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What could've been, is just a fantasy. What has been, is reality. When, if at all, will we finally cross over to our own realities?

Life is full of regrets. It is regret that holds us back, and it is regret that can power us to keep moving forever on.

"Maybe I could've done better."
"Maybe I could've acted differently."
"Maybe I could've changed what happened."
"Maybe."

Had Fujino never urged Kyomoto to leave her room, she would not have ended up the way she did. Had she never gone into her house, they never would have met, and Fujino could have potentially saved her. In regret the mind wallows, and ... in regret it creates its own fantasies. At the end of the day, however, reality is immutable, and we have no choice but to return to our own realities.

Ego is a powerful motivator, and the story does not shy away from that fact. Fujino spends days, months, years even, to perfect her amateurish art, all because she refuses to believe that someone could be better than her. In doing so, she gives up her personal life - other joys in life are accidents, unwanted side-effects. Yet, she knows when to hit the brakes, and only resumes her journey when Kyomoto's praise gives her the much-needed ego boost she needs. The story powerfully covers the topics of regret, joy and interconnectedness. Every decision we make, small or big, results in a different outcome.

Accompanied by simple but emotional music, Fujimoto's art style has been beautifully adapted to the screen, with some shots that were honestly breathtaking to watch. The only thing that irked me about this story was how quickly their relationship developed while simultaneously having little to no effect on their personalities. Do not, however, let this small nitpick of mine deter you from watching this powerful love letter to the world of art.

Life is beautiful, and "Maybe" should not be allowed to tarnish this beauty.

"The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. However.. we are the exceptions."

ABSOLUTE. CINEMA. And I don't say that lightly.

Is Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 a true masterpiece? Maybe not : it really is up to perspective. Is it a spiritual masterpiece in my eyes, no matter its flaws? Absolutely. Coming off the heels of the highly acclaimed Season 1 and the JJK0 movie, there were a lot of expectations tied to this continuation. Be it the animation, the storyline, the music, the characters - it ... had a lot to live up to. And it did not disappoint.

Yes, this season may not have been as polished or refined as Season 1. After all, we had to let go of Principal Yaga's sweet sweet shaded cheekbones. What it lost in eye candy, it made up for in sheer raw animation. Saying that may make you think the animation had a major dip in quality - it did not. It just became slightly flatter, which actually helped it in terms of the fight animation. Even the CGI used this season was much better than whatever we saw in Season 1. The story is not an ultra deep commentary or a character driven drama, and neither does it pretend to be. It performs where absolutely necessary - the action - and does it brilliantly.

If I am to be honest, the Hidden Inventory Arc actually had the most distinct animation style the entire season - scenes could go from looking like they were from a dark anime like Monster to looking like they were directed by Masaaki Yuasa (just one example - Yuki meeting Geto for the first time actually looked like an episode from Ping Pong), and a few scenes were actually uncanny to watch. The moment we returned to the present, Season One's familiar art style returned. As the episodes went on, with the exception of a few episodes, the quality of animation just KEPT. GETTING. BETTER.

It is no secret that MAPPA horrendously mistreated their animators for sheer corporate greed, killing many ideas envisioned by these masterful artists. Yet, it is a testament to their ability that these productions (case in point : episodes 16 and 17, reportedly incomplete on release) came out the absolute beauties they were. I don't think I have ever actually soft-clapped at the end of an episode, which made episode 17, in its entirety, that much more special for me.

This season was a celebration of pure, raw action - and even with that, the plot did not take a back seat. The entirety of the Shibuya arc may have been a sudden turn of events, but that made it much more special - characters were not given any mercy when it came to fighting an overpowered opponent. There was no bullshit plot armour, something I've heard only gets seen more in the later arcs. We saw an entire array of characters come to a narrative end - they were killed, put out of commission or just plain broken, which gave rise to the popular question - "can we just get some filler at this point?"

The season ends with a plot-shattering turn of events, and whatever happened upto this point was put into question - did it amount to anything? The last scene, with Yuji being a different character altogether, showcases how the Shibuya incident changed him - be it for better or worse.

Coming off the sheer beauty that was Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, while technically a prequel, had humongous shoes to fill. It seemingly had to clear the equivalent of a world record pole vault, and clear it, it did. Be it the animation, the story (adapted from the manga that actually preceded Jujutsu Kaisen), the new characters or the soundtrack - Every aspect of the movie was absolute brilliance. Working on a movie budget, the quality was only multiplied.

Gojo being racist was on full disp- nope, off topic.

Yuuta is an interesting character. His circumstances have definitely shaped how wimpy, or rather, scared for ... others, he initially is. Rika is his guardian... angel? I'm not sure. Whatever she is, clingy is all of them. It was definitely off putting just how obsessed Rika is with Yuuta, but the "not being able to accept her death" thing is actually good.

We have Gojo in a different eyepatch. Yeah, that's a significant fact for the fangirls (and the fanboys).

Inumaki, Maki, Panda and Geto are all brought back in this movie. Finally, we get to see some juicy Geto backstory, which makes him all the more dimensional. The movie handles its characters well enough for its entire run.

All in all, this is yet another, unsurprisingly, good MAPPA work.

Jujutsu Kaisen is like a breath of fresh air, not because it has a "unique" storyline or insanely compelling characters, but just because of how well it's handled. Characters are either grounded or caricatures, and there being no middle ground actually helps the show. Absurd and regular, weird and badass, all blend due to their shared trait - the ability to see curses, and (somewhat) fight them.

With some of the most iconic scenes and characters in the past few years, including the genius Aoi Todo with his perfectly believable IQ of 530,000, one can definitely understand the appeal of this show. It pulls the viewer ... in from the very first second, setting up an interesting plot, a believable power system, and an array of diverse characters.

MAPPA set a new standard in animation when this show came out mid-lockdown, and its popularity was definitely enhanced because of how many people were just staying at home doing nothing. With some of the most jaw-dropping action sequences (just please watch the Todo and Yuuji vs Hanami fight on YouTube if the show itself doesn't attract you) in terms of both animation and choreography, and stellar animation even in the most inconsequential of scenes, its success was guaranteed. Successful, it was.

The stylistic opening and ending animations, the lovable characters, the MEMEABILITY - this show had it all. Just one look at Gojo's eyes had Twitter fangirls thirsting harder than a weary traveller in the Sahara (and, incidentally, managed to match Sebastian fangirls).

The tournament arc sets up the upcoming arcs perfectly, and one of the few problems one could find in the entire show would probably be the occasional flat, one-dimensional character. A minor problem it did have was that some part of it still felt like "here's a new villain of the week", but that makes sense since the show needs to set up its power system and build up to something (hopefully). Though the season ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, it still feels like an almost complete package, inciting anticipation for what's to come next.

To put it as simply as one can - the sheer brilliance of Fullmetal Alchemist : Brotherhood, that which made it the favourite child of the anime community for seemingly forever, has overshadowed how good the original story, and anime itself, actually was. Fullmetal Alchemist is a much darker tale in its essence, and past the basic plot of Brotherhood and some early storylines, is vastly different. Where Brotherhood seeks to tell a legendary tale, the original prefers to put the human tendency to unnecessarily obsess on the past, and sometimes on the future, on display.

Acknowledging how different the two are, I shall try not ... to compare them too often.

Fullmetal Alchemist, in terms of its animation, is actually quite good. Disregarding the time when it came out (2003), it is a generally well animated show. Some of the action is pretty well choreographed, though most of the show is not as action-centric as the shounen tag may imply. The same can be said for the music used in the show : Dante's theme (if that is the official name) is one of the most haunting pieces I have heard. And, believe it or not, they even use Beethoven's 5th Symphony (or at least that's what it sounded like) near the end, which is surprising considering they're in London for that particular scene. I had forgotten how good these openings were, especially Melissa by Porno Graffiti.

Now the main complaint people seemingly had against it - the story. The first few episodes were direct adaptations of the manga, with the sequence of events rearranged, or in some cases, fillers that tried to establish some relation with the main storyline. Even then, the Majhal and Psiren episodes were pretty entertaining to watch. Ed and Al have a borderline obsession, first with bringing their mother back to life, and then with getting their hands on the Philosopher's Stone. There are certainly issues here - the pacing, at times, is terrible. However, with time, the writers really come into their element with how the plot is supposed to progress. It sets up the Ishbalan conflict, Liorian revolt and the Elric Brothers' past simultaneously, and does not forget to make it engaging and well constructed. Marcoh's desertion, Bald's attack and Scar's brutality are all brilliantly depicted.

The main essence of this show is in the second half of the story. The reality of the Homunculi's existence, and their desire to be alive again, are some of the best story plots I have seen. Envy's hatred of Hohenheim, Dante's past and the recreation of the Ishbalan War all invoked a sense of discomfort and disbelief in what was happening. Edward's sacrifice to achieve his lifetime obsession of bringing Alphonse back is, albeit confusing at first, pretty satisfying to watch.

One of my main problems with this iteration of Fullmetal Alchemist is that, while it has some amazingly constructed and well built-up characters, also uses others underwhelmingly, not giving them the screentime they deserve. A fantastic example of this would be Greed. He is formally introduced only 6-7 episodes before his death, and despite being an interesting character, spends most of his time walking around with his hands in his pockets and being cocky. His death at Edward's hands hits hard, but not nearly as hard as it could have hit had he been built up better, especially because we know nothing about him apart from the fact that he is a good leader and is, for some reason, against the Homunculi (again, not explained). Similarly, Hohenheim is built up as this bad father, is there for 2-3 episodes as a chill character, and then straight up disappears till the end. Another problem I had was with Mecha Archer. I'll leave it at that. Some of the storylines also keep going in circles until they somehow exit that loop.

In conclusion, while I firmly believe that the original series is overhated beyond disbelief for its divergence from the original manga, I also must acknowledge how many parts were flawed, while others were brilliantly executed. I firmly believe that Alphonse's monologue about equivalent exchange from the original series should have been included in Brotherhood. What we got, though, was still much better than what it is made out to be by the masses, and it should be accordingly appreciated.

"Why do I run? If I go forward, I feel like something will change. Even just a little bit."

A common trope in most psychologically genred media, with "heavy" plotlines, seems to be how the true monster resides within humans. 'Who is the true monster here - the devils that exist as they should, or the humans that kill innocents for their own righteousness?'

Devilman: Crybaby fits into that side of media. It is a flawed show, no doubt, but whatever it does good, it does fantastically. Whether it be the occasional rap it throws into its episodes to convey what it feels like to ... live in the city from the perspective of a side character, the wonderfully executed side stories, or the characters themselves. Each aspect of what makes it a show is done to subjective perfection.

The animation, only lackluster at times, is otherwise fabulous. It goes for a rough, simple, scribbled look, and like most Masaaki Yuasa works, manages to use it to the show's advantage. The music is probably the finest aspect of the show, evoking joy, sorrow and hype as and when needed.

Akira is a really conflicting character - some may like him and others may not. He is a very emotional, optimistic and empathetic person. When he is shouldered with inhibiting the devil Amon from taking over his body, he is able to because of his humanity, because somewhere inside him is a will strong enough to contain the mightiest of devils.

Ryo is quite an opposite of Akira - deadpan, pessimistic and apathetic. He is not devoid of pleasure - rather, he finds it in odder things. He is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his end goal, follow his plan of action, even if it means plunging the world into an unstoppable chaos.

The viewer is never really explained who Amon, Silene and Kaim, as well as the demon association, are. They just... exist. Maybe it is a reference to the original Devilman, a show that canonically exists in this universe. As someone who has never watched it, I may never know. Yet, it is a part of the story not necessarily important enough to be covered. After all, this is more of a character drama than a supernatural action series.

The show itself has some of the most powerful scenes in anime - not those which have a lot of great animation and shouting (yes, those are great too). No, these scenes are complete with breathtaking visuals and raw human emotion. Two examples I can think of are Kukun's rap to Miko and Noel's breakdown (there are some others too).

Kukun's rap comes out of basically nowhere. He starts rapping about his own personal experiences to Miko out of compulsion, yet there is something about it that attracts Miko's attention - it is her story as well. For a solid minute, Kukun raps with no backing music as we slowly see a mix of emotions build up in Miko, confusing her, providing her joy, relief and a feeling of being accepted. This is such an interesting way of applying "show don't tell" into the story - rather than using montages, there are subtle hints dropped in buildup to this scene where everything she feels, everything that conflicts her, is laid out for the viewer.

Noel's breakdown is a much darker scene. He is sent out into the apocalyptic world to look for his runaway wife and son, not knowing that his young son has turned into a devil. His wife runs away without any explanation, so it is natural for him to do so, yet what he stumbles upon is the dark reality of his situation. After finally locating his family, he reaches a bare, dark tent. He sees legs poking out from somewhere inside. Recognising his wife, he calls her name.

And then he finally witnesses his son, a fully transformed, crying monster, eating his own mother. Noel is obviously taken aback. Having so much to deal with, he starts crying. He knows he must shoot, but cannot bring himself to do so. A tear turns into two, which multiply further, until he yells out in anguish. His inability to shoot, and his unmoving stance, are what get him killed. Words cannot possibly describe how powerful the scene was to watch, seeing this father figure, this protector that Akira respected, just fully break.

With one of the most compelling endings I have ever witnessed, Devilman: Crybaby left no stones unturned. Weird scenes, gorgeous art, fabulous foreshadowing and astonishing music only cover some of it. The last 2 episodes are near perfect cinematic marvels, with an occasional "trippy as hell" scene, putting on display heartbreak, betrayal, death, violence, sorrow, all in their entirety. Yes, the show is not for everybody, yet the sheer level to which it went to convey its messages is respectable regardless.

"I think I know enough of hate, to know that for destruction ice, is also great, and would suffice" - Robert Frost.

Is Buddy Daddies an "Action" show, as described by the genre it is associated with on this website? Not really. Is it a great show about the ups and downs of parenting in a household where bloodshed puts food on the table? Absolutely.

This show, definitely, is a twist on the plot of SpyxFamily, where now, both parents are hitmen, and the child quite literally forces her way into their lives rather than being adopted. The story itself is set in modern-day Japan rather than a World War Europe-esque landmark.

Maybe it is the, though limited, action scenes that popularised the show? No, but they ... most definitely had the capability to do so. The action choreography in certain scenes is just enthralling to watch.

So is it the animation and music that makes it good? Maybe. The music in the latter half becomes even better that what we saw in the first half,so that does something. The animation, similarly, is splendid throughout.

Is the show comparable to SpyxFamily? Yes, but should it really be compared? Should these shows be seen as two different shows that happened to come out in the same era, with largely similar plotlines. Does comparing one to the other, trying to find flaws in one rather than the other, result in anything productive? No.

Buddy Daddies is its own show through and through. Yes, it is similar to SpyxFamily, but both shows exist to depict two different scenarios. Loid Forger is just that - a Forger. He seeks to build a fake family solely for the sake of the mission at hand. To win Yor and Anya over, he is willing to do anything. Yet, with time, he builds bonds with those he believed would never be important to him. In contrast to this, Kurusu Kazuki lives with his literal partner in crime, the disgraced, shut-in, Suwa Rei. They do not seek to build any fake families for the purpose of a mission. Rather, their "families" would be consodered hindrances in their small-scale hitmen missions.

SpyxFamily shows a man who desires to serve his country in a war, and finds happiness along the way (as of now, at least), while Buddy Daddies is a complete, shorter, story about people who, by virtue of the happiness brought about by Unasaka Miri, can find within themselves the ability to change and outgrow their past. From that perspective, Buddy Daddies is definitely similar to, but not quite a copy of, SpyxFamily.

Probably the best part of the show is the characters. Kazuki is an outgoing, optimistic and reflective person, while Rei is an introverted, pessimistic yet caring person. This contrast in their personalities allows them to shine when it comes to raising Miri as their own child. They realise how their jobs could put those they cherish at danger, and that they should not build unnecessary bonds. Despite that, they are willing to provide Miri a loving home. They feel like real parents, and their emotional moments, while definitely exaggerated sometimes, are quite understandable.

Miri herself is an adorable character that behaves her age. She gets angry, sad, loud, quiet, all on her own whims. She behaves like a typical toddler, and righfully so. Misaki's sacrifices early on to raise her as well as she could, and Kazuki and Rei's upbringing, make her no different from any other child.

There are not many central characters, and perhaps that is where the show's ups and downs are most visible. The show does so much with the limited characters it has, and that is a good thing. Unasaka Misaki's fate is a hard-hitting example.

However, their "backstories" are sometimes compromised due to the same reason. Karin, Kazuki's sister in law, appears for one episode to set things right, and then just disappears, never to be mentioned again. Maybe that is understandable, for she did announce that she would go abroad to study.

Then we can shift focus to Rei's old master, the one who betrays the organisation. He is never mentioned before, never after. He is just set up as a character important to Rei, with a simple explanation of having old ties. The viewer can never understand how impactful his last words to Rei could possibly have been.

Nitpicking, however, would devalue everything. I have spent the entire review mentioning SpyxFamily, and see no reason to stop now. Yes, Buddy Daddies has a similar premise. No, it is not a ripoff. Yes, the experience is, even if slightly, different. No, the similarities should not typically serve as a barrier for viewers.

"Magic, destined only to breed conflict, is now, for the first time, a tool to unite us, all thanks to one boy."

Is Mashle a deep tale of trust, love, betrayal, friendship, acceptance and power? Occasionally. Is it good? Absolutely.

Mashle is a comedy manga, which, by itself, does not convey much about its quality. After all, comedy and humour are subjective.

What the manga does good is that it constantly toes the line between "inspired" and "copied", and never throughout the story does it ever feel truly ripped off. The entire layout of Easton is based on Hogwarts (Harry Potter). Innocent Zero's jailbreak is ... almost a one-to-one recreation of the Death Eaters' escape (Harry Potter). Mash's character is designed to look and act like Saitama (One Punch Man). The first few chapters cover how, if he wishes to survive, he must become a Divine Visionary despite lacking the magical prowess to do so, a somewhat similar plotline to Naruto, wherein he wishes to become Hokage someday. The Divine Visionary Selection Arc parallels the Chunin Exam Arc, and Innocent Zero's declaration of war, as well as his whole persona, is vastly similar to Orochimaru's arc. Mash's return to the battle after he loses his heart is a hilarious twist on Truth and The Gate (Fullmetal Alchemist). Dot is similar to Neji (Naruto) and Lemon is similar to Sakura (Naruto). These parallels can be drawn with other series, throughout the manga, as well, but the point still stands.

Mashle is derivative. It is a typical shounen action/comedy manga that derives a lot, and I mean A LOT, from other manga, anime and movies. Yet, that doesn't mean it is unoriginal. For each "copied" element, the mangaka puts his own subtle twist, which is just enough for the whole story to remain intact.

Even the characters, weird as they are, have something to contribute to the story. Their stories follow that shounen trope of "life flashing before death or while in danger", but their motivations are usually understandable. After all, superior innovation is not something one can expect from a normal shounen manga.

Mash being the "odd one out" for not having magic makes him the perfect protagonist, as he is the only one who can guide the reader while providing an outsider's perspective. Though he is at constant risk of being exposed and persecuted, he is also the one who can truly unify the magicians and the "lackmagics" in an otherwise hopeless battle against a common foe.

There is something inherently funny about Mash just roasting his opponents on the regular while still maintaining a deadpan expression and an undying love for cream puffs. Yes, his power is unrealistic, but so is the rest of the story. Most of the characters are caricatures, and somehow still fit into the somewhat serious tone of the second half of the manga.

The art in the first few chapters is rough at best, but the mangaka quickly improves, to the point where, during the second half, some panels are absolutely gorgeous. Even the story takes a similar path - the first half builds all potential enemies up, only for them to explode onto the page with a flair of style and badassery.

What can one entail from this? Mashle was great, at least for some. Some disliked those exaggerated parts just as much as others who liked them. The entire manga is subjective, and for good reason - there is nothing exactly special about the manga, it just exists to be appreciated by those interested.

"I shall say it once more. I am the record of your struggles, the evidence of your resistance, and the reward of your pain."

Solo Leveling. One of the most popular manhwas in recent times, known for how overpowered its protagonist, Sung Jin-Woo, got, how his origins were at the bottom, how he rose from the ranks of "World's Weakest Hunter" to someone even the strongest would fear.

In its essence, it embodies the worst parts of a trash isekai fantasy that someone would discard after a few chapters, a story arc or two, for being unrealistic. And while Solo Leveling embodies those tropes, it ... also manages to deliver on them well, never descending to the level of a typical self-insert story.

What helps its case? Consistency. Sung Jin-Woo isn't a person who gives up easily - that part of his personality has always been present. He is a keen, observant, persevering fellow. Even in the very first Cartenon Temple incident, we can see how, despite lacking the power to do so, he fends off all attacks on him and his team.

So when he is granted this special power by the 'system', it is not unsurprising that he strives to improve himself, that he tries to fix whatever it is about him that was an obstacle in the past. He is able to break past his limits purely because he strives. For betterment, and for power. (And also because he is "ever so slightly" lucky).

The manhwa is widely acclaimed as one of the greats, and for good reason. The art is stunning, even in the most minor of scenes, and the action is wonderfully crafted. The characters are all distinct and memorable. The story itself never really drops much in quality, as each arc presents new challenges to "The Player", as he slowly levels up.

The monarch storyline was a bit confusing at first, but the manhwa used exposition cleverly - it dumped information on the reader thrice, but never made it overwhelming, and made it quite understandable. The history, the war, the rivalry, they were all touched on just enough for the reader to understand what had happened, was happening, and would happen.

Some readers were dissatisfied with the ending, and there is part of it that could be considered strange. I personally liked it, as it put on display, once again, the part of "Shadow Monarch" Sung Jin-Woo that humanises him after all that he has become - he cares not only for himself, but for everyone around him. He believes that, since he has this power, he should protect those who don't. He is willing to sacrifice a large part of his life to singlehandedly take up the responsibility of ending this long-lasting war without loss of innocent life. That noble desire in itself is what separates him from the other monarchs - a lack of desire for ultimate power and domination, and a will to restore peace.

That was the good.

The bad is not as prevalent a trait in this manhwa, but is certainly present. It is a problem many other creations face, and one that Solo Leveling, no matter how hard it may have tried, could probably not have fully gotten rid of - underused side characters.

One example of this would be Guild Leader of the White Tigers' Guild, Baek Yoonho, among other guild leaders. He is one of the first to recognise Sung Jin-Woo's potential, and how he is a hunter that can continuously grow. Yet, once the Jeju Island Raid is completed, he is quite literally sidelined till the very end. There is a valid argument to be made here - he, and the other leaders, had simply fulfilled their purpose in the story. And that argument is understandable.

So there should be another example. And there is. Sung Jin-Woo's father, Sung Il-Hwan. He is never really present in the story, and appears in only four or five chapters, in total. He is never made to be a character that the reader should really care about, only one that is present here and there, someone who has some relation to the protagonist. It's not even a situation where Sung Jin-Woo is actively trying to seek him out - all we are told is that, 4 years ago, he left and never came back.

Thus, when he dies, it isn't as impactful as it could have been if we saw even some scenes with him being a part ofSung Jin-Woo's life before hunters. But there was nothing. All the scene had going for it was the reaction of Sung Jin-Woo and his mother, who would obviously be saddened by his death.

Another side of this problem is underintroduced characters. Antares, the Destruction Monarch, along with the Transfiguration Monarch, would be great examples of this. The Destruction Monarch, only ever mentioned by name, only talked about as a support for the Shadow Monarch, was suddenly a foe that could conquer armies. Yet this was understandable, as his power had been somewhat hinted at. However, the Transfiguration Monarch, never even mentioned before, was somehow the one controlling all the troops fighting the war. Never had he even been mentioned, and it felt odd that a story so dedicated to make its power system well-constructed, would resort to such methods.

That should be the end of such a fine manhwa - some flaws, but an overall great experience. However, there is one part left.

After the manhwa ended, there were roughly 20 more chapters worth of side-stories. While they are apparently from the original and Ragnarok novel series, I shall limit my exploration of these stories to to chapters of the manhwa that I read.

At first, I quite liked the concept - Sung Jin-Woo returning to normal life after having worked tirelessly for so long, to a world where nobody would ever know how much he sacrificed, yet one where those he loved would be alive and well. Even though some disliked him ending up with Hunter Cha, it was not an ending that I personally rejected, as it had been somewhat built up to.

My favourite chapter of them all was the one where we spend almost 300 pages in the Repose, where Igris is the narrator. Something alwayd made Igris interesting to me, so seeing such a long chapter from his perspective, how he narrated his own journey, really hit the right spots.

The problem lies in the last five chapters.
Even if these are alternate dimensions, it seems a tad bit unrealistic that Sung Jin-Woo's son, a high schooler, would be able to clear the 100-floor demon tower in a day. The problem is mainly due to one obvipus reason.

Sung Su-Ho levels up to 99 in a mere day, with none of the abilities Jin-Woo had, bare handed, by fighting regular monsters over and over. However, this is believeable, as even Jin-Woo did level up by constantly fighting.

Despite all the problems prevalent in the side stories, and how the action became slightly harder to follow (or maybe I'm just dumb), there is a somewhat satisfying conclusion - Sung Su-Ho, just like his father Sung Jin-Woo, will continue to strive for power, as the will to protect and survive has certainly been passed down.

Pupa is yet another entry in the vast array of horrendous anime; bad animation, worse narrative. That about sums it up.

But why did it end up like this? Why did this show, which started off at least a bit interesting, though not good, end up as this terrible, hated show?

In one word - Nonsense.

Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, even in the context of where the story was trying to go, made any sense at all. Characters were supposed to go down a certain path, but instead, subverting even their own expectations, went down the path of psychedelics and the occasional acid trip. Also, WHY WAS THERE INCEST?

Music ... was forgettable, animation was pretty bad. Overall, it's just a failure.