I'm gonna be completely honest about this. I don't usually care enough to review a manga, but this manga managed to hauntingly pull me in and keep me interested. Overall, the storyline was fantastic; other than a few plot holes and etc, everything fit together flawlessly. I enjoyed the characters (supporting cast and all) and loved all the plot twists and dramatic moments. However, there was one thing that bothered me ultimately, and one of the main reasons why I'm writing this review.
Now, before I get started, I definitely want to clarify some things. This is, hands down, one of my top favorite mangas, up there with the must-reads of titles like Koimonogatari, Bloody Mary, and the Story of You x Me. I've probably read this manga from start to finish no fewer than 7 times, bla bla bla. I love this manga, and, given any other issues, would consider this a 5-star manga. However, there's one unforgivable aspect that I would've loved the author to tie-off. I'll start by saying this: I am a twin. I've spent my whole life having to compete with my twin for recognition in the public eye. It's as brutal as the experience Han Jiwook had in the story, if not a thousand times worse. People always thinking, 'Oh it's cute to make them compete' bla bla bla, like my whole sibling drama was supposed to be some f*cking entertainment for everyone else. As a twin, teachers wouldn't let us work together on projects, and, hell, the worst parts were class debates. People would constantly root for teachers to put us on opposing sides, and teachers, being people that have to rely on student reviews to keep their f*cking jobs always gave in to it. But, I digress.
What I want to say is simply, although I really appreciate that the author tried to actually show the struggle with inferiority between twins, I don't think the story of Han Jiwook and Han Siwon accurately depicted twins. Sure, I read the story and the whole time I was rooting for Taemin to rise up and put Jiwook in his place for all his bastardly actions. But, I also unfortunately kept thinking that it's IMPOSSIBLE. Because knowing my experience as a twin, and the three pairs of twins I went to school with from primary school until high school graduation (that's 13-14 years of school, for anyone unfamiliar with the American school system), twins don't behave like that. Even in 4th grade, my nine year old self could instantly pick up on anything that was bothering my sibling, and vice versa. And, we always talked about it. If something like an inferiority complex was affecting one of us, we could godd*mn tell. There was no chance of hiding it, no chance of avoiding it, and there STILL is no chance of hiding it. I'm in college now, 1 year since I last read this manga, and sitting down to read this manga again, I had really hoped my opinion about this topic would change. But, it hasn't. I've had the chance to hit one of my worst lows; my twin has someone of the best IRL RNG luck, you know. She's been a TA, got her first summer internship with an absolutely smashin' company, and is now about to start work for one of the top companies in the US. Meanwhile, I've turned out to be the absolute disappointment child my parents were always saying I'd turn out to be. I've lost so much sleep over being scared of being nothing, that one of these days my sister's existence will erase mine. And some days, it feels like it has. But, as a twin, I've NEVER once thought to resent her, or to harm her. If anything, she's always been my biggest support, and as someone who grew up beside me, I can feel her sincerity when she worries about me. I'd like to believe that as a twin Han Jiwook should've been able to pick up on his brother's sincerity. But, it absolutely pains me that we did not get the conclusion that we should've. That we didn't get Jiwook realizing how bad he f*cked up, or a conclusion to his storyline. Sure, he was ultimately the villain of the story, and the author made him out to be real sh*t, but regardless, I think for any reader out there, and for all twins who may go on to read this amazing manga, we deserve to at least see the conclusion of his storyline. And, as a twin myself, I hope to f*ck that he gets the redemption he deserves.
Call me presumptious, but there are probably a lot of people who just view Han Jiwook as an absolute bastard. But, I f*cking pity him and, in reality, his storyline breaks my heart the most. I won't deny his villainy, but I want to make it absolutely clear: being a twin f*cking sucks. It absolutely sucks because no matter how different or alike you are to your sibling, people compare the two of you. It doesn't stop. I first noticed it during 2nd grade and, even now, as someone who's about to graduate college, I still constantly get compared to my sibling, by parents, teachers, and friends. It's an absolutely devastating situation to be in, given the amount of pressure people pile on you daily. So even though I'm so f*cking disgusted by the sh*t Han Jiwook did, I honestly hope, one day, the author will give us a redemption arc to his storyline.
tldr; loved the story, but author f*cking butchered twin relationships. Really want a conclusion to several storylines, especially regarding the aftermath of Han Jiwook.
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At the End of the Road