fujoker's manga / #Horror(5)

really great character writing here. the sex derails things a bit every now and then, but even so it still functions as an incredibly effective visual progression of joons descent into depravity. particularly what i found really compelling was the subtle ways they showed the co-dependent nature of joon and yeonwoo's relationship, and how that inexorable connection between them slowly corrupts the paper thin values joon had used to shield himself from his true nature. and also the cryptic entity that is the "malice" or the "mirrors", the way it is utilised at precise moments throughout the story as a catalyst or simply gnawing dread was incredibly cool. im not sure why so many people are confused about it, it was a very straightforward metaphor, as was i think; the motivations behind the characters' actions. it doesn't progress linearly but once in hindsight of the full story, i think it all ties together in a very satisfying way. most bl ive read that also class as 'psychological horror' tend to be frankly dogshit, and though this wasn't exactly phenomenal, what makes it different from the slog of its peers is that it is original and very competently written, real good read.

i usually dont like works from this author, i always found her stories to be very pedantic explorations of boring psychological tropes punctuated by grossness or some other form of debilitatingly unsavoury shock factor; but there's just something about this one that really does it for me. a subtle sort of allure to the premise, a tinge of sadism i guess? i don't have faith it'll keep that feeling because knowing this author's tastes it will cross some sort of line at some point but for now, i can't wait to see more of this cute zombie's despairing.

i have yet to read a korean isekai that has managed to bend genres in such an interesting and engaging way. literally from the very first episode i was on the edge of my seat. because what i thought would be another shallow romance using the pretence of reincarnation as plot fodder, turned out to be an incredibly compelling deconstruction of novel isekai's. one that embraced the unconventional nature of its premise in order to flesh out not just the main character, but ALL of the supporting cast. everyone has distinct personalities and designs and functions in the story. and i just cannot express enough how much i love the centring of a relationship between two women as the catalyst for much of the plot. i have become so exhausted of these paper-thin manhwas with their borderline misogynistic implications of the merit of heterosexual romance, what a fucking breath of fresh air man. creepy and intense, such genuine originality is found in this world-building. drop whatever lame-ass money-hungry isekai copy-paste you are reading right now THIS IS IT.