i know it’s not that good. but i read this when i was younger & it made such an impression on me. still very nostalgic over the plot line. i loved how full of life the characters were and how genuinely funny this was. few manhwas can actually make me laugh and i giggled at most chapters here.
upon reread, all i can see is that they are still young and insecure, but they’re changing, bettering themselves. and it’s odd to hate them for that. i still think the friendship between cherry & berry is so funny (speaking of the names are too!), and berry & walnut are so cute together. walnut is still a very communicative, direct, honest, sweet ml but he of course has faults i didn’t catch when i was younger. yes darin is obviously incredibly unwell which was frustrating to read but made for a really fascinating, unique character. you don’t see a lot of fleshed out characterizations like that, and i’m still astounded at how well he’s written. at points you pity him, despite how abusive and obsessive he is - there’s something viscerally sad about him and the life he was born into.
but i feel the same critiques as others are peddling: the ending is terribly short, leaves a lot unexplained about their future relationships. especially regarding where darin was in life. like i’m glad darin finally stopped obsessing over berry & their “love story” came to a good end. kind of leaves pierre/pear’s life hanging though like it’s never really resolved or confirmed what he felt for darin! only mildly hinted at. perhaps a spin off observing what happened to them would feel more conclusive. yes, the misunderstandings were frustrating still, but not terribly so that it’s impossible to read. the payoff is good, and i think it’s all just a study on how tangled & complicated relationships can be.
the character development was wonderful. berry’s growing maturity was so lovely to read, and her ending reflections were so thoughtful. you end up really feeling for her (and frankly everyone - they all read as so real, and their motivations as complicated and poorly communicated, but very realistic to who they are), even if at the beginning she’s not amazing. of course, female solidarity goes a long way when manhwas are so commonly misogynistic toward other women. also i remember complaining ab the art before but it does steadily get better.
overall would’ve liked more from the ending but it remains as fresh & funny as i remembered it! and yet it still has a emotional punch, a symptom of how evergreen its writing is.