The Greatest Estate Developer

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This story seems like a generic isekai at first glance main character gets transported into a novel he is reading as a douchebag character and uses his knowledge as an engineer to live the good life, but the difference is the execution of these tropes to make an excellent comedy. The game menu narrator is sassy, the pretty boy protagonist is used as a work mule and straight man to the whims of the main character (Lloyd), and Lloyd is strong but never brute forces his way through a situation and instead uses his wit to achieve his goals.

Speaking of wit the plans Lloyd ... comes up with are equal parts genius and hilarious making the story a consistent joy to read. The characters are likable and funny and the pacing is strong. The only issue I have is that the setting is generic but it's not too much of an issue in my book. Overall great comedy, I'd really recommend it.

This manhwa is without a doubt a masterpiece. When I first started this, I was genuinely expecting some other backwater hick isekai, but wow was I wrong. I've seen and read most isekai by this point, and just reading the title for this manhwa alone made me lose a couple of brain cells just thinking of how generic it sounds, but I can say with genuine clarity and sincerity, that this manhwa is master class. Also about the facial expressions, they are genuinely some of the whackiest I've ever seen. Seriously, the facial expressions alone are worth a 12/10, and the mc is quite possibly ... one of the most lovable scumbags I have ever seen. The only person I've seen more greedy than this man is either Mr. Krabs, or Scrooge McDuck, and that's saying a lot. It's never a dull moment following Lloyd in his quest to rob the world of every penny, and I've actually lost count the amount of times this manhwa actually made me laugh out loud. The supporting cast while although stale at first, also really grows on you over time, and one dimensional characters actually become quite memorable and really mesh in well with the story. While although the setting as well is a bit generic, the content and characters more than make up for it, and it honestly feels so damn unique compared to all Isekai out there, and it's really made a name for itself. If you're hesitating to read it, give it a try for a couple of chapters, but I promise you that it only goes up. Just when I think they've hit the ceiling, they keep breaking that barrier of sheer insanity time and time again.

Even though the title may be a little off-putting to some, you definitely should still give it a chance.

Story 7/10
The story isn't groundbreaking or anything yet it still doesn't disappoint.

Enjoyment 9/10
My first time reading this manhwa I couldn't stop myself from reading everything that had been released at that point, the comedy is so well done and I found myself constantly cracking up reading this manhwa.

Art 7/10
The art contributes allot to the comedy, but it itself isn't all that. Its not very beautiful or anything.
...
Characters 9/10
There is not a single dull character in this manhwa, every single one has at least one comedic moment and they all have their own personalities and character development.

I'll get straight to the point (spoilers free)
Listen, I'm all into petty mc and mc being the a-hole but this is just a next level. I've seen Greed and Chung Myung, they're both a (very) petty MC (eventho Greed has a development to it's character) but comparing both these guys in their prime state of pettiness doesn't even add up to what this MC hold up. Lloyd Frontera, just a simple guy who wants all that we guys wanted: A simple lazy life in a countryside. That's all there is to it, it's simple but it has every knack to it that lifts up readers ... with both laughter and satisfactions. I laughed myself the entire time I read it and it's just ridiculously funny. Chung Myung is all into drinking and beating up people but he's still helping his mates, Greed is so greedy in determining prices of his handmade equipment and is asking everyone to follow his orders but still he is a caretaker of his family. Imagine having the greediness of Greed while still having that pure evil desire to just beat everyone and turn them into a slave, just for the sake of living quietly in a damn countryside. Not to forget to mention that the world building is a masterpiece and the character development is steady while still giving that great logic to the power systems. I LOVE IT!

You have to read this.

story
so yes we doo get the isekai moment, but this does not make it a general manhwa. its fast pased, exiting, intriguing and funny (actually funny). The dude gets reincarnated into a novel he read, as a drunktard son of a noble. He was an engeneer in his previous life and aplies the skills here (also gains some system you know those). The plans are explained to some extent but not to the smallest detail, so you understand but dont get bored. You can never expect what will happen in the upcominhg chapters, or how people will react, because the ... absolute ridiculousness of everything. Dont expect anything serious.

characters
lovable, relatable. at the start the MC drives others crazy with his shit, but as the story goes people come to ecsept it and embrace the weirdness. The relationships between the characters are fun to watch... the dynamics of them!... the MC just scaming his way out of things i cant. He makes allies from enemies. Everyone is swept into his pace charging througs the chapters.

art, no THE EXPRESSIONS
if you know you know. if you dont go read it (눈_눈)

now for the fun part:
all of it makes one big joke. Nothing is serious, dont expect emotional stuff. its just funny and no mater how many times i see Lloyd make faces it does not get old. Using shovel as a weapon, orcs vs humans dance battle, sarcastic smiles. no fucking sense. unique for sure, IT IS BEZARRE! YOU COULD CALL IT THE JJBA OF MANHWA

to conclude: if you like the first few chapters its probably for you, because the manhwa keeps the same pace quality and dumbness throughout the series.

THE BEST MANHWA I'VE EVER READ! The story is unique, the characters developed to the end, the artstyle, THE HILARIOUS FACES, all the little details and its humor is done perfectly. The Greatest Estate Developer will question why you even read all those other manhwa before this one, you'll begin to compare everything to this. I've scoured the internet looking for anything like this masterpiece, but this is the sole perfection I'll have to painstakingly wait every week to finish. The writers of the novel and the studio behind this manhwa deserve every piece of respect you're gonna read on here. Do not read this ... one if you just started reading manhwa, you're gonna sully all the other ones trying to replicate its excellence.

Without a doubt, I recommend this to anyone who likes sadistic engineers that exploits his fellow man for a sliver of gold.
The main character is even worse than the manhwa version of Lucifer, for gods sake.
The enigma that would trick someone into a slave contract for his benefit, and steal the nations treasure only to call it a " winter butt ",
while also trying to help them all from facing the " game over " ending,
Lloyd Frontera, we love you.

The manga is incredibly amusing, and I found myself reading it during lectures. There were moments when the students around me would stare, wondering why I was laughing like an idiot. One of the main reasons I enjoy it so much is that it deviates from the typical manga and anime formula. It doesn't follow the usual plot where the main character is overpowered and attractive, with the story often taking a backseat to focus on a predictable romance plot. This manga stands out for me because it avoids those cliches. The characters are well-developed, and the story feels like a dual protagonist narrative, which ... adds to its uniqueness.

I want to get through the review of "The Greatest Estate Designer" quickly. Why? Because I've been thinking for 2 days about how to describe why I found this story incredibly awesome.

It's about a young man who has had to toil all his life. Although he had a good degree and was popular in the military, he was only ever taken advantage of because of his successes. But one day he wakes up with a hangover in the middle of the street to find that he is suddenly in the body of a nobleman who is the heir to a hugely indebted count - and ... that too in a story he only recently read. Can he now pull himself out of this mountain of debt with his education and knowledge in the field of construction, or must he fail because the nobleman has an incredibly bad reputation?

Personally, I have a weakness for bastard protagonists who exploit others for their goals and mercilessly finish off their enemies. And that's exactly what I enjoyed so much here. Someone owes him for 520 years? No big deal, he's looking for a necromancer to revive him so he can work off the time. On top of that, we keep getting a glimpse of how tragic the story would actually be without him. While he is and always will be a bastard, that really only affects people who deserve it, while tragic heroes are saved by him. On top of that, he fights rather little and instead finishes off his opponents mentally or strategically. AND the most important: Here are the best expressions I've ever seen.

Is that something special? No. It's just damn entertaining, I really had my fun and just can't complain.

Tl;dr: Idk why the comedy tag is missing. While not a full-on parody like Gintama, it is frequently closer to Gintama in tone than a serious story. If you don't take it too seriously you are more likely to enjoy the ride. Solid series overall, but has a few issues that leave me a bit surprised it has such a high average rating score. If you strongly dislike the comedy, story issues, and/or the subtle promotion of capitalism you can safely drop it as it shows no signs of changing those aspects. Otherwise, there is a decent chance you will enjoy the series.

Let's start with ... the negatives:

Story wise things basically always fall into Lloyd's lap perfectly. Either the "system" that put him there is purposefully influencing events as part of "fulfilling his wish" or it's just literally Deus Ex Machina to resolve conflicts that aren't based on Suho's knowledge of events in the novel he has been transported to or his engineering knowledge. Having a gatcha game provide him with the perfect tool to resolve his engineering dilemmas every time he uses it, getting new skills conveniently provided when needed, or surviving an encounter that he should have died from are some examples of this issue. There's still a chance for an explanation that at least explains the system related Deus Ex Machina, but not likely for all of it.

There is also a tendency for Lloyd to have solutions ready for problems he knows little to nothing about as the story progresses further away from the original storyline he is changing. A recent example is when the Queen of his country, Alicia, is informed that the countries at the southern border are being difficult in trade negotiations due to a recent event. She is frustrated about the situation and cannot think of how to resolve it. She is also told immediately afterwards by the same messenger that Lloyd has returned from being gone for a while on a separate quest and seeks an audience. When she speaks with him, he immediately proposes a solution to the problem she was literally JUST informed about, despite being away from the capital for at least several days. It's just bad writing, and while this is probably the most egregious example, expect to see other examples of conveniently provided solutions to problems in the story that cannot be explained away by the system's influence.

I should also mention that the set up for the premise is even worse than average for your typical isekai series, which is saying something with how low the bar is. I'm 142 chapters in and it's just some vague handwaving about a "system" that is probably magic but still remains almost completely unexplained. I'm not asking for much here either, an averageish isekai like Rising of the Shield Hero just had the people of the world summon him with magic there. That was sufficient enough for me to accept it initially with the expectation for further explanation later.

The overused video game system trope is also present and there is no explanation for it yet either. I don't even think it is necessary to tell the story, so it just feels like a lazy writing shortcut. For comparison, the manga The Person in a Villainess has the person that gets isekai'd die and reincarnates as her favorite character in a fantasy Otome video game with the original soul also in the body and there are no video game system mechanics used in the manga. Whereas, Suho gets transported into a fantasy novel that has added video game mechanics to it.

On a random note, the running gag about him having an ugly face compared to the beautiful face of the story's protagonist guarding him feels like a rip off of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (ORV)... It's used comedically, but there is no reasonable in universe explanation for it like in ORV. The problem is that he isn't actually ugly, it's only when he makes certain exaggerated faces that he actually looks ugly. So every time he gets called ugly without making a corresponding facial expression it just feels like beating a dead horse with the joke.

The art itself is right around average for a Manwha. Maybe a little better.

Despite all of these complaints don't misunderstand me that I think this a bad series or anything, just that I was expecting a bit more given its high average rating.

Here are some of the positives:

Despite my complaints about the overuse of the ugly face running gag, overall I found the comedy to be pretty good. Mostly slapstick humor with a few solid running gags that has the novel protagonist Javier play the straight man to Lloyd's craziness.

While the story is fairly predictable overall in how things will resolve positively for Lloyd every time, it is still enjoyable to see how they manage to reach that destination. The pacing of the story is pretty good too, not too fast or too slow.

The characters are also good. The female characters in particular have been much better than average. Plenty of strongly written female characters. Queen Alicia in particular stands out as both best girl and my favorite character overall despite her relatively limited screen time compared to our two protagonists. Speaking of which, both Lloyd and Javier are good characters too. They have great chemistry together as friends. Most of the other side characters are solidly written too. Although the villains themselves tend to be pretty basic. Since there is no major overarching villain the story mostly just cycles through different low level villains until they are either removed or conscripted into service for Lloyd.

There is also some nice social commentary about society in Korea effectively mixed into the story too when it flashes back to Suho's previous life. It's rare enough and simple enough to not be preachy while also giving us some tidbits about Suho's background.

Finally, the civil engineering aspect was interesting to read about. It is an engaging aspect for the story with how it teaches the reader while also showing Lloyd's ingenuity in adapting modern engineering techniques with medieval technology.

Overall, I have enjoyed this series quite a lot thus far. We'll see if things change later but so far, it's just very good, nothing truly special yet. I'm willing to have my mind changed. Biggest swing factor is explaining why Lloyd got transported to this novel world and how that impacts the copious amounts of Deus Ex Machina. If done well the story could improve to a 9. Done poorly and it might drop to a 7. It started out as a 7 for me after the first 40 chapters or so but there have been enough improvements in certain areas that pushed it up enough for a soft 8 right now.

Art - 6
Story - 7
Characters - 9
Enjoyment - 9

Thank you for reading.

What else can I say about this series besides how amazing it is. Amazing comedy, excellent character dynamics, a well-substantiated power system that works in tandem with the basis of the story. I could have not asked for a much better and well-crafted series like The Greatest Estate Developer (TGED).

Having been released only three years ago as of this review, TGED has done a significant job in cementing itself as one of the best manhwa series to have come out of South Korea in recent years. If I had to summarize the series in one sentence, imagine a series that takes the worldbuilding and city ... development of Tensura, mixed with the comedic nature and timing of Grand Blue and Mashle, along with the similarity of Omniscient Reader (the MC knowing the story of the events that transpire). The author of the original WN has managed to write a story about property and development where the MC is an engineering student and a massive, selfish asshole who wants to live an easy life, and it just somehow works.

TGED is a series that I would highly recommend if you're in need of a fresh take on the "isekai genre", even though it's Korean, or if you need a strong dose of comedy. The faces that many of the characters pull off, especially Lloyd, are what make this series so enjoyable to read.

9/10 for me so far, may change it to 10/10 depending on how the story gets wrapped up.

Really, really funny.

The characters are funny, the premise is zany, the writing solid, and it has just the right amount of sincere heartfelt emotion to make it something more than just a series of comedy skits.

I never thought I'd find a manwha funny enough to laugh in every chapter, but here it is.

What are you staring at a review for? Go read it.

(For the sake of making word count, I'll just correct the assumption that the main character is a mechanical engineer, as he is clearly a civil engineer/architect. One of the translations had him pinned to mechanical, so I just wanted to clear that ... up)

It is the funniest manga I have ever read. I have been laughing consistently all the way through. I am amazed it is not listed with comedy among its main themes. It is rare that a chapter did not make me laugh. Many comedy manga, at least in my experience, will have their jokes get old over time. Often comedy manga, I find will have good jokes, but they are few and far between. It is rather special just how many jokes it manages to pack in it and how they don't get old.
As you read on, the series does have plenty of recurring ... gag jokes, but it finds ways to keep them fresh.

Greatest Estate Developer is a generic Isekai which involves kingdom (estate?) building elements.

Initially it starts off like most Isekai, the protagonist is overworked, and dies, blah blah blah, he finds himself in the body of one of the minor antagonist characters in the webnovel he was reading in his previous life. Wanting to avoid this character's fate, the progatonist (Llyod) decides to use his past skills as a civil engineer to uplift himself and his family out of all trouble. He's accompanied by the novel's protagonist, a sword master named Javier.

The story has a lot of elements you see in other Isekai, Llyod ... has a system, his skills level up etc, he has some broken skills etc. What separates this from most isekai, however is the humor and the strong relationship between Llyod and Javier, the two protagonists.

Javier starts out disliking Llyod but slowly starts coming around to him and his cooky ideas when he sees that Llyod's intervention genuinely improves the lives of the people in his estate. Watching Javier warm up to Llyod and his ways, even adapt some of them is a concept that is greatly executed.

Another standout aspect is the humor. While the artwork is nothing special, the author uses the artwork for comedic effect, and it pays off. Sometimes when I read chapters, it makes my day when I see Llyod making the most evil face imaginable. It's really quite something to behold.

Overall, this is a very light and fun read, and even if you don't like generic Isekai trash, there's really no reason to at least not give this a chance.

Ngl the start is like your typical isekai manga ( manhwa ) where the mc wakes up in the body of someone and tries to help himself with his know which in this manga ( manhwa ) is civil engineering
But, the only reason i recommend it is bc after like 20 chapters it gets so good (my opinion) i don't like the plot twist or anything but i like the mc he made me laugh like 23 times while reading 159 chapters and am not lying
he's the type who don't care about saving people and shi he wants me
and he scams anyone he comes around ... (queen,king,king of hell,angel)

Unique for sure. It's an isekai but its not the typical isekai where the main character turns into some crazy powerful warrior. Instead,, the main character turns into a real estate developer in a medival historical setting. I did not think I would like this at first but I definitely was surprised. The art was not the best I've seen but it was solid for sure. The main character and the side characters were pretty interesting, they weren't the most likable, but they didn't annoy me or anything. The plot of the story progresses pretty well and it is pretty interesting.

Overall, give this a chance ... because it will surprise you. It is a solid read so far. Btw, feel free to add me on MAL, im always open to connecting with new ppl :)

So, I was just vibing and scrolling through the top manga list on MAL when I stumbled on The Greatest Estate Developer. At first, I was like, “This looks like every other system manhwa,” but I decided to give it a shot anyway. Bro, let me tell you—it slapped.

This manhwa legit blew my mind. It’s hilarious, and the way it geeks out about civil engineering? Lowkey genius. If you’re into unique stories with big brain energy and some top-tier comedy, this one’s a must-read. Don’t sleep on it!

this was written with chat gpt because i cant describe how good this shiz is just give ... it a shot and dont take it seriously!

This is a very amateurly written manhwa, the worldbuilding is very uninspired, the background characters are as bland as can be, and the humor just does not land.

I'm not sure how this rated as highly as other works such as "The Horizon." Isekai is a concept that has been done many times, and this does nothing to break the mold. The main character is extremely self-insert, and has absurd amounts of plot armor. He just happens to get the exact gacha roll from the system whenever he needs it. It's possible that these flaws could improve later on in the story but very unlikely.

If ... you are looking for a turn-your-brain off light read without expecting much you may enjoy this, but for anything else I'd recommend other titles.

I quite liked the start of this Manhwa, but it got very unoriginal and boring very quickly further on and I don't really understand the overall rating this Manhwa has..

For an Isekai, it doesn't really refer back to the real world much besides perhaps 1 or 2 flashbacks that last about 1 panel and his job. The only thing that really sticks around is the fact that the world he is in was a Manhwa he himself read. This doesn't bother me too much since it's basically the norm with Isekai stories to have basically no ties to their past life.

As I mentioned, it gets ... very unoriginal as time goes on. I mean from the begining he has a "game menu" with skills and levels so that's already extremely overused in Korean Manhwa but whatever I can deal with that. What annoys me is that he's meant to be some average guy and isn't even the protag of the Manhwa he read.. however he very quickly becomes more powerful than the actual protag of the story world. The story also devolves into focusing more on fighting monsters etc than what the title would suggest the story is about.