- #1
Compared to other misunderstanding novels, this one falls so flat because of the lack of character development and fun interactions that ensue with a comedic premise.The first thing I have to talk about Woojin is of course, his power as an actor. It's a cheat. He's a Mary Sue. He has no stumbling blocks. It's very similar to a OP JP isekai where they get the most broken ability with zero drawback, and they needed no effort to achieve their OP abilities. Similarly, Woojin can basically just press a button, absorb all the talent and requirement he needs, and come back as a strong actor in any field. Really, this applies to anything Woojin does, whether it be singing or even learning other languages.Then, the only thing that can carry the novel, if not the work that he puts in as an actor -- which is zero -- has to be the misunderstanding comedy and character interaction. Unfortunately, while there is definitely a setup for Woojin since he tries to maintain a stony, serious persona, there isn't any sort of engagement. Woojin barely messes up his act, and the monologue he does is similarly, very repetitive and dry. There are no exciting situations that happen with the misunderstanding, and the people he interact with have similarly dry repetitive misunderstandings regarding Woojin. If the novel went all out with this aspect, it could have carried it.The problem is also just the lack of relevant characters. While there are a decent number of producers, directors, and fellow actors that he interacts with, there aren't any sort of actual characters that get developed. You find it hard to see any character with any semblance of personality, even with his close colleagues, like his manager Choi or even his potential love interests. There's no focus on these side characters, and that's unfortunate, as that would have been the breakthrough point the novel needed to keep readers engaged. There are rarely any POV shifts, and there's a lack of exploration to each actor's struggles in terms of learning the role, how they interact outside of acting, and basically, they just don't feel like real characters.Then there's the actual acting projects. I love showbiz shows, and one of the reasons for that is the engagement between the actors in the story with the actual projects. There's logistics, storyboarding, directing, politics, funding, goals, relationships, and so much more to be explored in a high-profile show to be released. Unfortunately, this is also unexplored. While there are some parts to Woojin acting out his character and some background, rarely will there be a deeper dive into the actual story, which would have made readers more immersed in the description of acting out a character. There isn't any sort of roadblocks that Woojin goes through obviously, and there's also no semblance of other actors actually struggling with their roles and how they deal with it. There's no mention of the actors outside of the scenes, how they deal with roadblocks, etc. Overall, you can tell that the story pays no real attention to the acting projects themselves. Which would have been fine of the other aspects, like the comedic misunderstandings were more fleshed out, but alas, they aren't.Finally, I have to talk about Woojin himself. He really reminds me of those psychopath Xianxia MCs. He hates being disrespected, but he disrespects people constantly with his standoffish persona he tries to portray and doesn't mind it one bit. He largely goes off of first-impressions but no no no, he will feel bad if others do the same thing to him with this cold and arrogant persona. While he doesn't pick fights, he definitely doesn't do anyone favors. He takes advantage of other people, but rarely does he ever think of helping other people out. I had to drop the novel when he, with his OP powers, is able to pinpoint a fellow actor lowering the value of his acting project and basically outcasts them from the show. How is that any different than a typical arrogant young master MC trying to get rid of a poor cultivator for dressing shabbily or something? Rather than trying to help the other actor out, he intentionally uses his connections with the producer to get rid of the casting role.Relating to the last point, and VERY minor spoiler, somehow I'm supposed to side with paparazzi bombarding celebrities with scandals and never leaving them alone? It starts off with s*xual scandals-- of course this is very justifiable reporting and I didn't feel much at all. The person in question was clearly villainized. Then comes the very mundane scandals, and somehow I'm supposed to side with the paparazzi? What the hell? It's amazing how the novel twists the narrative. Each celebrity has to be perfect I guess. As if Woojin is a Gary Stu who has no flaws so no scandal will ever emerge from him. Oh wait, he doesn't!
