I don't know how to work the tagging system too, lol. But yes, the "love story" went straight out the window somewhere in Ch. 30s. That's why I wished it wasn't BL but a Plot Manwha instead because I really had high hopes for the manwha with how promising the plot and its characters were but alas, my hope wilted by the time of writing this review.
Honestly, by the point where Mujin and Cho-A's routine started I realized "Oh these people AREN'T gonna be good together fr" and my repulsion towards any romance started. It became even more unbearable when the smut became more and more and more excessive to the point where I go "Am I, a capable adult woman, really going to torture myself to read through these scenes just for the sake of the promising Serious Plof?" Yes, I did. And what a mistake it was lol.
I respect all your opinions as well! It's fun to exchange ideas and insights about anything in an accepting environment. I had fun reading your thoughts and opinions on this manwha (●'◡'●)ﾉ
Also thank you for exchanging ideas and insights with me in such wonderful manner. It's always a pleasure to find a great discussion to enjoy
(ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡
Oh my god I never even thought of that, you're right though, a Mujin who ends up taking a life despite his previous beliefs on how all lives should be saved would contrast well with his original character and would make a really good character growth. If the author did this while trying to maintain a dark plot I'd imagine it'd be something like 'the abused becomes the abuser' showing the effect on how everyone responds differently when faced in these types of situations. Some become completely submissive while others learn the world ain't shit and becomes like their abuser.
Yes, that's exactly why I was frustrated with Cho-A!! Cho-A already became submissive but like any other human, he has to have a breaking point where he completely reverses. He had this really good potential for a contrary to Mujin (which I thought was what the author was going for when they revealed it was Cho-A's father who killed Mujin before).
Imagine Mujin, who was killed by Cho-A's father, also "killed" by Cho-A who finally discarded his belief on how all lives should be saved! Imagine Cho-A hunting down the prince who viewed him for a prize against Mujin. Imagine the prince realizing that Cho-A isn't a blade he can weild against Mujin but a blade that's poison in his hands.
Cho-A doesn't have to be a complete badass to be a remarkable character. He could still be weak while undergoing character growth since he has the strongest weapon he could have: affecting Mujin.
damnnnn i read every single words and i strongly agree with u. i think this author, shin yuri i mean. like to create the bottom characters is so f stupid naive and weak. nothings new from this author def not my type haha
He really can be frustrating and the author does have a tendency to go for really unbalanced power dynamics hahahaha. But the story the author makes have really interesting plots so I always find myself trying it again and again lololol
I have so much to say about this manwha. And they're not all good things
THE BAD
- The romance: the romance between the main character Cho-Ah and the ML Mujin is the worst I've ever seen. It completely toppled Black Lotus on my ranking of "Most Frustrating BL Ships". The chemistry is just.. it's STUPID. I know psychological ships don't follow legal/common sense but it has to AT LEAST make sense and likeable enough for it to have chemistry. This ship has NONE of that.
- cont.: This is a glaring plot hole in the manwha. And for a BL, it's something that should not exist. The factors are there to build this great psychological ship but it's not utilized by the author. I'll explain by describing the characters.
- Cho-A. The MC (shou, bottom, uke). The worst kind of character to exist: stupidly naive. For a character that gets repeatedly (CONTENT WARNING: sexual assault/rape) sexually assaulted by NUMEROUS people you'd think he'd at least be wary. But no! He never fucking learns! He has this seemingly blind trust in the ML (Mujin) but it's actually (in my opinion) his savior complex at play. He has FOUR love interests and cheated with TWO of them despite having an "official" boyfriend (Mujin). It's dubious consent but the way it was handled and the way he treats it makes it like he,,, fuck I can't believe I'm saying this,,, he's so hypocritical of his affection for Mujin. It feels disgusting to see him be like "No guys I can't do this >:( I have a boyfriend" while simultaneously being casual about the fact that 1. he just had sex with this person he just met (under the influence of an aphrodisiac courtesy of said new person) and 2. make out with his ex (he was seduced but still, make up your mind). The other love interest (a title that should probably not exist for this character) is a psychopath who threatened him and raped him because he's obsessed with Mujin. But the way the author made him entangle with Cho-A is not good at all. That's why he's in this grey area of love interest. Cho-A has some good points but it's completely overshadowed by these scenes where he's like a white lotus (in my opinion).
- Mujin. In my opinion, is one of the most complex and wasted character ever created. I think the author nailed his character of being this God and Human and his contribution to the story is absolutely monumental. He is the titular main character (he's Sura) and lives up to the role. He's thought provoking and he's interesting; his backstory is very complex and deep and his obsession with normality has logical reasoning behind it (and one of my favorite plot tbh). But he's confined in this box where he's this obsessive lover of Cho-A and whose common sense deteriorates because of Cho-A. He could have been so much more; he has the foundation for a very remarkable main character but it's all overshadowed by the romantic/useless sex scenes pushed down our throats. He's psychopathic and as an ML is a definite red flag. Which contributes to his ship with Cho-A being unbearable to read.
- The romance. Is absolute dog-shit. J can't root for them, I just can't! Cho-A has a personality of a naively stupid white lotus. He feels hypocritical! He's so bland compared to Mujin's deep and rich character. Usually it's the MC who's full of personality and not the ML but this one is reversed. Mujin as a character is great, but as an ML? Nah. He's the worst. He repeatedly takes what he wants and kills who he wants without mercy, even at the cost of Cho-A's happiness. They're all measures of fucked up but it's the kind of fucked up that you cannot find anything to root for.
- cont. the whole foundation of the romance lies entirely with Mujin. His makes sense. He's obsessed with Cho-A because Cho-A is his ideal personification of a calm and normal life. He's obsessed with normal and empathy, both which Cho-A represents and shows him. Cho-A on the other hand can't give us a straight answer on WHY he's with Mujin. The author tries to cover up this plot hole by addressing it but not answering it at all. Cho-A just keeps repeating "Mujin is my lover... I musn't forget" which reinforces the reasons WHY he shouldn't be with him in the first place! He clings to Mujin, makes Mujin cling to him, but he says this line while simultaneously cheating with his ex? Make it make sense! In my observation, Cho-A has a savior complex which is the reason why he has "blind trust" and empathy towards Mujin. He's Mujin's "light" and therefore his savior. This reason completely degrades the romance because the way it was handled/utilized by the author presents the direct opposite.
- What I mean is, the author tries to convince you that Cho-A has always loved Mujin (because of pure love and understanding) and Mujin has always loved Cho-A as his light but it's simply a relationship of self-satisfaction. I would have enjoyed if the author took this (obvious) route instead. The hypocritical nature of their relationship makes me wish that this wasn't a BL at all with how much I skipped their scenes.
- The repetition. Don't get me wrong, I love repitition as a device to show how irredeemable a character is but the repetition got on my nerves. Especially on the romance. It never improves. At all. They always get back to square one. It's a constant cycle of questioning, trying to clarify, lying, getting exposed, glossing over the problem, then back to questioning and over and over again. Cho-A's repeated naive and stupid actions (and judgements) were frustrating to the point of stressing me THE FUCK out. It reminds me so much of True Beauty's repetition and we all know how much of a shit manwha that was.
THE GOOD
- The Plot. No, not the romantic plot. The Serious Plot. The plot of Mujin Self vs Sura Self. Absolutely well done. Handled well, the imagery was wonderful, not much was said but enough was given. 5 stars all around. The political struggles of the current palace? Flavorful. The crown prince's part of this plot was absolutely stunning to watch. He's what Mujin should have been. Analytical, shrewd, and purposeful. The only times he was useless in my opinion was when the author paired him with Cho-A (like seriously, what the fuck was that?). The secret of Cho-A's father of him trying to assassinate Mujin? A true shock and a great foundation for Mujin's character growth. It showed why he's distrustful, it showed why Mujin hated him because of his selfishness as a doctor. I'd say that this dead character probably had more plot relevance compared to Cho-A. Literally, if the romantic plot was completely discarded the Serious Plot would have absolutely made this a true art. A shame it was wasted due to the stupid romantic aspect.
- The art. Absolutely stunning. I love the colors, the imagery, the miniscule details. The artist is a gem and I wish them all the forehead kisses in the world.
All in all, don't read this if you want stress. I DO NOT recommend.