pluviophiliac's manga / #darling shapeshifters(201)

man, this was one WAAAACK read... (ↁ_ↁ) funny (and surprisingly wholesome at times), but pretty damn wack nonetheless. LMFAO

dude, this one fucking SLAYS!!! and surprisingly (but not-so surprisingly), i’m completely obsessed with it. one of these days, i hope i’ll be able to afford purchasing the official chapters on tapas. i already spent some ink on a couple of ‘em, and it was absolutely worth it. the quality isn’t doing the story justice over here, man… in any case, i didn’t expect anything like this! i think it’s creative and wholesome and sweet and dark and just overall enthralling, really. can’t wait to read more. <33 edit: i don’t feel like that previous review of mine did the story justice, either. ‘monstrous heart’ a gorgeous work of art, truly. the atmosphere is so haunting while the art style is so goddamn ethereal, it’s INSANE. truly adore the paradox of it all. i’m so in love with every single aspect of this! truly. i wish i could find the right words to express just how beautiful and enthralling this is. i seem to be unable to at the moment. these guys deserve the world. edit #2: i didn’t expect to feel this… emotionally involved with these characters and their lives, man. i’m actually fucking sobbing for willow and simon after reading their short side story, lol. ughhh, lord help meeee. i’m so thankful i found this manhua! truly a work of art deserving of more recognition and appreciation than it’s getting right now. a new favorite, thats’s for sure!!! it’s pretty much undeniable at this point, lol. definitely worth the money spent. <33 edit: it’s completely done now and i don’t know what else to say. what can i even say…? other than the fact that i’ll ABSOLUTELY be rereading it one day? that’s it’s exquisite, melancholy, beautiful writing with outstanding art to match? meh, i don’t know… fuuuck, i’m so tired right now. i adore them all. I. LOVE. IT. ALL. #blessed #obsessed #stillnotdressed #stopreadingthetags # thisisembarrasing #buticannotfuckingstop #someonehelpme ;__;

oh, god... i can’t believe it’s over. just beautiful. gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUSSSS writing. lively and enthralling, to say the least! i feel like crying right now, seriously. this has been such a wild, emotional ride, but i’m happy and content knowing that things ended up the way they did—a way i always hoped and wished it would. in any case, these characters will absolutely stick with me! chaeyeon and daeryeo especially. god, i really enjoyed their dynamics. loved being able to witness their growth and sincerity throughout it all! this manhwa is one of a kind. i don’t regret a single moment i spent reading it. i’ll absolutely reread at some point in down the line. it’ll be nice binging the whole thing in one go! probably would’ve had a lot more to say if this all happened a good day, but unfortunately for everyone present, my mind’s drawing a blank and i literally don’t know what to say at this point. i struggled to simply write this much, sheesh… just know that i‘ve remained 100% enthralled ‘til the very end of this journey. (ending it on chapter 100 was a huge bonus for my semi-compulsive neurodivergent brain, too!) well, it’s been lovely. <33 until next time!

god, this is so good. i loved the parallel storylines. amazing!!! the sexual tension was absolutely… prominent, that’s for sure. honestly didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as i did, but it was so well-written and unique! just a nice, proper buildup overall. you didn’t disappoint, author!!! and the art itself was freakin’ gorgeous, too! i’m really looking forward to the upcoming side story. <33

SHE’S SO FUCKING COOL!!! that’s my queen, y’all. um, well… whenever she isn’t being a tad overly dramatic, that is. still, i like the story! random update: chapter 68 sort of made my head spin, lol. what is happening? o.0 edit: well, there it is! it’s finished. honestly, i enjoyed the story way more back when i first started out… including the art itself. i don’t know, i feel like they could’ve done these characters justice if they’d only gone in a different direction. it felt somewhat… bland, to be honest. emotionally, that is!!! i would’ve liked to see some more proper character development—not just the end result. i wanted to see and understand the ACTUAL journey there, you know… man, things were all over the place, it felt like. sheesh. could’ve been a lot worse, i guess. in any case, i doubt i’ll reread this one. (at least not for a good while.) like i said, i thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics back when i was a fresh new reader and i was yet to pass chapter 40 or so… but in my opinion, i think that the quality has gradually declined since (and around) chapter 40-50 or something along those lines. i don’t really recall. but anyway!!! it’s not like it’s a bad story. not at all! overall, i believe i simply had higher expectations for this one.

whew, man!! it’s finished, goddammit. i kinda miss them already. first of all, i loved every minute of it. it was so creative, and so freakin’ funny, too! i nearly sobbed by the time i stared reading this final chapter, lol. FML. and these so called villains, at that…! surprisingly, pretty much ALL of them ended up being among my favorite characters. not gonna lie, i actually cried a little bit when caesar left. that one hit me quite hard, and i don’t really know why. i didn’t expect it at all—especially considering how we started out. in any case, it was such an excellent plot twist! loved that. it’s bittersweet. but truly, there’s just so much wholesomeness all around this neighborhood!!! honestly, i don’t really know what else to say at this point. i really liked the characters, obviously. i enjoyed the plot, too. i appreciated the art style... i mean, what else CAN i say? other than something like: “thank you, dear creators! i love your work. please come back with something equally captivating soon!” maybe that out to do the trick. :)

aaaand, we’re done! this one has been… surprisingly funny. and super adorable, too! honestly, i don’t have much else to say. i pretty much liked all the characters—cecile and estian and girgantia and richard and tania and all the other side characters. such fun dynamics, really! in a sense, i found it quite innovative, too. was it cliché? yes, but i still never really knew what to expect, heh. so, overall, i’m very pleased!!!

this was… surprisingly dark and complex. and i really liked it! the art was beautiful and the story progression itself was pretty alright, too. would i have liked to see more details in the more emotional aspect of things? yes, i would’ve. however, this has still been a good read—one i’d consider rereading at some point, at that. so, with that being said, who knows? honestly, i can’t tell whether it’s truly finished or not. i felt that the ‘ending’ was a bit rushed, but other than that, it kept me interested! i’m hoping for a couple of bonus chapters, too! or an epilogue, if nothing else.

this looks truly spectacular thus far! i’m reading it on the webtoon app since it’s available on there for free. plus in great quality, too!!! y’all should head over there and support the creators of this masterpiece. it’s only polite. ;) edit: i’m seriously LOVING this. it’s fucking great! and brief occasional comedic scenes (in pretty much every other chapter) are seriously ingenious, lol. i’m cracking up like crazy. frankenstein and rai’s dialogues are fucking HYSTERICAL. can’t believe i’ve barely read a tenth of this whole thing, haha. oh well!!! it’s most def quality content. and those door opening scenes, too, lmfao!! i literally CANNOT. wheeze quality material, fo sho. edit #2: i get chills all over my body every single time he says “kneel” and that’s no exaggeration. like, papiiii!!! you’re so fucking HOT. and so is frankie, naturally. the art has improved so much and i didn’t even notice it until, like, chapter 200–aka season 4. just saw a panel from the first chapter and it’s like it’s a completely different story, y’all… ;–; but in the best way possible!!! i get more and more invested the more i read. SKJWHDKABDHSJBIXJAKS!!! edit #3: these characters are seriously among the most lovable and admirable ones i’ve seen in a long time. and raizel especially! he deserves the world. we must unite and protect this angel AT. ALL. COSTS. and the loyalty these guys have for each other… my god, my heart literally aches. i love them all. - — - — - — - — - edit #4: i haven’t been making any edits here for a long time now… it’s been around 300 chapters or so, i believe? either way, it’s partially because i’ve been reading nonstop for awhile now, and i’ve even been struggling with the simple notion of taking small breaks to catch my breath—let alone spare a moment to update y’all on where my thoughts are at. to put it simply, i just completed this three minutes ago and i’m literally SOBBING. still reeling from the aftershocks writing this. i haven’t ugly-sobbed from reading a story in years… i barely even cry in general. but this manhwa made me weep and literally WAIL at 05:00 in the fucking morning because i refused to go to sleep once i realized i only had a few dozen chapters remaining. i mean… i’m simply mind-blown by this. definitely one of the best stories i’ve ever read. and i do mean EVER. (note that i’ve read a lot of them at this point in time, lol.) i know i’ve said this before, but my standards are relatively high—yet they’re still constantly rising. knowing that, i’d still consider this story a top tier prime example of creativity, emotional engagement and commitment. 540+ chapters and i NEVER got bored. this is literally unheard of in my case. truly, i never imagined i’d get so emotionally invested in this… nor did i expect to grow so attached to these characters. seriously, i fucking ADORE these people. some of the best ones i’ve ever come across, to be honest. i think raizel might be my favorite MC ever; frankenstein reaches a close second. they’ve just been constantly growing on me since the very beginning—more so as of late than ever before. it’s been a real blessing getting to see each and every single one’s character development and growth. the only reason i’ve been able to collect myself by now is the fact that there’s another noblesse short story other than this one… which will explain this amazing ending that kinda broke me. (i can’t cope, lol. i think my system’s malfunctioning.) anyway. i seriously should be sleeping right now (it’s 05:29 AM), but i just needed to add this while the endorphins in my blood are still running wild and my emotions are still fresh. it’s literally a masterpiece. i need to buy the graphic novels or something. i’d even attempt learning korean if there aren’t any english translations published or available. i don’t even care anymore. i just know it’d be worth it. EVERYONE should be reading this. now, i’m gonna head back to my bed and sob some more before i pass out. take care, y’all. see you in the next one. - — - — - — - — - soooo, there’s that. i just woke up and i still feel emotional thinking about how the story’s over now, lol. but like i said, there’s a side story about rai that’ll hopefully help me calm my nerves! it’ll surely completely shatter me, if nothing else. but who knows? 10/10, would ABSOLUTELY recommend. such an emotional—yet endearing—power trip. i was actually kind of doubtful about reading this at first, i’ll admit... apparently i’d already read the first chapter on webtoon long ago and decided it wasn’t for me. still, obviously-and-not-so-surprisingly, i gave it another shot over a year later (once i’d broadened my horizons a little bit) and fell in love instantly. it was just so unique, intriguing and refreshing. raizel was a type of main character i’d never come across before, and the side characters were interesting, fun and very compelling as well. frankenstein grew on me INSTANTLY. well, i mean… naturally, lol. M-21, muzaka, takeo, tao, seira, regis, shinwu & company, gejutel, raskreia, former lord whatshisname and pretty much EVERYONE else weren’t all that far behind, either. us readers just kept on being introduced to new, enthralling side characters—all of whom had unique personalities and interesting traits. i looooved the nobles and the werewolves, too. especially by the time we’d reached the final conclusion... the whole dynamic of it all just felt so damn wholesome and admirable. oh, but i won’t be listing any more names because i feel it’d be a bit abundant—i’m sure you get my point. anyway. you know what else i loved? the epic fighting scenes. they only grew more exciting and grand with time. and the buildups were NEVER letdowns. i don’t think i’ve ever taken this many screenshots from one single story before, lol. i know i also said the exact same about ‘solo leveling’ which i completed just two weeks ago (and worshipped ‘til the very end), but i honestly think i have that one beat in numbers of screenshots. sheesh. P.S. for what it’s worth, i also watched the anime (there’s only one season available right now) once i’d made it about… halfway through the story, i believe? anyway, it was pretty alright, too. i kinda liked it more in the beginning than i did later on—mainly because the version of raizel in the anime didn’t exactly coincide with the raizel i’d grown accustomed to in the manhwa. (he talked a loooot more, haha.) i felt it was somewhat anti-climactic overall... there were so many details, including characters, that were overlooked, lacking or or simply missing altogether. i’ll probably watch the next season when it airs, no doubt, but it will never compare to the actual story. but, once again, thank you for coming to my TED-talk!!! this is a clear new favorite of mine—for lots of different reasons. it’s rare coming across a story that continually pulls you in the more you read. usually i’d experience a decline in either quality or plot, but this one didn’t disappoint me at all. i might be biased for all i know, but it was crazy good still. i’m completely in love. anyway!!! appreciate you for sticking around ‘til the very end of this review. i hope i managed to properly (or at least somewhat) express just how big of a mark this story has left on me in the name of manhwa and all that is holy. it’s now been about 7,5 hours since i finished it, and bro—i’m legit STILL reeling from this shit. i’m confident i’ll be rereading this soon, though. beware!!! <3