Sooo it’s been a hot minute since the last time I posted an update here, huh.
Technically, I did mention I read the next (and last so far) volume of TRPGプレイヤー in the bingo thread, but still.
Since then, work has been crushing my soul (like every year around this time, it’s kinda funny looking at my yearly dip in number of books read). Looking at those numbers, it usually takes me until July/August to recover and start reading again (despite the rush being contained to April).
As a way to get back in the saddle (and following recommendations from the “what should I read next” thread) I decided to finish どうも、噂の悪女でございます 1 (not on Natively yet, huh), because it’s short, easy, and I really want to be sure of myself before giving it a one star rating. Because, you never know, maybe it’s just an elaborated setup and everything turns on it head at the end. But it seems not. I can’t get myself through more than 1 or 2% at a time before ragequitting.
Minor spoilers shown; major spoilers hidden
It’s one of those typical stories where the main character was betrothed to the crown prince but at the beginning of the story he accuses her of being evil or something, breaks the engagement and get with a different girl (who is the source of the accusation, manipulative and/or just stupid).
The unintended “twist” here is that I agree with the other girl, not the main character. In particular, the ground for the main character to be on the right side reeks of reverse sexism, honestly, and is pretty enraging.
You see, the crown prince is a 10/10 who’s pretty smart, hard working, and kind. He literally collapses in the library trying to study more stuff on the side to be a good king in the future. Pretty mid, honestly. We need a real high value male, like his younger brother, who’s a 12/10, who’s the best swordsman in the realm, can achieve 25 hours of work per day without breaking a sweat, and still find time to date the main character (and pay for everything, of course, despite her being rich anyway). So they (the younger brother and the main character) conspire to have the crown prince lose his claim to the throne so that they can get married instead. Can’t have a weak guy as king, you know. Plus, that guy is obviously too easy to manipulate. How could he fall for disinformation given to him by his closest advisor (his own brother) and his own mother (who is unrelated to the plan, but can see it happening and willfully doesn’t warn him)? Trusting your own mother? How silly.
So, they are the bad guys, right? Right? But, err, seems not.
Also, the way the other girl “seduces” the crown prince is by telling him that he doesn’t need to work to the point of collapsing. He doesn’t need to know all the things, that’s what advisors are for. He doesn’t need to be the strongest swordsman in the realm, that’s what bodyguards are for (or is brother, I guess?). One thing I hated was that despite her being pretty smart and level-headed, she suddenly became childish and selfish as soon as she is engaged to the crown prince… Like, she just saw him break one engagement, doesn’t that would tell her to be careful at least until marriage? Plus, that side of her was never established so far. I guess it may have come out become she is in over her head? Still, weird.
Meanwhile, the bad thing the main character did to that girl were not “bad” from the point of view of said main character, but… seriously? “I just told her to know her place, it’s for her own good!” Maybe I’m just too French for this book, but that scene made me internally call for the guillotine. And it’s not all. The main character’s “virtue” is that she is behaving like a cog in the machine. I mean, at least she does live by what she told the other girl, but she is the embodiment of “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.
The only thing I liked so far is that the other girl is not collapsing yet (contrary to the scheme of the main characters) despite having to perform the magical tasks of the main character in her place because she is taking time to rest and delegates everything else to others who can do it.
Anyway, maybe there’s eventually a reversal (I’m only at 60%), but I don’t think so. Somehow the author is putting a lot of effort into showing us how the crown prince and his fiancee are dumb and arrogant (despite the incompatible initial setup), so it would be weird for them to become the good guys at this point.
Instead, I read 神様はじめました | L27 19 and 20 yesterday. Not only is it much more refreshing to read manga, it does feel good to read actual paper books, AND I like the story and the characters. I will still finish the other thing at some point, though.
*takes notes*
