North x Northwest Chapter 154 Discussion

English is not my first language, but I loved this story so much that I wanted to write something about it.

This story is not that popular, I think the reason is the writing technique. The plot moves very slowly in the first volume (although the author does show us some set pieces), and the three main characters don't have their "save the cat" moment. I had no idea what the story was about at first, and, based on my stereotypes of Korean novels, I was worried that the story would devolve into "a control freak ML searches for his runaway lover" kind of plot.

I don't want to criticize the artists of Manhwa, but the adapted version omits so much. For example, I don't have a clear idea of ​​what the relationship between Ed and Cesar is, let alone what the driving force of the story is (I don't really like to look at every story from a Hollywood screenwriter's perspective, but the beginning of this story is indeed dull)

But since I have always been interested in pirate stories (I live in a former colonial seaside city, Hong Kong), while reading the first volume, I realized that the author was very knowledgeable about historical colonialism and the Age of Discovery. The background of the story is very delicately described and I was slowly immersed in the story described by the author. Gradually, I was drawn in by the tension between the three main characters and their humanity. Lil was different from the protagonists in the novels I've read in the past; she was special and her character had a lot of depth. Ed seems to have malicious intentions when he first appears, but I soon realize that this is because of Lil's unreliable narrative perspective. Cesar seems like a ML in a traditional romance novel, so I didn't like him much at first, but I gradually began to understand his character as the story progressed.

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It's very interesting that in many works there is always the s*upid FL and the toxic ML, and the ML "loves" the FL in the same way that Spoiler

Cesar loves Lil in the story: affectionate and devoted, but self-righteous and toxic. He doesn't care what she wants and tries to control her in his own way. As an Asian in a Confucian cultural circle, I am deeply repulsed by this kind of "love." I cringe whenever I see East Asian novels trying to tout this kind of "love". The NxNW novel handles this in an extremely mature way, allowing Lil to finally break free of Cesar's love -

[collapse]so I became more deeply involved in the story whenever the author furthered the plot mentally and emotionally. In the end, all I can say is: this was so cool! Thankfully, my interest in maritime history kept me from missing out on such a great work lol.

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I've seen a lot of Manhwa readers criticizing Ed for looking like a villain, which makes me feel the need to explain a little more: the reason Ed looks like a villain is because from Lil's point of view, he looks suspicious, but the truth is that he's never done anything bad. The supposed bad things are basically unreliable rumors. In addition, the manhwa pretty much omits the inner workings of the characters. The first time I read the manhwa, I gave up onSpoiler

Ed and Cesar at their first meeting

[collapse] because I didn't think any of the main character's behavior made sense. It wasn't until I read the novel that I really understood what was going on and the motivations for their behavior.

I really liked Ed as a character. If Lil can compete with heroines like Melissa and Medea for my favorite FL position, Ed has yet to meet his match for the best ML position. Cesar is actually good, just as good as ML in other romance novels, Ed is just better in a different form.

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Also, due to the conservative nature of East Asia, I often read opinions like "I hope the main characters are all virg*ns" on Chinese forums, which makes me unhappy. I'm glad to see that Spoiler

both Liloa and Ed had their own romantic interests before they met each other.

[collapse] What makes a relationship great isn't that you're the only one for the other person or that you have all the intimacy of the other person. Love is not the same as possession.

Finally, I don't speak Korean, so I should tip my hat to the translators of this novel, who have done a great job so far!