No. The dragging is what makes it not as enjoyable. The past 5 chapters could’ve been one chapter perfectly and the plot would be amazing.
I’am starting to lose the initial spark because of the slow short releases.
I agree but I’m also not too surprised this is the direction the revenge is taking. As Maria said, the first two victims were the weakest, both physically and mentally, and also the most unaware so Maria could psychologically torture them.
However, the remaining gang are physically strong, more steel-willed and now aware of her, so Maria can’t mind-game them like before. So the story almost takes to an action-stealth vibe to see who can get to each other first. It doesn’t help the mind-game aspect that the remaining 3 are kinda self-aware of themselves of being shitty. They just don’t give a crap. I mean, one of them is a freaking Yakuza heir (which is a tad ridiculous, ngl). So Maria reflecting their flaws back at them is not gonna have the same impact as prior.
If you’re staying for the psychological aspect, I’m not sure I’d hold my breath for it anymore. You’re reading to see how she wins and the satisfaction of the bullies’ face when they realise they have been cornered and lost. At least, that’s why I continue to read.
I feel like the current arc of the manga is such a tonal shift from what it was before. It's hard to describe what I mean but its definitely the weakest part of the manga atm. It's so different from what was there before and it feels more like an action chase type beat instead of creepy psychological mind games stuff that was happening before.