somnia's manga / #Magic(86)

FL transmigrates into a noble lady character, experiencing the classic transmigration into a rofan novel cliche, only she doesn't know which one by virtue of having read too many and is desperately looking forward to making her rofan fantasies happen. Starts of kinda silly, honestly it's very embarrassing with how FL is constantly seeking some kinda role or romance to experience and failing miserably BUT it's only for a bit at the start. This gets really funny and also has some legit plot, this feels lowkey fresh too. Normally I can vaguely tell which direction this type of story will go in, but I have no idea here. Also also, it's really meta in a way. Like, (SPOILERS) she apparently has the power to make her wishes come true by virtue of being the mc, and yes true she literally is the mc.

First Timeline: FL and ML(prince) do love each other, but due to the schemes of the saintess she's pushed out of the fiance position. Basically everyone but her and her bf think he's gonna marry the saintess when he gets back from tHe war, and FL has no rep or rank to counteract that misconception/manipulation. FL is framed for a crime she didn't commit, no doubt in a bit to get rid of her before the prince returns, so she chills in prison. ML comes back from his war, with no arm, and basically everything's gone to shit for them... and then the homie stabs his gf? Turns out there's reasons for that. 2nd timeline: She's back to being a child, in fact so are two other characters but I won't spoil here. ML is being weird this time around and so is this other Gideon guy who used to lick the saintess' boots in the og timeline. He's getting real cozy with FL now, I WONDER WHY. Anyway, I like the story on a surface level but there's a lack of communication on FL and ML's part. They should openly talk about wth to do and what is going on in their head but there's none of that. In a way it feels more like the plot is moving their actions and emotions like chess pieces to whatever drama we're heading towards. MC feels like a doormat at times, and specifically their trouble with jealous girlies feels so useless in the face of more concerning 'troublemakers'.

A simple cute story, 10/10. Alexei lives with 'Pie' for 3 years during his childhood, a green skinned frog-like young woman with a heart of gold, and came to love her only to see her be killed by the knights who came to rescue him from the supposed cursed forest. He returns to his position as prince and then Emperor, heartbroken by what happened and gets a cruel reputation as "the demon Emperor". 20 years later he meets Pie again as Eleonora, daughter of a Marquis and recognizes her thanks to her affinity for beasts and her destinct accent. The plot is simple and doesn't beat around the bush, which is increasingly rare within the shoujo genre. You're here to see Pie & Ham reunite and be cute together and that's what you get. Every plot point or point of interest gets closure like Pie's reincarnation, her green skin, the forest, and Eleanora's family. I wouldn't mind more chapters with ML and FL being cute together or more lore about the forest, but I appreciate how concise it all is none the less. You can read the whole thing in an hour and walk away with a wholesome, warm feeling your empty heart.

A predictable and easy read. Caution, hot take incoming. I personally didn't feel the angst and was just rolling my eyes and skipping over panels every time FL and ML have some sort of misunderstanding - or act shy and have angst. Feel free to call me out here (I know I'm jaded af) but if it weren't for the art there'd be a lot more people complaining. The story is ok. I read through it without hating it and that's it. FL and ML's relationship, as well as 2nd ML, are the main draw here and >I< just don't see anything interesting in their dynamic. As I said I'm jaded af, I need either more lore or more politics, more comedy, or magic shenanigans. To specify more: FL is constantly getting piggyback rides from 1st and 2nd ML. They mostly do all the heavy lifting and serious politicing/fighting/revenge while FL sits there pretty. Sure she gets to kill a dude here and fight there but it's always these 2 who stand up for her and do the serious shit while she is conviniently left out. She wants romance, flirts a bunch with ML, but can't draw boundaries with 2nd ML and doesn't recognize his obviously romantic approaches. How conviniently naive of her. I didn't mind all this at first but it's turned into a pattern over 50 or so chapters and I find that so boring. There's not even good comedy in here despite how on the nose the plot and characters are. With that said, if you still enjoy life and like romance shoujo you'll like this just fine. Easy read means easy read at the end of the day (but I still read all this like: 1-50ish chapters with lil gaps, skip, skip, end of season one, skip, read more recent chapter, done).

It's a bit confusing sometimes bc some panels bug out or simply seem disjointed, but it's bearable and worth ignoring. The rest of the whole shabang? SO. GOOD. There's humour, drama, some very moving moments. It does it's own thing with the isekai trope, commits to its characters and delivers in this oversaturated genre. If your only critique is that you don't like the art: skill issue.