annoyed_linguist December 7, 2024 10:52 am

Listen I get the theorizing but there Gilgamesh is just one of many gods out there. I don’t think he’s a Greek god unless Mojito is referencing ore-hellenistic mythology (which is real possibility).

There a couple possibilities. I’d have to go back and re-read the chapter when FG was actually introduced (as an ally to Isis) but if it is a Greek god then I’m thinking Posideon. And if not then maybe something g like Abzu (Babylonian primordial deity that shares a very similar role). I think he’s associated with water (mainly because his introduction was in part related to the time Isis tried to just flood everything). If I recall he was a part of the plan.

    Yandere-chan December 8, 2024 8:08 pm

    I keep thinking he's jesus lol
    But its not a serious theory, cuz I dont know about history and periods
    So im saying that because all the information FG spills just fits with jesus story
    Even what hes looking because hes kinda cursed or smth hes "the god with his fate written" or smth like that. So maybe he doesn't want to die betrayed in his land and its trying to change that.
    And on this ch he says he doesn't know the god before him. Makes sense since Jesus never saw god directly until he died. He was an "envoy" (i dont know if thats the word, english isnt my first language sorry :c)

    And for what I understood this story follows history but not very strictly

    annoyed_linguist December 10, 2024 8:14 am
    I keep thinking he's jesus lolBut its not a serious theory, cuz I dont know about history and periodsSo im saying that because all the information FG spills just fits with jesus storyEven what hes looking becau... Yandere-chan

    While I don’t think he’s actually Jesus I will admit there have been some arguments made that make me feel like there’s a non zero chance it could be the case. Like very close to zero but not zero.

    Yandere-chan December 10, 2024 8:23 pm
    While I don’t think he’s actually Jesus I will admit there have been some arguments made that make me feel like there’s a non zero chance it could be the case. Like very close to zero but not zero. annoyed_linguist

    Yeah! I had a long list of arguments on a comment from long ago, but this story its so long and im up to date, so I don't remember everything in detail.
    I don't think him comming by boat is something that has to do with his powers, but it could be.
    The most strong clue that I always point out its that he suggest the people in his country are monoteist, while in every other region like egypt, greece, etc, they are politeist

    I think the author its not saying his name for some very specific and important reason. It could be for the plot, or because of the religious problems and allegations they could have if they say for ex jesus or any other name
    Maybe we will never know FG's name and thats his grace lol

annoyed_linguist December 7, 2024 10:06 am

Fully convinced the author wants to make it fully gay but every time he tries an editor pulls out a gun.

annoyed_linguist September 22, 2024 1:40 pm

“Cat God” what do you mean none of you know who Bastet is? She’s like one of the most popular Egyptian gods in the pantheon? She’s the symbol of the most beloved animal in the world.

She’s also, pretty important thing to note here, also sometimes considered to be a gentle half of SEKHMET!

Y’all are so blinded by yaoi misogyny rage that you can’t even recognize one of the most popular and beloved Egyptian gods of all time (who has been fairly reasonable in all of her appearances).

I’m just…how the fuck do you not know who she is?? Literally how?? I’m not even a big Egyptology nerd I just like cats and I knew at least that she was Bastet (the Sekhmet part I kinda knew but don’t blame people for not knowing). But also how are you gonna read a story that:

a). is based on Egyptian mythology,
b). puts a lot of effort into representing the culture and story with cultural accuracy,

and not at least take time to LEARN about the original story/setting the manhwa is based on?

    Yay.yay September 25, 2024 1:33 pm

    real i love bastet

annoyed_linguist July 18, 2024 12:29 pm

Wild ride of a story. Genuinely great read and you come out of it feeling like you’ve learned something about yourself. I think there were a lot of moments I felt held a lesson for me as an adult; about being vulnerable, about being honest with my feelings, about trauma.

It’s freaky, mature, and overall well written. I know I’ll be coming back to re-read this in the future. Hoping to get a little sequel about the ex-FWB and the single dad. I wanna see them actually get together.

annoyed_linguist July 15, 2024 8:24 am

Y’all are being way too harsh on Kazu. Like his crime is being stupid and not realizing he has a crush on his friend and being kinda inattentive. He’s not even a cheater cuz all the girls are clearly aware and okay with their current set up. It’s just a polyamorous relationship.

Kazu also realizes he was neglecting his friend and realized that he hurt Yuki. He clearly cares about him and wants to protect him. He also DOESNT realize he likes Yuki romantically because he’s stupid.


I get that Yuki is monogamous and probably wouldn’t be comfortable with the polyamory set up so it will probably end with Kazu breaking up with the girlfriends and only dating Yuki but like why is it a crime to date multiple people before your final partner? Why are y’all so weird about people who have sex or multiple partners consensually (cuz again all the girls know and are cool with this)?

Don’t get me wrong I think Kazu deserved the wake up call. Yuki was well in his right to cut him off for neglecting him as a friend and basically using him. But y’all act like this man is the devil.

He didn’t even cheat on Yuki cuz they’re not in a relationship, he’s just stupid and spoiled. And now he’s aware of the fact he was being stupid and spoiled and is willing own up to that he wants a second chance. He clearly cares about Yuki, he’s just dumb.

Separate note: lowkey kinda sad Yuki doesn’t want to just be a part of the harem cuz I think it would be so funny if he and the girlfriends unionized. Like Kazu gets mopey cuz Yuki scolds him and he goes the girlfriends and they’re like “nope Yuki-san told us about the fuck shit you’re doing and we stand with him”.

    Yana July 30, 2024 4:34 pm

    People are so weird theyd react more negatively towards characters who've had consensual sex with multiple previous partners than to a main pairing with dub con or non consensual sex

    Badass Mona July 31, 2024 9:41 pm

    You have all the good points!! And I wanna like this multiple times if I could

    Yes, kazu is just stupid and I like to read this since it has this unique plot like uke take "revenge" to make the seme suffer even just a little bit.
    I feel like the author want to take the risky theme like cheating but still want to make it a safe read so they add this open / polyamorous relationship with consent.
    Although the title of this manga has "cheater" in it, it's not that toxic as it is.

    Sooo in my conclusion, this manga is still a good read and don't deserve all the hating

annoyed_linguist July 11, 2024 7:18 am

Honestly it’s not worth the time or energy. It’s 100% all just the MC getting abused. None of the questions you have will be answered. Not even through subtext or hidden themes. This was just torture porn.

annoyed_linguist July 9, 2024 12:57 pm

I thought maybe everyone was exaggerating the Author’s words or maybe it was taken out of context. In my head I thought, “oh they probably meant they enjoyed the catharsis that came from creating this scene or maybe they meant that they felt proud of how they did it.” It wasn’t a particularly graphic or titillating scene so it didn’t make sense to me how it could he “exciting”. But yeah no the Author’s Note is totally whack.

For those curious she outright says she got “excited” by the idea of Seno being violated. Like word for word that’s what she says. Now she also says she felt said and pitiful regarding the scene (which honestly is kind of strange to me because it really is such a brief non-explicit scene) but the comments aren’t exaggerating, it totally felt like an inappropriate comment to make regarding the topic at hand (and specifically how it was framed). Or if not that it was just very weird and disconcerting, it completely takes you out of the story.

Cute story though just…very strange author.

annoyed_linguist June 6, 2024 7:16 am

TL;DR Isis is a deep and complex character that is more than "spiteful wife who blames victim". She doesn't actually blame Seth for Osiris raping him (she does still victimblame but more in a "why did you talk to me first" way). She also was using Seth as a tool to punish Osiris which is really why her character is so fucked up.

Morally dark gray but better for it (as in she's very interesting and I love reading her POV).

--

*Actual Comment*

Isis is probably one of my favorite characters in ENNEAD which is pretty controversial given the fandom seems to collectively agree she kinda sucks. And the thing is I also agree she kinda sucks but I think that's part of why she's such a fascinating character.

Something a lot of readers get wrong is the idea that she genuinely blames Seth for Osiris's infidelity but the manga pretty out right tells us that she was actually much more angry as Osiris. The whole "my dead husband" thing was an act and she wanted Seth to be obliterated so Osiris couldn't have him. Also probably because Seth kind of forced her to rock bottom, killed all her women, and hunt her like a dog but punishing Osiris and making Horus king was her primary goal.

What makes Isis such a fucked up and fascinating character is the fact that her desire for Seth's destruction feels less like her trying to punish Seth and more like an honor killing. She was genuinely traumatized by his assault. I encourage readers to go back to the earlier chapters and the chapters where she's talking to Seth and really look between the lines. Isis genuinely loved and cared for Seth. That wasn't just her friend that was her brother. This is speculation but I kind of wonder if Isis thought destroying Seth was a way of purifying him. She hated him but she loved him. Like how she loved and hated Osiris.

She was wrong. The way she dealt with things was wrong (and it's the same for Seth. I think many fans kinda gloss over the fact that he killed thousands of women and children and hunted Isis but the thing is neither of them were ever bad they were broken. So deeply and profoundly broken.

    FurryInSpace June 8, 2024 12:25 pm

    Still she cursed the victim, she could help him and react when he was raped by Osiris and prevent all of this but she did nothing, only cared for her ego

    Ve.nus June 8, 2024 9:24 pm

    Oh I didn't realise cursing and blaming the victim make her loveable. Wow, so majestic, so innocent and so loveable. Wow, Isis, you're the man, the women of my dreams. Please curse me and blame me so i can feel bad about myself

    annoyed_linguist June 8, 2024 9:25 pm
    Still she cursed the victim, she could help him and react when he was raped by Osiris and prevent all of this but she did nothing, only cared for her ego FurryInSpace

    I mean the curse is one thing but there was little she could’ve done to prevent the events that occurred from happening. She was too late to prevent the rape. She was being chased by Seth afterwards for other reasons.

    Like I said in my comment she’s a super fucked up chaeacter. Like she’s not morally good but there’s a lot of nuance to her actions. And ego is involved but it was so much more than that. Go read her parts again and you see she’s carried the guilt of her failing with her this entire time.

    None of the characters are perfect but that’s why this is such a good story.

    annoyed_linguist June 8, 2024 9:34 pm
    Oh I didn't realise cursing and blaming the victim make her loveable. Wow, so majestic, so innocent and so loveable. Wow, Isis, you're the man, the women of my dreams. Please curse me and blame me so i can feel... Ve.nus

    It’s very funny how obvious it is you didn’t read the comment where I say “yeah she’s complex and an incredibly fucked up character, that’s why I think she’s so interesting”.

    Wild that I’m getting called problematic in the Incest Age Gap Rape Manhwa for liking a character that’s not morally perfect. I guess Seth and all the women and children he killed gets a pass. (Seth is a great character and perfect example of an imperfect victim. I love him SO MUCH). Anyways the double standards are double standarding but I can’t say I’m surprised.

    Ve.nus June 9, 2024 5:44 am
    I mean the curse is one thing but there was little she could’ve done to prevent the events that occurred from happening. She was too late to prevent the rape. She was being chased by Seth afterwards for oth... annoyed_linguist

    Little she could have done? LITTLE SHE COULD HAVE DONE? In case you haven't been reading, she was there when Osiris was threatening Seth with Anubis's life. She watch the whole thing. She watch the entire thing go down and did nothing. She had the audacity to feel betrayed by Seth when SHE SHOW HIM GETTING THREATENED WITH ANUBIS'S LIFE. She ran away. If she really wanted to help, she could have shown herself, make her thing Seth has one person he could turn to but noooo she went ahead and tried to kill Anubis and then when she couldn't do it, she curse her whole entire family.

    And to the answer to your comment on mine. Seth was the good ruler of Egypt before the SA and the curse. So if Isis didn't curse him and helped him while she could, he wouldn't do all those things in his grief.

    So in conclusion, all their problems stem from Osiris obsession and Isis being a stupid fucking coward.

    Ve.nus June 9, 2024 5:45 am
    Little she could have done? LITTLE SHE COULD HAVE DONE? In case you haven't been reading, she was there when Osiris was threatening Seth with Anubis's life. She watch the whole thing. She watch the entire thing... Ve.nus

    SHE SAW HIM*

    annoyed_linguist June 9, 2024 6:44 am
    Little she could have done? LITTLE SHE COULD HAVE DONE? In case you haven't been reading, she was there when Osiris was threatening Seth with Anubis's life. She watch the whole thing. She watch the entire thing... Ve.nus

    Calling Isis a coward is by far the most correct you’ve been in this conversation. She’s 100% a coward and I should note that she also curses herself if you go back and read the scene. It’s one of my favorite scenes because it’s so insanely fucked up and you can tell she’s having a complete mental break. It’s also a terrible way of dealing with the situation.

    She arrived at the start of Seth’s assault and the end of the convo. So if you want to put it like that she had a minute or two to react. But in my opinion it was too late by that point. She was too shocked to react. Her husbands infidelity and the assault of her brother (which I’ve said this before but it’s kinda hinted she knew Seth when he was a demi-god/child and likely played a caretaker role at times for him, they were much closer prior the rape) mentally destroyed her in that moment.

    Saying, “why didn’t she just do x” is kinda like how she goes “why didn’t you just talk to me” with Seth. No one was able to think in that scenario and it would be wrong to blame them for not knowing how to react. But we can blame them for how they respond afterwards.

    See the thing is I’m not here to /justify/ things. Seth being assaulted doesn’t /justify/ the brutality he inflicted on innocent mortal people. Isis having a mental breakdown doesn’t justify her curse nor did it justify her attempt to murk the entirety of Egypt. But we can still find these characters interesting.

    BTW you don’t have to like Isis. I don’t blame anyone for not liking her but don’t stand on a moral pedestal and preach at me if you can’t do the same with other morally dubious characters.

    Like I don’t like Osiris but you don’t see me on Osiris simp posts being like “WUGH HE RAPED SETH YOURE BAD” even if I think it’s weird to simp for him. Because that would be hypocritical. And I try not to be too big of a hypocrite.

    Ve.nus June 9, 2024 7:08 am
    Calling Isis a coward is by far the most correct you’ve been in this conversation. She’s 100% a coward and I should note that she also curses herself if you go back and read the scene. It’s one of my fa... annoyed_linguist

    Oh so your saying I'm not correct in saying that she tried to killed Anubis? And now, she's offering Horus's hand in marriage to Hathor without his knowledge or consent, refuse to listen to her sister when she tried to tell her how Hathor has been ruling. The way Hathor was ruling in her stead wasn't any different from how Seth rules and yet she forgave her and then gave her Horus's hands. Talk about being a hypocrite, and after all that preaching about loving Egypt and wanting what's best for it. And for the record, i have never seen someone defending Osiris, like ever. If hating Isis makes me a hypocrite, then I'll gladly be a hypocrite.

    annoyed_linguist June 9, 2024 8:13 am
    Oh so your saying I'm not correct in saying that she tried to killed Anubis? And now, she's offering Horus's hand in marriage to Hathor without his knowledge or consent, refuse to listen to her sister when she ... Ve.nus

    I quite literally said it’s okay to dislike/hate her. Is my English that bad? It’s my first language but here I am asking genuinely because I don’t understand how you saw me say “she did bad things” and that “you can dislike the character” and somehow you read that as “disliking the character means you’re a hypocrite”.

    Let me simplify it for you:

    1. You do not have to like her. You can hate her. I don’t care she’s not real. My original comment was me talking about how I like her and how she’s very nuanced (which does not mean she’s good it just means she’s not a flat character).

    2. I think going onto someone’s post saying they like a morally dubious character and making a fuss while defending another morally dubious character is hypocritical.

    3. Hating Isis is not hypocritical. Bothering someone who likes Isis because she did bad things while simultaneously defending Seth’s actions kind of is.

    4. I am not denying she does bad things. I keep saying she does bad things. Please read the actual comments I made. This is why I said that was the most correct because you keep misinterpreting what I say in bad faith.

    annoyed_linguist June 9, 2024 8:23 am
    Oh so your saying I'm not correct in saying that she tried to killed Anubis? And now, she's offering Horus's hand in marriage to Hathor without his knowledge or consent, refuse to listen to her sister when she ... Ve.nus

    It’s genuinely infuriating having someone put words in my mouth (figure of speech) the way you have. I keep saying “she did bad stuff I just think she’s nuanced” and “you can dislike her” and somehow you continue to be rude and hateful. Because I like a problematic character?

    And then you spin around and try to justify the actions of another problem character. And the thing is I also really like Seth. I think he’s a complex, deep, and nuanced character. He has layers and when we first meet him he’s not perfect and we learn he’s done of awful things but he also has a lot of trauma.

    I think it’s cool that he’s not some perfect angel. I think it’s such a brave writing choice to make his past actions be what they are because a lot of people have trouble sympathizing with people who do bad things but we get to see his redemption journey. We get to see how he makes up for his mistakes. We also get to see how he will deal with the trauma of his rape. And his betrayal.

    But I will never pretend that what he did was justified. I won’t ever go “yeah it was bad but he was raped”. The same way I won’t ever say “okay she did bad stuff but” about Isis.

    None of my comments are defending her. I just wanted to talk about some nuances regarding her character that I think were interesting and gave her depth. I think it’s MORE fucked up that she responded the way she did with the idea that she didn’t blame Seth. I think it’s MORE fucked up that she loved him. I think it’s interesting that she was broken.

    You have been nothing but rude and hostile from reply one. I have been trying to be as polite about this as possible and clarify my intent and you have continued to be rude and hostile.

    FurryInSpace June 11, 2024 12:08 am
    Little she could have done? LITTLE SHE COULD HAVE DONE? In case you haven't been reading, she was there when Osiris was threatening Seth with Anubis's life. She watch the whole thing. She watch the entire thing... Ve.nus

    O wow you just exacly said what I'm thinking xD
    But yes Imo she could help him and prevent everything from happening if she "love him so much" (that she wanted his death and humilated him in front of everyone by not telling the whole truth. If she really loved him so much then she would told the whole truth during the Seth's court, maybe also humilating him but saving him and dirting Osiris name but nooo she couldn't. And what was even the point in reviving Osiris and having sex with him if she already hated him?

    FurryInSpace June 11, 2024 12:14 am
    O wow you just exacly said what I'm thinking xDBut yes Imo she could help him and prevent everything from happening if she "love him so much" (that she wanted his death and humilated him in front of everyone by... FurryInSpace

    Also I do hope she will get her karma, like she is this annynoying character who wants everything the baddest for the main character and after mc suffer the whole series she magicaly get to like him and end happy without any consequences . I really do hope she also will get to suffer because she really is just annyonying bitch for me after all that. I hope Horus will refuse the marriage and tell her that he loves Seth, maybe then they will escape somewhere after taking Seth's curse down and will be happy! Maybe have a child? (I heard author dosen't like mpreg but it would be nice and there are implinations in the manga for that (づ ̄ ³ ̄)づ)

    annoyed_linguist June 11, 2024 4:12 am
    Also I do hope she will get her karma, like she is this annynoying character who wants everything the baddest for the main character and after mc suffer the whole series she magicaly get to like him and end hap... FurryInSpace

    I definitely am hoping Horus takes her down a peg. As much I love her she needs a reality check. Also small response to a part in your other comment but I’m someone who thinks you can hurt people you love. She hurts Seth very badly multiple times and she’s wrong for it. I also think she loves him based on her memories.

    Horus also hurt Seth (let’s not forget he borderline assaults Seth early in the series/and Seth also tried to do the same) but their relationship is by far the healthiest which really shows how twisted this family is lol.

    FurryInSpace June 11, 2024 5:28 am
    I definitely am hoping Horus takes her down a peg. As much I love her she needs a reality check. Also small response to a part in your other comment but I’m someone who thinks you can hurt people you love. ... annoyed_linguist

    Yeah let's hope everything will be alright at the end and at least main characters end all happy! (づ ̄ ³ ̄)づ

    Wonyz June 12, 2024 3:55 am

    I love and hate her, she was def in the wrong but at the same time her reaction makes sense even if I hate it, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Orsis because of her love for him so she projected it onto Seth and blinded herself thinking she was the ‘real’ victim and even though she hates him she still didn’t expose what happened their relationship is so complex bc even know she’s still haunted by what happened, she definitely isn’t innocent but I really hope her and Seth can rekindle bc Seth so clearly still cares about her

    Wonyz June 12, 2024 4:03 am
    I love and hate her, she was def in the wrong but at the same time her reaction makes sense even if I hate it, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Orsis because of her love for him so she projected it onto Set... Wonyz

    There are no sibling bonds in this manwha bc… yk it’s weird with all the couples but in my eyes they’re the closest to having a complex sibling relationship

    Hopeless_shipper June 13, 2024 11:51 am

    I lov you for this. I personally am not *that* fond of her(maat is my fav ), but shes completely over hated by the fandom.


    Objectively speaking, Seth did much much worse. But because he's the protagonist and uwu pretty bottom, people don't really hold him accountable and instead kind of twist it and, as always, manage to blame it all on the woman who was also hurt, like isis just acted out of nowhere.

    Ssssssss June 13, 2024 1:04 pm

    Right, there is not black and white, although this story and characters lean more towards black. Of course, as humans, we tend to look the innocents and sympathize with them, which makes us hold grudge towards the gods and the men. It hurts my heart what these humans had to go through, but Isis once was in the slums as well, with Horus. That was her way of punishing herself. All of the characters bring angst in my heart. I want to hear them out, but I remember their sins. It makes me think of the old Lady at the temple, so innocent and precious who only believed. They all suffered also do to Isis. This is why the story is vastly intriguing.

    erikino June 13, 2024 3:23 pm

    bro this whole reply section is so funny to me , anyway made me realize a new perspective of isis which is cool. thanks pal

    JayJay (I'm back!) June 13, 2024 5:30 pm

    Yay, thanks for this post annoyed_linguist! Isis is one of my faves too, she's got such a great well-done 3D personality: so uniquely, complexly and human-like infuriating! Haters don't realize the very reason they hate her is because her character's so masterfully-written to be this "life-like" infuriating. The more you feel like slapping her silly, the more she feels not like a fictional character, but as if she was a real person. That's proof of the author's skill, hands down.

    JayJay (I'm back!) June 13, 2024 5:41 pm
    Yay, thanks for this post annoyed_linguist! Isis is one of my faves too, she's got such a great well-done 3D personality: so uniquely, complexly and human-like infuriating! Haters don't realize the very reason ... JayJay (I'm back!)

    I mean, from writer's perspective, Isis would have to be this author's masterpiece, because she's the toughest character to write. All the others are way easier to write because none of them have the same level of complexity. It's darn hard to write a character like this one, because it's not as easy to "get inside their head" as it is with the other ones.

    annoyed_linguist June 14, 2024 3:44 am
    Yay, thanks for this post annoyed_linguist! Isis is one of my faves too, she's got such a great well-done 3D personality: so uniquely, complexly and human-like infuriating! Haters don't realize the very reason ... JayJay (I'm back!)

    FAX NO PRINTER. It’s like yeah she does a lot of shitty stuff but it’s not because she’s this flat evil person. She shown to have much deeper and complex motivations beyond jealousy or hatred. And I love her relationship with Seth because it’s so messy and filled with conflicting emotions. Love, hate, anger, guilt. Like Mojito knows how to write interesting 3 dimensional characters and I’m living for it.

    -hoeforhange- June 14, 2024 6:10 pm

    Cannot agree with you more! I've seen a shit ton if isis is crap arguments and i particularly do not care, because it's not entirely off topic. But we truly cannot handle characters who actually have some "character".
    This seems more and more a story of humans instead of God's. We see the rise of and fall of two people who were once family. This seems more about seths relationship with his family, how that affected him and realization. Nobody is innocent here. Neither seth Or isis. But it's kind of ironic if the only thing you can take away from this is "isis bad, seth baby, horus kiss". Are they little children to blame the road for tripping them? We certainly are. Isis has fury for a lot of people including the ones she loves. Because being a person includes being selfish, hypocritical, prideful, guilty and wrathful. I really do hope to see some development though. I do not like isis, but i love the way her characters written.
    (Why don't we all double the isis hate energy and give it to the next person, i.e. osiris?)

annoyed_linguist October 10, 2023 10:24 am

I know others feel bad for the Emperor and I do too but he’s still a bad parent. Like do I understand and empathize where he’s coming from? Sure. I also think he’s unfit to be a parent.

    cl0udymist October 10, 2023 12:10 pm

    i so agree. i hate both his parents, the emperor and empress

    SuouNono October 10, 2023 5:15 pm

    not disagreeing with you but considering he was raped, I'm pretty sure he didnt even want to be one

    annoyed_linguist October 14, 2023 9:43 am
    not disagreeing with you but considering he was raped, I'm pretty sure he didnt even want to be one SuouNono

    Tis why I understand but also the kid did not ask to be a product of rape. My though it’s, “Why are you leaving him to be abused by the same person who assaulted you?” He knows what kind of person she is and be likely knows that Etienne is experiencing abuse of some sort but still allows it to happen.

    I don’t hate him for this, I doubt he’s had the chance to process that trauma, but also that doesn’t really excuse it. I pity him but I don’t think being a victim justifies negligence.

annoyed_linguist October 4, 2023 7:35 am

I cannot believe the author fumbled this story this hard this early on.

Let me be clear, my issues have nothing to do with the subject matter. But it has everything to do with pacing and how the characters are handled. Because the first chapter really sets up a story that’s going to be full of suspense and mystery, something like Erased, where the readers piece together the truth alongside the MC. I expected the priest to be a suspect and maybe even the real killer but it wouldn’t be confirmed until late into the series, or even if the reveal was early it would be to the audience and not the MC, which creates a sense of Dramatic Irony and horror.

It’s a lot to pull from a first chapter but that was the vibe I got and it turns out I was completely wrong in the worst way possible.

It takes a little over a single chapter for the priest to go “it was me all along”, for the MC to despair and then for some fucking reason forgive the priest, and then go back to him. And I’m just left standing there, “what?”

I know the MC is starved for a genuine and kind relationship, that the public’s rejection of him (understandably since most think he raped and murdered a child) would push him to cling to the first person who’s even slightly nice to him. But like even with that in mind his rejection and turn around is just way to fucking quick. He’s known this dude for like what? A couple weeks at most, if not days.

I think if the author had stuck with the idea of him being clingy and obsessed with the priest, immediately forgiving him or even lying to himself and pushing himself into a deluded state to cope with this new reality, it could work. It would make sense even. It shows him as someone so deeply unstable due this deeply traumatizing event, so desperate for any kind of human connection, that he could look over the horrible truth that his savior is who condemned him in the first place.

But we don’t get that characterization, he reacts with horror. He’s sickened by the truth and he’s compelled to run. And that also makes sense but it doesn’t make sense for him to have such a quick turn around, simply because the author barely spent enough time to build a convincing relationship between the two. Again, all of this essentially occurs w/in the span of a single chapter.

Okay but MAYBE it’s all a lie. Or MAYBE he’s not actually forgiving the priest and this is actually a ploy for revenge.

It still doesn’t really help how much of a whiplash this string of events was. This kind of reveal and reaction would take multiple chapters in a decent murde-suspense manga. Like Erased for example. A good reveal, even if it’s a red herring, requires build up. It requires suspense. It requires mystery. This manga tossed that all out for “OH PLOT TWIST (except it really isn’t because everyone and their mother expected this) IT WAS THE BLACK HAIRED PRIEST ALL ALONG” by chapter 3.

I love suspense and I love BL and I was really hoping for something that combined those interest but instead I got a cheap plot twist.

Let me know if it gets a lot better but for now I’m dropping this.

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