Sooo friggin good. I hate waiting but it's so wonderful it's worth it

The art is breathtaking and so is the story (quite novel in my opinion). The characters you initially believe being positive are the worst, the protagonist,desperate to survive, does not realize that the rope she is grabbing is rotten, the tension building up and the ignorance of the MC (because of fear, not stupidity) is really relatable and help creating an intriguing and complex narrative.

I finished the novel after catching up with this manhwa because of how badly I wanted to see the rest of the story, though the pacing in this manhwa is actually okay compared to many others I’ve read. The game setting makes it exciting and interesting, especially in the beginning when everything felt dangerous for FL, and so I’m okay if romance only comes in later in the story. Some may be uncomfortable with the slavery and abusive brother stuff but I think it all works considering the absurdity of being stuck in an otome game which is a step beyond otome isekai in general IMO.

SPOILER FROM NOVEL:


... Last updated on August 3rd, 2023, 8:24am

It's acceptable based on FMC situation, the FMC just wanna stay alive, so she uses any options available.



... Last updated on June 25th, 2023, 4:56am

like the story is a 8/10 for the most part, but like slavery ... its the dynamic of it ... this fl knows and acknowledges its wrong but does literally nothing to change the issue in front her. then the story takes chapter after chapter on the subject like i do not want to read that

I like how the FL starts off a bit mentally warped because of the setting. Hopefully that changes throughout the course of the story. Looking forward to her relationship with the crown prince.

- sort of still reading, might come back bc of how insanely popular this is. like really this is probably up there in one of the most read ois ever. for now dropping at ch 52.
- AGAIN i hate ois that feature slave owning fls. it’s hard bc ik penelope knows it’s wrong and is acutely aware of the power difference but it bothers me how it’s portrayed ugh idk. just not a fan and i’m def not rooting for eclis (ml2) as an ml 😐 his journey should be about liberation, not obsession with a slave owner
- ik who the real ml is and i really tried to stick around till he was revealed or developed a substantial relationship w the fl. that didn’t happen (i’m literally over 50 chapters in) and i got kinda bored waiting lol
- anyway fl is very realistic. reasonable, calm, level headed. her brothers are scary and wild but one of them is really well fleshed out and developed and gains sympathy toward her later whereas the other IS LITERALLY IN LOVE WITH HER and extremely abusive. what the fuck!
- don’t like it when the real penelope gets criticized. her life was just really depressing :/ also im STILL waiting for the og fl to appear it’s so annoying. the events are slow but otherwise pacing and tension are pretty well executed
- art is pretty unique. i like the sketch/water color vibes. world building is meh - mage is a possible ml and he’s way more interesting than some of the mls. would like to see this developed better since it’s still pretty bare bones and still feels like we’re waiting on the real action but otherwise it’s a standout in its genre.

overall: 6/10 bc unfortunately i’ve never been good at waiting

The novel is fun at first but the whole setting becomes a bit overwhelming at some point and it feels like the story loses its meaning. The fact that the protagonist seems to completely threat everything as a game, the fact that it is indeed inside a game (although the universe is essentially said to be her new reality) and the fact it is a harem all combine together to make almost all the interactions feel pointless.

Why is it? Because all the developments will always have the protagonist looking at it from an outsider's point of view. However, the comic itself presents it as it would have been without the context of the game, but the protagonist never gives the fitting reactions. There seems to be a disconnection between these elements, so there's no immersion to be found. It feels artificial, at some point I just couldn't feel anything for the characters.

Additionally, the plot doesn't seem to progress between any of the characters as the protagonist keeps changing to one or two of the male leads depending on each arc. I think the fault is within the harem format himself, in this case, but the characters also seem quite a bit shallow. There seems to be a gap between the past and the present which is not explained, but isn't treated as a mystery either. Why are characters mean one time, then act like they're good? The best example would be the maid: she appears like a villain at first, but quickly becomes extremely loyal. The author could have made an explanation for why she wronged the protagonist, but there isn't any. Every main character seems to have that problem.

... Last updated on February 20th, 2022, 3:24pm

The art is good, the idea is nice, and the MC is quite good.

The only thing I didn't like is .

I stopped at chap 65 because the translation for these chapters is really bad.
It's not bad, like a few errors or whatever ; it's so bad that dialogues are gibberish !
Trying to understand what the real dialogues were have me headaches (well, it's a bit exaggerated, but almost...).
And I wouldn't inflict that to myself for the next 10+ chapters.

I would recommend that people read this to the end of Season 1 as an exercise in building tension, but then let it go. The later parts just do not match the intensity of the beginning, which is such a shame because when it's good, it's sooooo good. The tensions in this are very thrilling, I feel on the edge of my seat for every interaction!

The thing is, it doesn't matter if Penelope is oblivious when it comes to romance, and can't identify when these capture targets are feeling things for her. They have so much power over her that everything they do is a threat. Her entire life is in their hands; she has to earn their affection to simply live, but that comes at great personal cost for her. She isn't happy. She isn't free. Every true emotion she has is stifled, because those are dangerous -- she lives for the men around her, because she has to. The only power she has is from men's power -- the only freedom she has is because they have given it to her.

There is just so much pressure on Penelope, at all times. This is such a claustrophic story and it is excellent for that reason in particular. You feel the weight of this situation -- it feels real, and serious. It makes it all the better when she decides: no, actually, living doesn't make any of this worth it. It's probably the high-point of this story, and I highly recommend getting to the end of Season 1 just for that. My goodness, what a head-rush.

... Last updated on January 7th, 2024, 7:41am