Time Stop Hero

nathandouglasdavis Jun 3, 2021

7

Initially, the way that Sekai would be shown just randomly peeking under skirts as fe went about feir business actually came across as funny--in a silly, "what the heck's fe doing?" type of way. And I think a large part of that is how it felt off-handed and un-malicious, almost like a passing thought that fe wasn't too invested in. But as fe started peeping on the same girls again and again in repetitive ways, and as fe started groping some of the girls or peeping on them out of a sense of spite or retribution, the humor within the lechery dissipated. To maintain a sense of silly nonchalance, I think the story would've been better served if they'd had Sekai switch up the types of random things fe did to mess with people while time was stopped (and not have it all based on sexualizing them). There was also initially a lot more humor in the way that Sekai spends ridiculously long amounts of time while time is stopped in order to defeat monsters that are far stronger than femself or engage in other projects. It's the grindiest of grinds. But the humor within that has also gotten a bit stale as that same type of joke has been repeated multiple times. I do appreciate how fe will almost always engage in some sort of tangential quests which end up basically just being a waste of time as fe tries to figure out what the main quests are supposed to be. Also, I had been under the mistaken impression that the entire manga would take place within the 72 hours of real world time which fe gets at the beginning, so I feel like I should mention that the countdown clock is reset several times after each "Stage Clear" event. [Reviewed at chapter 19]

apoc9 Jun 11, 2022

7

Imagine, a typical isekai prison cell. Young lad chilling on a prison bed, while staring at panties with bear print in his hands. He starts to tell his story once again. “I told you so, I can stop time.” This opening scene sets tone for this isekai series. It maybe strange, but it has interesting concept and main character Sekai Kuzuno. He has no special power except his ability to stop time [1]. The MC is suddenly put into this world, which he thinks is game he played as it’s typical for many isekai series. What makes things interesting is not the fact he can stop time indefinitely, it’s the fact he can see countdown, which he interprets as time limit to clear the game [2]. Time is running out. He has to move quickly, while the game is not on hold, because he doesn’t have much time to spend. If you give such power to an individual, it isn’t surprising, he is going to abuse it as well. Unlike some characters, which are paragons of virtue, MC of this series does not hesitate to unleash his desires and check every pretty girl he encounters. Especially later on it becomes sort of way to went his frustrations. It’s ever present and quite explicit. Even fights with the ladies usually end with MC completely “disarming” them. Yes, he strips them naked and leaves their clothes neatly folded by. People are wondering at his marvellous and instant achievements, but in reality, it takes him quite a lot of time to do those things. His way to do things has sense to it, but it’s typically contrary to RPG fantasy tropes. I find the series pretty hilarious and fun, but I’m aware it’s very explicit so if you don’t like that this isn’t for you. Even if you don’t have problem with it, it can feel bit repetitive as well. What I found intriguing is the way to clear the game has no hand holding. The MC basically makes guess what is supposed to be goal – there is no quest log nor mark on map - and he makes mistakes in that regard quite a lot. Side characters are quite typical for the series. The MC builds party of female sidekicks he travels around with. Girl with thief skills. Dark elf female, who is the only one sensitive enough to notice he has been doing things to her. Proud and capable holy sword master, who usually crosses path with the hero. Overall, I had fun reading this series. Despite being an isekai it stands out in its own strange way. If you want some lewd comedy fantasy as change of pace it’s quite enjoyable. Japanese difficulty 4/10 (see my profile for details about various difficulty scores) The series is of an average difficulty, but it does contain furigana as well and for that reason I give it 4/10. This review is written after reading 9 volumes (all existing at the time). Spoilers [1] Later on he learns magic to create small golem, but nothing OP. [2] In fact it is not time to complete game, but rather to advance to the next stage. Each stage gets its own different time.

goldengradient Jan 13, 2023

7.5

Really mysogyinistic. The MC uses his power to stop time to look at the censorable parts of women all the time. However the use of time stop powers was more interesting, and frankly I laughed out loud in multiple sections. really a trade off. I guess if you can withstand the objectification of the female characters as a feature and not a statement on how women are viewed as a whole throughout the world you'll enjoy it without getting bummed out.