Spotlight#116: Fast Forward 

Have you ever wished you had more time? If so, then I'm sure you can relate to the tempest of temporal temptations known as Fast Forward by Porto and Junki Hong.

Summary

Time is a fickle thing. Sometimes it moves at a lightning pace, other times, it's like thick molasses. Luckily for Myeongji, she can do the former at will, hoping to coast through life in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, that life may end even quicker once she realizes that she isn't one of a kind. Several others also share her temporal abilities, hungry to devour their brethren to become the master of time. Now with enemies peeking around every corner, the girl who wanted to be done with life now has to take agency of it for the first time.

Characters

Myeongij: The main heroine, Myeonji, after a traumatic incident, has consistently used her power to fast forward through life. She's very standoffish, antisocial, and calm. However, as time goes on, she gains more confidence, proactivity, and understanding amidst various life-altering scenarios.

Yeongho: Myeoni's first ally, Meyonji, is a highly motivated, intelligent individual with lots to prove. His past is covered with darkness and mystery, making him an ally out of necessity. Nevertheless, there is some righteousness in his heart, often pragmatically making strategies to keep Myeongji.

Miyeon Do: A hardened detective with heavy regret, Miyeon keeps to herself and is observant of her surroundings. While her past mistakes haunt her, she continues moving forward to figure out a series of brash murders.

Overview

Can't believe it's taken over a hundred spotlights, but we finally got ourselves a death game webtoon. Neat. While it's only been more recently, I've gotten into the genre with entires like Squid Games, the usual tropes concerning its intrigue. Seeing the consistent twists, alliances, and heartbreaking betrayals is something I'll never get enough of. All aspects Fast Forward pull off expertly.

Half the fun of the manhwa is the inherent mystery behind its various abilities. From controlling the flow of time, seeing the future, or looping it back again. We get introduced to nine amazing powers with surprisingly little commonality or lack of originality. Which makes figuring out how the friends and foes use these abilities in relation all the more interesting.

The powers wouldn't be as interesting if it weren't for the wielders behind them. For the antagonists, seeing their demented or tragic backstories leading them to kill. And for our heroes, who band through tragedy for joint survival. Either way, this is one of those webtoons where the characters get to grow on you over time.

Miyeonji and Yeongho are the greatest examples of this, starting as mere enigmas before later developing a trusty relationship making them stronger and kinder over time. The constant threat of other time powers at play slowly morph many of the other characters as they ask more questions.

How many powers are there? Can I trust this person? Who is responsible for all this? Is this power a gift or a curse? Who is going to take my life? These percolating conundrums create an intensely intriguing narrative across only a measly fifty-three chapters. Combined with the intense fight scenes peppering the series, Fast Forward serves as an intensely planned out "every man for themselves" story with a satisfying ending.

If this story has an overarching theme, I guess it would be one of agency. The future isn't certain, and what's done is done. We only have the here and now to improve, make things right, and push on. A message I hope to carry on in the future as I lamenting the past and worries for the future.

Epilogue

Overall, Fast Forward is an underrated manhwa that I hope gets more attention. Like Your Letter before, it proves you don't always need to be long to be good. Still, I think Fast Forward's time in the spotlight has reached its course. So let's look at what's coming and fast forward towards the next spotlight.