A tale of two wounded souls who speak different languages, yet learn to trust each other and endure together — a reminder of how essential communication truly is.
⚠️ Minor early spoilers ahead ⚠️ 한국어 리뷰 포함
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Story
The start was rather a drag to read at first - the majority of the initial episodes were alarmingly exasperating.
There were even those that had trigger warnings on suicide or gaslighting trauma.
...
Nevertheless, such accrued gradualness pays off in the second half, which makes it worth reading.
It is not a mass-produced, time wasting webtoon.
It was particularly gratifying that the middle and late sections were done in a long, drawn-out romance.
And I should say- it was especially pleasurable to see the male protagonist agonize.
A special thing about this story is that the hopeless scenario begins to unfold once a male and female protagonist change their bodies.
To be quite frank, there could not be a more straightforward method of making two people understand one another than the very literal walking in their shoes.
It is technically a romantic fantasy, but not so.
It has romantic elements, fantasy elements, but rather than applying the cliched overpowered tropes of reincarnation, possession, regression or isekai, as lazy plot elements, it derives meaning between two radically different individuals using its fantasy component (as the title implies).
The tone feels fresh.
It is not as deep into the abyss of the impoverished manhwas, but of mainstream comics, it is one of the heaviest that I ever read.
The main characters of most romance-fantasy novels have been light-hearted or average, but in this case, the lead character is a virtuous princess who has been sold in a marriage - to a sociopath husband to scam him and steal his money.
I have read manhwas where the protagonists die and regress on the first chapter, but this was the first webtoon where the heroine attempts suicide, and is even refused that. Not to get immersed to this story was impossible.
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Characters
The heroine is a good woman, upright and competent, yet totally isolated.
It was refreshing to be a witness of such a solid and serious mc in a romance-fantasy.
That is why it was difficult not to hate the male protagonist because of his cruel behavior of cornering her.
The male lead, too, is unusual.
The only thing he has is money.
He is not familiar with how to love and be loved, hence he does not care about the heroine during three long years. After knowing his backstory, I understood him, but I was able to forgive him.
Was he obliged to go that far? Nevertheless, it was very gratifying to see him put to torture afterwards.
Instead, the villains are one-dimensional, which is a bit disappointing.
They are shallow, hallow, and even thoughtless.
Their downfall is much too easy after tormenting the heroine as much as they did.
They would lose their property and titles? That’s it? They should have been executed after their action - perhaps even exterminated all the family.
However, our heroine is too righteous to do that.
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Overall
The art is lovely throughout its length and breadth, no out of model scenes, no churned out sketches.
The plot is smooth, the action is good and the plot direction holds your attention to the very end.
언어가 다른, 상처받은 남녀가 서로에게 기대어 난관을 극복해나가는 이야기.
대화와 소통의 중요성을 다시금 깨닫게 해주는 작품이다.
⚠️ 초반부 스포일러 주의 ⚠️
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스토리
초반부는 진입장벽이 꽤 높았다. 대부분의 에피소드가 답답한 전개로 빌드업되어 있어서, 읽는 내내 고구마를 먹는 기분이었다.
몇몇 화에는 자살이나 가스라이팅 트라우마 관련 경고문까지 붙어 있을 정도.
하지만 그만큼 탄탄하게 쌓은 빌드업이 후반부에 제대로 보상된다. 그래서 결국 읽을 가치가 충분하다고 느꼈다.
양산형 타임킬링 웹툰이 아니라, 제대로 감정선을 쌓아가는 작품이었다.
중후반부의 긴 로맨스 파트는 특히 좋았고, 남주가 죽도록 고생하는 장면은 묘하게 통쾌했다.
이 작품의 가장 큰 특징은, 끝도 없이 암울했던 상황이 남주와 여주의 ‘몸이 뒤바뀌는 사건’ 으로 풀려간다는 점이다.
이보다 더 직관적인 문제 해결 방식이 또 있을까 싶다.
‘로맨스 판타지’ 장르에 속하지만, 흔히 말하는 로판은 아니다.
로맨스와 판타지 요소는 분명 있지만, 흔한 이세계·빙의·전생·회귀 같은 치트 설정으로 개연성을 억지로 만들어내지 않는다.
제목처럼, 서로의 차이를 이해하게 만드는 장치로서만 판타지적 요소가 활용된다.
작품의 분위기 역시 신선했다.
‘피폐물’의 정점까진 아니지만, 메이저 작품들 중에서는 가장 마이너한 감정을 담고 있다고 느꼈다.
대부분의 로판 주인공들이 평범하고 가벼운 분위기를 지니는 반면,
여기 여주인공은 올곧은 왕녀이자 사기 결혼 장사의 희생양이고, 남편은 소시오패스다.
이런 설정 덕분에 분위기가 가벼워질 틈이 없다.
첫 화부터 주인공이 죽어서 회귀하는 전개는 많이 봤지만,
주인공이 자살했는데 죽는 것조차 허락되지 않는 웹툰은 처음이라 굉장히 몰입해서 읽었다.
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캐릭터
여주인공은 올바르고 유능한 공주이지만, 주변에 의지할 사람이 없다.
로판에서 이렇게 고지식하고 올곧은 캐릭터는 처음이라 신선했다.
그래서 그런 그녀를 끝까지 몰아붙인 남주가 너무 미웠다.
남주인공도 독특하다. 가진 건 돈뿐이다.
사랑하는 법도, 사랑받는 법도 몰라서 여주를 3년 동안 방치했다.
그의 과거를 알고 나면 어느 정도 이해는 되지만, 그래도 용서는 안 된다.
그렇게까지 해야 했을까?
그래서일까, 후반부에 남주가 고생하는 장면이 통쾌하게 느껴졌다.
반면 빌런들은 너무 단순하다.
매력도 없고, 생각도 없어 보인다.
여주를 그렇게까지 괴롭혀놓고도 너무 쉽게 무너진다.
그 정도 악행이면 사형을 당해도 모자랄 텐데, 겨우 재산 몰수와 작위 박탈이라니.
조금은 아쉬운 부분이다.
차라리 노예로 부려도 시원찮을 악당들이지만… 어쩌겠는가, 우리 여주인공이 너무 올곧아서.
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총평
처음부터 끝까지 그림체가 아름다웠고, 작화 붕괴도 없었다.
스토리도 좋고, 분량도 적당하며, 연출도 뛰어나서 몰입감이 아주 높았다.
완성도 있는 작품이었다.
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