somnia's manga / #Otome game(25)

The pacing is nice, the art is really good and the story/worldbuilding is solid- like, you have no doubt this all takes place within the world of a girly otome game. I mean just look at some of the names lmao. I had to wheeze when I first read the ML's name. Like, it stays VERY true to a cliche japanese otome game from somewhere in the mid 2000's. Petals and sparkles everywhere, the kingdom(s) are basically glittering magic fairtale castle towns. When you see FL and ML being lovey dovey, it is the pinnacle of S-tier kitsch, especially when you recall them being like 14-15 years old. Have you ever seen a 14 year old boy proclaim their love and actually mean it in rl? Probably not, most 14 years olds are dumb and don't realize they are until they've had a few years of cringe and disappointments behind them. Honestly, their age kind of makes me uncomfortable sometimes. Like, I totally buy the og FL being 14 on both a mental and spiritual level since she is such a menace with minus 10 lightbulbs to her name, as well as FL because she is still so fucking insecure after being showered in her fiance's kisses for the 100th fucking time that day (that was a bit of a tangent) but with the rest it's like .

I think story-wise this gets worse and worse as time goes on. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy MC's character and how tropes (as well as more unique aspects) are tackled, but the way everything's structured gets boring after you get used to it. One issue is tackled, then the next, then the next, with some more important plot nuggets in between. A checklist of things to do and overcome. It was nice when it was applied to MC's family issues (bc it felt like MC was intentionally tackling one thing after the other to help her family), but then you get to broader, more public events outside of MC's control and this rigid structure is still there. Also, I feel like the whole thing about her falling in love and getting engaged was way too rushed. Nvm, literally everything after her "soul unification" felt so meh to me. I was ready to indulge the OP trope for the sake of having a furry-loving MC who has 2 souls, but not like this. I still hope things will heat up when the game protag enters center stage but for now, the plot do be mid.

Very interesting to say the least. Our FL is the childhood friend of a spoiled princess who was destined to die young due to her illness. A person so breathtaking, when she died and a look-alike appeared, she became the center of attention for all the men who used to admire the original tragic beauty. That look-alike is the main character in an otome game FL played before she got reincarnated that is. See where this is going? The set-up is appealing but honestly I just love FL herself so much. She has such a sincere attitude about her and you can tell the author thought for more than 5 minutes about all the relationship dynamics. There's not much going on plot-wise though, right now it seems to center completely around the characters and their emotions and relationships, but I'm not even mad despite how plot thirsty I usually am. I want more chapters. Sadly the story lost it's appeal, at least for me. Maybe I'll revisit this when it's closer to the finish line. Either way, at the moment I just do not want to keep up because all the love interests are either a piece of work or of shit - none of them truly respects FL and her wishes.