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Atmosphere, the dark, spacious, cinematic presentation and pacing were competent, if perhaps a bit over the top, and while the sequence of events managed to hold my attention, on the whole, nothing stood out or had substantial depth.

The story acknowledges the deaths at hands of corporate excess, the untouchable rich who play god with impunity, and also touches on the hardships of people in life stalling debt or fragile jobs on the verge of familial collapse at no fault of their own, which is a plus, but the story ultimately shies away from any substantial commentary in favour of the easier family secrets and complications ... route.

Perhaps I’m expecting too much from a web comic, or any media I intake these days, but even where the story truly focuses, the bullies, killers, and lover who accepts the protagonist’s darker side after he saves her with numerous violent heroics, feel overdone, regressive even. Albeit the tropes sometimes fluctuate into nuance, Manny prior to his end as amidst major plot contrivances was honestly the most interesting character, but he and everyone else ultimately remained too on the nose in their stereotypical roles. It’s hard to take the psychotic killer face and manic laughter seriously (and if you take a shot every time we get Jin’s one eye death and you’ll go blackout). Were the father straight faced in everything he did, as though he really was just meeting his basic everyday needs, he’d would be far more disturbing.

Despite these gripes I probably enjoyed it more than I’m letting on, but this is the enjoyment akin to junk food. Bingeable, doesn’t require much thinking, and is usually bad for you.

I’m sure many can project aspects of their familial conflicts onto the story, and feel some emotions—of this I’m vaguely one of—or even find inspiration and redemption through Jin’s triumph over his demons, especially if you can accept Kim’s acceptance of him. It’s just, you have to dig through a lot of mid content, and suspend much of your disbelief to engage with any of that.

A soft recommend, but don’t expect more than edge, suspense, interspersed with baseline friendship and romance.

6.6 / 10