apopoi's manga / #Strong Male Lead(27)

Aww..I wanted to continue reading it. I was just getting to the good part..the juicy bit. The plot is standard shounen fantasy mixed with a bit of thriller. I like the MC..I was kinda getting worried for a second that he would be merciless or nonchalant about gruesome things or have no morals..but he has humanity. But that doesn't hinder him, he still does what he needs to do but he tries to fix what he can. Him as a teacher suits him like a glove. His bluffing skills are a plus, also there has to be more to his identity. It seems that the nightwalker's commander has a history with him..seeing how thorough the crime scene is. The identity he assumed is causing him so much trouble. But I think that was intentional, you mean to tell me someone of that calibre gets killed by a mere explosion? No..that's impossible. Also the way he talked to the MC was suspicious, he seems to know of him already. Update: Chapter 44. Luckily I got back right into it when I was losing steam and interest over this as I could only watch a chapter a week. My impression on the MC although never bad has improved heaps and bounds to the point that he reminds me of Cale from TCF. It's a very honourable thing to be compared to the individual Cale whom sits at the top spots of my most liked characters. UPDATE (8/3/23): I have read upto Ch48 and things are going according to plan. There is a new character being introduced - Casey, she is Sherlock Holmes incarnate basically. She thinks of our MC as a villain and has intercepted him several times. She seems to be quirky tho, as is her character design. The team has seemingly succeeded in their plan of hijacking the auction house but based on the preview, Hans(?) is feeling insecure and is questioning his place in the team.

The misunderstanding trope...It was fun at the beginning but it is starting to get stale. It is very formulaic. It is not a total misunderstanding per se..he is strong in the sense that he is quick, agile, bloodthirsty and has quick reflexes. He just doesn't have much force behind him, and his weak constitution is to blame for it. He could be a villain with that backstory, he killed his family in cold blood as revenge for neglecting him since childhood and putting him up for the war as collateral. He is a double spy for the Emperor and the Demon King tho his loyalty lies with the Demon King more or less since his hatred for the Emperor is sky high. His older brother is scared of him and asked for protection from the Duke in exchange for him becoming his dog. The princess and prince aren't much. The princess acts dumb and pretends to be head over heels in love with the MC to get people to ward off him and to ensure his absolute loyalty to the Emperor. His memory is split in half, so he has two egos I think. Tho I think this fiasco will be ongoing for a while since this seems to be that trope.

The start hooked me right in and I read through the chapters in a flash. Then, it felt like the author started losing their vision for the manhwa, because sometimes things felt so cliche. When they were talking about friends and family, the way the subject matter was approached felt so childish and without a strong foundation like the bald guy from 'Fast and Furious' kept saying 'For Family' or some shit like that. I liked the ML when he was a child and I still like him for his thirst for knowledge. Ofcourse he's OP but it felt like watching someone who was truly passionate and would do anything and everything for magic YET the story started falling flat after a great start. His friendship with Rian although cute felt so cliche and inorganic. The way he was willing to die because they are friends, and the way his whole family sentenced him for execution over that silly thing felt like a necessity for the plot and not for the flow of the story. It just feels like this is something that is scripted, rather than a living and breathing world. His interaction with the Headmaster was my favourite. It felt like a genius recognising a genius. Their interaction, I wanted to absorb and memorize every moment of it. The FL is the tsundere redhead, the same one that traumatized the ML. Her thinking pattern was so anime-like that I felt like ripping all my hair off. If she just apologised instead of making all those mundane threats and made him give her coffee every morning to make it seem like (to the public) that he has feelings for her so when she inevitably rejects him, his words would fall on deaf ears. The logic is not reasonable. Instead of this roundabout way of doing things, just apologize. He isn't the type to spread rumours, she is the one who is spreading this like wildfire from her unnecessary actions. Also him going over to the place the 'kidnappers' abducted(supposedly) the MC was so... Ofcourse she got into trouble because of some boys who couldn't handle rejection. They used anti-magic so she couldn't defend herself, then the MC appears and by making his spirt zone more solid, he was able to deflect it. Then the teachers appeared as per the MC's request to the redhead's friend then they calmed the situation down(not sure how to put it). Then they regret, even tho they attempted murder. Sure we will gloss past that. But I hope that there would be character growth for the fl but she made things worse, saying that he is her boyfriend so that they won't pry into their business and find out about their secrets. I thought she had a moment of realisation when she was truly in danger, that she thought 'Is this how he felt then?'

I enjoyed this. It was engaging although it feels flimsy at times with the MC falling into the 'I only care about money' mindset. All those faces he makes pisses me off too. The character development is non-existent as of now but hope is there for improvement. His first pupil is a puppy..so adorable. He misunderstands him to be some type of saint that only serves the people without caring for himself. Though the MC isn't a complete douchebag, I wish the author would just make him out to be a good guy instead of doing in a round about way of him acting this way for his selfish reasons yet a bit of consciousness prickle him when he makes an error in judgment. Also despite being an illegitimate prince, there seems to be some type of secret to his birthname 'Penin'; his mother's surname. That shady character mentioned something about his emerald eyes that some family possess so...it has to be him. This is a cliche I can get behind. I hate that the 'Iron steel' skill deprives him of development when he's anxious or loses his composure. He has been in situations like that so often now, you would wonder how he manages to be so all over the place till now.

This is surprisingly up my alley. Tbh though I enjoy this type of 'cultivation' esque manhwas/manhuas..it tends to be overwhelming with the amount of information being dumped. Also, if you've read one, you have read all. It is basically the same shit in different format. I do like the master-disciple connection going on, and the sworn brothers bit. The MC faces success after sucess though tribulations come in insignificant forms. Him healing the master happened surprisingly sooner than I expected. I also like that he isn't a douchebag and has a moral compass unlike other MCs. He does struggle between being a doctor and a martial master but he considers himself a doctor first and foremost. He is also incredibly mature and has an objective and logical outlook on life. I didn't see him becoming that attached to his Master but with the context that he was an orphan and all, it does make sense. He wonders if this is what it feels like to have a parent as his master pats his head. Up until now there are no love interest overtly. His friend could be one or that younger sibling of the something clan (sorry I can't keep tabs on everything) . What more? I like the dog

Ugh this became increasingly cliche as the plot progresses. I noticed this in other manhwas that involved this type of regression or dungeon-esque plot, is this a trend? I have to drop it, I can't waste my time reading this when there are so many hidden gems out there. It has potential but I was prepared after being disappointed with 'The beginning after the end'. That's something that makes me sad just thinking about it. I read upto Ch38. When he was a year old, that inner monologue he had that 'All I do is sleep, shit and eat' went semi-viral so I knew of it. Also when he protected his sister from that wild dog, I saw that on a YouTube short. I cringed from it and I am still cringing now tbh.

How inspiring. This made me change my outlook on this genre, it invokes such emotions out of the readers (me). Normally, when I read a series that I really like.. I just consume it at light-speed, binging it but I was not anxious at all while reading this. I wanted to savour it and sometime halt my reading so that I could ponder on the things that is being conveyed to us by the author through the characters. The MC is such a good and kind person (upto where I read). He started from the bottom and worked tirelessly to where he is now, a trait that is common. Yet what separates him from other MCs that fall into this category is his dedication to stay true, to be humble, to not end up emotionless, numb and apathetic to the plight of others. He goes through such lengths for others and when they show gratitude toward him, that is enough to give him happiness and make him think that is the reason he died a hundred times for. The characters and their interaction with Gong-ja is unique in their own ways, some of my favorites are - the Sword Emperor and him : the former constantly hounding him, training him, advising him and being impressed by his will power and kindness while being dumbfounded by his tricks and bluff. The latter being tired of him yet listening to him but rebutting him as well. I also admire him telling off the Heavenly Demon on teaching him the sorrows of the world while he hasn't experienced the joy this world could offer, that time is too short even to experience joy. That he hasn't yet experienced love and has not even dated anyone yet. It showed me how much he cared for Gong-ja. He said it was too early for him to act like he was carrying the burden of the world when he hasn't experienced happiness. The Sword Saint and him : I still mourn the first timeline where Gong-ja expresses his true feelings about how he feels not worthy and being embarrassed to act like the bigger person in front of him and the Sword Saint being shocked and trying to match him up with his granddaughter (then getting angry when he seemed to be opposed to the idea), telling him where he should get his suit and being so warm towards him. Then that disappeared with Gong-ja dying and since he couldn't repeat the same actions (if he did, it would lose it's meaning and seem insincere, also Marcus would be able to see through his act). But their relationship has gotten better with him gaining his recognition although Gong-ja lied to him about being a prophet. The Witch and Gong-ja : I won't be mad if she were the love interest, I assumed her to be a bad person because of her introduction, with the Flame Emperor asking the Saint if she made her poison him, to old man Marcus doubting her as well. But she cares so deeply for the lives of people, the reason she was so lifeless and seemed apathetic was because of the hundreds of lives lost on the 12th floor, as the number of casualties changed.. So did her expressions. From beaming with happiness with only hundreds of lives lost, to being speechless with only fifty, then her eyes crinkling and tears flowing with ten then her holding Gong-ja's hand and praying while thanking him repeatedly when there were no lives lost. I love her, also her speech amping up the Aegim Empire soldiers then her failing to convince Gong-ja that it was her copying the politicians in Ukraine. Gong-ja also seem quite taken with her. And lastly, the Heavenly Demon and her disciple : This must be the most I have seen Gong-ja care for an individual, not to mention the lengths he went through to become her disciple from starving to death, dying from thirst etc seeing the trauma of those he killed to experiencing it himself, eating mud-cookies dried in the sun, to drinking contaminated water and so on. Him being sad when he couldn't fathom the duel between the Sword Emperor and her to her patiently teaching him. Him crying when she died, all of it moved me. Aaah! The 10th floor was brutal. The children dying unfairly, being burned to death, being trafficked.. I saw the scene on a YouTube short and being creeped out by the dolls and not understanding him playing hide-and-seek with them until I came across a comment explaining. That was when I saw Gong-ja in a different light. I also think that was when the Sword Emperor truly acknowledged him. I dropped this on seeing the first chapter not knowing that it was the story I saw on that short but seeing his envy and continuously saying the same shit 'I want to be like the Flame Emperor' was annoying me and made me feel a way that I didn't like. With him having his room be filled with newspapers about him, watching interviews of him.. He seemed so real and so miserable that I couldn't take it. This is why I need to practice how to see things through because this is a gem. I like him committing to kill himself 409 (?) times just to kill him, to eradicate the threat that his existence would bring. I am also looking forward to how this story progresses. Who are the six pillars? Who made the tower?

This single-handedly cured my exasperation of this genre. Most of it from male-leads but female-leads as well, everything felt formulaic so I guess I like how straightforward this manhwa is being. I don't like how the male lead sees people as chicks or underlings but he atleast has five people he cares for now : Ron, Master, his sister, Charlotte and the bulky crybaby. He spares no expense for them. The plot is generic at best and it follows the typical cultivation method of Chinese novels but in place of that is mana and sword aura. The MC still possess the skills he has but not as proficient as he used to be and the longevity is halved. I hope to see his sister as a brand new person after the trigger has been placed. Their father is trash, so fucking narrow-minded. He has his eldest child who has the potential to become a master in his grasp but because of his idiocy, their family fell into ruins. Just because she is a girl, she didn't inherit her family name(?) And became the plaything for the royal family. Her younger brother parades around young lords asking if they want to bed her just to gain their favour. Jack cares deeply for his sister but he is a realist and makes preparations for his sister's change. I think his Master is the one he cares for the most, his sister comes second probably then Ron probably. The last two are interchangeable. His master is such a fascinating woman and would be the usual MC for other manhwas I feel.

Aaahh! I thoroughly enjoyed this. If we were to rank mangas on the level of enjoyment it gave us, it would be a 10/10. The plot itself is not the forefront of the story, it's the characters, the gags, the side tangents, the impossible physics of it all. Everything is illogical, it is not realistic at all. The mass absurdity of everything is at such a level that u kind of leave all your apprehension behind and just enjoy it. The MC is 'One punch man' and 'Mob Psycho' mixed into one. The former because of the physical strength and the latter because of the character design. I am certain the author heavily draws inspiration from the two. The MC is OP as hell and grows at an unprecedented level, like he just powers up without any apparent reason. Even God is shocked at Mash for his strength. Cream buns are his lifeline and his subtle shade gives me life. Poking fun at other shounen mangas while at it is also another element that I appreciate. It is a parody afterall. Sister complex on steroids is essentially Lance. Like that bro breathes in air from his little sister, Anna. He has pins of his sister all over his body and gets literal whiplash when seeing her face. I do think Mash comes second to him with maybe the hot-blooded Dot following suit. Ah! Dot and his dynamic is worth exploring. At first I think Lance just puts up with him because of Mash so they always butt-heads with eo but when they fought the third brother, it was the moment Lance actually acknowledged him. "I will fight for your sister's sake as well", he said. The brothers are also interesting though they are one-dimensional. The first is the most interesting to me because he has a principle he follows, the second is just a nut-job with a bit of an inferiority complex (?), The third who btw looks the oldest, he looks like a typical middle-aged Japanese business man, is arguably the most insane one to me, he believes in Puddingology, creates potions sucking life and magic energy from people. Which is why Lance lost his cool since Anna suffered from that. The fourth..hmmm..who was it again? He escapes me..I guess he was the least memorable. Oh! He fought against the siblings..Raynes and Finn. The Fifth..Dominas was born in the same year as Mash and possess the most magic energy out of all the siblings...it doesn't mean he is the most powerful (just in terms of magic). What else? He has a bit of a redemption scene..he craved his father's love and would do anything to obtain it. So he was unsettled when he came across the kind of love that Mash and his pops had for eo. He envied them. He used his last magic energy he had left to stall for time for Mash's recovery. The pops isn't that interesting..did it say he is 75 years old now? Mash is only fifteen as of now so that's a big gap. Maybe that's also the reason he is so doting towards him, he scolds him but then easily forgives him when Mash seems like he regrets his actions. Mash never learns from it tho. He doesn't know if the door should be pulled or pushed up until now. If it were grounded in reality, I would worry that Mash would've had to see his pops die. Considering that he spends most of his time in the academy and only goes home during holidays, he doesn't have a lot of time together with his pops. The one who made Mash attend the academy coming to truly care for Mash was heartwarming indeed.

This is actually super interesting. I couldn't get into it innitially but it just sucks u in. I like the MC a lot, I also like the og ML. Flame is a bit of a boring character but I do like the og FL. I like the villainess as well. I also like the professor. Although this concept is very common, it executes it perfectly. I like the examination, the way the classes are divided and the deal with the three questions. I despise MCs who try to take everything easy so it's nice to see an MC who is very passionate and mature. I like that he also doesn't have any biases. I look forward to the interactions between him and the main characters. Jeremy is the only one he hasn't interacted with yet, right?