppet, and she's seeking life through self-destruction.
I do think it's weird tho that they Korean isekai'd Orpheus into the Duke of the North TM, like what??? Why did you even need that?? Lol
omg why can't you ppl be normal you don't have to only hate or only love a character if you are rooting for them but find them frustrating that's the point TT___TT since when are measured reactions a thing of the past lmao
Ok so Imma explain some basic things about what's happening in the plot that I've pieced together for the people who are confused because this webtoon is definitely a mess in explaining the plot and many characters are introduced.. without being properly introduced. Sometimes I feel like it wants us to feel like Sylhan and feel like we're going crazy lol.
So: you have Khallak, Kirdara, Ibsen/Epssen and Glenberg. Khallak is the biggest kingdom and the Lord of Khallak, the monarch, has only been seen a few times, it's the older woman with the wavy black hair. This was the position Sylhan was meant to inherit before being framed for his father's death. Epssen is a kingdom that got subjugated by Khallak, and was given to Gjord, making him the Lord of Epssen, and he was originally a bastard son of some dude named Lord Stravin, who's some sort of noble of Epssen but I guess he is of Khallak, he was given a part of it to rule there. Meanwhile, Gjord was raised as a slave from probably those subjugated from Epssen. Later on the title of Lord of Epssen was given to Gjord because of his accomplishments in war(s??), and he's also supposed to be chasing after rebel forces there that resist Khallak rule. The title also is a sorta mocking title, as Epssen doesn't have any power actually, and the "lord" of Epssen" is just meant to be going from battle to battle (don't remember more than that pls someone fill this in if they do). Yet Gjord has somehow survived all that. Basically these reasons are why Khallak nobility have contempt for Gjord.
Now when Sylhan was framed for the death of his father, Gjord we just now learned had to actually sacrifice his left arm (a vital part of of anyone who made their worth by being a knight), to ensure that Sylhan would not be executed or be put in permanent confinement in "the tower of Helga" (which I still don't really get what it is but oh well I guess it's a solitary prison). Now because of that, for the past 3 years he's had to have an arm of a beast chimera style forcibly put in stead of his own arm but it is a procedure he has to redo every once in a while, otherwise the beast can I guess corrupt him or overtake him (probably we will find out more about this later).
(This is a good indication of how this webtoon is messy in presenting the information relevant to the plot, because unless you go back and reread the first 2-4 chapters you won't remember that Sylhan did think it was weird his life was spared and he was allowed to live as a slave, and this current plot point about Gjord's arm is actually an answer to that question. Like... I wish we ever got some fuckin map with everything dude).
Sylhan being framed and Gjord being forced to make this deal to give him what was supposed to be a decent life somewhere where he'd be protected was all basically orchestrated by some people, including of course the current Lord Khallak, that knight who tried to test Sylhan with the blueprint of that bridge through the canyon, and the magician who gave him his meds (as him probably supplying poison is also related to the fact that he's also giving him meds that alter his memories and make him numb). Probably the Stravin Lord also was involved.
This is why essentially from the time that this webtoon started (and probably since the day Sylhan was framed 2 years before that) Gjord has been slowly plotting his revenge on these usurpers and traitors, and making moves to make himself powerful, as well as setting the stage for Sylhan to clear his name and take his place as the rightful heir of the Lord of Khallak.
Of note is also that Lisbet seemed to know something more about his predicament that she felt particularly guilty about but her hands were seemingly also tied up for some reason, and Lister seems to be completely an idiot and oblivious to any of this political maneuvering and even the actual side effects of Sylhan's medication or the real conspiracy around him, which makes him somehow even more pathetic. He's basically just excited to finally be above rank him and doesn't question this whole sus thing any further. What's weird is they were both invested though in Sylhan not remembering some things, probably related to Lisbet feeling guilty towards him. Also, Gjord had supposedly made a deal with Lisbet to keep Sylhan safe, and Idk if Lister just doesn't fuckin' know about it or he just thinks he's hot shit and can push Sylhan around, but because Sylhan has been treated like this I guess Gjord's side will no longer keep their part of that deal, tho we don't know what it was yet...
damn I thought Pi Seongchan would just be the traitor Bada giving him up is stone cold revenge and Im all for it
oh my lord. Gjord has gone into yandere mode. Sylhan's mental decline has gotten him all weird