I Became the Male Leads Youngest Sister-in-Law in a Ruined Harem (Season 1) by Madrum (Author) and Eunren (Artist)
Synopsis:
One feverish night, 6-year-old Liliana Bercchio suddenly recalls the plot of a tragic reverse harem novel. Unsure if she's been reincarnated or has time traveled, her young mind struggles to make sense of it all. Her family is doomed to get caught up in the protagonists' mess—but there's still time… or so she thought. When she witnesses the female lead's death and the deranged male leads appear before her sisters, the story takes a turn. They seem different now, but is her family truly safe?
My thoughts:
This is one of the best Manhwa I read in a while. The reason? The female lead is an actual child.
Otome Isekai is a great genre and I read it a lot, but I am so annoyed with the re-usage of the ever same tropes in the exact same order with the exact same characters. "I Became the Male Leads Youngest Sister in Law in a Ruined Harem" didn't do that at all. The female lead is, as I said above, an actual child. She knows part of the future, but she doesn't know what to make of it - or how to prevent her beloved family from dying. Still, she does her very best! Only that a six year olds very best isn't really all that good.
All of the sisters have unique characters and quirks and they all feel like different people. Swapping one for another wouldn't work, because they all have struggles, wishes and interests. One is a Knight, another a Mage, the last is the Beauty - but they all aren't defined by this only. The Knight also takes up the role of the family head, she takes up the role of the female lead's mother, despite being her oldest sister. She is calm and collected in everything but the youngest sister, who is sick. She also becomes queen later on - without her having to outwit others in weird ways, as it is so often the case with other fictional women in her position. She does what needs to be done, which, in this case, means marriage.
The Mage sister has a terrible temper, but she is like the oldest sister: she, too, does what needs to be done, even if it means that others might think she betrayed her sisters. Even if it means her sisters think she betrayed them. Despite that, she has the softest hard among the sisters and worries the most. She is scared and frustrated, but she won't stop.
The last sister is the Beauty. She charms others... and has the ability to control them. She doesn't use it, but she hates herself for it, simultaneously trying to get closer to people and pushing them away. She seems frail and always kind, but she might just be the most insane of them all.
The youngest sister is the female lead. She is... a child. She is happy and energetic and a brat, sometimes. She knows how to say what she likes and dislikes, she trusts her sisters and hates the people who are trying to hurt them. She manages to befriend most children without trouble and melts the hearts of everyone around her - if only she had a bit more willpower to actually stay on track! I get it though. I'm the same. It's the goldfish brain....
This Manhwa is unique in the sense that it actually vividly shows how children handle loss and pain. The female lead and later on one of her friends both have no parents. They are both raised by their siblings - whom they love! But a sister is different to a mother and a brother is not a father. The children know that, they understand it. They get that their siblings are doing their best, but they also miss the parents they never knew - and the siblings that actually left them. I loved seeing how those two interacted and healed one another without the adults even noticing.
Season one has 52 chapters and if Season 2 keeps up the incredible work when it comes to character development, this Manhwa will become one of my all time favorites!
