grumpyface:]'s manga / #underrated(1)

Bound to Be

Ongoing | Summer | 2023 released
2023-05-24 21:35 marked

It’s from my fave author TT^TT Mysterious, a tad cultish, but the concepts of deities and hyper spiritually-involved characters wrapped up in a personable and entertaining script make the morbid less of a nauseating subject and more of an added charismatic point. Characters are all complex and fleshed out, the dialogue and monologue engaging, not a moment left meaningless and pointless during the read. (Update) I can’t help but believe that I’m reading a doomed romance and I find myself at times questioning why I’m still reading this if that was the case. I’m not really in the habit of seeking out sad stories. But then again, I might tend to get drawn to stories with complicated themes because of my propensity to analyze and seek out deeper meaning. The author certainly is good at creating a mysterious atmosphere and introducing a mysterious factor (without overloading the manhua with panels of the scenes) that serve as a delectable course to the macabre-enthusiasts. She skirts around this household deity, highlighting the unique influence of its power over this household, heavily emphasizing rules strictly implemented and followed by the household members. The omen of punishment for breaking taboo is ever-looming even though in what form it would come striking down remained unknown, only that for certain it would be severe. If that wasn’t enough (w/c was often the case for me), woven with such a stimulating background to the characters lives were their titillating dynamics. I’m pretty hooked on this factors despite the demerits. Doomed might their romance be, but the characters themselves seem to be helplessly drawn to each other even with the expressly and public declaration of the taboo on the subject right from the get-go. It’s even been likened to fate by the characters themselves. Still, you can liken whatever sombre concept to whatever you deem so, but still may not create the same effect as the effect the main characters in this story achieved. That’s because the author did very well with the characterization and the chemical reaction each character creates with one another uniquely. When both characters can’t be any more different from each other and yet be both incisive and sharp because of their upbringing and nature and profession, you get a complex but oddly harmonious duo - a tiger and a dragon learning to mingle with each other without backing away from their idiosyncrasies. So incompatible and yet could only be compatible with each other. I could go on and on in the description about this. Anyway, this author really makes bittersweet romance with strong and stubborn characters. I just wish I won’t regret reading her works as much anymore. I always fall into the trap of loving the characters and then be lead on to an unsatisfying ending. (First, “The Eyes of Sora” wherein the characters’ life spans were deemed short. A struggle of survival. Second, “Where The Dragon Rain Falls” wherein MC has to turn into something inhuman and even when he’s together with ML both of them have to settle with the fact that ML has to produce an heir by another)(considering their struggles throughout the story, such versions of “happy endings” are reasonable; doesn’t mean I can say that I like how it ended though! Ofc I want the ideal ending for the characters)