Jul 2, 2025
8.5/10
I expected fluff... and I left with trauma.
Okay, it's not to that extent, but this manga was seriously such a rollercoaster of emotions. Every moment and scene were so well crafted, and the mood is one of those "shit's about to hit the fan, I don't know what or how, but something's gonna go wrong." It's honestly amazing, and I couldn't stop scrolling.
There are many aspects of this manga that it excels in, making this review likely to be lengthy, but the story deserves it.
To start, the characters are beautifully crafted and introduced into the story. The main characters have an incredible amount of
...
depth and a deeper backstory that explains their personalities. With that, their personalities aren't set in stone -- I honestly would not have loved this manga at all if the MC was a pushover the entire time, or if the FMC was your average quirky girl who didn't worry about her actions. They receive such a large amount of exposition that the manga could have a "psychological" tag, and I wouldn't doubt it.
Also, the dynamic this manga forms between the main characters is amazing -- the introduction in chapter 1 was incredibly well-written, as it almost hints at a "what could have been" story, and for that brief moment, it was amazing. With that, the plot of this manga is something else. Like I said, I expected fluff, and I have left with an existential crisis craving for more. There are so many unique plot points that are set up, and it all progresses in a thrilling way. I won't spoil anything, but man. The storytelling is peak.
Though, there is one thing that I do fear -- the pacing. I don't know where or how this story will end up past this first arc, since the first arc already seems like it would be the concluding arc of any other mystery story. However, with how well the writing has been so far, that isn't my largest concern.
This is a well-written dark romance manga that keeps its tension throughout every chapter, and it's such a breath of fresh air from all the 100 other carbon-copy wish-fulfillment stories (sorry, not sorry to my gyaru-enjoyer brethren). Read it but don't come in expecting a happy ending... (The author really gotta stop with all these "death" / "shit's going to go south" flags)
Reading Rankings (Portnoy inspired + A Huang-Teizan Original)
10 - God’s penmanship
9 - Must-read. Drop everything else.
8 - Instant bookmark
7 - Entertaining
6 - Good to pass time
5 - Why are you reading this?
4 - Bad.
3 - Typical garbage.
2 - My head hurts.
1 - Retirement is a thought.
0 - “Did they even give you a story?!”
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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