somnia's manga / #Interesting(164)

Chap 64 The amount of tension going on is killing me sometimes but in a good way. Honestly, I'm just kind of mad that the wish she made, in the beginning, was so wasted. The further I read about how much she already knew at that point, and just how wasted that wish was, the more mad I was at her. She has a good head on her shoulders but manages to f/ck it up, just bc she got distracted by the sheer weight of her brother's many disappointments. But yes, it does kinda fit in with the humor u got going sometimes, so it's forgivable. The rest of the plot points so far are very good right now too. Also, love MC's vibe. She doesn't crawl back to her father just because he began playing nice after years of neglect, and she doesn't try to be a saint with her bratty little brother. Love the paddle/mallet, excellent weapon of choice.

I'd like to believe that Rosha isn't gonna stay the way she is now. It's refreshing to have a character that's not totally level headed and nice to serve as a plain self insert. With that said, she better improve over time or I'll throw hands. There is nothing worse than a main character who is simply off the grid to make plot more dramatic.

I'm here for it. I need a person like Mimi in my life. The humor here is on point, the only thing that's not perfect is how rushed Mimi's and Renato's relationship feels - honestly it's hella fast paced in general, compared to similar settings - but it's part of the charm here imo. Especially if you're a seasoned shoujo reader you'll appreciate it, I think.

79/ MC is the last siren. In her first life she was used and abused by her father and the Emperor, forced to sing and perform miracles while trapped in a cage. She died at peace after recieving salvation by the demonic Duke, he who went on a rampage and freed her. Time rewinds and MC finds herself in her 10 year old body, before her power was discovered, with memories in tact. This time she's set on avoiding tragedy, and wants to save the Duke from his. Honestly, I didn't expect to love this so much. MC is adorable and I cried for her so hard. And it's not like she's just a tragic character template either, she has this good bit of straightforwardness and mischief in her too, which is really charming. Normally I'm not into the whole babying MC thing where everyone spams them with bedazzled hearts, but her situation justifies it well here imo. I also love the messages in the story. MC focuses on making things better, instead of blindly commiting to revenge and power-hogging. A lot of these time go brr shoujos commit to the ugly feelings (not that it's bad), so I feel this is a refreshing take. Also: the bit with the Duke's mom. Her straight on telling her to value herself, not forgive abuse, and process her grief for as long as and however she needs to - speaks to the readers as well, a real power move, what a queen. The world building is interesting too, it's obvious someone put thought into the lore and magic, and I have yet to see a boring character too... well maybe besides the shady ugly uncles, but they don't count. But like many other manhwa it looses the plot after a few dozen chapters and gets lost in the sauce.

I think story-wise this gets worse and worse as time goes on. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy MC's character and how tropes (as well as more unique aspects) are tackled, but the way everything's structured gets boring after you get used to it. One issue is tackled, then the next, then the next, with some more important plot nuggets in between. A checklist of things to do and overcome. It was nice when it was applied to MC's family issues (bc it felt like MC was intentionally tackling one thing after the other to help her family), but then you get to broader, more public events outside of MC's control and this rigid structure is still there. Also, I feel like the whole thing about her falling in love and getting engaged was way too rushed. Nvm, literally everything after her "soul unification" felt so meh to me. I was ready to indulge the OP trope for the sake of having a furry-loving MC who has 2 souls, but not like this. I still hope things will heat up when the game protag enters center stage but for now, the plot do be mid.

78// So, this one is set in a medieval setting, with a bit of a religious magic mix. We're shown how MC is married off at the age of 8, to a full-grown man. She becomes a woman with a bunch of gossip surrounding her, she's the vulgar wife who only cares about luxuries. But that's not the end of it, war is a thing and life takes her further downhill by ending her family's life. She ends up dead broke at a monastery, begging for a second chance. And weehee, she finds herself back in her 17-year-old body, just fresh out of bed. This is where we begin. Anyway, simply because child marriage is portrayed doesn't mean the whole story is bad. Things like war, death, and cheating are there too. Idk why people are so allergic to it, even though it's conveyed as something wrong, or at least questionable, within the story. Most characters don't feel entirely good or evil. Neither FL nor her hubby feel perfect. Especially in the beginning. But our good guys learn to communicate and trust one another. FL's spoiled, dumb attitude is there, cut her some slack - she was an abandoned child who wouldn't get affection unless she spent money - but she matures with time and learns. And her hubby ignores her because, despite being the adult, he has no clue how to approach or care for her right.. though ngl, it's creepy how it's never explained why he agreed to marry a kid, let's hope that's brought up soon. It's also brought up how the first timeline might've been a simple dream/vision of a possible future, which is cool imo, it makes god's influence feel more mysterious and illusive. The bishop said himself that there is only speculation, but no proof beyond the identity of a saint. What I also love about this shoujo is the setting. It's nice to see a more realistic medieval background that doesn't reuse the same 3D fantasy castle asset, as dozens of other similar shoujo of this niche do. With that said the art is very good too. Honestly, the thing that bothers me most is the second prince's feelings for FL. Not because they are there, but bc they felt shoved in out of nowhere. First, he had a political motive, then he was arrogant, never even got to see her smile at him - barely interacted with her in fact - but BAM! "I think I fell for her", out of the blue. I feel that could've been developed to be way more smooth. Anyway, I won't spoil it here, but that one scene where he "confirms" his feelings for her, is bone-chilling. If you know, you know.

Too early to judge this too much, but I like it. It pretty much falls into this shoujo manhwa niche where the MC is from a romance novel that takes place in a fantasy empire. Our MC is the typical villainess of "superior blood", who turns into a jealous witch after the FL of the novel starts outshining her. Through a sort of prothetic/magic dream, she gets access to this story and gains new insights and knowledge, which she uses to her advantage. The pace so far has been good, and it's entertaining imo. Our MC's character is consistent, and even though she is an OP magician, she still has weaknesses. It also helps that in most situations, using her head/heart is the go-to route, while magic is more of a convenient tool. Other than that, idk. I'm ready for more.

To summerize this bluntly: Imagine the typical shoujo scenario of the villainess condemnation, but with the twist that she actually just an innocent bookworm who is picked up by the demon king after being thrown away (and taken to library heaven). I can't do the storytelling justice here tbh - Just read and understand the vibes on your own. It's like just another shoujo villainess story but with this dark, whimsy, while at the same time realistic and down-to-earth tone.