- #1
No rating yet, it's too early.Just feel the need to write my current impressions after 55 chapters.So...I'm actually struggling a bit with this story... The reason is the way the author has the ML behave and the positions that puts the MC in.During the time that the ML thinks the MC is a normal cat, the MC is often put in really frustrating and/or humiliating positions by the ML. Some of these situations come from things a reasonable and responsible human might do to a normal cat, but for a human they're really frustrating or embarassing and I inevitably become frustrated for the MC. Not perhaps the ML's fault, but definitely the author's fault for making him the instrument of the MC's humiliation or irritation, and for liking to do it so often. The rest of the situations come about through things like the ML's stubbornness, stickiness, conceit etc. and that makes them even more irritating and prevents me from liking the ML as much as I'd like to.Once the eventually ML knows he's really a human, most of those "reasonable for a cat but not a human" irritations go. However, the ML loves to tease - properly tease - the MC, who is pretty naive and soft. I find this an irritating trait in any person - I can't see anything kind in willfully making someone distressed for your own entertainment - but it's worse because, at least up 'til my current chapter, the ML is in a position of power in the relationship. He is more physically powerful than a cat, the MC is completely dependant on the ML, and the ML is also generally a bit smarter and more cluey than the MC - and he intentionally takes advantage of this. Whether it's teasing the MC to the point of genuine distress or putting on an act that he knows will distress the MC just because he's got a touch of that jealously possessive ML syndrome, I don't find it enjoyable. (It may be only short-lived distress, but it's frequent.) It prevents me from being able to believe in the ML as someone who genuinely cares about the MC more than his own whims or pettiness. And I do want to.I should make something really clear here: I naturally have a very low tolerance level for this kind of relationship dynamic. I empathise with any MC constantly put in situations where he is powerless and embarassed in the name of comedy, and I feel the second-hand frustration and humiliation quite strongly. What I am describing in this half-review is how I personally feel while reading this story.For many readers, this level of teasing would be very mild. The point at which the ML pulls back won't be too far for them. For some readers, they'd even find it hilarious or endearing. Even I don't think this by any means a really terrible and evil ML. The author is trying really hard to show other good things about him and the teasing is clearly intended by the author as something amusing and harmless. I think many readers would take it as such.It's just that I suddenly realised I've actually been frowning while reading - for five chapters straight - while the MC is swung around by the ML's intentional selfishness. I don't want to be unfair, it's not without any break, but sometimes it's not a very long break.I'm invested in this MC's story. I want to find out what happens to him. But when a story is making me maintain a subconscious frown, when I realise I've been enduring, in the hope that I will soon feel some relief from the irritation, rather than enjoying the story... Then I'm genuinely starting to feel like it mightn't be worth continuing with this....This is not all there is to the story. There's the sometimes dim but not unthoughtful MC. Some will find him too "s*upid, " but for me I usually find him to be someone who is able to accept things and try to make the best of his circumstances rather than to question everything and get caught up in deep and negative thoughts.There are some nice moments of ML care and consideration. Finding out more about the MC background also gives the story some interesting development.It's a fairly lightweight story, written with the intention of being mostly amusing and fluffy, and it is overall successful in this.It just happens to be one of those "light and amusing" stories where a lot of the entertainment comes at the expense of the MC's feelings. And so, although this is never intended to be something serious or heavy, it is the type of story I find myself struggling with, considering my poor tolerance levels for an ML putting the MC through distress for his own entertainment or relief.
