I get what you mean, so much of this manhua is catered to having readers pity the MC since it's a tragedy. I'm familiar with that feeling of everything being repetitive after a while of reading heart-wrenching media, so I like to think in the perspective of text-to-world and text-to-self when I'm reading something like this.
After the first time I read this, I was just a hot mess because of the suffering I had to see him go through. There was no interpreting, no 'what was the point of it? The point of his suffering?' The second time I read it, it was like a bitter ache, because this time I tried to really understand what the author was trying to say.
In the end, the message I felt was conveyed to me was that life is precious, life is short. "Don't take your loved ones, the ones who loved you when you were nobody, for granted". It's such a simple message, yet so overlooked. And maybe that's why it makes many people sad. The most tragic part of it all is his unceasing and unconditional love for his husband, despite the cheating, the abuse, the neglect. To the very bitter end, the one he loved most was him -- even his last words paint to us a fragment of his favourite memories, spent with the one who we as readers hate most of all.
And to make it worse, the very same husband who was the source of all his suffering, the very same one we are incited to hate, is at his core, a wretched and pitiful person. One who loved his husband but was blinded by greed and material pleasures. Nothing can excuse his actions, yet so tragically we are forced to witness his grief and denial of his husband's death. His letter illustrating in our minds the implicit image of him waiting his entire life for someone who will never come. It is through him that the author warns us this, "regret is the worst punishment".
Ultimately, it's a cliche tragedy. But in its own way it is complex and still evokes the necessary emotions for such a text. Even so, everyone interprets texts in their own way. From my understanding, I believe that the reason many people find this manhua so though-provoking is the fact there is no antagonist. It's just people. People who are bad, people who are fucked up, people who are given the short straw in life. Life -- it's just life, as it is. And that is what makes it the tragedy that it is.
Oh I also forgot to mention this, but it's also a great depiction of how relationships change over time. As such it is called '10 years where I loved you the most'. As they both start entering different stages in their life, where the MC still appreciates the small things in life while the husband's bitterness towards their past poverty has changed into the aforementioned greed for materialistic pleasures. The love was there, but strained and ugly. Which is often at times what happens to long-term relationships. I think it portrays the difficulty of leaving such a relationship very well.
This is a beautiful response and thank you for sharing your view and opinion.
I completely understand and agree with your point and with things you pointed out, so I did change my opinion on the “meaning” and “lesson” from this manhua. It is simple, but still a lesson.
I got so desensitised to tragedy genre that this work didn’t make me feel much but pity and a small heartache, so I wanted to understand exactly WHY it didn’t hurt as much as it supposed to.
I still think it could’ve been written so much better, but with your reply I understand that it was probably author’s intention to make story that way.
Thank you for your reply. It was nice to read ^^
to be fair, the manhua didn't hurt me as much as the novel did. I've read this manhua many many times but I'll never forget the way I felt when I read the novel for the first time. I guess it's the author's way of telling the story that got me crying like a newborn baby. I read the novel first before I found out it has a manhua.
I remember going into not expecting anything because just like you, I have become desensitised to tragic novels/story that this sounded like any other stories that has a tragic ending. But the novel was a lot more painful than I imagined. For me, it was the author's way of conveying MC's pain and emotions through words that I felt like I was experiencing them myself. It felt like I was the one going through it. The novel had this atmosphere that the manhua did not capture for me. The translator did a good job too because I know it is much much better in its original language.
The message did not matter that much to me! The experience did. It made it me feel things I would otherwise not feel, hopefully never in my entire life. But still, it made feel something and it's so beautiful and it reads like a painting, honestly. Or maybe I'm hyping it up too much. I can't clearly explain what I felt when I read it but I preferred the novel than the manhua, those this still does a very good adaptation of the original source.
Oh, for sure the novel would be better. I didn’t even know this manhua was an adaptation, to be honest. And I always lean towards the novels and books, because it’s harder to convey some emotions and impactful moments in comics/manhwas/manhuas/mangas.
I’m sure my opinion would be different if I read the novel. My opinion is solely for this manhua.
That's fair! If you ever plan to read the novel someday, good luck and have fun! Hahaha
Yes, this manhua was soul crushing and I loved the angst. However…
I don’t get where the story was going with the whole cheating and suffering thing. And by that I mean overall “lesson” or “meaning” behind this work. Was the whole meaning of this story just “don’t cling onto bastards when they treat you wrong”? Pretty weak for such a heavy story.
The whole plot is just MC suffering from cancer and clinging onto his first love who treated him poorly and cheated (which I perfectly understand why and I’m not blaming MC). He only let go of the bastard at the very end when his life was basically on a countdown. It just felt like author was just adding more drama and suffering just for the sake of it. To make it more teary, which I find very cheap.
I’ve read a lot of heart-wrenching books/novels/comics, so I can say that it was not strongly written. Yes, it was very sad, but just throwing one sad thing after another won’t make me feel that sad for MC and bawl my eyes out. I wish MC was developed more to show more of his personality, motives, wishes instead of making him a “poor mistreated wifey that lives for his hubby”. That would have made the descend into despair much more crushing. There was no contrast. MC was so… plain that I couldn’t feel much except for pity.
MC was so miserable most of his life that by the end of the manhua I was just thinking: “Let the poor guy die already. He’s suffered enough. Let him rest.” It’s not heart-wrenching if death actually seems like the best way out that will put character at peace.
It is a good angst and tragic story, but I am just disappointed, because of the cheap tricks from the author and wasted potential. It could’ve been done so much better.
(It’s my personal opinion. I am not criticising people for liking this manhua.)