- #1
I wanted to give this novel a 3-star rating but didn't want to drag down the ratings by that much.First of all, from what I can see, the premise is just a lie. I've read up to the latest chapter, and there are absolutely no signs that the main heroines are going to join the side of the enemy. The author did set up the background reason for such a thing happening in the earlier chapters, but it seems like they abandoned it or something...? In favor of a generic harem route. Of course, I could also be wrong, and it could just be a massive setup for something that will only happen hundreds of chapters later. In which case, the problem then becomes the author writing something that's only going to happen in the mid-late stages of the novel as a premise.One thing I disliked while reading the novel was the sheer overuse of the damsel in distress trope. Every woman the protagonist meets just seems to instantly become a bumbling fool the moment they encounter him, even outside of the scripted main heroines.I also felt like there were some... unnecessary details that made me feel like the author was just making an excuse to write about their fetishes. For example, the rabbit beastman repeatedly climaxing because the protagonist touched her after removing her libido-suppression device. It was strange to read, to say the least. There's also the blood ghoul that has her physical age suppressed to be permanently 13, who seems to be getting set up as a romantic interest. Again, strange to say the least.In terms of plot, it seems to meet the basic requirements to be decent, which is good. The author doesn't seem too experienced in writing action scenes, so tension is usually created by scenarios that can't be solved by just power.Pacing is alright, with the exception of the previously mentioned romance. The emotional building stage is just skipped entirely, with the exception of the people the author has slightly more time to flesh out (his adventuring companions).The protagonist is slightly strange. It feels like the author couldn't decide on whether they wanted to make him an unfeeling regressor or an average kind-hearted man. As a whole, it would probably be more correct to say he leans more on the side of good, but it's kind of ambiguous.Overall, I think "I Gave Up on Conquering the Heroines" is not a series I would recommend. Between the uncomfortable scenes, rushed emotional progression, and average action scenes, this novel doesn't particularly stand out to me. However, it's definitely still readable if you don't mind these flaws. At the very least, I didn't hate it while reading it, which is why I refrained from giving it a 3-star rating.
