The Rib of Adam

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

This manhwa is somewhat misunderstood.

The concept of The Rib of Adam already suggests some kind of feminist messaging. Biblically, Eve was made from the rib of Adam and the creator of this Manhwa takes issue with that. Very vindictively. It's not intellectual in the way it seems first glance. You have to first understand 2 important points about this manhwa:

1. This is a pure sadistic revenge fantasy against manwhores
2. This is a joke commentary about seinen hentai tropes

1.
Taeyoung is a fuckboy that messes around with women, breaks their hearts and doesn't respect or care about them. A massive mysterious being picks him up, splits ... open his ribcage. And then in turn he gets hurt physically and mentally by the FL, is abused and tortured and trained to change his ways by multiple characters, Is there a deeper justification for the rape? Not really, it just happens to him. The FL is psycho and unhinged. It's clear the creator just likes to see him suffer, and not unreasonable to assume that there were some personal grudges involved in the makings of this work.

2.
For the second point, it obviously takes inspiration from and parodies hentai. The "couple time" halfway through where the other man rubs into Taeyoung's face how much lesser of a man he is= NTR. The month-long reprogramming to become "a pleasure machine for women"= mindbreak. The narrator implies all these things with sarcastic enthusiasm. This is where the actual meaning of the story lies. In the ending, it all ties beautifully together when he faces us (the readers) with the slutty double peace signs (a staple of hentai/porn industry) totally fucked in the head, a sign of true transformation into a "Real Man" (exists solely to serve women). He's literally drugged and collared at some point, on his knees and you try to find moral justification? There is no use trying to make sense of the plot or characters' actions, because they all run off hentai logic. Of course it doesn't make sense.

Of course, the use of the word "love" throughout, the meaning of "mutual understanding" is dysfunctional for this very hentai logic, the way there is no justification for anything is acknowledged by the narrator's very last lines of the manhwa. And it's a part of her existential despair that had to be channelled through this unhinged manhwa, because these are things that hentai girls, "Real Women" (created solely to serve men) have gone through, imposed by this mysterious being (The Doujin artist... God) since the very first man and woman. And based off the symbolism, she doesn't understand why this is how things are.
That's how you get the ending, where things just get worse, and more gets imposed on him (no understanding of "love", only the "tearing sensation") despite trying to meet expectations.

The Rib of Adam is kind of in a weird space where there's too much commentary for it to be erotic and too erotic to be an understandable commentary, so it just kind of fails at both for the average reader (because, into feminist commentary and hentai?!). But if you understand this as a begrudged sadist gooner, it's actually funny as hell.

Holy fucking shit. This has got to be one of the strangest things I've read in my life. Do NOT read it if you're trying to have a good time, I promise you, you will not enjoy it. While unique, it is not in a good way. I wanted to read it because it sounded like a strange premise but it seriously is worse than you're expecting. Were the characters well rounded? No. They were all bad. Did they react to things realistically? I hope not. I don't usually write reviews on here but I had to make sure everyone is prepared if they ... still decide to read this monstrosity. I suppose the art style is good... but wow.