Fools

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I have encountered Fools a few years ago near when it was just published. After reading the few chapters that were published every week, somewhere along the line, things got busy and I ended up not picking Fools again. However, during the time I wasn't reading it, I could still remember scenes from Fools from time to time as if it was embedded in my memory. That's how much this story struck me.

Now, I decided to rekindle with Fools and finally finish it. Reading Fools now versus back then felt a little different since I've gotten a little older. Fools back then tasted like ... a tangy fizzy carbonated drink, but now it tasted like a caramel cake that has a profound sweetness. Although the fluff and joy that I've experienced when I was younger versus now felt a little different, both still provided the same enjoyment. This is why I think Fools is really an easy recommendation to any age group!

The story follows a simple set-up: a college love story. It takes us into the things that the main characters have felt during this love story and the past that affected what they are feeling now. I especially liked Fools because of this sort of psychological aspect where the story is driven through the character's monologues of reflection. And of course, just like any manga/manhwa, the story is read through dialogues. I especially loved how Fools' dialogue was simple, witty, and impactful. I can feel the love that was put through the words of each character. Upon finishing the story, I found myself bittersweetly satisfied as the ending was fulfilling, but man do I want more.

The art of Fools isn't as flashy or impactful, but it definitely captures the Slice of Life vibe that its story has. I also find the art's quite unique both in its character designs and with the use of pop of colors to identify the main characters. It has a very modern feel that is very familiar to manhwas which is also the familiarity that usually sets manhwas apart from mangas.

My favorite part of Fools is probably its wonderfully articulated and complexly delightful set of characters that really felt like people you can meet in real life, more specifically, college. I think this is a crucial element that sets a Slice of Life artwork's overall quality and Fools' characters definitely do not fall in this part. I especially loved how clichè most of the characters' development was, but they are so rightfully done that they felt like a satisfied craving.

And of course, I am writing this review because I want people to know just how much enjoyable this manhwa is! There were scenes that made me curl my whole body just because of how much I liked them. I think most can relate to the main characters' viewpoints in the love story whether they're good or bad because I can guarantee that one would have experienced a similar feeling that the characters were showcasing. This is Fools' greatest charm point in my opinion and also why I found myself thoroughly enjoying it!

Overall, Fools is a manhwa that is easy to recommend to just anyone who's experienced romance in their life. It's a story that will get your heart pumping at times or will annoy the heck out of you because you just want things to work out for the characters. I could even imagine this as a K-Drama really, haha. But one special thing about this story is that even though it's got a BL tag, it really just tells a simple romance story that anyone could relate to (most BL's use dark themes).

Being an avid fan of Slice of Life, I think Fools is probably one of the best stories that encapsulate this genre. And this being a manhwa is telling of just how good the story immerses you through simple background and dialogue. At last, I think Fools is a story that is embedded in my soul forever. Truly a timeless piece!

EDIT: There is actually a remaster of Fools that is full in color and has a little tweaks in the story!

Fools is something you don't really expect much from, so you get so pleasantly surprised reading it. By now, it's my 3rd time rereading this story, and I still experience so many emotions reading about these two.

It does start out pretty slow pace. I'll admit, when I first picked it up, I left it on hold for about two months after around chapter 8 or so. Then, I found myself longing to read it again (mostly because I fell in love with the art style .... I love simplistic and clean art styles so much). I pulled an all nighter finishing this, and all ... those wonderful feelings the mcs were feeling, I was feeling all the way throughout.

I loved Eungi since the beginning (that's probably cuz I related to him a lot lol). He is a sweetheart on the inside, but feels the need to close himself off to avoid mistakes from the past. Him and Jeongwoo met, and it feels like the most natural thing for them to fall in love with each other. Seeing Eungi become conflicted with himself over his feelings made me cry, as well as seeing Jeongwoo struggle with his own feelings from the past.

I didn't warm up to Jeongwoo when I first read it, but after this reread, I find myself caring for him like Eungi did (even if we both didn't understand why he did or believed certain things).

Overall, this is just one hell of a slow burn, but it's a good one! Even if this story wasn't sad per say, I probably cried more reading this than anything else. If you want your heart stomped on in a good way, please read this

This is my first time writing a review for something on MAL but... this one was too infuriating for me to not write something about. As a BL lover I am always looking for a sweet read, unlike a lot of stuff that fills the genre. I came across Fools and thought I'd like it, them meeting when Jeongwoo was 16 was a interesting thing that I thought would be a big plot point when they'd meet again, 47 chapters in and unless I missed it there has been no reference between the characters about this and instead I ended up in 15 chapters of ... the main leads refusing to talk to each other. I get a little awkwardness arcs between characters in romance but holy shit this lasted way too long! Infuriating how for so long and in so many encounters these two just couldn't resolve things until it was abruptly done with. I'm used to manga this length to have them together by the halfway point, or at least some progression romance wise! Any progression made feels un-organic after the not-talking arc. After that arc I felt almost burnt out (since I usually read at a decent speed and try to binge stuff all at once) and made me eventually drop it seeing I had 32 chapters to go.. I feel like some people would like this story but the pacing and other more subjective factors has made this not for me and made me wish for more to be desired. Appartently there's a "remastered" version and a different "Fools: Original" that are both coming out, hopefully one have better pacing assuming they're for retelling the story but who knows. Thank you for reading my insanity rambling, give this a try if you'd like but if you start seeing the same issues I do probably don't bother pushing through to finish it xD