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there is something oddly unlikeable about almost every single character. I like the realism and the moral ambiguity in a lot of cases, but there’s something slightly draining about characters that you just don’t like doing stuff you have absolutely no respect for. Having trauma is not an excuse to be a vile and manipulative person, btw. I hope cirrus gets everything he deserves, unlike a majority of the comments…sometimes it’s worth considering that a titular character is just a bad person.

stories that concern themselves with specific settings seem to care very little about the setting itself. Understandably it focuses a lot more about dynamics within the workplace (since this is obviously a romance), but it would be a lot more interesting and believable if you got to see what kind of marketing the company produces. I’m nitpicking here, but I’m a little bored with the story because I’m not fully convinced by the business setting. Naturally a lot of people are not reading this because they care about the business of marketing, but I think specific settings are supposed to compliment the story and in this case it doesn’t feel that way. Again, I’m being overly critical, but I really hope we get to see what exactly the characters are proposing. I know it’s weird to criticize, I just found myself a lot more curious about the business than the romance itself, lmao. I really liked the scene when Yoonhee was talking about the advertisement she was most proud of, and I wish there were more examples of what kind of ads were being produced by the company. You get the feeling that the artist prefers drawing people above everything else, which isn’t inherently a fault, but it gives nearly every scene a lack of variety which makes it a little boring overall.

this author’s female characters are incredibly cute. I hope we get to see some yuri from them at some point, their writing is really funny if you try your hardest to ignore the rapey stuff. It’s extremely weird that the story is hilarious and a really good read once you pretend the very unfunny rape gag doesn’t exist. Fingers crossed on the yuri though (almost certainly not going to happen but I can dream)

kikumaru gets on my nerves to an extent in which it becomes unreadable. I genuinely cannot sympathize in the slightest with someone that dates women he isn’t interested in, the “serial heartbreaker” shit reeks of misogyny. Not specific to the character himself, but just a really shitty way of using women as throwaway plot devices as per usual. There’s stupid stuff like “being nice to women will make them fall in love with you.” I have absolutely no reason to like kikumaru whatsoever and being closeted is not a super good reason to be shitty towards women

don’t really have a lot to comment on the story itself, it’s nice and shows an entirely different way that communication/lack thereof impacts people and the way they see the world. I think being understood through any method of communication becomes that much more intimate(?) when it’s not through words. I did however want to say that I love the way the artist draws hands. I can really tell how much care and affection they have for the story just by looking at them…considering hands are so hard to draw, but I have the distinct feeling they’re drawn with love instead of hate :^) I keep getting distracted from reading just by staring at hands that are clearly so lovingly integrated into the story

it’s actually incredibly touching and really uncommon to see such an important emphasis on friendship. I feel like a lot of romances in general dismiss it as less valuable or at the very least not comparable to romantic love. Though this is obviously a getting-together story, it feels more like an interpretation of how meaningful love is in all forms it takes :) I’m probably reading into it too deeply, but it’s super refreshing to see a character that values friendship in a way that isn’t necessarily less than romance. It’s well written, lightheartedly funny, and overall develops and maintains a theme of universal love for friends/family/partners that I really like.

Seriously love it, I feel like this is a true depiction of a morally grey character. It really feels as if you’re playing a game yourself, and it’s super satisfying to see the dialogue play out in his favour. I’m looking forward to what I imagine to be a slip-up, just because I’m curious to see how Andrim will react. I think he has a really complex personality that isn’t just “male manipulator,” lmao. The plot itself is clearly very thought-out and actually pretty believable. I find that (and I’m sure a lot of people do as well) I can’t help but want Andrim to succeed in his gaslight/gatekeep/girlbossing :^) it’s a great way to depict a character that is unethical and morally grey, and also making him appeal to readers that creates a conflict of interest.

It’s a lot like Goethe’s Faust in concept. Satan even makes mention of Mephistopheles, so I imagine that it does indeed take inspiration from Faust; I doubt it’ll have a similar ending, as God eventually wins the wager (and Faust goes to heaven). It’s actually quite interesting to try adapting such a theme, I feel like there will be an inevitable disservice to some of the deeper messages of Faust (but obviously I can’t really blame the author). Still cool and I’m interested to see how it goes

"We first touched each other so lightly and tenderly. You and me, we just look a little different, t...

completely taken aback by the sudden astonishing increase in production value past 15 or so chapters. I really struggled with trying to get through the beginning (so much so that I dropped it three times) but I’m really glad that I was able to get to what is now an interesting and dynamic story. The plot itself isn’t exactly super complex, but the way it’s told through some really aforementioned dynamic scenes and inner dialogues makes it much more entertaining to follow. The characters to me are nothing too special, but I find that I don’t really mind all that much when they become more believable (though genuinely believing in the “practice” to be just that feels like a stretch).
In any case, it has a relatively boring and mediocre start that accelerates really well, imo. It’s worth following along for what is clearly a good understanding of what makes scenes and dialogue interesting

a uniquely nostalgic atmosphere comes across really well; the kind that reminds you of your own childhood and all of the things that felt endlessly important at the time (and things that you don’t really think about anymore). I’ve always liked passion as a theme in storytelling, it feels universally relatable and I feel especially tugs at my heartstrings when portrayed in children. For that reason, I think the “childlike” problems in this story suddenly become just as endlessly important to the reader as it is to the characters themselves. A part of a successful story, in my opinion, connects with its readers in that way. I might also have a bit of a soft spot for things that make me nostalgic of childhood, lol

relatively boring concept of revenge and infidelity is turned into something surprisingly interesting and captivating. I feel like there’s something very natural about the thought processes and patterns of the characters, and though it makes some of them unlikeable, it’s a lot more realistic than clear-cut boundaries of morality (that is to say, morally gray characters are much more interesting than black or white ones). I find revenge to be an uninspired basis for a story, because authors rarely define a logical pattern that leads characters to revenge - but I can’t really say the same in this case. The interpersonal impacts that the characters have on one another make for a very compelling and believable desire for revenge. It can be a little far-fetched, but it’s ultimately very understandable (though not commendable, lmao). It goes to show how boring concepts can be elevated by commitment to realism and developing the psychologies of its characters. Though not a great symbol, I like how Mina’s script foreshadows the events to come and how it implies the different ways that the ending of the story might play out. There are a lot of great qualities in the narrative that make it surprisingly good storytelling.

uniquely melancholic atmosphere that isn’t overloaded with cliche. I love the comic-book style inspiration and pop art colours, there’s a really masterful use of lighting and composition that adds to the storytelling even when there’s no dialogue. There’s a very cool contrast between the flashy colours and the story itself. I normally find 3D backgrounds very obvious and unappealing, but there’s clearly nothing lazy about this story, so I find that it (literally) fades into the background. I love the dialogue and its interpretative qualities. Ultimately, a lot of these types of stories end up as pornography with surface-level embellishments, but I don’t get that feeling from this at all. There’s a genuine desire to tell a good story, develop characters, and create a very visually compelling experience. I’m not very interested in Jo as a character at this point, but there’s a lot of potential for him to become significant in a way that isn’t just ‘the other woman,’ lmao. There’s obviously a lot more to the story, so I’m looking forward to his development into something a little more than what is (relatively) a flat character.

so pretty! I don’t have much to say about the characters or plot, they’re not bad, just relatively typical and two-dimensional. I can appreciate the commitment to aesthetics, though. Almost every single panel clearly has a lot of time and care put into it, and makes a very visually appealing story. Seeing as this is marked as ongoing, I’m assuming there’s potential for further development that can make the direction it’s taking a little more interesting. I find that I’m a lot more forgiving towards mediocre plots if they have pretty women in them…

a version of Sherlock Holmes I can get behind. It’s a little fast-paced and predictable, but I don’t really mind. I’m hung up on the nickname Pieta, which means pity/compassion. I’m hoping there’s going to be some sort of reference to La Pietà by Michelangelo, maybe by the end when/if one of them dies. I feel like it would be more interesting if Transi is the “Mary” by the end, it would make a nice parallel and really well written execution of the ending. Just speculation, but I’d be so disappointed if that isn’t how it ends, lol

I normally find metacommentary to be redundant, but I feel like this is a refreshing way to point out overuse of cliches. It’s pretty funny and manages to comment on how ridiculous some plotlines can be, without taking itself too seriously.

reminds me of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I’m grateful it took a different direction, I’ve always liked the idea of a creator that loves his monster more than a creator that hates it. The ending is sad, but the parallel between this story’s and Frankenstein’s is too good for me not to be appreciative. I love how you get to experience the unwilling death of a ‘monster’ whose creator loves him, and the willing death of a monster whose creator hates him. Alternatively, Victor dies of illness and Mamiya appears to kill himself (if I interpreted it correctly). I like the comparison and the contrast, the story is really attentively written and you can really appreciate the development of its characters. I’m not sure if it was inspired by Frankenstein, but I’d be completely shocked if it wasn’t, lmao

It’s good, but there isn’t really a major conflict resolution. I feel like it would’ve really benefited from something to add a little bit more depth and development for both characters, cause by the end I just found myself a little bored and surprised that was all. Of course, there isn’t anything wrong with it per se, I just think it could use something to make the plot a little more interesting.

It’s so charming and deeply romantic I find it hard to criticize it for anything. I like that there is effort into all the right places - the attention to historical fashion, architecture, and interior design makes every scene that much more interesting. I also like how many characters that aren’t the main couple look very different from each other and aren’t the same carbon copy mob characters, yan chu’s father actually resembles an older person and I really like the way he’s designed. I think the chemistry between the main characters is definitely there and comes across really well, developing feelings feel so natural and really warms your heart instead of happening all at once. Have a lot of respect for the author and this work which clearly has a lot of time and care put into it

I’m not entirely sure why so many manga about high-school kids refuse to make their characters actually look like kids, but whatever. Apart from finding it hard to believe the protagonist isn’t in his (late) 20s, it’s fine. I like the art, and even though I don’t find the plot very compelling, it’s not something I’d necessarily call bad. I just find it uninteresting and doesn’t have anything that makes me care enough about the characters to keep reading. My complaint about characters in high-school not looking their age isn’t really specific to this manga, I just find it funny that a student is supposedly in peak physical form you’d see in a bodybuilder. Though it IS possible, I think it’s extremely uncommon, which is why I start getting bored when so many mangas about students have these absolutely jacked protagonists