Lauvil's manga / #Manga(65)

I have mixed feelings about this one... Kuroe is an ordinary office worker. 4 years ago she made a big contribution to the company and was rewarded with a promotion to manager, much to her co-workers' dismay. Since then they have been harassing her out of jealousy, the harassment varying from petty insults to obstruction and sabotaging her work. The only person in the company who is always nice to her, is another manager named Wagu. His kind behaviour and the consideration he shows her, has caused her to fall in love with him. A fact that she keeps to herself, though. One day, Kuroe goes to sleep as usual but, to her confusion and surprise, wakes up in fantasy world. As she has never dreamed before, and because all the characters in the dream are all co-workers, she concludes that the world is a dream-world she has made up to escape her grueling reality. In this dream, though, Wagu-san is the future king and Kuroe is his fiancée and they are up to some naughty business. However, Wagu is not the only one who wants to get into her pants in this world, for it has a strange rule: Whoever manages to have intercourse with the fiancée of the next king, may become the new candidate for king. (Talk about encouraging rape, here). This causes Kuroe to have some unpleasant experiences, as well as her doubting her fiancé's feelings. While I enjoy the premise of the story - Kuroe waking up in another world when she goes to sleep, the dream-world reflecting circumstances of the real world, and what this all means for the MC - there are a few things that really make me wince. First of all, the weird rule that "sleeping with the fiancée of the next king will make you the next king". The rule itself defies logic. Like, who would ever think it's a good idea to select the next ruler of a country based on such a flimsy premise? Might as well just draw lots from a hat, because who knows what kind of person you'll end up putting on the throne? Actually, drawing lots might be better - at least then there's a chance the next ruler won't be a fucking rapist. Of course, that's not the main issue I have with this premise. The issue is that it sets the stage for a rape-attempt to occur at any given moment and I fear it will be a regular occurrence further into the story. The solution to the problem has also already been established, which is to restrict the movements of the FL. Though that method has been used in our culture for centuries (and still is today), the logic is completely backwards. Instead of preventing the perpetrator from committing a crime, they want to prevent the victim from becoming one. That's the kind of mindset that results in victim-blaming, which is exactly what we see in this story; Wagu who becomes mad at Kuroe for 'putting herself" in a situation where she could be raped, rather than offering her comfort after she had a terrifying experience. I'm also not a big fan of the ML. He's way to pushy and inconsiderate. The first time we meet "dream"-Wagu, he and Kuroe are in bed together and about to do something naughty. Kuroe voices several protests, all of which are ignored or disregared by Wagu. Finally, when her protests become too many, he resorts to emotional manipulation - pouting and questioning her affection - to get what he wants. At one point he even pins her arms down above her head, and though Kuroe didn't react with terror, I did. I know it's a common trope in smut-manga, but I just wish we could have more male protagonists who understood what consent is...

MC was living a tough life after her parents and grandma died, living with her abusive uncle and his bullying daughter. While those two are arguing they are suddenly summoned to another world, who need a "Goddess of Light" to save them from some demons or something. They only meant to summon one person, but got two. Therefore, when the cousin has her affinity checked and the orb glows, the summoners don't even bother checking the MC's affinity - thus obviously missing that mc-girl is the real Goddess of Light. But we all know where that plot line is going at this point. MC can't be sent back to her world, so she is sent to the Second Order of Knights to work, while her cousin goes to stay at the crown prince's castle to live in luxury. Obviously. Bc when you summon someone - ripping them permanently from the world they knew and the people they love - if you can't use them, you discard them like the unwanted burden they are. (Come one, ppl. Fucking take responsibility better than this). Lucky for her, the place she's sent to, despite being humble conditions, suit her very well. The people are nice, she gets to work in community kitchen (which she seems to love) and as a bonus: There's a hot, cool, kind knight who's about to fall in love with her. This story reminds me soooooo much of another manga I've read. I really liked that one, so the premise of the story is something I enjoy reading. It just isn't the same, though, when it's the second time you read the same plot. There are also some minor details that bother me - details that the 'original' either didn't have or it resolved in a more satisfying manner. So, I'll probably read it till the end, but I don't expect a lot from the story. Got bored waiting in-between chapters. I'll just drop it.