Apocalypse Online
- Thread starter MangaDex
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Dex-chan lover
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2019
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- 243
So, I am a manhua only reader of this. In fact I was unaware of a novel existing before I saw the comments here.
This is one of those rare actually good Chinese works. Are there flaws? Absolutely. There are several instances of tropes you see in every Chinese work. The idiot that felt slighted and now wishes to kill you and doesn't realize he's out of his league is used a few times for example. However, each time it happens it doesn't linger or feel too bad as the MC mostly does a great job dealing with them. Often times giving a single chance before outright ending them. This story has stakes. You do feel pressure mounting as the MC moves the plot forward and unexpected challenges catch him off guard.
The MC gains power quickly, but he has to earn it, and on top of that a more powerful challenge presents itself in a way that doesn't feel like there's no way he's going to make it without Deus Ex Machina. Each new power he gains gets used practically in a very short period of time, and in the 100 chapters I have read so far older skills are not forgotten and remain useful. He has agency, moves the plot forward, and his actions have real consequences. Sometimes his successes pay off well and other times they make things harder for him down the road.
The various love interests feel natural for the most part, although one of them is quite immediate and without context built up by the MC could feel a bit off. They aren't damsels in distress either. While they (and romance altogether) are definitely not the focus of the plot they play key roles to the progression of the story. It's also understandable why the MC is choosing not to be in a relationship with any one of them even though he is definitely aware of the feelings of one of them and likely one of the others.
The scale of this story is quite grand, however, we don't actually become convoluted like so many other Chinese works so often do. In the 100 chapters I have read we have remained focused on the goal of saving the world while not adding in so many new elements to the story that it becomes confusing. This alone makes me very happy as there have been too many instances where I had to drop a manhua because I kept asking myself, "What the hell am I reading anymore?"
I generally hate how scores out of 10 gravitate towards 7/10 being the "average" as that score by all rights and reason is actually quite good, however the 8/10 we see this one getting feels just about right. This does a good enough job nailing the fundamentals that you'd expect out of a good story while not getting heavily bogged down by the flaws that often bring down these stories. We're too flawed to be a 10/10 masterpiece and this doesn't hit the high notes you'd expect out of a 9/10 in my opinion, but we remain consistently good throughout.
This is one of those rare actually good Chinese works. Are there flaws? Absolutely. There are several instances of tropes you see in every Chinese work. The idiot that felt slighted and now wishes to kill you and doesn't realize he's out of his league is used a few times for example. However, each time it happens it doesn't linger or feel too bad as the MC mostly does a great job dealing with them. Often times giving a single chance before outright ending them. This story has stakes. You do feel pressure mounting as the MC moves the plot forward and unexpected challenges catch him off guard.
The MC gains power quickly, but he has to earn it, and on top of that a more powerful challenge presents itself in a way that doesn't feel like there's no way he's going to make it without Deus Ex Machina. Each new power he gains gets used practically in a very short period of time, and in the 100 chapters I have read so far older skills are not forgotten and remain useful. He has agency, moves the plot forward, and his actions have real consequences. Sometimes his successes pay off well and other times they make things harder for him down the road.
The various love interests feel natural for the most part, although one of them is quite immediate and without context built up by the MC could feel a bit off. They aren't damsels in distress either. While they (and romance altogether) are definitely not the focus of the plot they play key roles to the progression of the story. It's also understandable why the MC is choosing not to be in a relationship with any one of them even though he is definitely aware of the feelings of one of them and likely one of the others.
The scale of this story is quite grand, however, we don't actually become convoluted like so many other Chinese works so often do. In the 100 chapters I have read we have remained focused on the goal of saving the world while not adding in so many new elements to the story that it becomes confusing. This alone makes me very happy as there have been too many instances where I had to drop a manhua because I kept asking myself, "What the hell am I reading anymore?"
I generally hate how scores out of 10 gravitate towards 7/10 being the "average" as that score by all rights and reason is actually quite good, however the 8/10 we see this one getting feels just about right. This does a good enough job nailing the fundamentals that you'd expect out of a good story while not getting heavily bogged down by the flaws that often bring down these stories. We're too flawed to be a 10/10 masterpiece and this doesn't hit the high notes you'd expect out of a 9/10 in my opinion, but we remain consistently good throughout.
Dex-chan lover
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2019
- Messages
- 705
So.... it's interesting, but not in a purely good way. Because of the gap, we are stuck with bad translations from other sites. And the plot is confusing so without decent translations good luck understanding the plot.
The pacing is bad, the antagonists early to mid way through are bad, the non-stop conflict is bad, and the fact that this uses the vr tag when it's only mentioned and never used is bad.
The protagonist is to op at times, power levels are bullshit, the author has bipolar, and I'm just confused as fuck.... 3/5 work, 1.7/5 experience
The pacing is bad, the antagonists early to mid way through are bad, the non-stop conflict is bad, and the fact that this uses the vr tag when it's only mentioned and never used is bad.
The protagonist is to op at times, power levels are bullshit, the author has bipolar, and I'm just confused as fuck.... 3/5 work, 1.7/5 experience
