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I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck – chinese web novel review (dropped)

I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck is one of a sub-genre of Chinese webnovels where there’s a real daughter, who was kidnapped or otherwise went missing, and a fake daughter who was taken in by the original parents, and later on the truth is revealed and all kinds of dramatic hijinks ensue.

There are occasional variations on this, e.g. there’s no fake daughter, or the protagonist is the fake daughter, but usually it all plays out the same way. The family is initially hostile to the “real” daughter because they spent so much time with the fake, but over time she wins them over with her class and demeanor while the lowborn fake exposes her true colors and is eventually kicked out to meet a messy end.

I hate those kinds of stories. Obviously I don’t hate them enough not to read I just want to Freeload on Your Luck, but I do hate it because it’s always poorly done. The original parents always come off very badly because they can never find a way to balance their natural affection for the one they’ve raised all these years with their guilt/feelings for their biological child. It’s always one or the other.

In the end all of the adopted daughter’s failing will be written off as her own bad genes – even if she has been raised from babyhood by those parents, and even if they never saw anything wrong with her behavior until the real one showed up. And meanwhile all the real daughter’s successes and triumphs and good behavior will be credited to her good genes, even if she was raised by wolves 2000 miles away for the first 20 years of her life. It’s so hypocritical, and it really makes me feel bad for the adopted child.

Now, on to the main topic of I just want to Freeload on Your Luck. The real daughter is Zhao Mingxi, the fake one is Zhao Yuan. The gimmick is that Zhao Yuan is super lucky, while Zhao Mingxi is super unlucky and gets even more unlucky the closer she gets to Zhao Yuan. Having died miserably once and been reborn, Mingxi decides to attach herself to lucky characters in the series (except Yuan) to soak up some of their luck (hence the title) and thereby avoid a messy end.

The first half of the story, and the only enjoyable part, is how Mingxi decisively makes a break with the Zhao family that has been treating her poorly for two years. She moves out, cuts all ties and focuses on her studies and getting luck from her seatmate.

The Zhao family is a little pathetic here, because the author strongly implies that Zhao Yuan’s supernatural luck makes it impossible for them to think straight or evaluate matters fairly. It’s only when Mingxi leaves and builds up her luck to an appreciable level that the “spell” is somewhat broken. And then they all begin to turn on Zhao Yuan, which is honestly a little sad because she’s just a kid they all spoiled and doted on for 17 years and suddenly they’re all so cold and hostile to her. It’s not her fault she has that extra luck, and she’s not even aware of it.

It takes about 30 chapters, but the Zhao family eventually gets the hint that Mingxi is well and truly done with them. Well, not really, they still think she will come around eventually but at least they’ve backed off for now. Once the initial source of drama is gone, the story takes a serious downturn to the point where I completely lost interest and dropped it.

Remember when I said Mingxi was absorbing luck from her seatmate? His name is Fu Yangxi, and he somehow gets the idea that Mingxi is in love with him. Then he is heartbroken and depressed to discover she is not and begins to distance himself. Honestly he’s another pitiful character because this is not his fault. Mingxi behaves completely like she has a crush on him, to the extent that an adult male would be fooled, much less a naive, hormone-addled 17-year old. She takes punishment for him, she insists on sitting next to him, she brings him snacks every day, does his homework, worries about him, holds his hand for several minutes, etc.

Unfortunately for him, she barely sees him as human at that point. Her (understandable) goal is to avoid dying of brain cancer at age 23. To that end, she doesn’t care who she hurts or misleads – in fact, it’s not even that deliberate. Do you care about the feelings of your Wifi router? As long as it’s working, you don’t even think about where it is or what it’s doing.

That’s how Mingxi is with Fu Yangxi until he stops “working” and starts avoiding her, then suddenly she starts feeling lonely, following him everywhere, even working her way into his apartment without knowing what the problem is. Meanwhile Fu Yangxi has his panties in a twist because he’s assuming Mingxi was with him to make her old crush jealous, which is absolutely not true but he doesn’t straight up ask her and keeps on assuming. And keeps on running into her and old crush in all kinds of situations which just makes the whole thing worse…

The whole Mingxi-Yangxi thing dragged on so long that I completely lost interest in the series and dropped it. In the first place, I don’t like series where former adults act like kids. Just talk to the boy already! All that beating around the bush is frustrating.

Secondly, I don’t buy Fu Yangxi as the male lead. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s way too immature and has a lot of growing up to do and issues to resolve before he will be a credible romantic partner. Which means either things will end unsatisfactorily or the series will drag on much longer.

Thirdly I’d prefer Zhao Mingxi to focus on her studies and her future like she wanted to instead of getting sidelined with high school romance. 99% of high school romances don’t go anywhere in the long run, and a 23 year-old is old enough to know that.

And so I ended up just dropping I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck. I’ve read enough, Mingxi has absorbed quite a bit of luck and changed her fate, things are looking up, it’s better to quit while I still have some fondness for the series. I tried to look up ending spoilers but didn’t find any, but I’m sure Zhao Yuan will come to a miserable end and Mingxi and Yangxi will live happily ever after like they always do in these series. The end.

Update on False Confession (Korean manhwa) – Still going nowhere fast, spoilers up to chapter 64

Long title, but it summarizes everything I want to say about False Confession even after it came back from a long hiatus. You can refer to my first post about False Confession, in which I said it was promising but sluggish and not satisfying because of the extremely long-drawn out pace. 18 months and several chapters later, my opinion remains the same.

Even worse, the previously nice art has devolved significantly, especially in the case of the hero Cavert, so it is much harder to get excited about the future of the relationship. You can talk all you like about lookism and egalitarianism, but it still remains a fact that beautiful people attract more eyeballs than plainer ones.

Fans of the series are already familiar with the premise. If you keep reading regardless, you have to get used to the way things are in False Confession instead of wishing it was something else. There are other series with more decisive heroines or more attractive male leads, better art, faster paces, etc. That’s why this will be my last time whining about a series I choose to read, and one that has clearly shown that it is a deliberately slow and meandering and wishy-washy series.

But since this is my last time whining, and I’m gonna have a good and proper whine. Priestess Renesha is soooooo annoying! They might as well have titled the series, “Renesha learns to say no,” because eventually she will learn to express herself clearly, but for now it is super irritating.

She doesn’t love Cavert. She has some affection for him, and there’s some part of her that feels she should like him because he’s so obviously into her, but no, she doesn’t like him yet, much less love him. It’s only at chapter 64 that she claims to have some sort of romantic feelings for him, but it’s more because she was frustrated he didn’t kiss her than any other reason.
Nevertheless, because of her inability to clearly say no or turn anyone down, she is stringing him along and giving him false hope. This is by her own admission, that she is just going with the flow until some other lady appears for him. But how will any other lady appear when you are firmly occupying the “lady” seat, going on dates with him, visiting his home, being his escort to parties, etc? It’s just cruel.

She keeps entertaining the shady Prince Elviniraz even though she can tell he’s up to no good. She does this because she’s still attracted to him and flattered by his offer of an affair (she says otherwise but it’s obvious) so you have to watch this girl officially date Cavert but get all blushy and flustered around Elvin. Pick one, girl. Or pick neither. Or heck, both. But PICK!!!
The rest of the story isn’t going anywhere fast either. The Imperial family is still being shady and trying to recruit Renee. An unspecified threat is out there in the world and there’s going to be an expedition (yes, another) but at the rate it’s going it will take till 2025 for them to go. Meh.
Even worse, another expedition will mean having to watch Renee in close proximity with Prince Elviniraz again, acting all confused and upset when he flirts with her, then all weepy and trembly when Cavert confronts her. It was annoying enough the first time so I am not looking forward to a second dose.

TL;DR False Confession is irritatingly slow. The romance isn’t going anywhere fast, the rest of the story isn’t going anywhere, the art has dropped in quality and is getting worse. I actually worry about the health of the artist, especially after what happened to the Solo Levelling artist. There isn’t any reason for me to follow this regularly.

That said, as I already mentioned, there are all kinds of series out there even in the genre of isekai romance with magic and politics. Some may like a faster pace, some like Mary Sues, some like more flawed characters with more room for character development. I’m not sure what group I fall into, but I do know I get pretty impatient with slow series, so I think False Confession will be one of those series I catch up on once a year and binge-read. That’s for the best.

Update on Divorce Me, Husband after a year (spoilers up to chapter 59)

I told you guys to remind me to check back in six weeks, but before I knew it a whole year had gone by. I recently started catching up on Divorce Me, Husband, or rather the much-better officially translated version, “Let’s Get a Divorce, Husband.” I like the fan title better, but everything else is superior in the official version.

So, how did things fare for Claude and Aila (Ayla in the fan translation)? Well, in terms of plot, the series is still rather mediocre and slow-moving even after 59 chapters. On the romance side, things are slightly better. First, and most importantly, Aila has decided to stay with Claude and to actively use her knowledge from the book to change his fate. Whoopee!

Secondly, Aila has realized that she is in love with Claude. I don’t know why, he’s only been very sweet and kind and protective and generous and respectful and caring, nothing more, right? But she doesn’t know if Claude loves her back. And actually, I don’t remember if he has said he does? He considers her precious, he wants to keep her by his side and protect her and all that, but does he actually love her or does he only fear losing her? And what was the real relationship between past Aila and past Claude?

Apart from the romance, there is some other stuff going on, quite slowly but still progressing. We have met the big bad of the series: surely the Emperor is going to be the one. Or possibly someone possessing or controlling him We’ve met Aila’s deadbeat father. We’ve discovered that the original hero, the second prince, is most likely just putting on an act and isn’t as lazy, rude and incompetent as he pretends to be. There are undercurrents in the royal family that require him to act out to survive.

Most importantly, Aila has become the owner of a sacred relic that insists it’s her duty to “restore order to the world.” She also met the “god” of their world, Lahas, who brought her to that world. In many isekai/transmigrated series, the heroine never finds out how she ended up in that world, so at least there’s a bit of closure on that score.

The story is that bad people are summoning demons into the world and creating rifts, so it’s Aila’s job to do something about it with the relic bracelet and its divine power. Simple enough in theory, though it’s not very convincing because Aila’s life has been so plush and shiny so far. Her life is pretty closeted, so she never goes around town or anywhere near the hoi polloi. It may very well be that the world at large is in turmoil and the people are suffering, but you wouldn’t know it so look at the glitzy lifestyles of the nobles. The biggest threat is directly from the Emperor himself, who doesn’t take kindly to people who will not follow his orders.

But anyway, stopping the bad guys is somehow linked to saving Claude’s life… and living happily ever after with him? Where did original Aila go? What happens once fake Aila/Baek Hayul completes her job? Why her? Lahas conveniently runs out of power before he can explain the most important bits, so we’ll just have to keep reading, haha.

That said, this is a pretty optimistic and positive kind of series, so it will all work out in the end. The only question is how? And when? Will I have to wait another year for closure? Hope not, but a year comes faster than you think, so I’ll just keep reading.

Before I end this update though, let me say one thing I absolutely LOVE about Let’s Get a Divorce Husband: Aila actually tells Claude whenever she notices or encounters anything shady. Not always immediately, but before very long she tells him what’s going on, they discuss it in a mature and reasoned way and come up with a plan together. None of this “Must be just my imagination” or “I don’t want to worry him” or “I can handle it by myself” nonsense that leads to so much unnecessary drama in romance series. Claude is also pretty open with her whenever she asks about things. That alone makes this series a breath of fresh air and makes me want to keep reading it.

Well, that was your yearly update on Let’s Get a Divorce, Husband. See you all in 2023, God willing!

Is it a Fortune or is it a Woe? (Korean romance webtoon I want to like but don’t)

Ever read a series that you know is good, objectively speaking, but for various minor reasons you don’t like it as much as others do? That’s Is it a Fortune or is it a Woe for me. On the face of it, the heroine Dylan is funny and likeable, the nominal male lead Cedric is… not completely terrible, but still detestable. Yeah okay, only three sentences in and I’m beginning to realize why I don’t like the series. But first the usual summary:

Summary:

Our heroine Dylan finds herself reincarnated as the villainess in a novel she read before. The twist this time is that her little sister is doomed to be cannon fodder who dies in childbirth after marrying the male lead Cedric. In her determination to keep her sister and Cedric apart, Dylan somehow ends up marrying him herself… Hilarity may or may not ensue depending on your sense of humor.

Whether you like Is it a Fortune or is it a Woe will all depend on what you find funny. If you like seeing the female lead subtly and snidely mocked and disrespected a lot of the time, this is the series for you. Personally it made me angry and uncomfortable much of the time. The problem is that Dylan doesn’t want her sister to marry Cedric, but she doesn’t want to marry him either. He only wants to marry her because of some family promise to her grandfather.

So the first 20 or so chapters are all about the creepy old Grandpa manipulating and emotionally blackmailing first Cedric then Dylan into marriage. All because the creepy Grandpa wanted to marry Dylan’s Grandma but was rebuffed. Forced marriage by proxy, so creepy.

But Cedric isn’t any better. Screw what Dylan or any woman wants, as long as Grandpa is happy, right? On the face of it, he treats Dylan with a certain amount of respect, but in actual fact he’s always gently sneering at her, teasing her, mocking her simple rustic ways. Almost every chapter has him laughing or smiling at her, quite apart from all the sarcastic comments he directs her way because he thinks she’s too simple to get it.

And it’s not just him. A large amount of “humor” and “heart-warming-ness” in this series comes from looking down on Dylan. Other summaries make it sound like everyone in the Duchy comes to love Dylan, but honestly it’s more of the love one has for a clumsy, loveable Labrador puppy than for a human being one respects. Even her nominally supportive mother-in-law is on her side mostly because of her simplicity and naivete.

In a recent chapter, Cedric’s cousin Cecilia made the express trip to Dylan’s house just to mock and be rude to her, knowing she could get into it. The past ten chapters or more (34-44 as of writing) are all devoted to helping Dylan shape up a bit so she isn’t utterly disgraced when she goes to a banquet which is more or less being organized with the specific purpose of embarrassing her. The poor girl can’t catch a break.

The one saving grace was supposed to be the cheerful, indomitable nature of Dylan herself. Unfortunately, as the chapters progress, she is becoming more and more neurotic and anxious about measuring up and pleasing those around her. You’d think if Cedric really cared about her and her standing in society, he would have waited for her to get the necessary training before marrying her and bringing her into his house. But of course he doesn’t really care about her, or about anything except himself and pleasing his Grandpa, so why am I surprised?

So after all I’ve written, the reader will naturally ask, “Why are you still reading, then?” Good question. The short answer is that I’m not reading it regularly. Every once in a while it pops up in front of me, I read it, then I remember why I don’t like it. Hope springs eternal that the series might improve. Most likely though, it will “improve” by making Dylan a perfect lady who somehow inexplicably falls in love with the sneering Cedric and he with her, and I honestly don’t want to see that. So… yeah.

I don’t hate Is it a Fortune or Is it a Woe, and I like Dylan and feel sorry for her but… I’ll probably drop this one and catch it again when it’s finally all over. There are better male leads and less pitiful heroines out there.

Kill the Hero manhwa review (up to chapter 66)

Kill the Hero by D-Dart is a very generic “came back for revenge” Korean series. I read up to chapter 50 or so, forgot all about it and then came back and read up to the latest chapter. And now I’m going to forget all about it again until whenever. It’s that kind of series: fun, but forgettable.

Summary:

One day, the world transformed into a game. ‘Dungeons’ and ‘monsters’ emerged in the middle of cities, and ‘players’ who had received the gods’ authority appeared. Se-jun Lee, the guildmaster of the Messiah Guild that would bring salvation to the world became my comrade. Then he killed me. …or so I thought.

The announcement I heard next to my ear the moment I died. [Starting the game.] I returned to the past, back when I still hadn’t awakened as a player. And this time, It’s my turn…… To ‘hunt’ him.

It’s one of the oldest tropes in the book to have the main character and his best friend fall out. Best friend betrays him, maybe joins the bad guys, maybe kills some other good guys. Now the main character has to track him down and take him out. Cue bad-ass 80s action movie music.

The sole twist in Kill the Hero (though it’s been done before especially in Chinese web novels) is that the main character (Kim Woo-Jin) went back into the past before he met the “hero” and now he’s going around gathering all the cool stuff that will help him and beating all the troublesome guys that could help the hero, all gearing up to a grand and final confrontation that hasn’t happened in 66 chapters yet. Right now the hero has no clue that Kim Woo-Jin exists or that he’s being revenged on, but he’ll totally understand one day. Then he’ll be like… “Who?”

What’s not so special about Kill the Hero is… it’s so bland! Enter dungeon, assassinate guys, enter dungeon, assassinate guys, get cool artifact. We don’t have sight of Kim Woo-Jin’s overall goal or trajectory, so it’s hard to follow along in his ambitions. A chapter suddenly starts, he suddenly remembers some dungeon, we suddenly go in, 10 chapters pass, new artifact, on to the next arc. He doesn’t even have any friends or family to help us get under his skin or understand his motivation besides “Revenge! Rawwrrr!”

It’s doubly frustrating because the battles are actually interesting. Kim Woo-Jin usually has some intricate plan to take down his enemy together with his allies. It’s just that outside the battles, we’re never sure what he’s trying to do or why. He still has an intricate plan but we’re not privy to it so we’re just going along for the ride and the cool, frequent battles.

And actually I only think he has a plan, because in the most recent chapters he’s just been going with the flow and getting lucky breaks and items he didn’t know about in this past life. TBH I have no idea what he’s up to in the long run. It’s probably once of those series where the hero gets unnaturally lucky for hundreds of chapters in a row, the end.

This has the plus side, as I said, of making it a fun but forgettable series. Because there’s no grand overarching plot, you won’t miss anything by popping out for a few months then binging, then popping in again. And that’s why I plan to do now, so enough from me for one day.