The Soulless Duchess

Manthika Mar 15, 2020

4

Initial impressions/summary additions?  In a male dominated society, a young woman with an abusive father and a male(!) cousin who gaslights her into submission along with her abusive fiance- who is actually gay and in love with her male cousin.  This isn't really spoilers, this is all revealed rather quickly.  Yeah, there are some tags and warnings missing. The art isn't the worst I've seen but it's not great and the shading is lazy, the characters are two-dimensional in more ways than one, and the plot isn't anything original.  It's been done before and it's been done better, but it's not terrible, just below average.

AllesEvermore Apr 3, 2021

9

A lot of the "contract marriage" stories hold a line similar to "I won't ever fall in love with you", which causes a line to be drawn that naturally causes tension when one or both parties realize they don't want that line. I really enjoyed that such tension and lines were never drawn in this story. They start off with the foundation of mutual respect and honesty that holds no expectations and they build from there. The story holds a lot of realistic aspects of unhealthy relationships and habits (not uncommonly from bigotry) while showing a healthy and growing relationship as the alternative. The ml and fl both have trauma but work hard towards being able to be honest and open to have a good relationship. The story itself with the supernatural elements, going back in time, etcetera, is rather enjoyable. I love how kickass the fl is without losing her feminity or sexualizing her. Smart, strong, and determined. She's out to protect what matters to her as well as dish out revenge on those who ruined her life before time rewound.

Ponyo18 Jun 30, 2020

2

The story is common, with a few unique details but I feel this manga was executed poorly. It could've been better. The art was nice, but everyone has a baby face so I couldn't take them seriously. I was kind of surprised when the 'villainess' was actually a dude. Honestly, the story would've been better if it was between the villain and that blonde bastard.  Anyway, the story is too predictable. I do look how calm and collected she is but sometimes everyone's behavior is so corny. I wouldn't really recommend reading this. Warning: The cringe is real. Overall: 1/5 stars