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It’s really interesting that “there is naught to gaze into but the self” means that Guts’ innermost “self” is represented by Griffith and Casca during the Golden Age. It helps drive home the point, I think, that once a desire for revenge burns out, you are left with the knowledge that you are still suffering. It goes to show that Guts’ character is driven by love far more than hate (or that they’re two sides of the same coin). Meaning, to me, revenge will never heal you, because you will always be left with the same loss that angered you in the first place. Seeing Griffith and Casca, probably coming from where they are always in Guts’ subconscious, was like a punch to the gut (lmao). Though I initially thought that Berserk might end with Guts actually killing Griff, it doesn’t seem so cut-and-dry like that anymore. That “finally” is really heartbreaking. It would be good to see him recollect himself out of devotion to the people he loves, which is the kind of person he has always fundamentally been. Anyway berserk is amazing rest in power miura my goat

ship of theseus ahh plot

once you read enough stories with the same dull conflict and resolution you don’t realize how mediocre they are until you read an actually good one. There is so much to praise here: the female characters aren’t faceless plot-device marionettes, the thought processes of the leads are realistic and logical, there is genuine attention placed on the effects of financial instability. I think that Yujae, in particular, is an incredible character because he feels so real. Growing up with his parents treating love as transactional obviously has a lasting effect on his worldview and relationships. The conflict here isn’t a boring misunderstanding, but a very honest struggle between two people that are fundamentally different in the way they view love. I like that friendship is not considered less valuable, in that way. Romance stories, especially friends-to-lovers, have a tendency to brush over the meaningfulness of friendship and platonic intimacy, which I don’t get from this at all. It’s such a pleasure to see that friendship is so valuable here, not just between Hanjun and Yujae, but the supporting characters as well. Very rare to see what is a relatively common plot developed so naturally and turns out to be so interesting! :)

The concept and execution is very cute and thoughtful, I just wish the angels didn’t feel more like aliens than they do angels. The fact that Shahar is only 105 years old makes no sense to me, angels having “mothers” doesn’t really have reason behind it, etc. etc. I think the story is very cute and I love biblical themes, but it seems to me that it is a little superficial in the sense that it’s very inaccurate. This is obviously just me looking at the manga more critically because I’m passionate about religion lmao

winners love winning

I normally hate abo because it almost always perpetuates rape culture and inherently dehumanizes the “feminine” sex. It usually has incredibly misogynistic undertones. This manga serves as critical commentary instead of fetishization. Obviously, omegas are metaphors for women, and it’s interesting to explore internalized/socialized hatred for one’s own sex. I still think abo is gross and weird for a thousand reasons, but I like how this manga criticizes the grossness and weirdness instead of embracing it. This is just my opinion, not attacking the people who like abo. I just think it’s worth pointing out that this story is primarily about the oppression of women, and it’s refreshing to see it through the perspective of an “oppressor” forced into the role of “oppressed,” and how he tries regaining control over his social image. Cool stuff

This artist draws women sooo cute! I’d love to read a yuri in this style:^)

I could read a hundred chapters about Midori alone, what an incredible character! It seems obvious she was in love with the original Ao, and my heart breaks a little considering all that Midori had to go through for her, just to lose her. It’s completely understandable that she harbours resentment towards Sho. I think it’s exceptionally rare for a story to have such a complex and interesting side character...she overshadows the rest of them by a lot, in my opinion :^)

Pointless observation, but Hikaru being unable to experience sexual desire but knows when something is sexy is oddly a very good way to explain asexuality. Feel like I can appreciate the story a bit more in that way. cool stuff

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 differe...

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