Pacing:
Ilse's conniving ploys drive most of the story. The pace of the story is a bit too fast, especially at the beginning. It launches straight into a "wedding first night" scene in the first chapter, as a prologue of sorts, before rewinding to earlier events. Similarly, there is little detail into what Maribelle's training entails. However, after this, the pacing evens out.
Demographic:
Complex themes—such as class, virginity/chastity, and abuse of power—were explored early on, luring me into thinking this was a josei. However, as the story progressed, it seemed to lose sight of these themes, instead shifting toward a more simplified shoujo perspective, which wasn't as intellectually engaging. It could have been a josei, but ends up being a shoujo with a difficult start. Nevertheless, there is quite a bit of smut involving partial nudity and marital sex, so I would recommend it only to ages 16+. There are also references to parental abuse.
Art:
The art in Okoreru Shishi to Migawari Hanayome is a bit inconsistent, but since it's a full colour webtoon, I was distracted enough by the vibrant colours to not care. I liked some of the imagery, especially the flower in chains to symbolise Maribelle's virginity, as well as the dark purple tones and thorns used to convey Ilse's often cruel intent. However, I did notice that at times, there was a lack of emotional build-up in the facial expressions of characters across scenes, which was a bit confusing. Surprisingly, I also caught a few awkward details, like a missing eye in the first Lebelle scene (usually I read too fast to notice).
Drama and Comedy:
Although this is a drama that never quite managed to reach angst levels, I couldn't take some scenes seriously at all (e.g. Maribelle deciding to run away.) That said, the story does have its fair share of intentionally comedic moments, particularly between Andrea and Edwin (Are you trying to brag? Most trustworthy person!) Another hilarious moment was when Andrea thought of Maribelle (as Ilse): "The way she looked made me unsure if it was a dog..." 🤣
Overall:
I like how to the point this manhwa was-short and sweet. I doubt long-term commitment issues will arise, since it's not as bad as it could have been (but not as good as it could have been either). Although the manhwa was predictable, it was executed decently. There was nothing really shocking in terms of plot twists (except Ilse being Ilse), but it was a comfortable read. I was curious to see how this messy polygon of her making would be neatly tied up at the end, and it was a nice fluffy wrap-up (involving our favourite puppy-like Colin.) True love conquers all. Well. After a long bout of dramamama.
(+4)
