Oct 7, 2024
No, we did not see the same kind of spark in Kim Carnby's storytelling that he has demonstrated in his other works. What we witnessed was a manhwa average at best and painfully boring for the most part.
The boringness is reflected right from the start with its below-mediocre premise choice. A mysterious code hacks devices and turns people into mindless killers. A secret organization is formed to tackle those and prevent the world from getting destroyed. The way I explained the premise sounds more interesting than it actually is. What was hinted to be a horrific thriller with a futuristic setting at the start got
...
turned into a manhwa featuring boring fights in a monotonous VR battlefield.
Now, I guess because it was a game adaptation, they had to go for something similar to it. So I give it to them for working with a handicap, but it still doesn't make up for the boring premise. I am even more disappointed cause the beginning was really strong. Whether it was the train sequence in the first chapter or even our protagonist's first fight in the VR world, they were at least somewhat interesting to watch. After that MC's first fight, no subsequent event coming afterward had any suitable weight in it. They just weren't interesting. There was no visible struggle; the cast goes to fight monsters, does little oohs and aahs, racks up their brains, and defeats the monster. Multiply the formula into some more fights, and you get this. Anything outside the VR and fighting the monsters was boring too. The build-up efforts to include politics, suspense, or anything else at all were terribly done. The plot point of sending AI from the future to the past was underwhelming because of all the previous buildup, which was not done properly. All the story does is just brush lightly on topics, never committing enough to it to expand on it more. And the ending is probably the worst of it. Does a cringe sequence of a fight between the protagonist and the antagonist, all for it to just turn into another open ending where the danger wasn't destroyed, just delayed?
Talking about the characters, I am going to talk about some of them. The main focal characters were our protagonist, an average dude taking revenge; our antagonist, the annoying evil guy; and the genius hacker, Hammer, the reason for all that is happening. Nothing interesting about them, to be honest. The only thing even remotely interesting is the Hammer's future self story, which was just brushed upon.
Art was very... what do I say... subpar. With the standard the manhwas have set today for this genre, the art in this seems like the work of an amateur. The art scheme was weirdly bright at times, especially scenes including some kind of holographic screen; I could have swear it would have benefited from a bit less brightness.
I guess I have successfully wrapped up what I felt about this in the review. Came with expectations. Left with conflicted feelings.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all