Pop Culture Detective - probably my favourite out of the millions of video-essay makers

Perfectly ethical:

• Content that is Inaccessible legally such as old games, abandonware, delisted media, banned stuff etc.

• Digital copies of physical content you own

• Digital Content that you already own such as ebooks or movies, but are restricted access due to DRM or single-copy rules or other dumb stuff. If I paid for something I should have the right to access it however I want (as long as I don’t distribute it)

Gray Area:

• Pirating work that benefits a publisher but not the creator. Movies, Shows, and Songs released by studios that exploited the creators of that material and not giving them a cent. This includes scientific work and research.

Thanks friendo. Your sacrifice is much appreciated

I suppose it depends on the nature of followers; plain friends and employee is fine, but simple fanatics are cringe - I actually don’t mind fanatics who are well-developed. Unfortuantely simple fanatics are what seem to be the most common

Honestly I don’t mind Harems themselves- some of them were a functionaly poly relationship (like Jobless Reincarnation). I just HATED how they are implemented because of the indecisiveness and pointlessness of the characters, lack of development and crappiness that favored extension of drama over resolution.

All the best with the novels for AoB and Jobless - there are legal channels and also the option to sail the high seas, whichever is easier for you.

Lol I get what you mean. Not to mention how every character is either a master plotter or an idiot who wears their hearts on their sleeves, becuase every interaction between these fellows must be an easy-to-digest nicelty wrapped up plot point.

Jobless’ world is really one of my favs - it’s a basic setting, but everything fits well together and the lore makes sense. and yes the characters! All of them are three-dimensional, and work together while not knowing every single feeling that the others are feeling.

A good translator is such a blessing - I only read some chinese webnovels till completion (all 1500-1800 chapters of them), because the translators were so passionate about it and it showed in their work. I started reading Death Mage btw, I’m not 100% into the story yet, but the translations are pretty nice.

I have mixed feelings about MTL. On one hand they are grating to read through, on another hand they’re so rough you can fill in the gaps however you want. I kinda feel like the guy

Huh your description of Rhubarb reminds me of Gooseberries for some reason - though I imagine Gooseberries are much sourer - but the way you use them is kinda similar. We use honey or syrup to sweeten gooseberries for drinks and making candies, but have never them for pies.

Thanks for the recipe, It does look delicious. Summer’s almost done on our side of the globe, so this’ll probably be a recipe for a bit later - or when one of those irregular humid days come by. God you’re so right about watermelons though - biting into one when you’re dehydrated is exhilarating. Watermelon + Pineapple combo is uber.

Hahaha taking a jolly festival and converting it into a cultist horror seems like a trope at this point

I have this one memory in my mind - sitting on a bench by a lake, a mini glass bottle of a mango drink, a packet of potato chips in one hand and a book in the other, enjoying the breeze as a listen to the waters of the lake splash gently while I savour the snacks and indulge in the book. That remains one of my most peaceful reminiscence to date, and I have not been able to recreate it for so looong ugh. Hammock + book is a close second though.

Have you tried Kindle or E-Ink tablet for reading? Beats the sun ezpz

Oh no need to worry, the cost is far far away from my place. The people who would be affected have long been evacuated and are in shelters. Cyclone is receding now and people are returning back to their homes. The most we feel here in my town is the cold weather and unusual rains. It even hailed here the other day - which was cool, I’ve only seen hail once or twice in my life.

Oh I am definitely asking you to test it out for me 😂 - that manhwa scared me when I was a kid and I don’t wanna try reading it now if it has become meh at the end of it.

I think time travel can count as isekai if you travel so far into past/future that no one alive knows you - then you can have a fresh start and also have some extra knowledge like an isekai - though I don’t know if knowing the past counts as a superpower when you travel to the future 😂

Ugh travelling between two worlds feels like cheating - it becomes more of a Gate or VR Game genre than an isekai.

Ooh I didn’t Eminence had all those plots - I initially thought it was a generic one and skipped it. Maybe I should check it out, though I have to say, I haaate it when MC gets followers, it feels weird and also feels like fanservice

Hmmm, you make a fair point- before I had to search for Isekai genre on different sites, but now every manga has isekai themes in it. I also don’t know what this obsession with high school is - I liked it before because I could relate, but now it’s too silly. I guess they’re doing it because their main target audience is high school kids.

Duude you should pick AoB back up - and read the novel if you can! I like the Manga because it shows the printing press part which was hard for me to visualise, and the art is cute, but novel has SO MUCH MORE CONTENT. Are you subscribed to JNovel? The manga is getting weekly updates there, and 2 volumes are getting translated simultaeneously.

JOBLESS REINCARNATION IS MY FAV NOVEL OF ALL TIME - I love the MC despite all his flaws, and the world is SO RICH. I must have re-read it like 5 times till now - it has made me cry loads. Also something I recommend the novel over the manga - the manga is still good, but it literally changes some storylines for the worse imo. Plus, the novel is finished and translated.

I’ll check out Death mage - the premise seems funny enough, and god knows I’m in need for some good writing after coursing through MTL for so long.

Hahaha Manga is a niche-but-not-so-niche enough interest in my place that people will like you when you read it.

I’m glad they moved to digital - making Manga is tiresome as it is but having to do it with ink and paper sounds terrible. I’m not sure about the statistic though - I remember someone posting on reddit last year that most published Mangakas are still drawing traditionally, and only the younger ones are drawing digitally. I think their traditionality is the reason they don’t re-use assets. A complicated asset that you can’t copy-paste is just a burden.

Ooooh that drink sounds delicious - I can imagine the Vodka, Raspberry, and Syrup, but I haven’t eaten a Rhubarb ever so I dunno how to place it, hmmm. We have a drink here with fermented palm sap + syrup + rum, I feel like they would kinda taste the same. Woah - how’d you make ice cream out of skin?

I know the term “Midsommar” because there was a horror movie with that name recently - it scared me loads but I imagine the actual festival is pretty nice 😂

Ahhh heat must suck. In my place it’s currently very cold because there’s a cyclone brewing near the coast and it’s sending loads of rain and cold winds this way - I’m all sweatered up and resting. I’m trying to detox and read a normal novel for once, bc I’m reading too much manga/manhwa and it has lowered my attention span sooo mcuh

If you do end up picking up Lookism again, lemme know - I’ll decide if I should check it out again based on your experience.

Ehhh, if we describe isekai as “going to another world” and then depending on the definiton of “world”, going back in time would count as isekai too I think 😂

Dude I know what you mean, these types of mangas and manhwas have gotten stale these days - with the same isekai-specific tropes and storylines, they’re more fan service than anything like you said >_<

gamer manhwas is pretty easy to ignore, their bookcover screams gamer theme haha

Haha I know what you mean. To be fair though, Isekai is similarly easy to ignore because of their goofy titles, like it always is a clickbait sentence “How I ended up in another world with the overpowered ability to punch like a legendary gorilla”

No No I understood your point. It’s just that I’ve read so many isekais first before gamer mangas, it feels to me that gamer ones are the thing that seem like Isekai (because they have such similar tropes) - Logically what you’re saying makes sense, as things like EXP and stats don’t make sense in a normal isekai, but because I read Isekais first, and since both genres have escapism and wish-fulfillment and re-use of their existing knowledge to survive. But yeah, the mechanics and logics get dumbed down so much 😂

I like to read isekies where the person was passionated about something and use that passion in the other world

OOOH SAME! Have you read “Ascendance of a Bookworm”??? It is one of my favourite isekais of all time, and the way the protagonist goes around changing things is so heartwarming and funny.

I agree with a lot of the themes you said. Specifically, I enjoy the isekai and game-theme works where a flawed protagonist uses this chance to turn over a new leaf, through the new experiences they gain. It always feels nice to see someone be better when they are given a chance to improve :)

Honestly I’ve read a lot more Manga than Manhwa, but I definitely feel Manga backgrounds and props are more unique and varied - I think they have the luxury to do that since they draw it in black and white, and since a lot of manga are still hand-drawn, there isn’t a simple copy-paste of assets that you can do while drawing digitally.

Hahaha I get what you mean -had the same experience for my last msg and this one. I had this tab open where I was typing out the reply throughout the day in between breaks while I worked. Sometimes I forgot what I was typing and then put it off till later so I could come back and write it properly

make my ruhbars liquor

Oooh what’s that? What’s it taste like? Also, and why is the “midsommar” in quotes?

My day was hectic af. Hope you had a great day too

Oooh Lookism - that manhwa scared me so much as a kid, I dropped that one too early. I might pick it up again - how is the series? Is it still going?

All the adults are so petty, they can’t see the forest for the trees. If everyone is like that from the start then will it ever change for the better

Yes lol. I can maaaybe extend my suspension of disbelief and accept teenagers acting edgy and impulsive like that. But every character? The adults? The elders? Everyone going “YOU DARE???!!” for everything. So stupid smh

haha I agree about both Isekai becoming more of a lazy plot-device, but I also feel it for Game-themed manhwas. That said, I am kinda okay with them using it as a plot device, as long as it is not done lazily. If it’s just a feature that gives MC some OP, then meh.

I think many isekies actually could just have been a game world or the Mc could had just lost their memories but I think the author kinda want to escape to another world

I actually think the opposite! I think many game-style manhwas have same tropes as isekai but rebranded so it feels different from isekai. But modern isekais have a lot of mechanics similar to game-themed manhwas. Both game-theme and isekai are basically escapism at the end.

The talk of props reminds me - the mansions are always the same! In general, so many Manhwas have the same corridors and buildings and architecture it feels stale at this point

Please God, I beg you all to do this. I mean no disrespect to y’all at all.

I have been using a bidet/health faucet/Jet spray all my life. I was so shocked and disgusted when I found out people in the west used toilet paper 🤢🤢

I’ve used toilet paper a few times in emergencies and I’ve regretted it everytime. The difference between water and paper in cleaning your butt is so vast.

I first read Manhwa in the era that it was almost Manga - black-and-white art, japanese af tropes, etc. At that time Manhwas and Korean webnovels were even worse than the Chinese ones imo (atleast the ones I’ve encountered), which put me off manhwa for a long time - something I now regret, as I would’ve loved some of the better works when I was younger.

It is always about having money and women in the most edgy way possible an sooo much revenge

OH MY GOD I HATED THIS SO MUCH. There is no depth of character. Every romance was a woman falling for a guy because he was strong or bc he killed someone. I remember reading a line that deadass went “People feel elated when they are safe and others are suffering in front of them. It is human nature to enjoy the superiority”. UGH

The Gamer was the first Manhwa that I liked! I dropped it around season 3-4 when it went stale, but I loved reading it. Gamer-theme has because way too common these days imo. They’re Korean isekai basically.

I agree with you - Almost every manhwa that has a woman protag has better writing in general.

I don’t mind the backgrounds and 3D stuff as much, but you’re so right about the horses. Every horse I’ve seen in a manhwa has a nightmare face haha

I never thought I’d do it - but I have gotten into Manhwa and Webtoons. Woof.

I generally had a negative opinion on korean and chinese webnovels and comics, since they are usually edgy as hell and every character in these works is a hypocritical piece of shit who betrays others for the slightest gain.

I was right in a way, this was only because the main audience at the time for webcomics and novels were teens and edgy/shallow one-dimensional stuff brought in more views and money. However, these audiences have grown up and thankfully matured, so now the works that are getting translated are much more nicer and tasteful.

I’ve found some masterpieces, but there’s still a lot of edgy-but-kinda-ok stuff in there - which I’m also consuming because I’m emotionally exhausted lately and junk like this helps wade it all