Compared to the usual JP manga with spineless protagonists, this one is at least a step up. The setup makes more sense, the MC actually stands up for himself, and he cuts ties with his toxic childhood friend right from chapter one. That already puts it above the usual JP manga out there.
Starting with the positives:
The art is solid around a 6.7/10. Characters are expressive, the style is clean, and nothing looks off. The MC’s strength is also earned for once: he was rigorously trained from childhood, not magically OP overnight. And again. He actually leaves, which is rare in this genre.
Now for the negatives:
The childhood friend is the central problem of this story. Not because she’s a villain, but because she’s written in a way that forces you to hate her without giving any coherent explanation for her behavior.
She claims to be in love with the protagonist but the “love” she shows is mostly after he cuts her off. She blushes constantly when he treats her coldly, gets jealous whenever he talks to other girls, and acts like she’s entitled to him. That’s not romantic it's reactive and warped. And it clashes hard with how she treated him for years.
Let’s be clear: she didn’t tease him, she bullied him. Public humiliation, constant belittlement, and actively mocking his desire for friends and a girlfriend. Later, she even has the audacity to claim he doesn’t need any of those things “because he has her already.” That’s possessive, delusional logic not affection.
She also seems totally unaware that any of her past actions were wrong. Whether the author intended it or not, her mindset comes off as straight-up sociopathic. She doesn’t comprehend the harm she caused, she only reacts emotionally once she loses access to him. That’s not depth it’s just bad character writing.
The story will most likely follow the usual trajectory:
- harem gathers around the protagonist
- childhood friend spirals into jealousy and regret
- author attempts a redemption arc without giving her real emotional groundwork
Another weak point is the MC calling her “pig” all the time. Sure, she deserves to be called out after everything she did, but “pig” is such a childish, low-effort insult. It doesn’t fit a guy trained to be a refined heir and leader. Either ignore her completely or let his silence cut deeper than pig jokes.
There’s also the issue of no one ever helping the protagonist during the years he was mistreated. No classmates, no adults, no family background to contextualize his suffering, it just feels incomplete. And the whole “raised by a CEO to eventually marry his daughter and take over the company” would be fine, but the extreme training and scars make him look like he was groomed as a soldier, not an executive. It’s tonally inconsistent.
Verdict:
Despite its flaws, this manga is still better than the usual sloppy Japanese works filled with passive protagonists and nonsensical wish-fulfillment. It’s not great, but it’s far from the worst. A rough 6.2/10.