pluviophiliac's manga / #precious as hell(688)

before anything else: the art’s simply beautiful. truly, so very gorgeous. now that i’ve got that off my chest, onto the actual review!!! nevaeh & arendt make such a headstrong power-couple (that-isn't-really-a-couple-yet) that it’s near impossible to NOT gush over them, man… i love the silent innocence of their relationship, as well as the sheer respect & loyalty they have for each other. slow but steady is the way to go! at least when comes to these two good-natured but damaged individuals, haha. i’m glad they’re not rushing into anything they’re not emotionally prepared for, but they’re not exactly moving fast enough, either... it’s a torturous wait for us readers!!! sighhh… this is a slow-burn if i ever saw one, sheesh. excellent writing, however! i’m not at all displeased with the pacing or the overall plot-development (realistically speaking), but i do wish to see them express themselves more intimately and be more honest with each other. i mean, they’re practically divulging EVERYTHING about themselves, except for their romantic & lustful feelings for each other, pfft. they could be such an item if they only indulgeeeed in each other like they clearly want to. (arendt more than nevaeh at this point in time, though... oof.) either way, i absolutely STAN her. she’s such an inspiration. excellent character development thus far (for BOTH characters), and it’s only getting better by the chapter. i really quite enjoy the political aspects of it all, too! i anticipated more romance, but quality’s better than quantity any day of the week. so, uh… to (somewhat) sum things up: we have a neglected ice queen for a main character with trust issues & a heart of gold… and a mischievous (?) emperor for a male lead with an infamously cold persona & good intentions. whichever way you look at it, it’s literally a perfect match, lol. can’t wait for them to finally let themselves go!!! it’ll be worth the wait, for sure. <33

“i wanna hear your voice up close…!” the weird girl exclaims as she passionately hunches down on her knees in front of a handsome classmate and his friend (?) that she’s never once talked to before. yeah, okay, and now i want to go KILL MYSELF. whyyyy would you say that??? i’m freakin’ DYING from all this secondhand embarrassment, and i’m not even past the goddamn panel panel yet—meaning i’ll have to go back and continue as soon as i’m done with my rant!!! i’m just hiding out over here, patiently waiting for the stress to simmer down. as an aspiring contemporary teenage sage once said in the ever so legendary comment section on the infamous webtoon app: “what in the toy story”

i’m loving every minute of this!!! jian & hyeonmin have such great chemistry, ughhh. the sexual tension’s borderline PALPABLE at this point. (kinda was from the beginning, to be fair...) absolutely adore their banter, too. i never know what they’re gonna do or say next, and it’s entertaining—that’s for sure! out man’s straightforwardness is just so fucking ATTRACTIVE, man. literally, my heart’s been skipping more than a couple of beats throughout this journey. hyeonmin’s so suave. quite intriguing dynamics overall, really! i’m loving the emotional complexity, as well as the realistic depiction of jealousy, insecurity, marriage & human relationships. some might say it’s a bit messy, but as is real life. i find the whole thing rather enticing, really… it’s refreshing. i like the fact that we seem to be getting some ACTUAL emotional substance, and not just some predictable, fairytale mumbo-jumbo bullshit dialogue like we so often do. realistic dilemmas & conflicts, yet semi-unconventional ways of responding to such dilemmas & conflicts… well, at least in the world of manhwa. i mean, the characters may be unusually straightforward with their communication, but the story itself certainly isn’t. therefore, i’d have to disagree with those saying it’s a poorly written comic! i happen to enjoy this one quite a lot. (bonus points for the gorgeous art, too!) not gonna lie, though—i’m kinda amused about some of these readers’ comments and how continuously ramble on about how much of a walking red flag our male lead is, lol. i don’t really see it. if it were me in jian’s shoes? i’d LOVE to be with a guy like him! someone who’s keep me on my toes and give it to me straight. no manipulative mind-games, but crystal clear intentions. and this guy in particular? SIGN. ME. THE. FUCK. UP. well, i guess there’s room for improvement regarding his work-attitude... but everything else? cool cool cool cool cool, no doubt no doubt. he’s so hot, goshhh. jian’s one lucky woman! an intriguing one, too. anyway, it seems i got a little carried away. i simply had the sudden urge to express my genuine appreciation for this story! their private interactions’ even got ME blushin’. man, just get hitched already, dammit!! these two are practically soulmates, sheesh. really, if you ask me, they’re the perfect match. they belance each other out so well… once again: i’ve seen soooo many people comment on how ‘weird’ and immature these characters are, but i find a majority of the lot endearing, actually. and charming. sure, they have their moments… but it’s not enough to deter me. i actually like them more and more… the more i read. ;) it’s clear as day to me that this journey’s mostly about growth & character development. whatever the case, i’ll enjoy the ride!

not a huge fan of this female lead tbh. things could always change in season two, though!!! you never know.

i love her naïveté!!! i’m just glad they didn’t drag out the whole ‘she-doesn’t-know-his-true-identity’ trope for very long. such things can get a bit tedious, so that was a relief. i did feel kinda bad for her at first, knowing that he was only using her for his own gain, but that’s clearly not relevant anymore, so i’m letting that one goooo. they’re great together! and they definitely make each other better people… in different aspects. alfonse makes her stronger, both physically and mentally, while esme introduces him parts of life that were previously unfamiliar to him—such as emotions, activities, perspectives… alfonse makes her more capable, and esme makes him seem more human. i love to see it! in any case (in case it wasn’t already made clear), i’ve thoroughly been enjoying myself thus far! things didn’t go the way i expected, so that was a pleasant surprise. honestly, i’m a bit baffled by the relatively ‘poor’ reviewing, though, given that this manhwa isn’t in any way bad—nor is it much different from similar comics of the genre. personally, i feel it’s being misrepresented. even though i wasn’t a massive fan at the beginning, the characters grew on me, and now i can absolutely see the appeal. it a getting better and better by the chapter, too! anyway. great character development, though, i must say! i might’ve said something of this nature already, but i initially expected a typically sweet romance with a weak female lead and a violent male lead that swoops in to save the day whenever said female lead happens to be in trouble. that’s not exactly what i found, though… well, obviously. they’re an ACTUAL power-couple now, lol. i know i talked about esme’s naïveté in the beginning, but now that i’ve actually read the entirety of season one, i can positively confirm that said notion didn’t remain relevant for very long. however, i DO realize that they’re both still maturing, and that they have a long way to go—both respectively and as a couple, heh. nonetheless, she’s surprisingly forward, brave and resilient—which is something i wouldn’t have expected to see form her—and i love the fact that she’s tagging along on his missions!!! albeit FORCED to tag along the first couple of times at the beginning of their relationship, lol. well, that’s all whatever. keep up the good work, lovebirds!!! i expect a great deal of romance (and action) from you two in the upcoming season. i’m looking forward to it!

hmmm… it was a bit anticlimactic, i guess. the art felt somewhat stiff… and ‘unexpressive’, if you will—which i’d say was a bit unfortunate. i thought that the actual story itself had some potential. i believe the overall reading experience would’ve been much more enjoyable with a different artist, or maybe just a different art style. other than that, it was just like any other typical isekai of this particular genre! not a lot of emotional depth or enticing characters… i’m just glad it wasn’t dragged out for too long.