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Chinese web novels are known to have that formulaic plot of cultivation or hoarding resources with that generic comic-y artstyle as they drag things out by pulling a plot progression catalyst out of their ass, and this manhua doesn't stray from those qualities.

The only reason I tried to read this was due to how promising it looked when its anime adaptation got released. The curiosity got the better of me and I ended up reading more than 800 chapters on a website last year that was very up to date with a very clean scanlation up until that website disappeared, so I tried rereading this ... from a legit website/extension on my manga app.

Now for the review:
- Good starting story of two siblings who are poor and trying to get by in life
- Decently introduced and somehow unique power system (web novel standards)
- OP is somehow a good comic relief and his powers getting stronger by gaining points from negative emotions (him annoying everyone) is captivating
- The first few arcs up until the Japan Espionage and Europe Visitation Arc were still good since those arcs showcased the potential heroines/love interests and how they fell in love with the MC despite his scum-like attitude. Anything after that went downhill and it became your typical dragged powerscaling slop while also rendering the previous power system obsolete.
- The last few arcs focused on a certain antagonist which is good but again, the story was dragged too long at this point and the explanation on MC's continuous growing power related to his vague past can't be taken seriously with how random the elements come in to the story.
- Dialogue from my understanding wasn't that great. Either because of the shitty English translation, or maybe because Chinese humor was too literal/alien for me. It's basically your typical Manhua slop and how you shouldn't expect too much from this medium literary-wise compared to how narratives work on mangas.

The manhua would've been 7/10 at most if it was able to pace itself better while also introducing certain elements smoothly. The first few arcs I mentioned were really captivating, but progressing past that would be a painful read. At this point, I'm just finishing what I started and am only reading this whenever there's a new scanlated chapter update. Bit by bit, the English scanlation should reach up to Chapter 920 which is the manhua's official end.

When it comes to reading web novels (manhwa/manhua), I always lower my expectations with this medium with the notion of either the story would be generic and incoherent, the artstyle/visuals would be just soulless vectors colors filled in, the plot would be nonsensical, the details are shallow, or the dialogue would be shitty and overly-edgy. This is one of those many web novels where you could only enjoy this if you turned your brain off.

- The plot seemed good at first glance. It's your typical "zero to hero" and "game system" web novel centralized around this boy being bullied by gang members in a school ... setting.
- It seems to be able to resonate with a couple of Koreans (since the target audience experiences a lot of bullying) while making it a bit enjoyable to see on how MC pushes through with every antagonist.
- The generic "game system" gimmick is a bit refreshing to see since this time, it makes use of cards instead. Of course they still give stat boosts, winning hands, and even certain martial arts techniques that I didn't even know existed. The gamified stats were of course generic as well but they used different appraisal values which is something given it's in a high school gang setting.
- The artstyle and visuals are your typical web novel digitally made graphics that feels uninspired and generic.
- The story basically progressed everytime a new school gang within their region discovers who MC is, and it seems in this worldbuilding, students from every school just loiter around, get hired to be gang members, and occupy schools on repeat throughout the web novel
- The premise wasn't really executed pretty well and led me to a deduct a single point given how unrealistic and stupid the plot looks (highschoolers that look like adults "invading" schools used as gang territory while those same teenagers try to kill each other for "occupying" business or loitering points like it's WW2)
- A lot of "Why didn't they just do this?" moments and plot holes in the story. Basically a lot of unnecessary and roundabout stuff just to develop the plot the author just seems to ignore.
- The last war arc was somehow entertaining given the twist or the revelations on the who's and why's (won't spoil this one)

Overall, this web novel was consistent enough to be able to create a complete story about Korean high school gangs and MC's character development which deserves an additional point. The only major turn off that doesn't let it get rated higher by me is the fact that the premise is stupid and unrealistic since they're using the "high schoolers in the real world" setting.

Given that this genre or the medium itself is usually trash, this is a cut above the rest or the cream of the crop if you love web novel slop while thirsting all over the male characters. If it was written better, it could have been a "must recommend".

I haven't read the source of this adapted anime but I think the supposed appeal of this show was to catch you off-guard with the serious undertone and nuances of the characters despite the goonbait title.

- The production was alright, it was your typical seasonal show animation and it's hard to fuck up with shows like these
- It tackles the real life occurring problem of broken families and their reintegration as a whole
- The anime direction was unique since it's supposed to resemble a realistic IRL interaction and how the words don't match up with how you say it
- The dialogue seems to be the ... main depth of the show for those who liked it but the vocal performance was stale and dry, basically making the show such a chore to watch (it was like watching paint dry)
- Plot never seems to develop (for the first 4 episodes I watched), they're basically going around in circles which if the source was also like that makes sense but in anime format? Boring
- It's supposed to be this layered, sophisticated, unlike any other anime slop that gives you depth and comfort with its direction, but basically "It insists upon itself." and the entertainment value dropped too hard in order to enrich its deepness
- The main flaw or turnoff of this anime was it's just too boring. Entertainment isn't just about inhaling information or being enlightened by moral lessons, it also isn't just about depth or sophisticatedness, it's also about (wait for it...) entertaining the audience. And guess what this anime lacked, entertainment value.

Consensus: It's boring, it's pretending to be this deep piece of work while the viewers who liked it seem to pretend it has depth when all it was was just tackling how broken families work, the voice direction was bad and stale (a first of anything I've watched), the only appeal it has is the fact that the word "Stepsister" is in the title. It's basically not a beginner anime watcher friendly show, but I get how some would appreciate this, it's just not for me subjectively.