Sorry, I wanted to love this toxic yuri, I really did, but Naoi is so frustrating. If you're going to turn fucking around and bullying a girl into a game, at least play the damn game right! "Steal something from the teacher's desk!" She steals something important and Naoi turns around and says "No, that doesn't count!". Naoi says "Strip yourself or you'll lose these papers!" She does, and Naoi throws them away anyways! That's not a good story idea! That's just annoying.
When Kokoro called her mom, despite her objections, that was frustrating in a good way! When Kokoro pushes an idealized personality on her, it's frustrating in a good way! It let's us know, that she really can't be her true self around Kokoro, despite how kind she is, and pushes the story forward.
When Naoi says "Do x or I'll do y!" I don't care anymore! I don't care! Why would I, when I know she's just going to do y anyway? It makes the choices pointless. It makes the progression into freedom and delinquency not something that she chooses, but something she's forced into by this bully, who just says "I know the real you" over and over again.
At the start I was expecting the father to have a more of a background role, perhaps becoming a bit regretful, but ultimately not really be affected by Penelope. I thought that he'd be an obstacle to her, and she would have to manoeuver around him.
I'm really happy with how wrong I was though, it's clear that he's learned what's wrong in his household and decided not only to amend his words, but his actions. He knows now, how alone Penelope is in his manor, and he can't allow anyone else to take over the investigation. No one else can be trusted with his daughter's safety.
Sigh, it's true, I did want to see his animal ears...
I'm going to cry, that was so touching. Oh god,,, I haven't seen anything like this in a romance manhwa since...I don't even remember...This, this might be the first time I've seen it actually? And how beautiful is that! Yes! What a serene moment! Oh how lucky we are to have gathered here today on this occasion:
The artist actually drew the people in the crowd!!!!!!!!
Let's ignore the gaslighting and go back to that flashback, because what was that???!!!????
The most generous implication is, that Na Hae-soo was being abused when she was younger, and her boyfriend is mad at her for not getting over it.
However!!! She isn't a young girl in that flashback. They married very young, so if I were an artist's and wanted to depict, that she was abused as a teen, I'd draw her in her school uniform or something, which leads me to the less generous implication:
At some point in their marriage, he became alcoholic and physically abusive, she stayed with him despite it, and then, now that he's not anymore, he's mad at here for not reacting correctly???
Wowie, so you broke a stone with a golden eyes monster in it, and afterwards, a strange golden eyed man approached you wowiee
For a moment there, I thought he staples his bum closed, dear lord
Rip to toxic yuri, you could've been great together
Dropping this after chapter 9. Genuinely what was the point of setting up all the trauma that she went through if it means nothing? I get that it's the quickest way to make characters and readers sympathize with the mc, but is too much to ask that it affects her personality, even a little bit?
"I hate pain and never want to feel it again" turns into "even if it was brief, and I have to go back to the basement again, I was happy to have met you :,)" Like what?? What are you talking about??? You've been locked and abused in a basement for years, what do you mean you're going to go back to that, just to save a boy, that brought you to the murder forest, who you know for one day???
"I never want to see the evil duke again (and I've been established as an intelligent character)" turns into "Well I guess it's best to stay at another duke's house as his daughter, this totally minimizes my chances of seeing my abuser again teehee!"
So far, the aftermath of her life of abuse has accumulated in silently crying while asleep and hiccups.
Is it too much to ask for a heroine, who's experiences impacted her? She should be secretive! Plotting an escape route at every move. She shouldn't be self-sacrificing, she should value her life and safety above all! She shouldn't be bashfully accepting affection, she has clear memory of what happened tbe last time, she did that. There's practically no difference between how she met the current duke and her abuser. She should automatically be extremely suspicious of any Oum user, especially one that can steal her damn breath!
She wasn't just abused, she was locked in a cell having spent countless hours with her own thoughts. She should have some complex views or ideas. Some emotions so overwhelming, that they don't melt in the background, just because she got a haircut. The art style is so pretty and there are so many interesting ways to tackle this plot, which is why this is so frustrating. Even if she was obviously going to be caught, I wish we saw her planning how to get the hell out of there, the moment he told her her new name. Hiccups just isn't an adequate response..
DID THEY FINALLY FIND OUT??? IS THIS THE GOOD TRANSLATION?? I'VE BEEN POSTPONING THIS SINCE CHAPTER 95, PLEASSSEEE LET ME KNOW
"I love the art style and what’s happening so far, but tsunedere kids aren’t my type-" LMAO BRO I HOPE THEY AREN'T???
We're getting into the maternity ward with this one boys
If you want good echhi Isekai, read this instead, it is the most emotionally mature Isekai story I've read, and I'm counting those with no sex
JK Haru wa Isekai de Shoufu ni Natta
A serious psychological examination of what it's like to be a girl on the verge of adulthood, disguised as a an ecchi Isekai comic. This is so amazing, I can't get over it. I say it's ecchi, but is it? Most of the sex scenes are depicted with a professional monologue, as one would describe cooking, with the exceptions of Demon king and cowboy Gilf.
Full essay was going to go here, but I'm still in such an awe that I can't type. This is better than all those male centric Isekai that it's parodying and better than all those "Reincarnated as a Villainess" manhwas (that I still love). "Oh no...my husband is cold-hearted, does he truly love me? I won't speak to him in this timeline..", that's nice, Haru's only other connection to her own world wants to keep her as a slave, and the first boy she liked in this new world got indoctrinated into raping her friend to death.
Haru is amazing. She's such a strong character, even before the power reveal. On one hand, I think the story was stronger, before we found out about her powers, on the other hand, Demon king is now an actual romantic possibility let's go boys. I'll live the story of she ends up with Sumo, if she ends up with Demon king or Mr. Girl. I'll love the story if she stays alone. I'll love it if she never gets back, or if she does. I'll love it if she stays at her job or finds another. Just don't make her fall in love with that POS of a classmate lol