Bad translators can rly ruin gems dang
Honestly... I understand your point but your comment did little to change my opinion. No matter how much of an ah he is unless he comits some unforgivable crime I see no reason for him to be tortured this way. Maybe you know something I don't that could justify it but I still dislike it. And even if it were "teaching him to be human" most people would only pretend to be human to avoid punishment and hate everything even more so I see no advantage here.
Now let's start from the beginning. Disappointing 30k fans is a dang bad reason tbh. And there's a lot of idols that change careers midway. If the objective was to make him a better person there was no point on forcing him do be an idol and if the point was a successful idol career there was no reason it had to be him. The sistem could have chosen another member of the group and even used Eden being kicked out as a way to gain popularity. If he was that much of an ass... why wasn't he kicked out? We see a lot of idols being forced out of their groups for less than what you described. So, wasn't he forced to stay against his will because he is that talented as a producer? So much that the company forced him to stay in the group until his contract ended and he was free to do what he wanted? Can you imagine? Having exploiting bosses, coworkers you don't get along, a work that is hard and not really what you want, customers that don't really care about you as long as you give them what they want and not being able to quit for years? Yeah, I'd become that much of an ah too. But again, I don't think the sistem is effective in making him a better person. Just to have the perfect image as an idol.
But honestly the straw that broke it for me... mas this last chapter where a "idol fan" decided to stop stanning an older group and search for fresh meat because those idols started to "gain weight". As someone who likes kpop and tries to keep up with news about them... I'm not gonna generalize but a lot of kr fans are trash. From being sasaengs to turning into haters for stupid reasons, believing fake rumors, sending hate comments, cyberbullying them, demanding no relationship, hating on other idols because of dating rumors and even burning merchan out of "disappointment". Again. I know there's a ton of good kr fans too. But knowing this + the 30k fans disappointed + the fan that appeares + the sistem torturing him into a perfect idol... it didn't leave a good taste in my mouth.
Maybe in the novel it feels he deserves it, but seeing someone being tortured into becoming a "better person" while treading a path he didn't really want is not my cup of tea. I had hopes he'd manage to leave the group after setting them on track and pursuing his career and managing to duck over that unreasonable system but reading your comment made it clear it won't happen and pushed me further into dropping it. I actually thank you since I won't waste by time and just being angry at the end.
Sorry it got this long, i just wanted to make clear that it's not just him but being as bad as the novel that made many people dislike this. It's more about empathizing with mc as he is being forced into a work he doesn't like imo.
I agree with the original comment, but heavily on this, especially coming from the perspective of an international fan
damn even beating demotjuk, i have high expectation now
SORRY THIS GETS LONG WINDED I JUST LIKE TALKING ABT THIS NOVEL. I have NOTHING against you, or any of the readers in this topic section rather! This is just some further elaboration based on your comments. And you don't have to read any of this, its just a further reading if other readers will decide to continue or not.
but NO NO I totally get it. Its totally fair to drop the story! I feel like this novel's number 1 English speaking defender its embarrassing omg. I'm really used to this genre (idol LOL) where the default is a bit painful and hard to digest system penalties (until they elaborate roughly 100-300 chapters in what its all about and why the system is really there). These systems are hardly fair and the reasons given are ALWAYS lacking at the beginning, so its the kind of slowburn genre that expects you to read and find out what happens.
This story just bombards you with all the injustices first! Yoon Eden is supposed to be a very sympathetic character! The story's intention is to make you feel bad for Eden in the bigger picture but get annoyed enough at him in all the smaller bits, thats my point in bringing up his jerk-isms. I'm acutely aware of the reasons you list! Its much of the painstaking beginning of the story that takes a while to unravel apart. It isn't even until chapter 12 of this adaptation that you get an *inkling* of why he stayed all that long and even later a VAGUE idea of objective of the system (about a good 100+ chapters in if I recall...).
It's a hard time defending a lot of the oppositions you list right now because they're all true but get explained and justified at a way later date, and the original writing is fun enough to keep you on board long enough to get the explanations. It ends up being a story that warms up to you after you put in the time. In my original comment I never elaborate on the 'forced to work a job he doesn't like' point because... there is a very colorful amount of spoilers that go into fully justifying it.
There's a comedic and light-hearted prose in the novel that the manhwa/webtoon lacks (in the latest chapters the atmosphere is so warm and the members are friendly with each other so its easy to forget the beginning...) and that tends to get through the first 30 or so chapters of saltiness until blah blah Yoon Eden's true music desire blah blah system's true purpose blah blah. Seriously, I feel like someone sitting in a chair in this comment section going "No, no, keep watching it gets better" like a sucker.
But ABSOLUTELY drop if you find it overtly dissatisfying. The author's style features dropping big plot points and then letting it sit still until later to sucker punch you. At the same time, it withholds information from you for a good while...
(Except for the part about the fans, I can not defend that except the general fan is expected to be the ones that buy albums and support their idol wholeheartedly. Ms. Kim is really out of line with that comment. I know there's some freaks out there as well, but as far as this story goes, there aren't any in this one yet.)
No worries, I get what you are saying. I also read other idols comics and novels too. I guess what bothers me is that at least others mc's feel good/have fun being an idol even if forced and receive some sort of reward yk... like the whip and the carrot but at least for now I've only seen the whip... and mc seems to genuinely hate his current situation.
Many novels get less funny and interesting when adapted to comic, maybe that's what happened to this one. Somehow I get the feeling I'd get more frustrated than laugh reading it. Maybe I'll give the novel a chance in the future.
About kr fans and the industry... my biggest peeve is them treating stalkers and hates as if they are fans. The second one is thinking the idol owes them because they "support" them. Theres a difference between being grateful to the fans and being treated almost like a sugar baby being raised by fans. It gives me a terrible impression of them. I know it's few that do those things... but the rest of the fandoms tend to cover them instead of condemning it as it it's normal. I usually avoid dealing with kr fandoms because of it....
But back to the comic, I hope it gets better. Maybe aill check it in the future cuz i like the art... but for now... I'll let it marinate...
bro... you said exactly how i feel... genuinely thank you for making this comment exist
Do you know where I can read the Mtl version of the novel? The latest translated chapter by moonlight scans leaves off on a cliffhanger ╥﹏╥
First things first, Mangagalaxy has a MUCH better translation of this, so go read there instead. It will clear up many misunderstandings you might have compared to this… well, subpar one.
Okay so. This is actually a really top rated webnovel adaptation on KakaoPage. What’s happened is that the manhwa has made the MC a lot nicer than his webnovel counterpart which would make rude comments towards fans and blew them off in fansigns (which to participate, requires buying like a hundred albums). Originally “real music, not these fucking idol songs” was a MAJOR and emphasized line and the impression was that he went into this industry to startup his producing career and blew off the fans who supported him with their hard earned money. The inner monologue is also some real asshole stuff which offset the feeling of frustration from the system (bc he’s deducted for some reasonable stuff) that’s lacking in the manhwa ver.
It’s often joked that the system is training him to be human. I don’t think the system is *that* fair either but there’s an explanation for all of this later. So the main parts of the system punishments are to reduce his poor behaviors. ‘Eye movements’ in this translation is actually meant to be him spacing out or his eyes going lifeless because of his tendency to ignore people & fans.
Most of the readers of this in KR are reading w the context of the novel which is why the response for the adaptation is mostly positive over there.
If you’re into the idol genre, this is one of the top webnovels that’s been adapted. (No joke, it’s been 1st place on drama webnovels & webtoons for a week now beating out Spacestar n Debut or Die). I hope anyone who’s really into the genre continue to give it a chance.