pluckaduck's manga / #Beautiful Art(139)

I started this without any expectations, thinking it was another dumb generic bl, but holy damn I'm so invested. this is a slow burn but very fleshed out and well-paced. mc and ml went from classmates who barely spoke, to blackmailer and blackmailee, to mutual dislike, but mc absolutely hates the ml, and he has every right to do so. ml is a jerk, asshole, selfish guy who originally wanted to mess with mc and used him to humiliate his stepmother which evoked memories of the past mc desperately wants to forget. but ml's not like those cold-blooded crazy bitches, his asshole-ness at his age is realistic. like typically a forced kiss would kickstart a romance and be glossed over, but this time his behavior had an impact of a magnitude he didn't realize and we all despise him for it. I'm glad that mc is not turned into this feminine or masculine dude that many creators love to do, he's a normal guy without any fetishization, originally outgoing and social who turns anti-social and gloomy bc of a deep trauma. his ex-best friend is understandably upset, and it's not uncommon to feel disgusted at the concept of homosexuality, but his vindictive actions are downright cruel. (and, it's kinda sad that mc still in love with him). I'm really sad for mc, bc of ml his trauma reopened, and his insensitive ass isn't aware of the depths of the consequences. there better be some good groveling shit before he is forgiven. it's really well-written with great art and paneling, so im looking forward to it. ch 66. finally, his comeuppance. ml is a real selfish, manipulative two-faced asshole, he has developed feelings for mc and while I do enjoy a possessive fleshed out ml, I hope karma bashes him in his face. i admit that i lowkey kinda like him, but I'm hoping mc will fall for another or actually not like anyone for a long time (like he said he would) while ml just pines away cuz he really deserves that. like, he only did one thing good in mc's life so far, and that is unintentionally influencing mc's mom to cancel his doctor appointments. this motherfucker literally after developing an obsession over mc, he tries to isolate him from his friends, make mc heartbroken and give up on chanil by setting him up with pink-haired lady...like he the whole red flag. ch78. Jesus fucking christ.

she's so precious and adorable! she lacks common sense since she's been alone without developing her social skills for a long time, so her mindset originally was very narrow. she gained friends who cared for her and vice versa, but it doesn't mean whatever she does according to her thinking is brushed off like that. even if it's with good intentions, she still ignorant to tacit social conduct and thinks without the big picture due to life-long influence of blindly serving her master. she's learning to be flexible, but retain her upright and dense as bricks personality lol. also, she's really innocent bc of lack of social interaction. she used to only care about serving her master to be good knight. she neither cared nor thought about getting married or romantic gestures so it's natural she doesn't pick up or think too deeply about the subtle (or not subtle) romantic interest in her.

Interest as fuck, I am excited to see how this will unfold.

the storytelling is amazing, the angles, panels really conveyed the atmosphere and emotions of the characters, and the different types of love shown by these witches were interesting and their respective love interests were perfect for them. the first three were the most interesting. esp the first couple's; it was the most bittersweet. the second couple was interesting, the third one was unrequited love, but it was neat that it was shoujo ai. it was sad that lily wanted to die, but didn't want to either bc she couldn't forget colin and philipa. the guy ian, i felt that his personality changed the most, like it was almost jarring how a subdued depressed man who was indifferent to living turned into a clingy "delicate flower" who's so enamored with lily. and then his entire personality was to simp for her. almost felt like fanservice when the author included more of their scenes after their arc. yeah, felt that the side stories and epilogues were dragged. i admit i skipped some dialogue there bc i wanted to see phillipa and colin's conclusion.

ch14. wow...it's intense, the stakes are so high for the humans, the tension is well-written. no one is spared from those ugly facial expressions haha. the grisly art style is really suitable ch27. damn i want heracles to win...even tho he's god's representative. he's a good guy TT TT i dont want him to die ch30. yeah...def mixed feelings about the result ch43. buddha is hot ngl. tho even if he claims he want to save humanity, i cant help but feel there is a bigger plot going on, it might also be the reason brunhilde wants to save humans ch51. TT TT BUDDHA sry for doubting u! ch59. the manga Kingdom, based in ancient China, has more on the first emperor of china's backstory cuz one of the protagonists is him. This and their interpretations/characterizations of the emperor are both very good!

I dropped this less than twenty chapters in, cuz i was annoyed at the love drama, like was it necessary to add a second love interest for mc? but then she turned out to be a much more interesting chara than i thought cuz she is badass and her banter with other charas are fun as well. her friendship with the fmc is touching, and their fights over mc is not to be taken seriously. the mc is so cute, he's nerdy, dorky, and sincere. but my impression of him really cemented when he was jealous of fmc's first love and despite that, he recognized jiji was sincerely friendly and became good friends with him. like, it's rare to make a good-looking chara who looks better than mc visually and the fmc's first love, to boot, a sincerely wholesome dude. anyway, the action scenes and art is amazing. the story, at some moments, bordered on absurd, bc these aliens are wacky (and scary). the worldbuilding/lore is quite interesting, the alien and yokai designs are unique (and for some, creepy), the cast of charas are unique and fun and their chara developments are pretty good (not to mention, they look hot when they transform using their yokai powers).

ch76. it's so adorable how mc's monstrous cat, his animal will, turns into a cute little kitty when his aunt calls lol ch87. GO AUNTIE SLAP THAT BITCH. also, i love the variety of all the parental figures in this manhua. like, they're not comically evil ch156. damn, i wish there was more chapters. idk who mc ends up with, or if it ends up being a harem. ye mu, qiao qi, or jian xiao are really great charas with great dynamic with mc