Su Jin, an ordinary poor young man from the countryside working overtime every day to make ends meet in the city to support his family, finds himself in the possession of a book only known as Hell’s Handbook.
The Handbook universe initially seems like a video game as it proceeds to throw him into a different world every month, each world filled with supernatural beings, mythical creatures and deities, and even includes a complete point system along with weapons and special skills.
Surviving these Challenges is not easy, but it comes with great rewards.
But he soon realizes that all of this is real. The monetary rewards and magical items he receives from Hell’s Handbook can be used in the real world, but in the same way, every person who dies during a Challenge dies in the real world too.
As Su Jin desperately tries to survive each Challenge he is thrown into, he slowly starts to uncover the truth behind Hell’s Handbook.
Who is behind Hell’s Handbook and its horror filled Challenges? Each Challenge reveals a new truth about the world Su Jin lives in, bringing new people into his life even as the world around him becomes harder and harder to trust, and perhaps, even a greater mission in life…
Who should read it: Romance enthusiasts who enjoy a girl on top. Art is appealing and the leads stay away from most shoujo tropes so it's not half as frustrating as most shoujo romances. Also, a little smut never killed anybody!
Who should avoid: Those looking for deep and meaningful relationship dramas which have detailed monologues and anguish. This one's a little shallow for that.
Hime is a privileged and resourceful girl who knows what she wants AND what every other girl wants as well. So she goes about training this boy she picked up years earlier when he was a pansy and has turned him into this specimen worthy of worship who excels at any field she chooses to train him in, including sports, mannerisms, and personality. Nachi is completely devoted to his mistress and doesn't bother with other girls who are constantly confessing to him, as he has eyes only for Hime, but Hime herself can't get those words out of her mouth! My, my, what a predicament indeed... What to do, what to do... I guess in the meantime, she can always train him to be a sexy boyfriend and kiss him under that pretext, but won't that confuse her all the more? Odd... What is Hime to do then?! And why won't other girls stop scheming to take Nachi away from her?! AND once he does realize his mistress wants him all to herself, how exactly will he please his owner?
One of my personal favorites, made more so because the lead so often shows a sad puppy dog side of him, constantly believing he isn't good enough for Hime, and is at one point even called a pantywaist! Plenty of villains with evil motives (read separate Nachi from Hime) appear, but they're so wispy in their intent, that you don't even take notice. This is a fun swoony read, which shows just how far a girl will go to make a man her own, though I admit the lad was a tad objectified here. He makes up for it though by making special black tea blends just for his girlfriend and always following instructions ... Oops, is that making up for it or digging himself deeper into the boytoy pit? Oh well...
Art is always a reason to enjoy Minami Kanan's works. This one, while a little dated in the panels, coloring, and overall expressions, is still very cute and well drawn. Conversely, somewhere Kanan-sama almost always falls back, the characters, is the real reason to read this one. A female tsundere lead, while self-conscious on her own, but who instructs her manservant to always hear out confessions and never belittle other girls' sentiments, strikes me as someone very secure with her own self-esteem and confidence. It was refreshing to read on about her relationship exploits.
Overall an A-: A bit short, and the conflicts are very easily predictable and cliche, but the premise is a sweet one and the characters quite relatable and multi-dimensional, so it's a fun light read to take your mind off your own love life problems (or lack of a love life altogether!).
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