The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound Chapter 213 Discussion

The Academy Arc ruined it for me.

Sure, it was cliché before too but still fun and not s*upid in such an intolerable way that I didn't want to read it anymore but god I cannot bring myself to continue.

It's the whole talk of the main character developing (I was actually l0oking forward to him being anything but a stone wall emotionally for once) and he himself actually saying something like "Oh, I felt something inside me change/break" and then there not being any changes is my last straw.

Look, I read a lot of Web-/Light novels and can deal with a lot of things but something like this just grinds my gears. If the MC is an unfeeling, apathetic, as*hole the book can still be good but this just doesn't work here because here there is that moment where the MC acknowledges his 'change' - and afterwards the author acts as if something actually did change (it gets mentioned several times I think) when it didn't.

Adding to that is the unnecessarily lengthened crossdressing plot where it just kept going long after it had lost its humour or fun factor, if that even existed in the first place. There's just line after line of other characters being smitten with the crossdressing MC, talking about how he looks exactly like a girl and how beautiful he is, that it just made me want to throw my phone at the wall. But okay, you could say I'm biased since these kinds of plots just aren't really my thing and if you enjoy them then it won't bother you, but the point still stands that it just drags endlessly.

Other problems I had:

The joke where one of the Heroines threatens to neuter the MC wasn't funny the first time and still isn't funny the fifth or whatever. I just found it disgusting since he actually had to run away to escape from her and it's presented as this actually serious threat to him so maybe this is just me, but I found it pretty distasteful.

The characters get dumber the longer you read. I was pretty much screaming at the MC when he didn't see something I had figured out three chapters ago since it was so obvious, but he's still there thinking hard like it's some complicated problem when a brain-dead person would've figured it out before him. So at some point I just sat there watching as this dumbass bumbles about when this wouldn't even be a problem if he had a lick of common sense.

It was just very frustrating, is what I wanted to say, since the plot screeches to a halt until he figures out something you knew already - and when he does finally come to the conclusion you've already reached ten chapters before you're supposed to react like it's a shock and be surprised. Infuriating, to say the least.

The Villain Spoiler

his father, Hugo

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Spoiler

Hugo's painted as this overwhelmingly strong, near emotionless and brutal character that doesn't care about his children and only values people who have great talent. An intimidating character that actually poses a threat to our MC since he is the head of his house and can move some of the most powerful people on the continent however he wishes, plus he is the ultimate authority the MC cannot escape and who's orders he has to obey until he can find a way to somehow break away from his family. This was what interested me in the first place, since the MC loathes his father and wants revenge against him for wrongfully killing him/ruining his life but at the same time he has to obey this man's words and pretend to be a good, talented son for him again after he regresses. The MC continually getting stronger and barely hiding his seething hatred while Hugo, the head of house, could kill him at any time should he become suspicious sounded like a fresh and interesting premise. Intrigue and scheming + action scenes would be pretty tense in such a setting, no?

So tell me why the author choose to make Hugo do a complete 180 personalty wise the second MC brings back his lost niece and suddenly he's this soft, doting grandfather that would do anything for this little girl. Even the MC was flabbergasted when this happened in the novel and sure, it would've been kinda funny if it was a gag or something but since Hugo is supposed to be this imposing evil the MC cannot possibly defeat it just ruins any kind of tension that may have been established before. Now, since the MC brought her back to him, Hugo's suddenly nicer to him and listens to the MC's opinions + seems to care for him, it just made the whole plot until now feel cheap.

This is a revenge story, if I have to remind you. A revenge story that lost its main antagonist some 150 chapters in.

Instead of the threatening, unfeeling Hugo as the final-boss we now get some other generic 'wants to ruin the world because plot'-cult or something and I find that pretty disappointing.

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The Heroines aren't really anything special, pretty cookie-cutter. I did like the first Heroine's story Spoiler

where she gets possessed by a demon (I think? Been a while since I've read it, sorry) because of cultivation even despite her talent. I thought that could be something interesting.

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and the one in the jungle grew on me. The third one, I think

Spoiler

the saint

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was in the same situation as the MC for me: Okay in the beginning and then becoming worse and worse - though I actually grew to dislike her while I'm just disappointed at the MC.

Finally, a conclusion to this long, rambling review. Personally, I cannot recommend this novel because of the previously mentioned flaws but if you read it anyway good on you. I hope you like it more than me, genuinely.