- Last Online1 hour ago
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- BirthdayJun 21, 1999
- LocationDakar, Dakar
- JoinedJul 11, 2019
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Apr 10, 2023
This is a very basic isekai power fantasy with the slightest twist to make it stand out. Said twist here being that the MC can go between the two worlds. Yeah, that's the twist, not the whole overweight protag with low self-esteem finding confidence in the new world by leveling up and getting powerful and finding meaning and purpose. A lot of isekai do that whether explicitly or implicitly, hell that's the core theme of Mushoku Tensei and Faraway Paladin, well except for the overweight part.
You could argue that the message is a lot more positive and healthy than most power fantasy isekai since
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here despite its genericness the emphasis is put not really on the power fantasy but on Yuuya, the protagonist, being rewarded for never letting his bullying and overall shitty life turn him into a bad person and staying at his core someone who will help others as it is ultimately an act of kindness at his expense that makes his life in the real world get better, even if over the toply so but hey this is an isekai. And honestly all the power to the story for it. If you're a down on your luck lonely person there is a certain catharsis in seeing him becoming a badass, his life getting better, people respecting and admiring him, all the while staying the same good and gentle person he always was. I would love to do that, but the power fantasy aspect inherently cheapens that.
Yuuya doesn't really resolve his low self-esteem because of his conscious effort to better himself it kinda just happens because people like him now. The betterment in his life is simply due to him being a good person and also non negligibly being lucky enough to have a door in his house that led to another house in another world filled the absolute peak of materials and weaponry.
Also, it just so happened that he encountered a powerful monster that he defeats accidentally because his weapons are just that op.
And also, it just so happens that levelling up turned him into a tall handsome hunk.
And then suddenly his life started to get better.
Remember Mushoku Tensei and Faraway Paladin? Well in those stories the protagonists also grapple with self-worth but to become powerful they had to put in considerable efforts. And even then, it doesn't magically resolve their problems, they also have to put in great efforts to become better people, grow and gain confidence. It's a constant deliberate effort and they often catch themselves falling back into their old habits. None of that happen with Yuuya, the moment he levelled up and turned into a hunk suddenly his life in the real world started to get better, people really liked him because he was handsome now, he didn't even really have to deal with his bully as a pretty rich girl he saved from hooligans when he had yet to become a hunk literally arranges for him to attend an elite school where everyone just like him because of his new specs, all in front of those bullies for that little bit of serves you right moment. For Pete's sake at one point he is even in the cover of a magazine as impromptu model because he is just that handsome. None of that is due to his effort, events out of his control favors him and now his life is better.
So basically, karma will solve your problems for you so just wait and be a good person. I know that that's not exactly what the story wants to be about but it handles its themes of self-worth and overcoming your insecurities so poorly that that's how it comes across. Ultimately, I could only see myself recommending it if someone just wanted a mindless feel-good power fantasy because honestly otherwise it's just a generic isekai. And those very aspects that may have made it a guilty pleasure slowly fade away to be just a generic power fantasy. So honestly it may very likely reach a point where I can't even recommend it for that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Feb 4, 2023
Hey you! Yes you! you came here from The Apothecary Diaries didn't you? if that is the case then let me confirm to you after you read the synopsis that yes, it is basically a diet version of it. Emphasis on diet. Well at least as far as I am on it. It obviously has some difference, it's more of a generic Chinese period drama for one what with the competent and ambitious crown prince with a heart of gold but judged by the evil high-ranking concubine for his low birth, said high-ranking concubine of course wants for her son to be the future emperor
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and will stop at nothing, the crown prince of course has his loyal aid a military officially who gets tragically injured protecting him and his desperate search for a doctor leads him to our heroine a woman of medicine science and logic a contrast to the usual superstition and religion of her field. She even has a quirk; not an obsession with poisons, but muscles; they can't just outright copy Mao Mao.
In the 10 chapters I've read so far this manga while enjoyable is a net downgrade compared to Kusuriya no Hitorigoto. Now you may think that it's unfair to compare it to Apothecary bu as I've very subtly hinted at the whole appeal of this manga is predicated on your appreciation of a story like Apothecary. The majority of its audience will very likely come expecting something like Kusuriya no Hitorigoto. And well, in the same amount of time allocated to both good old Apothecary presented me with much better political plots and characters as a well as a more cohesive universe; especially regarding the skills and knowledge of our "doctor". She has basically modern age levels of medical knowledge and the tools to go with that with no explanation whatsoever outside of "well her dad has knowledge from overseas and that's why she's so good also she has photographic memory because why not". She also very obviously has some form of sociopathy, as she clearly lacks empathy and doesn't know how to understand human emotions, leading her to act inconsiderately, rudely or be downright cold and uncaring. Yeah, I picked up on that story, those hints weren't subtle.
Okay I'm not trying to say that it's bad, it is predictable and a bit generic but it sets up what it does well enough. It's not gonna blow you mind but it won't bore you to death either. So basically, what I'm trying to say is manage your expectations and it will scratch that Apothecary diaries itch well enough until the new chapter drops.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 24, 2022
Ah The Gamer or the quintessential Webtoon experience, a fresh and new idea that makes you excited a world full of mysteries and a good sense of progression. Only for it to meander more and more over time, the chapter length starts to diminish there's less and less actual content per chapter and more and more filler that stretches the story without adding anything. And one day after finishing a chapter you realize "Holy shit this is exactly the same story as the last arc".
There used to be a time where I was genuinely excited when a new chapter of this came out. I
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was one of the early readers after all, picked it up around late 2014 early 2015, but honestly around the whole Arc company and church of mask bs I just decided to call it quits and took a break from the webtoon. Didn't read for years and then one day randomly decided to pick it back up as you can judge from the fact that as of writing this review I am fully up to date. It was so soulless tedious and boring that I wondered why I read this in the first place, and then I remembered. It wasn't always like this, long ago this webtoon used to be full of mysteries and fun each chapter giving you more about the lore and how the Abyss worked, sure there was the now reduced to absolute cringe Nietzche quote thrown in a few times and it wasn't nearly as gritty or serious as it wanted to be at times but it was fresh and interesting and oh by the grace of the gods there was character development. But then Webtoon formula of continuously putting out content to keep your audience interested slowly sucked it dry of any form of creativity and it slowly devolved into:
>MC is mastering newly found power
>New enemy pops up out of nowhere
>New enemy fight MC for some reason
>MC can't win but manage to escape somehow
>Grinding.exe "Now with new Crafting System"
>MC acquires new power and becomes unbelievably stronk
>Destroys new enemy
>side_character.irrelevant watches in awe/complain about how absurd the MC is
>repet
But why am I up to date then?
Sunken cost fallacy, there's nothing else to it, it's not even nostalgia I'm more attached to God of Highschool and Tower of God. I just read too much of it by the time I realized it was shit to get out of the cesspit it had become. I would like to say that at the very least there's one or two interesting side character but even if there are it won't be long before they lose all relevancy and just follow the MC around like a good puppy (hello Lolikiano and Shi-Yun) and then randomly phase in and out of the story (Rip Sun-Ill's relevancy you were best girl). Not to mention initially interesting plot lines getting thrown out the window in favor of random new enemy. Anybody else remember Jihan Han's mother and how she was supposedly related to the Harem king? Are we ever gonna get a proper explanation as to why she just up and left not long after Jihan awakened his powers? No? Everybody else already gave up and accepted this story as another fast-food Webtoon? Okay.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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