kei_k's manga / #Mooore!(802)

Ch. 19 // Waaah. Really liking it so far.. I felt as worried as Ji Eun over the Yeonhwa issue, but after Gyuho declared that he's just thankful to her for letting him live and was able to meet Ji Eun after so many years, my worries suddenly disappeared.. It's because I realized that I may be harboring the same feelings for my ex.. I mean, there was a point in my life when I was definitely, totally in love with him and he was all that mattered.. But now that we're no longer together, I can't deny that he's already become a part of my life and I'm simply thankful for everything he's done for me. With this in thought, I wouldn't want my future partner to get jealous over him like that. That's why I'm trying to make myself understand it from the other's perspective (in case there's someone like this for him too).. Oh well, it hurt thinking about the past lover, but if we waste too much time deliberating over it, we'll lose precious time meant to be spent together in the present and future.

Too rushed. Had potential but underdeveloped..

The art was superb. Both Hanzous were hot, and Sara was pretty. Part 1: Hanzou looked so hot strolling around the red light district, but I was kinda sad, too, 'coz he was such a flirt. When he saw Kaguya/Sara's scar, he thought the memory loss was also a plot against his master so he even reported her. It's good that he listened to her as he strangled her, though. He must've felt her sincerity so he finally believed her. It's good that after the ruckus, they didn't seem to be enemies after all. It was kinda sad, about the first love thing. You know, when Sara asked him why he liked her and he said she looked like his first love, which turned out to be her sister (who married Lord Nobuyasu, Hanzou's master). This first part was too short that I wanted more build up for their relationship. I mean, c'mon, he's a playboy. How can he change so easily? I wanted to see them interact more. Oh well, I guess that's expecting too much for less than a hundred pages volume. Part 2: Sara received a mission to marry Hatsutori Hanzou to investigate Iga's weaponry and steal the scroll of gunpowder's secret formula to prevent another war from breaking out (led by her brother). She immediately agrees, thinking it was the same Hanzou (her lover) she's gonna marry. While running onto the hanging bridge, excited to see Hanzou, it breaks and she's saved by a handsome shinobi who resembled her Hanzou, only to find out that he's actually the Hanzou-sama she's about to marry. She wanted to carry out the mission immediately at night before she marries him, but due to the unfamiliarity, they decided to do it after the wedding. Her Hanzou arrived to congratulate his relative, only to find out that the bride is actually his lover. She revealed her mission and asked him to believe in her, but of course, it was difficult for Hanzou too, especially when she sided with Hanzou-sama when Hanzou hit him with a stick. He left saying Hanzou-sama's a good person and she'll probably be more happy with him. As he's leaving, he notices an army approaching and goes back immediately. Meanwhile, Sara secretly acquired the secret scroll, but as Hanzou-sama's pursuing her for their wedding night, she resists until Rikimaru arrived and took her out. As they left, Hanzou-sama noticed the missing scroll and they were unable to escape successfully because of the trap laid out. Hanzou-sama was furious and decided that she can no longer live, but Hanzou arrived on time stopping him and informing them of the approaching army. At first, Hanzou-sama didn't believe them but an informant confirmed it. Sara said that they will be stopped if the secret scroll was delivered, so they took it again and Hanzou asked Hanzou-sama to believe in them. They were able to stop Sara's bro in time and the war was prevented in the meantime. Rikimaru, who was left, was released by Hanzou-sama and told him that he'd release him but they shouldn't come back to Iga anymore... It ends as Hanzou and Sara goes home to ask her father's approval for their relationship. Hanzou was very nervous and Sara kissed him to his surprise. Far away, her father, Oda Nobunaga, was watching it and said that his daughter was indeed wild for that act but he'll let her be for the time being. Anyway, I liked both volumes, but I wish there was more. Especially during the year they spent together after the last incident. Did Hanzou really stop his habits? I wanted to see him in his uniform more, too. Hehe.

I have mixed feelings for this manga. It was sad seeing how Hanzo (let's use this for the lead) changed after Sara's counterfeit wedding plan. He became too strict and even overbearing at times. When he took Usagi out and left her outside the gate after she declared she didn't want to practice anymore, it was disappointing to see how he was too coldhearted to bear leaving her there. I mean, seeing the art, I was just heartbroken. Anyway, Usagi's naivety was annoying at times, especially because she caused a lot of troubles as well. Well, her strong point is that she's a great medicine maker despite being inefficient in ninjutsu. About their love, well, it took time for Hanzo to fall for her, but I wish it was further elaborated. I mean, he was in love with Sara because she was his ideal and even when Sara and Hanzou were back together, he still longed for her. So, anyway, what made him fall for Usagi? Perhaps because she was persistent and she was always vocal about her feelings for him. I mean, even during the race when Goemon kissed her in front of Hanzo, she quickly defended herself. I guess that's when Hanzo really "looked" at Usagi. It was a point where he felt threatened by Goemon, so he finally gave her a chance. For Usagi, well, honestly, the way she fell in love with him was very typical. It was love at first sight. Seeing how handsome/hot he was, she even attempted to escape the marriage to pursue this guy who helped her (Hanzo). It was superficial. Then, what? She went after him despite being treated harshly. It's like she's already convinced that despite being treated harshly, Hanzo's still kind. Well, I liked that about her too. I mean, the time when she was kicked out, she was aware that she was also at fault so she accepted it as Hanzo's kindness to make her realize her mistake. Anyway, Usagi got kissed by different guys (Goemon, Yuki, Ranmaru) but I'm glad Hanzo was mostly indifferent with women so I didn't get my heart broken so much. After all, I wanted a male lead who'd be faithful only to his female lead. I didn't like how Usagi was so dependent on Goemon, though. She was totally insensitive to his feelings. Even towards Yuki. I can't believe she asked him to marry her after seeing the towel she gave him! I mean, if she were to marry someone who cared for her too much, why didn't she pick Goemon, who went more ups and downs for her sake? I just didn't understand her logic. As for the plot, it was honestly quite messy. I mean, at one point, it was about Usagi working her way towards Hanzo as his bride, then it focused on her being a medicine maker, then towards the end, the plot was more of the history about Nobunaga and the others. They felt like side characters to me because I was more interested on the historical figures presented which I started to recognize because of HaruDaite. XD

Well, that was quite a long journey. I enjoyed the world HMR created for this, but I would've loved to see more of Bia's world incorporated to the story. It was enjoyable, but I was annoyed a lot of times with Bia's actions and behavior. She's very indecisive and troublesome to the point where, even though she's supposed to be a strong female lead, she just ends up being a damsel in distress. I was so irked, when in the last few chapters, she's gotten herself kidnapped by MuYeong AGAIN because she decided to ditch the guards to "talk" to GaYeon when clearly, the war has not ended completely. She's too naive until the end, and I think she's very self-centered, too. In the earlier chapters, I disliked how rude and willful she was. Sure, she's from another world and she's uncomfortable, but the least she could do was to at least quietly observe. It's not like she was really being abused. In fact, the times she's gotten hurt were truly because of her foolish actions and behavior. I would've liked her better if she were more firm with her decisions as well. Like, I was annoyed when she kept on betraying Yoo Baek for Mu Yeong. I mean, sure, he's basically clean in her slate since it was the previous Bia that was his target, but the way she acted towards Yoo Baek, who was actually nice and gentle to her, was too much. I just wanted to pull her hair when she admitted to herself that she liked Yoo Baek. Duh, she was always mean to him and even betrayed him for Mu Yeong. Sure, she's being kind to Mu Yeong because she believed that only he could help her go back to her world. But she's too foolish to trust an enemy that easily. It's not like she's the only one affected by her actions. She actually caused a lot of trouble to others because she kept on thinking only of herself. I mean, she's all alone in a different world and I understand that she wants to save herself, but if she just thought more clearly, she wouldn't have caused so much trouble. Anyway, I was still pissed a her towards the end, with the monster taking over Mu Yeong's form and luring her to come and leave Yoo Baek. She's very much tempted already! If she didn't see the reflection, she would've betrayed Yoo Baek AGAIN. Like, girl, make up your mind for once! I know Yoo Baek promised that when the war's over, they'll never have to part anymore, but Bia's just too self-centered that she can't even try to compromise. She acted spoiled until the end. Duh, Yoo Baek's an emperor and she's an empress. She's lucky enough that her workload's not being given so strictly and that Yoo Baek has no eyes for other women, and she's still like that. Ugh. I think the only times I liked her was when she was in her world and a few times when she's eating. LOL.

I didn't like Nanhui that much in the earlier chapters because she was too forward yet still in denial. I guess it's because she followed him around too much but still had some guts to talk back proudly. When Younjin told her to stop acting cheap, it was offensive, but I honestly thought she kind of deserved it by the way she acted. Youngjin was not the best male lead out there, as he also intentionally treated her coldly despite being interested, but it was also because she kept following him that he wanted to continue more. With his departure arc, I thought he was clear about his feelings for her already that's why he went to her and even kissed her. But what, after he came back, he was still apparently unsure of his feelings. It was offensive to him how he thought she played around with his feelings when she acted out her pretense of dating another guy to make him jealous, but I can't totally blame her. C'mon, he left her hanging! He left after kissing her and giving her hope for their relationship only to find out that he's disappeared and nobody else knew where he was. Of course she was frustrated. It's like, she finally thought she was liked back but then it was taken in an instant. She could've waited more patiently though, especially when she knew that she was dragging a lot of people with her actions. Anyway, it was a bit reassuring that she had thought it over before accepting him back. After all, it was just right for him to understand what she's gone through, too, so that they'd be able to avoid it happening in the future. Ah, also, honestly, I didn't find anything special about Nanhui. She appeared as a stubborn and spoiled princess with a loud mouth to me. They say she's pretty cute, but apart from that, she's nothing really special (though they say she's funny, I say she's normal). Then again, there will always be someone who finds something special in another person.

Yandere alert! I dislike Yerim (Nurse) very much as she was the master manipulator of most, if not all tragedies in this story. I'm actually surprised that Gayun didn't deal with her sooner. Of course I'm very bothered about how they couldn't differentiate Song Yi and A Ul when she only changed clothes and pushed back her hair a little bit. Their height difference is noticeable too. How about their voice? Haha. It's kinda ridiculous, really, but anyway.. I thought Gayun will discover SongYi's secret sooner especially because he had a lot of "..." moments while observing A Ul. Urk. But really, it sucks to be popular, eh? This manga made me realize that even more. That there could be people who desperately seek their love to be reciprocated to the point of threatening the other with their own lives. Like, duh. He's not even allowed to live for himself? If he were to take responsibility for the life of one person who threatens to commit suicide if he doesn't go along with her, then what would happen if more people would demand that? Where would that leave him? Poor guy. It's such a burden to be popular. Anyway, unlike other HMR heroines, I can take SongYi more. I mean she at least has really good points unlike the other characters. We can see here how even when she's neglected, she tries hard to be look after herself and even A Ul. She even sacrificed her life to fill in for A Ul while he can't attend the school since their parents care too much about his reputation, too. She's strong. She may have been manipulated by Yerim and may seem so indecisive, but I'm glad that the conflicts aren't as dragged out. For example, when she chose Seryun after his confession as Yerim instructed, she let Gayun go but quickly went after him after thinking it over. It's good that she was able to catch up with Gayun and he accepted her immediately. I'm glad he's actually not a jerk to her. Even when he found out about SongYi. I'm glad he didn't make a fuss about thinking she's doing it for revenge or something. For once, I really liked Gayun, too. Especially when he thought it over and still accepted SongYi after all (suspecting that something happened with Seryun included). Seryun is hard to ignore, though. He's such a sweetie. I hope he gets someone deserving, because he's innocent and sweet.

It's a very nice story and realistic to the point where it worries me. Now I question love's limit again. Surely, Youngwon fell in love at first sight for Jihyo and his feelings grew as they got closer. He truly treasured her for 3 years . But then he came across Say's broadcast and he somehow felt more connected to her. He got interested. And when he met Say, there was an irresistible connection he felt. But he had a gf and she had a bf. They even became friends. They were both aware that the moment they kept their meetings secret, they're somehow betraying their lovers but they can't resist because they felt like they can truly be themselves around each other. But because of their relationships, it was complicated. I understand that Say wanted to end it soon with Junhui but he kept delaying it despite knowing how Say felt. But Youngwon's another case.. He's already guilty bec he knows Jihyo is a nice girl yet he's doing what he did. He did well, trying to set aside his feelings for Say first to try and mend his relationship. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the feelings he had for Jihyo before so he decided to really break up. I believe that Jihyo's suicide attempt is a reality check that not everyone can be happy, at least not immediately. Love begets sacrifices. You're bound to hurt others, but you have the choice who to protect. Them breaking up for Jihyo, despite painful, was necessary for Jihyo to give up on her own. I'm sorry that Youngwon acted cold to her despite being with her but I think he did well bec he didn't give her false hopes. Even if Say and Youngwon continued dating at that point, they'll only feel guilty and paranoid thinking Jihyo might do worse. That's why their separation was necessary. Well, anyway, I'm glad that Say at least felt remorseful bec in the beginning, she just kept going on her own pace despite knowing the consequences of her action. She seemed to be aggressively trying to win him over despite claiming that they're just friends... I saw how she was worried about being left as well bec Youngwon was able to do it to Jihyo despite dating for 3 years. I'm glad that they at least felt human. The ending felt lacking, especially because they can finally be together. I wanted to see more of them.

late marking. read long time ago, not sure if I'll re-read anytime soon. [translations seem on indefinite hiatus]

Ahh, sooo cute! This manhwa's adorable because the MCs are both naive and slow. I also liked how Yoomin was really faithful to Hana, and Hana was understanding about Youngsun despite putting her up with a lot of bad things. About the issue of two-timing, if we look at it clearly, she didn't really two-time, since they broke up after she was kidnapped. Of course, she just assumed that they were still together and Yoomin was only acting up since she already figured him out mostly. But it's good that Yoomin was clear to himself that she's his subordinate at the moment and not his gf. Speaking of feelings, their love was mutual, so when she agreed to go out with Miyoo out of fear, it may be seen as two-timing, but not really. Well, at least she was aware of it. I'm glad she thought of Yoomin as her bf though, and didn't intentionally break up with him after seeing how he truly was when they're together. About the forced kiss which was caused by a drug Miyoo gave Hana, I would've liked to see more details. I wish Miyoo or Youngsun made it clear to both Hana and Yoomin about that incident. Luckily, since Yoomin thought they weren't even dating at that point, he didn't even had the right to get mad like that. Anyway, a guy like him is just too precious and adorable, but he could also be a pain in the a** since he tends to ignore things he didn't want to believe in. Oh, and I would've wanted Hana to realize the real meaning of Yoomin's "bullying" about her butt. Haha. Okay, for Youngsun, she's honestly scary in a way that she let Hana experience pain not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. I think Hana was well aware of her evil antics but still went along with her because she liked having her with her. Anyway, I'd say Seo Yoomin has just become one of my fave HMR male characters. Okay, so he slapped her once, despite being uncontrollably wild and violent. That was after he witnessed the heartbreaking scene of seeing her kiss Miyoo and had himself get beaten to feel pain. He was too miserable that he just had to slap her to hurt himself more. He's too naive though, and he definitely has a prince syndrome. Well, it's good enough that he was not a playboy or flirt. That's just a big plus. haha.