Anyways! This manhwa was AWFUL, but I'll start with the good.
Ever since I was a kid, I've always really enjoyed older shoujo, which this series captures the feeling of perfectly. The artwork is very off in some places, but the the style is very nostalgic and similar to some other manga I've seen, so I didn't really mind.
The story, if not anything else, was VERY interesting. I actually finished it all in around 3 or 4 days, which is a good indicator of how easy to read it was. That is because it was ABSOLUTELY insane. Gang wars, love rivalry, military training camps: this manhwa had it all. While the contents certainly weren't top tier (as obvious from my rating), it was enough for me to get through it quickly, so I'll give it points there.
NOW FOR THE NEGATIVES, which I would say absolutely destroyed the manhwa for me. I should've stopped reading after the first 20 or so chapters honestly, but I was SO desperate for it to be good that, unfortunately, I pressed on. I will be getting into spoilers from now on because they feel pretty necessary for me to talk about, so if you're not interested, click away.
I'll start with the least bad: the romance. Although it was all over the place, it felt like it was going nowhere. The two main leads, Hyun-bin and Yun-ha, although not lacking cute scenes and chemistry, felt like they weren't getting anywhere. The most frustrating part was Hyun-bin's unwillingness to confide in Yun-ha. It felt strange seeing her suffer so much when her problems could've easily been solved by telling them to someone, even if it wasn't Yun-ha. Eventually, it just felt like the sole purpose of her keeping her secret was to keep the manhwa going. Like, if you have a boyfriend who is the heir of an ultra powerful corporation, I think he might be able to help you out at least a little.
Secondly, the ending was really awful. All of a sudden, after over 120 chapters of pining for the Yun-ha, Hyun-bin suddenly just falls in love with Bi-rak? I understand they were close, but the story didn't foreshadow her feelings at all, only showing that the Bi-rak had unrequited feelings for her. AND THEN HE JUST DIES RIGHT AFTER? AND THEN! AND THEN! She loses all her memories? Like she just straight up gets her memories replaced by a hypnotist? It was completely jarring because the reason for her memories being gone wasn't revealed until the last chapters, meaning you suddenly start reading a chapter and she has just forgotten her name and her entire past. It was ridiculous. By the end, even if Yun-ha and Hyun-bin did get together, it felt hard to be anything but angry about it because they threw in this completely unnecessary plot point of her falling for another guy and losing her memories when the ending most likely would've been BETTER without it.
Now, for the most egregious thing, the reason this gets such a harsh score over the average score I would've given it otherwise: the sexual assault. Obviously, the topic is sensitive and the end portion of this review focuses on that, so click off if that could be potentially triggering to you.
- Hyun-bin is subject to NUMEROUS 'surprise kisses' from NUMEROUS different men throughout the manhwa. It gets to the point where she barely reacts because it happens so often! It's not 'cute', it's just sexual assault. NEVER do the men receive permission beforehand.
- Just, the entire character of Ja Chi-ho. He is such an abuser and the story never condemns his actions, saying he did it for love. He gropes Hyun-bin for 'proof' that she is a girl, is one of the many men who kiss her without consent, and will not leave her alone and is obsessed with forcing her to love him no matter how many times she tells him no. I can't count how many times I wanted to stop reading JUST because of him.
- The rape of a male character and the subsequent pregnancy of the perpetrator is viewed as 'happy'. Bi-rak, who is drunk and unconscious, wakes up to find himself in bed with Ga-hyun, who was completely sober and took advantage of his vulnerable position after she took him home the previous night. Not only that, but the child she has a result of the rape is viewed as 'a gift from him', and she constantly romanticizes their 'love'. Other than that, Ga-hyun, a minor throughout the first half of the story, consistently stalked Bi-rak in hopes of receiving his affections. While it's viewed as 'pure' because of her age, her age is the very reason why there never should have been a romantic subplot between them at all.
- Rape as a plot point. Many times. There is a plot point where a victim of rape herself, Ga-hyun, attempts to orchestrate the rape of a girl she dislikes, Yae-ha, to 'get back at' and 'corrupt' her. Additionally, Yae-ha later goes on to fake a sexual assault on herself to receive sympathy from the male lead. It's very obvious how disgusting this is, and not only is it uncomfortable, but it makes villains of victims of sexual assault.
Honestly, I just wish I'd stopped after the first few chapters. The hook was interesting, but it just wasn't worth the trouble of reading through this garbage just in hopes of a good ending (the ending wasn't even good). I don't think I've been this disappointed reading a manhwa since The Abandoned Empress. If you want a good shoujo with lots of action, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
