Mintfu's manga / #Historical(25)

SAMURAI MC SAMURAI MC SAMURAI MC 00000 I am looking respectfully

The MC was a conspirator to the king in his past life but was betrayed and now he’s reborn to make the crown Prince a sage ruler. I love my level-headed MCs and psychotic ML’s but the MLs need to be moe to the MC for me to like them and thankfully this one is. The MC is really pretty here too imo. I love the oneesan look ToT

This is by far the best world-building and character development I’ve seen from the tyrant ML reborn MC genre. (edit: exposition is sometimes lazily thrown in way too far into the webtoon and I felt like we couldn’t know about more of the characters because it was so rushed at the end. But hey the ML is at least actively repenting and admitting his wrongs.) The MC’s fiery spirit is always there, but he still has a distinct personality and interest (spirituality). The humor is enjoyable and not over the top and I feel like the MC and ML actually care about the characters and world around them. We actually get to learn about the palace, people, and the fantasy environment. This is also the first time I’ve ever seen the tyrant ML reassure the MC about their past life even if they don’t know yet. The mood swings for the ML are also realistic since it’s not like they can have the full 180 immediately. They also get really cute and romcom with each other that I feel like isn’t as forced as other works in the genre.

Need to start off with how GORGEOUS the art is. The colors and lineart are just magnificently bold you can’t look away. But in contrast to the very elegant artwork, there’s this unexpected comedic element that the author pulls off very well that a lot of webtoon authors honestly fail to do. It’s ridiculous and over the top but it still has you giggling. I love how the ML and empress were just queer solidarity bros it was hilarious. This was the typical egotistical-turned-benevolent emperor ML story, but the way the author writes how the MC and ML speak is so faithful to the historical era and yet still so interesting and understandable. They wrote some very touching lines when the two expressed their feelings and anxieties toward each other as they differed in class, but the way their love overcame that struggle was very satisfying to read. The MC is GORG and so is the ML.

As typical as a prisoner/guard love story and revenge plots can go, this story really keeps you on your toes for the entire time. I absolutely loved the dramatic narration style and you can tell this was adapted from a novel with all the third-person perspectives. I think the use of third-person, looking in at a relationship between two people from the outside, can be so romantic because it gives insight into the objective feelings that those in love cannot express to the world. It defines their relationship clearly to the audience so that we understand the pure, fundamental emotions that the characters are experiencing, and it just feels so human. Reading this story was a little more confusing than I wanted it to be, especially since almost everything is explained much later and so most of the time you sit there confused. You could argue it’s all worth it to see everything unravel at the end. As for the main couple, I love them both and their mutual insanity goes so well with the historical era. A golden retriever ML and morose MC has never been so interesting. I think the novel itself would be a good read. It so brilliantly illustrates moral dilemmas and the struggle of surviving in a cruel world. Its depiction of the MC’s sense of self-being demolished while the ML’s identity is being built was so captivating. You just sit there wondering how might their love prevail. The MC being a storyteller is such a wonderful addition as well, as it shows the idealism he is punished for and simultaneously the heart that allows him the strength to keep going. Also, it demonstrates how strongly he holds onto his ideals and morals in a world that shuns people who do, making it all the more painful to see him being broken down. Without falling into the cliches, the characters’ love was truly shown to be a world of agonizing pain that both of them were too willing to endure. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to word-vomit how you feel about it until you realize nothing you say will perfectly capture how you felt while reading it.

Oh the art style is absolutely majestic and the comedic timing and inner dialogue from the MC is TOO good. The MC is so serious about parenting and has that modern common sense kind of commentary that can easily be corny but it just isn't.