I have been quite preoccupied with the Manhwa/Manhua space to the point that I haven’t had it in me to draw back to just reading books. Maybe it’s a phase. It’s how it is with everything about me. Times and seasons, all switching and turning.
My sister read out the prompt for me because we both have been taken with the same thing. I introduced her to the world of Manhwa. I’ve not really been reading Japanese styled comics (Manga) because I haven’t come across much and those I have seen don’t really interest me or leave that much of an impression (except for the Anime). However, I have read a few Chinese comics (Manhua) and a lot of Korean (Manhwa).
The famous Solo Leveling is a Manhwa that was adapted and turned into an anime. It secured best anime of the year award and I couldn’t agree more. See, Solo Leveling pretty much ruined watching anime for me. The excellence employed in that anime is beyond average. Maybe that’s why I can’t just bring myself to watch any other anime for the time being. Well what did I expect? Koreans are known for their storytelling and amazing character development. We see that in movies.
However, Solo Leveling isn’t the reason for this post. I came across this Manhwa on WEBTOON. It’s the reincarnation story trope but then the title is quite unique. I got to know why as I read deeper.
Choi Suna got reincarnated in the body of the villain in a novel she had read. Edith is the bad guy or she was supposed to be. Choi Suna would soon realise that Edith has led a life of misfortune thanks to the orchestration of someone just like her. Choi Suna would have to rewrite this novel and catch the culprit for the character’s unfortunate demise before it is too late.
Here is the reason why I liked the story. It was definitely Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story. It carried some twists and game-like scenes - between the orchestrator and the character. Suna had to fight for a happy ending in this novel and to do that, she needed to first accept reality. She no longer existed in South Korea but in a novel. That would send anyone running off a cliff.
There were other themes employed that I really liked and one of them is the not all that glitters is gold. From just reading the novel, Edith was nothing but a villain. She was made to be one with no other choice. However, the stories behind the scenes says that Edith may have turned out different had she been giving other choices. For example, to the readers and even to the unsuspecting public in the novel, Edith had it all. She was loved by her family, beautiful, and secured one of the most prominent bachelors in the kingdom. But Edith’s reality was far from all that. Everything was nothing but a farce.
Edith was a subject of constant abuse, a tool for manipulation and the subject of scorn. It just reminded me of the Korean series “Extraordinary You” where the characters must move according to purpose or be deleted. Choi Suna wanted to correct this but how? She would soon discover that this novel had an original creator and that whoever was manipulating the characters had enough power to kill her. How does she escape?
I love how this built up amazingly. From the slight internal conflicts, just like Killian experiencing voices and emotional changes. This was all necessary and a part of the story. This was necessary to tell the story.
As the story unfolds to reveal deeper plots and more (mentally) unstable characters, we meet the manipulator and while I suspected it from the beginning, it did not take away from the excitement at watching it all crumble. This character reminded me of the character Elysee in The Glamorous Life of the Fake Mistress, all graceful, sweet and innocent in front but filled with nasty filth and evil to the core on the inside. Unlike Elysee though who always seemed to be a Psychopath, this character just wanted to live as the main character in everyone’s story even if it meant killing others. She was also from South Korea.
The main character syndrome. We see this in real life. I think the main reason I liked Choi Suna was also because of her alter ego (Edith) and that’s because Edith suffered many misunderstandings due to the handwork of others. I can’t get over this Manhwa even long after I have read it. I remember how it felt reading Edith’s reality - it was just plain sad.
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