Feb 1, 2023
Fantastic premise, outstanding potential... and insanely frustrating.
If you start reading this webtoon, you'll probably be taken in just as I was. Captivated by the wonderful soft art style, the intriguing premise, and full of curiosity as you wonder what'll happen next. But with all the time I spent reading this, I wish someone had warned me that it wouldn't be worth my while.
I'm not saying it's boring. Far from it. The plot alone keeps you invested! But then, you may ask, "in that case, what makes it so terrible that you're trying to warn us not to touch it?"
I'll tell you.
Just like MAL's description says
...
- this manga is about a man who is forcefully put into other people's bodies again and again, to be given a sort of 'second chance' to live, while simultaneously being taught that death shouldn't be taken lightly. And the main character Yijae Choi is a very selfish guy who clearly has some growing to do. On its own, this is perfectly fine. After all, what's a main character without a good character arc to be had, right? ESPECIALLY for a plotline like that, where the entire story revolves around HIM and HIS attitude towards life and death. If you didn't have any kind of character arc or character growth throughout the story, well - that wouldn't be much of a story, would it? Without character development, you'd just have to follow a selfish jerk who never learns, and that'd be no fun at all.
... Except, that's precisely why this webtoon isn't very good.
You go through chapter after chapter of this character learning hard lessons... except he never seems to actually learn. The opportunities for character growth are EVERYWHERE, yet he remains absolutely selfish and flippant no matter what happens to him. You can't possibly like him, because he stays a selfish jerk through practically the whole series. His "character arc" is only as good as the first chapter, and the last chapter. You might as well skip most chapters in-between, because they feel like they've done absolutely nothing except give readers the illusion that something might be happening in this guy's heart, when in fact, nothing really is. After a while, you start to realize that even though the 'setting' is changing to make the webtoon feel like it's going somewhere, HE is going nowhere. And thus, the story itself, is also going nowhere. It's like a colorful illusion, and you don't realize just how "nowhere" the story is going until over half his lives are gone and you realize he's the exact same guy as when you began.
It's just a story of watching this guy suffer, be selfish, suffer, be greedy, and suffer some more - and no matter how many times he sees how being a terrible person doesn't pay off, no matter how many times he *has the chance to make up for it,* he never does. And just when you think he MIGHT be learning, life metaphorically kicks him in the face and he just doesn't learn anyway. After a while, you start to feel like you're wasting your time, sighing in frustration and rolling your eyes thinking "Okay - he's going into his next life, but so what? Not like it'll end any differently than last time."
And for a manga where his character growth is what the manga is ABOUT, it's just unacceptable. You can't have a "story about character growth" that doesn't include character growth.
I've never experienced more frustration from reading something than this. The plot is interesting, but the execution is downright frustrating and just plain disappointing. I wish I could give it a 1, but the art and """entertainment value""" it provides 'generally' in spite of the huge writing flaws, means I can't go much lower than a 3.
If you wanna skim for morbid curiosity, fine. If you want some shallow entertainment with a "qUiRkY plotline" and some "wow factor" then fine. But if you're looking for an actually good story, steer clear. There isn't much here beyond colorful settings and an unintentional empty promise by the author.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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