A rapid-fire roundup of my thoughts and feelings on the webtoons/manhwa (specifically in the otome isekai subgenre) I’ve read in the past few weeks.
I have really liked this so far. It’s a fun change of pace in the male yandere space.
I really enjoy how well-intentioned but horribly pathetic the FL is.
The ML’s childhood friend is a delight and I’m still holding out for some actual background yuri in this one because she seems genuinely attached to the FL. I will be dropping it if she becomes a white lotus. I feel like that is fundamentally incompatible with the appeal of the series.
I am thrilled that Spoon is back with a new series!!! The art is gorgeous.
I missed getting genuinely mean girls in this genre. I’ve also missed girls who are so damaged that they can’t even pretend to be nice to get what they want.
I am so excited to see where this goes!!!
Villainous Husband, the One You’re Obsessed With Is Over There
Dropped after 5 chapters.
The translation I was reading said: “And I, once again, found myself reincarnated on the path of a doomed wedding procession with the lunatic villain, the tyrant emperor” which made me HOWL with laughter because there was zero indication that she had been reincarnated previously. I ended up finding a better translation that said something else, and I realized it was not a double reincarnation story and was disappointed that I could not continue it.
I found both the FL and ML to be boring.
How to Get on the Main Character’s Flower Path
Extreme yuri bait!!!!! But I fuck with this story HEAVY so far!!
The FL is absolutely delightful. Everyone in the cast is a delight.
I’m not surprised that Tapas tripped over itself to get the official licensing for the series so quickly.
Another one going on the regular rotation.
Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story
Finished the series after 100 chapters with 16 chapters of side stories.
I made a larger post about this already, but I finally finished the series. I did not enjoy the journey, but I wept like a baby at the end of it after finding out the truth about why the reincarnations were happening and what the OG!FL felt. Nothing hits harder than an otherwise virtuous woman who loves another woman so viciously that she is willing to do uncharacteristically cruel things for her. Rhyse really said it’s time to do an Orpheus timeloop AU.
I actually liked the male lead in this one, but I am so mad that, even in light of that ending, we are still expected to feel enthused about him. Like. Girl, go back into that church and get your girlfriend. She altered time and space to find a single version of your story where you were happy. That man would never do that for you. (But also I guess it works out. She loves the OG!Edith and you are a hollow replacement.)
Ending the last side story with OG!Edith and OG!Rhyse reuniting and not letting them kiss was SICK. I was so upset I cried for at least thirty minutes.
Would I recommend this story? No. Do I regret reading it? Ugh. Also no.
Dropped after 3 chapters.
I found the FL unlikeable in a way I did not enjoy at all.
It seemed like a pretty classic power fantasy story, so they had to show off her savvy by having her make wild assumptions about Ariel’s maid and be entirely correct based on nothing but weird vibes. I enjoy it when a psycho girl is actually entirely correct about things when it’s a bit humorous and dark, but she’s not paranoid at all! She’s just right all the time!! Boring!
I’m a Villain But I’m Favored
Dropped at chapter 5, but I might try again in a few months
The only thing that stuck out to me is that the ML met the FL in a seedy tavern, and he was in a normal cloak, but the FL was in a baby pink cloak. Like girl, why are you wearing THIS to the super secret meetup:
I laughed way too hard and then realized that she actually woke up like that!!! Which means this cunty decision actually belongs to the previous body's owner. I immediately started to mourn this fallen baddie. I’m so sorry, OG!FL. Reincarnated!FL has nothing on you. I bet you were happy to be evil and end the world, but the girl who stole your body is a big baby about it. Flop!!
I actually was charmed by the premise. I enjoy isekai stories that include a “system” bossing the main characters around. I’m a fan of gamer fics for the same reason.
The system trying to get her to do evil stuff was silly. I liked that!
I think there should be more evil girls post-isekai in these stories. Depths of Malice………. I still talk about you and your evil girl swag………….. call me.
Thriving Agency for Regretful Male Leads in Full Operation!
Both the ML and FL are different kinds of stupid which made me giggle while reading it.
Compared to other additions to this genre that include the “story in a story” anthology style, this is a weaker one. The story selection is interesting, but they all go on for a few chapters too long, and I am much more invested in the drama of the main characters.
I didn’t like that the childcare story-in-a-story decided the servants were actually correct and justified hurting that little girl because she was being possessed by demons frfr. I thought it was lame and stupid.
A rare W for the “I accidentally raised my future husband” trope—mainly because 1.) he’s not a child, 2.) I don’t think he’s even human, 3.) he supernaturally grows into his adult form very quickly, 4.) she doesn’t really raise him at all, and 5.) you can tell there is never really a child/parent or adult caretaker relationship present between them. I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel here, sorry.
Their Obsession Will Ruin Me
Another system-based isekai story!
I am terribly endeared by the FL. I love kuuderes. Girls who keep a tight leash on their emotions……..… you are SO precious to me.
Eight chapters in: I love her. I love her so much. God, she is my favorite kind of female lead.
Twenty chapters in: I am charmed by how terrible the male leads are. They’re all horrible except my boy Skylar—and he'ss a pathetic wet feral kitten. Poor guy. The men in his family are trying to give him a heart condition.
Thirty-nine chapters in: Skylar is definitely getting that heart condition. Rex wants to see his heart EXPLODE.
I flew through this story!!!!!! I loved it!!
It makes me laugh that Skylar absolutely got the heart condition I was talking about but it just made him a baby yandere <3 good for him <3 he’s still pathetic and I want to stick him in a sock and use the sock to hit the human version of him over and over.
I feel like going to be thinking about this one for a while! I’ve read complaints that the FL is too passive, but I actually think she is very smart and, unlike other heroines, has remained steadfast in her goal. She has not angsted over how cruel it is to lead on the male leads. She has her own goals, she has stuck to them, and her shiny spine is palpable whenever she isn’t being threatened into compliance.
All the characters have been delightful, and the power dynamics actually read as sinister. It is already rare to encounter a story in this niche where the stakes feel real. Lovely. I will be RUNNING back to this series on a weekly basis once it returns from hiatus. If they do end up producing physical copies, I think I’ll pick those up.
Now I just have to wait until July for the hiatus to stop.
…
My Childhood Friends Are Trying to Kill Me
The first arc was a lot of fun (and the art is gorgeous) but the FL after the timeskip feels like a different character!
The sure did stop trying to kill her awfully fast for the title of this series to what it is!!!!!!!!!!! I think they should have been evil about it and unbearable.
Another series ruined by the author refusing to do evil poly.
If I were to ever do a fanfic and file the serial numbers off it for an original series I think this would be a strong contender for the parent series. Loose worldbuilding that can be taken in any direction. Character concepts that are interesting but not well utilized. A female lead that would be amazing a few tweaks.
I can tell the author is VERY attached to biology. The mistreatment the FL faces is wrong because she’s their biological family, not because it is cruel to treat a child like that.
Additionally, the FL only has agency when she’s dressing as a man, but she becomes incapable of holding a single intelligent thought in her head once she puts on a dress.
I can think of, like, fifty easy ways she could have made her friends aware of her curse without triggering it. She’s incapable of thinking her way out of a wet bag. It would be charming if the author didn’t also decide that she’s smart when she’s wearing pants. Like, Jesus girl!!!! You don’t even look that good in dresses. Just wear the pants 24/7.
Also she should have met them again on the dragon quest. It's stupid that she's the only person who didn't go on the trip. The author thinks women aren't allowed to beat up dragons. I can't prove it but I know it in my heart.
