Kind of lame ngl...The art is good and the concept sounded interesting, but it just failed...

Abel✯lied August 21, 2024 8:23 pm

Kind of lame ngl...The art is good and the concept sounded interesting, but it just failed. Just as I can look past any pro-imperialist and bio-essentialist views presented in an Isekai romance, to enjoy the story and the characters, I thought that I could look past the pro-capital punishment and cartoonishly evil criminals to enjoy this one, but like...what else is there???

The fights are over extremely quickly and they're not satisfying at all, due to how op the main character is. I can't even think "Wow, that was a clever move on his part!" Because his abilities just aren't explained.

The characters are flat."Look how evil this villain is, he smiles crazily and likes to murder people!" Alright, that's interesting, but it can't be nearly ALL of your characters. When they brought in the two kids, and the sister-in-law was trying to excuse them, I thought they'd have some interesting, morally gray backstory, not "they killed one person in self-defense and are now on deathrow for it".
In this manhwa about how morality relates to your right to live, most of the characters are either crazy murderers who kill in the thousands or good heros who never killed anyone. The most morally gray characters we have is the old man (I do like him actually!!!), the mc, and slave children who killed in self defence. Surely, there must be something of note in-between "we murder for fun, because we're crazy evil", and "we're slave children and killed a woman with a giant knife pointing at us."????

If I said that the female characters are poorly written, it'd be a lie, they're all poorly written. I can't care about the MC's moral degradation, when I don't know what he was like before, but in every flashback, it seems like he didn't mind murder that much anyway. I can't care about the brother, when he's on screen for two seconds, dies, and then turns out to be someone who hid his fiance from his beloved brother for no reason. But, on the female characters, I won't probably continue reading this, but to those who will, do take a shot whenever a new criminal lady who's cute and attractive, but in a scary twisted way turns up.

Some of the story choices are wild. Ideas that are interesting on paper get completely fumbled in the order that they're presented in. We find out that the
good sister (GS) is dead, then we meet the bad sister (BS), we see her evil plotting for multiple chapters, then, in middle of the final showdown, we find out that they're sisters, we stop the fight to see their backstory, where the mc isn't involved at all, then BS seems little sad that her sister is dead, even though that affection wasn't even remotely present in the flashback (I'd argue that the first scene showed that BS was egoistic and became a hero for praise, not that BS particularly loved her), then BS is about to die and THEN she start begging for her life. It was so out of nowhere for her character, I didn't know if she was tricking mc like the previous criminals, or if it was actually meant to mirror her victims, until they hammered it in.

SPEAKING OF!!! I totally get how the mc is frustrated over everyone comparing him to a criminals, because I am very much frustrated too. Saying it once would've already been on the nose, because it's a story ABOUT A PACIFIST HERO BECOMING A MURDERER OF MURDERERS!!! I don't need to be pointed out the theme like a child! I can see it, clearly! You don't have to have a villain say "See, you're becoming a monster too!" everytime there's a significant fight! Also why do they say that?? Most of these people don't know the mc personally, and the heros apparently have issues with corruption, why would they think telling this dude that he's going to become a criminal too (after they saw him murder a bunch of people), would remotely move him? I guess it's because they're stupid evil crazy criminals lol.

"You say that this story is pro-capital punishment, but they actually explore both sides of the argument!" No! No, they get close to exploring both sides of the argument (with the slave children who killed in self-defense, mind you), and one the mc has a shred of complex thoughts, they get murdered anyway, so that the mc can carry on mindlessly and there are no consequences for this entire arc! The rest of the criminals are one dimensional nut jobs! And again, I'm no moralist. I could enjoy the fights, the characters and the story even if it was strictly pro-capital punishment, but the fights are without stakes, the characters are plain and the story is poorly paced!

Finally, this is nitpicking, but what's wrong with the world building? I dislike long exposition as much as the next guy (especially when it's delivered by a villain, to another villain, who should know this information lol), but I'd like to know why there's so many heros and villains. What do you mean, that there are over 100 villains, just in this prison, just on this floor, that have killed over a thousand people?? How does their society function? So far we've only seen rubble, meadow with some peasant looking children, the headquarters and the prison. Do people go to work? Are we talking future, present, past, a mix of all three? What do they put in the water, that there are so many people who murder not out of hatred, not out of greed, and for the sheer fun of it??
Also "Guy can turn people into balls and throw the balls telepathically" just isn't a unique enough power for me to think "wow he's so strong and undefeatable". The guy who could command object paths could make your eyeballs fly out of the back of your head and it'd achieve the same result. AAANDDD WHILE I'M ON IT, generic black and red unexplained power isn't cool, it isn't interesting. I'm not a medieval peasant to be entertained by this pageantry. Even in solo leveling, where the mc is similar with similar powers, they bothered to explained them. I cheered for him, no matter where he fought, because I knew the limits of his power, how he acquired them and how they worked.

Finally, finally, if you've read this far I love you, even if you're about to reply how stupid and wrong I am.

Responses
    마오 August 23, 2024 6:30 am

    BRO I LITERALLY LOVE YOU. I agree with almost all of your points, and those which I was unsure about when I was reading this Mahnwa, you explained so well. Sadly I am not that great at media literacy, but I really enjoyed reading your comment, and seeing your point of view when you read the story. ദദ(˵ • ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

    Have a great day! ヾ(☆▽☆)

    Abel✯lied August 23, 2024 1:26 pm
    BRO I LITERALLY LOVE YOU. I agree with almost all of your points, and those which I was unsure about when I was reading this Mahnwa, you explained so well. Sadly I am not that great at media literacy, but I rea... 마오

    Thank you so much!! It's nice to know that people read and enjoy my little rants <333

    Kurola August 24, 2024 7:54 am

    I aint reading allat

    Queen August 24, 2024 10:07 pm

    I get what you’re saying but I feel like most the stuff your questioning like the world building and the powers and personalities of the characters will get revealed at a later time bc honestly with how much stuff is left unanswered makes the story more intriguing. Even though we seen portions of the mcs past we don’t know why he keeps teetering on the line of what’s good or not bc as we saw his brother is against murder of any kind so I definitely feel you’ll get the answer to your questions deeper into the story u rlly js gotta let it marinate. Then with the characters lack of personality I feel that it’s js bc they don’t really add on to the story so the author doesn’t really find a need to dedicate time to them bc like I said I feel a lot will get unfolded later in the story I don’t think the mc will always be invincible in these fights especially if the white haired kid grows up bc like u said everyone was acting like he’s op but he didn’t rlly seem like it in the fights with the mc but we do have to be mindful that he is a little kid and hasn’t fully grown into his power and that the power scaling isint rlly high in this manhwa

    Queen August 24, 2024 10:13 pm

    But yea I do hope to see more perspectives on the extent of the law, dictation and execution in the story. I’m also kind of tired of the “oh you can’t do that they’re human to” and the narcissism, “I can kill and do what I want I’m powerful”. I’m personally for the death penalty on proven criminals of sexual assault and child predators no matter what they’re past was like so I definitely hope to see more deeper insight into characters thoughts on the law and persecution in the manhwa

    kira August 31, 2024 7:27 am

    i agree with everything you’re saying, and i’m even more disappointed with the female villain that was added, the generic crazy chick who falls in love with the mc and get away with anything they do, i’m honestly thinking of dropping this, it turned out to be a real disappointment. but i loved reading your comment.