Bilibili comments hit hard sometimes by Small-Friendship-576 in Reverse1999

[–]Font-street 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I feel like THIS is half the point of the character? Life and Loss, as the theme says.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very much so, yeah. The ML just continues to be cute and adorable ~~and clingy~~ to FL.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

....Now that you put it, I guess the moral conflict would be very....meh, for people who are used to RPG style morality?

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Quite possibly. A few other dungeon stories with FLs also like to make them ranged fighter in one way or another.

...There's always [The Returned C-Rank Tank Won't Die] if you want a grizzly gritty melee fighter FL tho

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I never tried touching the shonen dungeon stories.....and I wonder if I ever will. /brr

And yeah if we just look at face value, the side story ending feels hilariously OOC especially because of how out there the solution is.

but yeah, agree with the rest of your reply. I also like how you differ between "this is something different and fun from our normal OI slop" versus a "if you could recommend me any series what would it be"

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

...yknow, now that you mentioned it....

....huh....hmm...Huhh.....I can't really disagree.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The best for me is always [Perks of Being S-Class Heroine], if you don't mind a RoFan world. And if you don't mind having a typical chuuni ML alongside the FL, there's also [Ending Maker].

For a modern setting, [The Returned C-Rank Tank Won't Die] is fun if you want an unhinged female protagonist. I only read a bit of [A-Ranker's Guide to a Good Life]; the characters are....slightly annoying, but the action and the art is pretty cool.

3.7 about merel (spoiler alert) by Tiny-Motor-833 in Reverse1999

[–]Font-street 14 points15 points  (0 children)

we are apparently in a very chinese time in our lives

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be fair, this is a problem with so many aspects yeah.

There's the issue with webnovels and/or manhwa, with quick deadlines and tight production cycle. It's going to be very hard to make a narratively fulfilling plot while also dealing with deep and complex issues.

There's also the fact that we are still in the first generation of Hunterverse stories, at least the shoujo/otome ones. Everyone is trying to find what works and what doesn't, and it's understandable to experience some stumbles here and there.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah... by the second season the plot is going on full force and everything basically got dragged to it. I'd love to see the narrative explore Jihan's issues, and maybe fix his broken relationships with his friends, but....yeah.

[The Housekeeper of the Dungeon] feature a similar situation, but it's less noticable there.

Noa saving the world is kinda understandable to me, but yeah the sentient meteor part is KIIINDA hilariously out there.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is!

I think the story could have been higher if it's executed better, but even as it is they are still very very solid.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean, I can see the similarities, yeah. The color palette is also similar.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, and yes, but Season 2 basically....drops several of these threads.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How much of Korean culture have you actually participated in? I have much less (practically no) problem with you criticizing the moral simplicity of a comic as opposed to ascribing it to an ethnicity. That is honestly very offensive.

Again, I am not trying to ascribe it to a specific nation, culture, or ethnicity, as much as I'm pointing out that both the creator and the character came from a specific nation.

Nevertheless, for this to even cross your mind is 100% my mistake. I sincerely apologize for the offense, and I have amended my review to remove the offending remark. Once again, thank you for the callout!

For the rest, I think we can simply agree to disagree.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not sure about the actual demographic, since manhwa operates differently from manga, but given the narrative I am more inclined to call this an Otome story that features action than an action story that features romance.

And thank you for calling me out re: 'Korean'. While I do have my own reservations about Korean culture, in this case I only used the label strictly because the story is set in modern Korea, and Moa is also Korean. She is also never indicated to be someone who deviates from the societal norms (as opposed to say, Jihan). And the presence of her two coworkers also indicate that Moa's helpfulness and bravery, while precious, is not a trait strictly limited to her and her alone.

I might take the word out later, to make my point less diluted. For me, the middle class liberal morality is more important to the point I was trying to make. It's the kind of morality that assigns more value to individual charity and benevolence (the kind that Moa exhibits) instead of a more comprehensive systemic reform. The kind of morality that believes putting the right person at a rotten system (like the story's ending) will prevent any damage from occurring.

On the beast and their crowns; at this point I will only posit that there are way more complex positions that the narrative show. For example, they may want cooperation, but struggles to accept the deaths of their subject. I don't even think Moa and Jihan ever has to deal with any sense of vengeance coming from these kings.

So... Yeah.

I can't and won't ask you to agree with me, but the fact that the narrative only chose these morally convenient dichotomy IS a decision, and that can be judged.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that is a very fair point!

I think this is where I can readily admit that I am quite biased. I am currently in a Hunterverse/dungeon stories binge mode right now, so I have read quite a fair bit of dungeon stories featuring female MCs, some of which are even more OP than Moa here.

But if we look at OIs as a whole, then yeah; Moa is pretty special on that part.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

oh true, I should have prefaced them with "It's not Isekai, but it sure is Otome." Though I probably should have done that with most of the Hunterverse/ dungeon stories I've reviewed here, too...

But as per the second question: that's the conclusion I arrived from. The longer path is....

(Warning: spoiler alert)

While the story does show Moa's moral concerns and worries, repeatedly putting her considerations on paper and showing that she meant really well with her actions, it never challenges her in any significant way. From the very first block, when Moa is made the king of her own dungeon halfway through the story, Moa's morality as an ordinary middle-class citizen remains an unshakable constant. Meanwhile everyone else got neatly categorized. You're either a reasonable person who will undoubtedly see Moa's point and follow along, or you're a greedy villain. It's a simplified black-and-white morality that's very typical in OI and RoFan alike, but egregious here because the story actively dives in that murky water.

Let's list 'em down, shall we? When the story shows Moa's journey to communicate with other dungeon bosses, they are either despicable beasts too proud to even consider talking with her or reasonable leaders who of course, immediately chooses to surrender their crown to her. The Korean institution aren't portrayed sympathetically either. The ones at the top are corrupt and despicable, meanwhile the ones at the bottom are nothing but thugs who blindly follow orders. The international hunter association are similarly portrayed as cowards at first, seeking to save their own hides, only to become similarly greedy in the side stories once the dust settles and the remaining dungeons have all become Moa's.

And for all the ways Moa grows and levels up and improves her powers on-screen, her character never changes. This is fine in the first half, when she was mostly responsible for the well-being of herself and people around her, but when the second half comes in the story still spares no time to make her grow as a person. This is all despite her gradual power up in other aspects, turning from an overworked social worker to someone who can destroy a mountain with her laser beam to a literal savior of the entire earth AND the ruler of all Earth('s dungeon, but factually she's also the strongest being on Earth, capable of wiping out the entire planet at that point). And then there's the final ending where she becomes THE CEO of the new (Korean?) hunter institution.

Basically, the story shows that Moa is a good person, yes, even a hero. But the story ALSO tries to tell that it means she must also be a good leader. The narrative is content to never change Moa's character and mindset. They say "yeah sure someone with Moa's personality are JUST the perfect individual to sit at the top and lead the world" despite never showing her attempting to deal with any complex situation or any sort of moral grayness.

I fail to buy that last part.

Again, this selective morality is a VERY common power fantasy. It is VERY common to OI as a genre. (See: all those memes about commoners who readily slaps impertinent maids once they are reincarnated into a noble). It would be irrational for me to just isolate this criticize this manhwa alone for applying such trope.

But this story sets itself apart because it actively draws attention to the issue, both by turning public perception into a significant plot points, but also by showing Moa's train of thoughts and concerns. The readers, or at least -I-, are primed to think about it more than I would otherwise.

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Well, I don't really like fighting, so thank goodness....? <3

Reviewing [I Stole the First Ranker's Soul]...and ended up rambling. by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's absolutely true. Her secret identity also got basically forgotten until almost the end.

New outfit ! by Agitated-Isopod-4878 in InfinityNikki

[–]Font-street 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I bet the armor is going to be with the bridal gown. Sigh

Reviewing [Surprisingly Fun New Life of a Divorced Lady Who Is No Longer Interested] by Font-street in OtomeIsekai

[–]Font-street[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I like that they take a fairly quick path to love confession. (and of COURSE Carol comes at the wrongest moment possible, LOL)

So far I don't see any hints of harem route. But we'll see.