The Pawn's Revenge
10!! Might be my favorite by so far. I absolutely loved this one. I got so emotionally attached to this story, it’s crazy. Their bond was absolutely intoxicating, in the best way possible. I love when emotionally broken people find and care for each other. I feel like a piece of me also finds some healing and comfort from it. Such a masterpiece. It’s definitely my comfort manhwa. The mc is probably my all time fave (at least of the bl genre. Kim Dokja is my number 1 man eheh). He’s so broken but so fucking sassy. I love my Se Oh. My precious babies are now each other’s home <3 aaaa. I hope they get the revenge they deserve and get their happy ending (Reread once s3 is over)
Black Mirror
8.5 This one was… interesting. Quite intoxicating and dark. Really made me reflect as well. It was an interesting reading for sure. The thriller, horror aspects were really unique. The induced hallucination and paranoia was really tasty. I NEED MORE WITH THIS VIBE (the closest I’ve found was Ghost Gate)
Payback
9.5 I love this one with my heart and soul. I related way too hard to the depressive antidotes. It’s such a beautifully written bl. The characters have so much depth, the plot is complex and masterfully developed in a perfect pace, the tension and slow burn is tantalizing (in the best way possible), there’s a lot of comedy relief and a few heart warming moments whilst dealing with complex mental and emotionally topics and the art is beautiful. Truly a beautifully written masterpiece. Also waiting 80 chapters for them to finally do ur was so wroth it. And it got too real and emotional towards latter chapters.
Radio Storm
10!! Intricate and absolutely beautifully written. Peak storytelling really. A true masterpiece. The most underrated manhwa out there AAAAA. "They are able reveal information but still manages to keep the air of mystery and suspense. At the same time, they've introduced us to the world, the backstory, the characters and also developed the relationship of the characters." The twist in the mc’s character was masterfully done. I truly felt deceived as a reader (which is rare). I thought he was the typical ehite lotus, and was almost frustrated at his gullible-ness… and then it turns out he was a black lotus after all. I genuinely didn't see it coming AT ALL. It gave me physical chills that lasted sooo long. Damn. Color me impressed. I loved it so much. I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator. "This series is very well thought out. If you're a thinker who likes to be challenged when reading, you'd like this. Not only bec the plot itself is full of mysteries and questions, but also because it is presented in a logical manner (that's why I give pass for the occassional use of expositions). The characters are logical; you can see it in how they react to things, how they question things and how they explain things. They are sharp and insightful. And I like that bec I like smart characters and hate stupid characters."-- I agree so hard with this reader The bittersweet ending was so good. THE FEELS. It felt like the perfect ending to this story. Even though the number 1 aspect this manhwa excels at is in its storytelling, the emotional nuance and depth is also skilfully explored. "For something that isn't too long and is already jampacked with too much information, the characters all managed to be intriguing characters. Both the main characters are deep, rounded and 3D. Whole the supporting characters all have their own quirks and personality that makes them distinct." The emotional anecdotes were so poignant and on-theme. And the black and white almost deterred me from continuing reading since usuallly I read strictly colored manhwas. But I actually think it suited this manhwa perfectly. It conveyed the emotions so rawly that some panels wouldn't even need words to convey the emotion of the scene. Some small aspects could have been even better/explored deeper but given the storytelling structure, pace and overall delivery was SO GOD TIER, I can easily overlook it. All and all, it was one of my absolute fav manhwas!! I also loved the comparison this (very thoughtful) bato rando drew to Fate Makes No Mistakes: "Compare this to Fate Makes No Mistakes (which although S3 is becoming a masterpiece in storytelling), the early chapters were so lacking in information it ended up more confusing than anything. and then they dropped the reveal all at once hahaha". Radio Storm managed to do what FMNM felt short to deliver.
Waterside Night
9.5 I don’t fully know how to feel about this one. It didn’t hook me in from the start, since the straight up rape was too much for me. But after picking it up again, I got seriously attached to the mc and the kid FUCK I LOST ALL I WROTE (come back and develop on this) (Wait to finish to reread whole thing)
Checkmate(TAN)
9 The vibes are truly unmatched. The angst, the yearning, the contradicting emotions. Ugh I love it. Also, The art style and overall tone of the manhwa reminds me of Low Tide in Twilight!! Perfection. It made me cry and relate to it very much. Especially when it came to the all consuming academic drive. A lot of anecdotes really resonated with me. I love the dynamic between mc and ml! Love me a whiny possessive power bottom, and the ml is such a golden retriever. I’m so happy my pookies are happy together now!! And that everyone is free from that pedo perv old man. I’m only not rating it higher bc very occasionally it got a bit slow paced/slightly boring. I put off finishing the side stories for a long time since I was not emotionally ready to let go. It’s bittersweet now that I finally finished reading it in its entirety. Checkmate will be missed I wish there were even more side stories, but the ending felt suitable
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint
10 The plot is absolutely FIREEEEE. I felt all range of emotions. I sobbed, laughed like a maniac, I giggled, I gasped, I fangirled, I got super enthralled in the action scene and unfolding plot… it was truly a remarkable experience. Such a masterpiece I came across. I completely understand why it’s regarded so highly (and this comes from someone who has read a lot of game/system manhwas). The scene when he understood HE was the one that killed his father and his mother was protecting him this whole time HAD ME SOBBING REALLY UGLY. Greatest piece of fiction I have ever read I relate so hard to Kim Dokja, as a chronic “Dokja” myself. It hits pretty hard. I relate to him on a spiritual level damn. He's my animal spirit Also, for me Kim dokja x Yoo Jonghyuk are canon idc (though kdj is shippable with pretty much all characters)!
MADK
10 Truly grotesque (in the best way possible). It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea--- but it is mine lmao. It's extremely gory and graphic... but it had no right being such a skilfully written story. It grabs your undivided attention from the start with its addictive weirdness. But it somehow gets better and better in ways you wouldn't expect. And unravels in such a poignant tragic manner. It comes full circle in such an emotionally striking way. It's truly so beautifully written. A rollercoaster of emotions that makes you reflect deeply about human nature and desires. It’s utterly heartbreaking and twisted, and so beautifully written. I love it and I hate it so much. It got me sobbing non-stop to the point of dehydration. The ending is heart wrenching, but it's the perfect ending for the story. It's the type of tragedy that you seem coming but can't escape its grasp nonetheless. The type of doom that breaks you completely in it being completely unavoidable... which makes it somehow so so much worse. It's such a poetic story, and masterfully delivered. The way J ends up killing himself so he could be finally free... PAINNNNN. He basically used Makoto to get him to say his name so he could be set free from his century-long loneliness (that comes from being the strongest unreachable individual). Just like Wald used Jonathan in the same manner… and how Makoto is now going to do with his future “disciple”. The self-fulling cycle of blinding obsession, and utter soul-crushing loneliness. That’s “Wald’s curse”. You rise to the top due to the obsession love-hate you nurture towards the initialed who took you in. Until you become stronger than them and can say their name. That becomes your only goal and motivation. Your only reason to exist, what allows to survive. Similarly, the initialed holds on to you like their one and only lifeline. Once they get you to say their names, they are finally free and able to kill themselves (demons can only die if they are completely forgotten or when saying the full name of a more powerful demon). Which leaves you empty since you no longer have your source of obsession and utterly lonely, with no way to put an end to your misery. Which leads you to look for a disciple that can outpower you eventually so you can finally be free……. And so the cycle continues. I'm not even sure if there ever was love between any of them... the way this antagonistic whirl of emotions is depicted is so poignant. Perfection really. A true masterpiece. It rips you apart. At the end of the day, they are all just agonizing in their loneliness and seeking for an escape to this ending all-consuming pit. (Just writing this is making me tear up in the middle of Starbucks lmao) The artstyle is also god tier. It manages to capture this contradicting emotions so rawly. One certainly needs to be open minded to enjoy this manga, but once you perceive it beyond its weirdness and gore, you can truly admire the masterpiece this is. Capturing this oh-so-utterly-human all-consuming seamingly-unescapable bottom-less loneliness
A Tree Without Roots