Legit so much wasted potential it's insane. It can't be overstated.
What starts as a seemingly typical transmigration love story quickly reveals itself to be a disguise for its truly sinister underpinnings. Beneath the surface of the romance game the FL inhabits is a
broken world, inadvertedly glitched beyond repair due to the FL's maxed-out charm settings.
This isn't made clear at the start, however. The story advances through what one could only call a prologue of what's to come as incidences of obsession with the FL come off as just - incidences. Nothing significant. Nothing BIG. Because in a game world-setting ike this, events and "flags" don't necessarily draw the reader's attention without concrete hints dropped by either dialogue or art.
Ultimately, things take a huge turn around the late 20s-early 30s chapters as it's revealed
that the FL cannot escape this game. Not only that, it's exposed that she had apparently already fulfilled the conditions to "complete" the game as, according to her maid, all of the potential MLs had already long fallen for her. It becomes apparent here that the game is so broken that it has become inescapable, and with it, FL's sole chance at freedom from the prison she's become entangled in. Here, she goes insane.
Note, I dropped it at around chapter 34, so I'm not sure if the ending will prove this statement wrong. For this portion of the work, however, that is the state of things.
This in and of itself is not poor writing. To be honest, it's refreshing and interesting to see an original FL
go insane, although I believe this manhwa should properly categorize itself from the beginning as a tragedy.
The issue I take with this manhwa is its road to getting there and the way it executes this big reveal. The author relies on lying to the audience about the nature of the world the FL is in, and while such a thing isn't bad on its own, the way these plot points are reached is deeply unsatisfying and unearned. Basically, all advancement requires that the FL be as dumb as a rock. It's self-sabotage to such a deeply unbelievable extent that all immersion is broken, and the story becomes more aggravating than enjoyable. Really, the only reason I kept reading was to look at this and question just how much worse it would get, nevermind the FL's apparent lack of identity or even basic reason for the desires she has or actions she chooses to pursue.
You wake up in an unfamiliar world and it appears that the tool that should aid you is instead endangering you? No worries! No need to investigate! No need to experiment with anything to ensure your own safety! Who would ever do something remotely intelligent is this, right? Hahahahaha!
Oh, it seems that the reason people are attracted to you is
because of your eyes?
No need to cover up or even make an attempt at doing so beyond turning away!
OH, the best way to experiment with things is to just let loose around your
soon-to-be husband's dementia-addled mother and see how it goes? Just take the risk and plunge, essentially gambling the life of your special somebody's mother?
OH, the prince who's of clear danger to
you and your betrothed, who threatened you and him, has crafted a medical aid for your sick fiance? Of course, just give it to him! And while you're at it, once he becomes incapacitated due to the poison in this inconspicuous bottle, how could you not run straight to the room of such a man in the middle of the night in a very isolated area and leave yourself with him?! Why would you NOT confront such a dangerous man?
OH, this lady who's the mother of your soon-to-be husband
apparently becomes corrupted by your charms too. Oh, no! It's weird how attached she is! Let me run away from this frail old woman who twisted her ankle and leave her to her own devices!
OH!!!! THIS LADY WITH A
TWISTED ANKLE AND DEMENTIA CAN CLEARLY STAY ON HER OWN IN THE MIDST OF A HOUSE-FIRE. SURELY NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. SURELY NOT. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
OH!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS FIANCE WHO
EVEN AFTER STUPIDLY SEEING YOU IN A POSITION WHERE IT APPEARS YOU HAD THROWN HIS AILING MOTHER OFF OF THE STAIRS AND INTO THE FIRE, HE STILL BELIEVES YOU COULD NOT HAVE DONE SUCH A THING, HOW COULD YOU NOT LIE AND SAY YOU DID DO IT ON PURPOSE?? How could you NOT do that after some men assaulted you over the casket of his dead mother and he lost his house and his job and he's basically a dead man with nothing to his name, how could you not give this last stab of betrayal? How else will you girlboss your way into the other ML's arms and insanity without a plot device like this!!!!
It's literally a dumpster fire of bad decisions with clearly negative potential consequences. Some other commenters argue that this is due to the FL's maximum attribute in charm and little-to-no attributes in intelligence. Even if that were the case, the author makes no effort at making the game system relevant within the plot. The one and only thing that is brought up at all is the clearing requirement of earning the love of an ML and achieving a happy ending in order to reach the end of the game. Under such circumstances, one can hardly look at this string of events and conclude that it was "all the author's wise meta-knowledge at work!". This story suffers so, so terribly from "tell don't show" of random and unnecessary moments that make no sense. The beginning is so strong, and many of the horror elements are great (esp considering their rarity within josei/girls works in general, that mix between horror and romance)...but its execution is just so laughably bad that if you value you time even a little bit, you just shouldn't bother picking up this comic.
(+8)
(-9)
