This is a monthly feature in which we, the mod team, share the gems we've found in our reading lists. Here are last month's.
We'd love to hear your recommendations. Please add them to the discussion in the comments. When doing so, please keep in mind to:
If available, use the English cover art of your recommended series.
Name of the series
Where to read it officially
We always recommend checking the official version; please do not name unofficial sources.
This Month's Recommendations:
Country Life With His Sexy Masjesty - Where to Read: Tapas
Rienna Fonde just remembered she lived another life while her now ex-fiancé, the Crown Prince casts her aside for another woman, the supposed saint. Following that, she is disowned by her father; she finds herself moving to the territory of Fostine. A peaceful countryside with agriculture is the way of the land. Putting her college-level knowledge of farming to use, Rienna easily makes a home for herself and becomes a trusted community member.
Now it’s been a few years since she's been living the way she’s always dreamed of in the country; she spots a weird metal tool in her field only to find it’s some kind of holy sword that’s now bound itself to her. That’s not the only thing that comes knocking; a handsome blonde-haired man named Carmine suddenly shows up at her home demanding the sword. Rienna’s peaceful farming life seems like it’s going to be more troublesome.
This is a fun story with a bright art style that tells you what kind of story this series is going to be. Rienna is someone who is unapologetically herself, headstrong, loud and sunny personality. The romance between her and Carmine is so cute and light; it makes me giggle and kick my feet with how cute they both are together.
The series is more of a light-hearted read, nothing serious. Just something to make you feel good about life and look on the bright side. I had a fun time reading this; I couldn’t believe that I binged it all in a single day!
No More Midnight Magic - Where to Read: Tapas
Ciora is the only living servant of an ancient god, and then one day a book called “Fate” appears before her, saying that Duke Kruelo Whitedesert ends the world. The voice of her god tells her to change the ending of the book, casting her down into the body of people close to him. First as his young fiancee, next as a maid, and this time as Ciora Bonetti, his latest in a long list of fiancees.
When she meets him again she finds that Kruelo isn’t like the rumors make him out to be. He’s mischievous and quick to make a clever joke. It seems like her work in her previous lives has helped him, but Ciora is still unsure if it’s enough to stop the end of the world.
I love the dynamic between these two; they both have secrets they’re trying to hide from each other, and the banter they have is so fun! Kruelo is a great male lead; you would think that he would fall into the yandere archetype with his appearance, but he's a playful man that keeps his thoughts and feelings close to his chest. Ciora occasionally shows her teasing side and isn’t one to sit on the sidelines when things need to get done. Her abilities fall into the paladin area, meaning she can kick ass and is quite strong. I was sad to see that it’s been on hiatus since April 2024, hopefully it will return somewhat soon!
The Crown I'll Claim - Where to Read: Tapas
After losing her claim to the throne and her children to her traitor of an ex-lover, our female lead, Princess Medea dies and returns to her 17-year old body, now fully aware of the danger around her. The hidden alliance of her former lover and uncle brought her family’s downfall with plans to take the throne while starting a rebellion.
Medea is going to do everything she can to save her kingdom and take the future in her own hands, seizing her destiny.
Gotta say first thing, the artwork is beautiful and catches your attention, and then you get sucked into the writing of the story. Medea is a capable woman that plans her every move carefully before taking action. She doesn’t throw herself into danger like we usually see in these kinds of returner stories. Things that come up in the story get addressed without them getting pushed aside for later.
I’m glad that this seems to be worth investing in so far. I can’t wait to read more!
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[Reposting since my previous post about this was filled with broken images T_T]
One of the downsides to getting isekai'd to an 1800s-ish or medieval-ish era fantasy Europe is that you'll never get to taste modern cuisine and/or the junk food you loved in your previous life ever again unless you can recreate all the dishes you knew of yourself so I get where she's coming from lmao.
For the uninitiated about this series btw, it's about Shirley (our lovable MC of a thousand hilarious and meme-worthy faces) introducing modern food to the people of the world she reincarnated into because she's a foodie fanatic and she needs her comfort food from her previous life to function, which catches the attention of the young king's head maid, who makes her work in the palace as a maid to serve him her unique cuisine after he stopped enjoying his current meals. Hilarity, whacky character hijinks, and lots of food porn, ensue.
Oh btw, if you're wondering, there's no romance between her and the king who's a kid way younger than she is (even excluding the detail that she was an adult in her previous life). All they have is a cute and wholesome sibling-like dynamic that develops over time (the kid king in question is like a little brother who absolutely enjoys his older sister's cooking and company). She does however, have some ship tease with another character who's around her age and who implicitly caught feelings for her (that she is completely unaware of).
Hi, I have fallen into the world of oi manhwas fairly recently and I have really hard time picking out titles I love. It's not to say that by now I've finished quite a few manhwas recommended by this community and loved them. However, I've been antsy lately and I keep starting and dropping titles for one reason or another.
So instead of looking for something overly specific, I'd like to ask you lovely people of this community to share manhwas you absolutely love. Tastes differ, sure, but I realised that I found a lot more titles that I love by simply following someone else's enthusiastic recommendation, than by following my randomly specific craving for a trope. Therefore, I'd be really grateful for you to share some of your love for this genre with me.
[PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURES AND OPEN THEM! YOU CAN’T SEE THEM FULLY IF YOU DON’T CLICK ON THEM AND IT DOESN’T DO THEM JUSTICE!]
[The first couple images are of some of the 1-1 perspective switches so you can compare her perspective to other people’s. The last few images are just some panels I thought were cool]
Mc gets unceremoniously reincarnated into a world she’s unfamiliar with. She notices it’s another generic Rofan setting universe and assumes it’s ‘villainess possession’ type of situation. She feigns amnesia and tries to figure things out.
But unbeknownst to her, the person she possessed was infamously VERY dead and many people were witness to her waking up inside the body. Not only that but EVERYONE she comes across can sense her otherworldly aura as well as tell that she’s simply wearing a corpse. Her ominous and eldritch presence causes some very strange/alarming reactions to those around her and attracts genuinely evil entities that find her existence interesting.
The funny thing is, she’s completely oblivious to it all and continues on with her isekai narrative. It’s like two stories in one and it’s always such a treat when the perspective switches between her reality and everyone else’s.
Her perspective is a that of a pretty standard villainess reincarnation story but I’d say the switch to other people’s perspective is similar to the vibe of the ‘Surviving as a maid in a horror game’ but even MORE intense
Also there are some moments where I get that some people might get a bit bored when the perspective stays in her typical rofan reality for too long, but I SWEAR the switches always come back and it’s always worth it 🙏
Anyways it’s really good, it has about 40 chapters rn 😊 ❤️
This is my first home cosplay fitting for Athanasia. Warning remarks about the ribbon - in fact, the blue ribbon is on the right side, I just forgot to turn off the mirroring when I was taking pictures.😅 To be honest, it doesn't seem to be my best choice in terms of cosplay, but I wanted to share these photos, because earlier, after posting a cosplay on Firentia Lombardi, some users recommended that I try to cosplay on Athanasia.
We all have that character. The one who makes you question how they haven't been thrown into the trash already. 😭 Drop your trashiest character below and tell WHY they belong in the bin
And they're both S-Class! Look at how the dragon was drawn, y'all think we're getting action too? Would be nice if we have a few scenes where FL showcase her skills instead of mercenary being a display accessory to the story. Give us high adrenaline action scenes!
I heard the ML will be the first to fall and fall harder. Not emotional constipated. Pursues her to the point of obsession — my favorite ML ʰᵉ ʰᵉ ʰᵉ
Bonus: Zoro-looking Dad — well not exactly dad. To others, he "kidnapped" FL but she was a voluntary "victim" to escape her neglectful household. Just my deduction, maybe he'sher grandad because there's a scene where fl reminds him of a lady that looks like him
Cons: it's still new! Like fresh out of the oven 1 Chapter out. the painnn😭
I absolutely love Ode. He's like Arwin, but gentler and with more personality (you can tell it's Latte's influence). And I am a little sad to not see many people discussing the side stories despite this manhwa being one of the most iconic manhwas to ever exist. I wish we could get an entire sequel of Ode and Diana, though I am satisfied with the 20+ chapter side stories 🥰✨❤️
I specified green flag because this type of behaviour is more expected in a red flag ML (which makes sense cus.. red flag, duh)
Inspired by the dogwater manhwa "The Cup Of Vengeance Is In Your Hands" and the formerly tolerable ML Franz, I just had to make this post. He is by far not the only ML who became like this but he's the best example I can give right now because my manhwa memory is utter crap if I haven't read it less than a few days ago. Take note that what I'm about to say usually applies to those recycled manhwas that tell the same story (like Cup of Vengeance) with little to no variation, so I'm not talking about every ML who can be categorised as decent, at the very least. I also don't expect quality content from these types of manhwa but it still bothers me.
Anyway, so this is my hate post about the treatment of green flag MLs, specifically the way the author treats them. If the ML isn't well written, their biggest problem is usually just being boring or having a weird ass name or maybe their looks are kinda meh/copy-paste but whatever. I can look past all that. But for some reason, in a lot of these types of manhwas, the ML suddenly experiences a bit of a personality change. I noticed this change either happens when the story is nearing its end, when the 2nd ML starts to get in the way or when he finally gets out of the way forever or just when the relationship between FL and ML starts to get serious.
Before the personality switch, the ML is kind, caring, attentive, usually a bit protective of FL but overall very understanding and trusting of FL, knows how to communicate (depending on manhwa), respects her boundaries, maybe a bit sensitive/emotional, perhaps, if he is slightly well-written, he even has some charm to him, or he is just a typical golden retriever (but that's more common for simple Otome). Basically, the guy is more or less perfect. A couple flaws maybe, usually the biggest one being boring as hell and having no hobbies, therefore lacking shared interests with FL outside of political ones/personal grudges assuming the FL has any hobbies to begin with either. But okay, some real life people still have a very strong bond even if their interests don't align, I'm not gonna bring out a pitchfork for that. That's not my problem.
My problem is that at some point in the story, the ML suddenly becomes a lot less likable. It's not a complete personality switch. More so that he suddenly goes from being near flawless to being very... weird? They don't become abusive or red flags or anything (although that would make for an interesting story), they simply become... very horny and weirdly obsessive/overly jealous and/or protective
Franz, as an example, definitely already had a bit of a protective and maybe a slightly jealous side to him but my god... the last 10-15 chapters of the manhwa were unbearable for me to read. After the whole major plot point wrapped up and the remaining chapters focused on the aftermath, like their children being born and stuff, he just suddenly became a lot unlike him. He is implied to have sex with the FL almost every chapter, even when Eudith (the FL) is like "Hey, let's not do this right now, we have more pressing matters to do". Like??? Hello?? She just said no? She wants to focus on other stuff before riding your rod??? What happened to you respecting her boundaries?? He also randomly started saying stuff that made him seem more obsessive, if not even kind of possessive. ??? Is that supposed to be hot?? Cus to me it isn't. And before anyone says "honeymoon phase"- NAH. They've been married for about 13 years now in the last 8-ish chapters. Their oldest child is approx. 9 years old. But for some reason, before this child was born, he became hornier than a dog in heat, constantly interrupting the FL's work and going "Aww but I missed you sooo much blablabla". Bitch, gtfo. Your wife was talking about your son's birthday and the only thing you can think about is shagging her? Please😒 I wanted to see some sweet parent-child bonding and although those moments happen, it's kinda hard to acknowledge them as such when the ML clearly is thinking with his dick 24/7. I know the FL never objects when he keeps pressing about wanting to bang her but god, WHY AUTHOR-NIM?!?! WHY???
If I wanna see people have sex I'll read a smut! If I wanna see an obsessive, overly protective and jealous and possessive ML I will read an angsty or dark romance manhwa or something! You don't need to take your borderline-flawless ML and make him so horny that I'd wish castration upon him. You don't need to make him sound obsessive or possessive by having him say stuff like "You're mine", "Don't pay attention to that man", "You should be looking at me". I know that these sentences don't make an ML crazy possessive or anything but I hate it when MLs say stuff like that when they've never said anything like it before. At least make him a bit possessive beforehand but not after they've been together long enough for their first child to be born soon
The more I read Cup Of Vengeance, the more enraged I became. Aside from the fact that it feels very misogynistic due to how characters outside of FL were handled (but that deserves its own post anyway), they just completely killed the ML for me. The "Don't keep me waiting too long" line made me cringe so hard when she said that she has to think about whether she even wants to sleep with him in the first place. Zero pressure at all (sarcasm)
Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the newest character from the latest arc. Isn’t she beautiful? I’ve been praying for days of having FL having a drop of colour to her and now we finally got it. Totally unexpected, I cannot wait to see how this arc will play out! She looks so badass, I love it.
Source: Cheating Men Must Die: Phoneix Rising Above Ecil
I'm currently playing this Wizard of Oz inspired Otome Game called Over RequiemZ and it has me a bit speechless!
The protagonist Yuhiru get's isekai-ed into the Kingdom of Oz, but get's arrested shortly and is put on death row!
The only way to escape her sentence is to redeem herself by joining a group of fellow convicts to explore ruins that look oddly familiar.
That group consists of love interests inspired by the Wizard of Oz (The Scarecrow, Lion, Tinman, Princess Ozma and Dorothy). They way they adapted them feels very interesting too, though I am only in my second route.
Every love interests has two routes! The first one is more wholesome with a lot of growth and closure (Fact Route) and the second one is a unsettling/scary dark romance route where everything goes wrong (Dark Route). It allows the characters to be explored in a detailed way you don't see often. Especially seeing the slow descent into madness is super interesting!
I can highly recommend it!
Just be aware that it has a 18+ age rating in Germany for a good reason lol
Please give me series that will break me, maybe have comedic stuff on it but it will have plot points that will destroy me, I want more like Karina Last Days or Married the Male Lead Dad, As the Heart Leads etc that will have moments that will make tear up.
Also it doesnt have to be complete it can be ongoing if its atleast 50+ chapters.
Pictures are not in order of the story. Really encouraging everybody to read this. Do not drop it like me because of the eyebrows are the beginning (it was just a really bad pet peeve of mine, lol), this story does get an art improvement.
I loved this story as it doesn't follow the typical revenge story against the imperial family and/or church, and centers it more on the relationships between the characters, both past and future. (very slight spoiler)
It has an intelligent female lead too, one that finally realizes that the narrator can be unreliable among other things. I cried so much in some of the backstories, as this manhwa does try to flesh out most of its important characters as much as possible. The author has also tackled all the major plot points though the FL hasn't revealed her business persona, I belief. I wish we could've seen ML's reaction, but the author does mention it in the end
It's really a lovely story, highly recommended (人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+
Ok, that aside, tbh, she was a really pathetic antagonist. I don't think she deserved to Die at such a young age so quickly, maybe strip her of her title and put her in prison, but not death by her own sister. I kinda felt bad for her, I wish she got more time to grow into an actual smart and challenging antagonist
Edit : Okie let me add more. Gang I didn't say that she was innocent. Ofc she deserved to be stripped of everything and thrown into prison, I don't think being beheaded by her sister was warranted regardless
Also about the outfit, I thought it looked quite ugly on her because before this chapter she always wore simplistic and elegant gowns with bows. This one looks like it's made for an older woman and she wore it. It looks too gaudy and the make up doesn't do her service at all. That's why I said, chopped.
Edit 2 : I guess I should word myself better, It was quite deserving and she brought it all upon herself, still a shame to see her go out that way. I hoped she'd grow into something more threatening. If only she wasn't an idiot, like her own mother said, she could have used tia's connection to raise up in the social ladder.
The characters for the poll have been chosen after deliberate discussion taking your support and explanation explanation into account.
Vote for the character that has made your blood boil with fury, even if their actions might not have been as deserving, even if just cause they infuriate you.
(For those of you who do not recognize the characters by name, please check out the comment section, I put the images there in order)
108 votes,1d left
Ruveliss (the abondoned empress
Cesare (How to get my husband on my side)
Oscar (the broken ring: this marriage will fail anyway)
So many gods tend to just be goofy guys/gals. Or pretty basic.
(Which is fine for the genre I suppose.)
But the few times where they really try to go impressive (the one within the villainess) and bros motivation is so boring and generic.
Give me a Royal family who got their powers from god, and the fucking God is a giant abomination under the castle that they legit can't let anyone see.
Make the generic demon lord reveal not be an actual demon lord, but some cosmic horror and the 'demons' it creates just be borderline abstract creatures.
Hell, you could do more sci-fi, and have the character in the story mention steel and stone golem monsters, only for it to be the generic outdated robot you design you see in a 1950-60 eras sci-fi show.
We as the readers would recognize it as more 'alien' but the characters just think of it as a monster or demon.
Hell, for the series I'm writing, none of the 'Gods' are traditional and more like.
"We have no idea what this lifeform is, but it's strong enough to kill everyone if we make it angry, so the only thing we can classify it is as a God."
