Promise Cinderella

machiabeeli Feb 27, 2022

0.5

I always believe in giving each manga, no matter how bad of a review or rating it gets, a good try. Taste is very subjective and what may be bad for other people could potentially end up being a guilty personal fave. I used to think that I was more or less tolerant of most bad writing but this manga just takes the entire cake. Not the slice - the entire goddamn cake.  I could only handle it up to chapter 2 because the inconsistency in the characters really bothered me, as well as the personality of the male lead. There's a limit to how douchey a character can get before it becomes straight up unpalatable and unredeemable. I already reached my limit when I saw how manipulative and horrifying his personality is by chapter 2. I don't know how the author will attempt to save this character through a complex and maybe traumatic backstory but at this point, I don't care. You can't justify doing bad things because you had a bad past. The inability to deal with it in a manner that respects other people indicates that you are the one lacking. Perhaps this is personal but I really really can't deal with characters who are like this because if this was in real life, I would avoid anyone who behaves in this manner.  For the female lead, I feel frustrated with her as well. Supposedly she's this street smart, independent, and capable woman who can keep dishing it out no matter what life throws at her. I respected her immensely for that. And then she suddenly is swayed by this 17 year old, who lords his power over her and forces her to throw away her pride. I mean, what gives? The first chapter clearly establishes her as a woman with morals and rules, a list she won't throw away no matter the situation (her husband cheating on her, someone getting bullied on the train). But when the going got tough, she gave in? It was at this point when I lost my respect for the plot and the story. Big age differences don't bother me but I was willing to give this a try, despite the questionable origins. I wanted to keep an open mind you know? Sadly, I'm really not made for this manga. The ML is 17, the FL is 27. They behave outside of their age group which doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Like how did you exist for this long but not know how to behave in the society that you participate yourself? It's not like they're holed up outside of the world, unable to determine social cues and norms, uncertain about which laws apply to themselves. And this is grooming!! Or she could be considered a sexual predator. I throw my hands up at this - you need to shut off your brain to enjoy this if this isn't something you normally enjoy. I can't give you more context for this but upsidepenguin's review may shed more light on the story. Personally, I feel like all this potential was wasted on such a wishy-washy story. Ugh. Dropped at Chapter 2.

biasoull Mar 21, 2022

1

I actually quite liked the dynamic the ML and MC had going on y'know? And as long as they kept it clean until he was legal i was game. My problem with this manga wasnt the main couple but the many repulsive statments this manga was making 1. MC gets sexually harassed and the story makes her the bad one for "overreacting" while the harasser is the "handsome flirt" who was only messing around like usual. I stg i dropped this when right after getting harassed they went to have lunch together 🤡 2. The story constantly admonishes the MC for being the way she is. Her "street smart" never appears because its "wrong" so dont count on it 3. Her ex-husband bullshit was frying my brain so bad and the fact that that pathetic piece of garbage was allowed to appear so many times and say so much bullcrap without getting shot in the face still pisses me off to this day 4. The fact a 17 year old brat is the only voice of reason and common sense for this story gave me a headache In short. Do not waste your time on this

upsidepenguin Apr 29, 2021

6.5

Wonderful art wasted on a nonsensical plot.  The premise was interesting at first, but the OOC and forced plot ruined it for me. At first glance, FL is a strong person and I was really liking her. It's alright if she cries. It's perfectly fine to express her emotions. She's suffered a lot of hardships. But then, she makes really bad decisions. What does the author want her to be? Pick one: either experienced in life as she's gone through many hardships, or naive. Heck, the author even made FL say herself that she was a cunning person. Where did all that street smarts go? Out the door for the plot. There are chapters where this granny (ch 14-ish) comments "Oh you got such bright eyes for someone who went through a lot in life". Yes? Logically, if a person has gone through and seen a lot in their life, they wouldn't be acting like a newborn baby. Why is the author making the FL switch constantly between plain bad decisions and street-smart? It makes no sense and irritates me. Also, the scenes where FL trudges after ML were comedic for 1 second, and then I felt annoyed. Why is the author making a self-proclaimed "strong, independent woman" follow after ML like she has no mind of her own? ML is a teen. I will say I have a bias against age gap stories, but I won't mind it too much if it were a good story. But this is an age gap between a 17-year-old kid and a 27-year-old woman. Errr feels a bit weird knowing that he's underaged, even though it's only one year until 18. Anyway, other than the relatively insignificant (illegal? what's the age of consent in Japan?) age gap, the ML is extremely irritating. He's a plain asshole. Oh yes, he gets character development. But it just... doesn't excuse his bratty actions. He's controlling and treats things like games... but wait, that's because of his *tragic* backstory where rich broken family brother angst jealousy blah blah. Nah man, I've read this many times. If this was real life, yes, I'd sympathise, but this is a story and the tragic Bad Boy trope has been done many, many times. He only gets a pass because he's rich and handsome. Is this another story where "bad-boy" ML changes because of his love for FL? Another one of those tsunderes? Well, it seems like it's going in that direction. *It is my fault for not reading the sypnosis correctly. It literally describes him as a jackass, so what should I have expected? The husband is plain infuriating. That's the point of his existence - to constantly apologize for his crappy actions and be the cowardly cheating b*stard for readers to hate on. I enjoyed hating him. I sense some brother of ML drama too. Maybe bro and ML fight to "get" FL? Based on the foreshadowing and current tropes in the story, the cliche drama love-triangle will probably happen. The art is great. I love the character designs. FL looked super cool with her short hair and bright eyes. ML is very handsome. The proportions were good, the facial expressions are great, and the shadows and light are drawn well to fit moods and expressions.  It's a bit of a shame the plot is so meh. I recommend you read this if you don't mind forced plots and characters acting out of character, and like spicy drama. I turned off my brain for this manga, but my irritation couldn't be turned off.