Henzy_5477

Because his good friend is the father of the source material's MC and he wanted to tease him about his future?

No, it's schism. schism /ˈs(k)izəm/ noun a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief. "the widening schism between Church leaders and politicians"

Probably refers to getting a perfect score on an exam + extra credit

Meh, it's just the usual Naruto Chinese power fantasy fanfic where the characters are more like cultivators than actual ninja. I particularly despise this one though because it bashes literally anyone who goes against the MC, and the MC isn't nearly likable for me to actually root for him as a character. I only rooted for him while reading it because literally every enemy he has is too fucking mentally deficient to actually root for. The sociopathic, power-hungry, unprincipled asshole immediately went off the deep end the moment he got stronger than the Hokage, and the narrative of the novel fucking validates his actions because everyone else is a braindead NPC that wouldn't know how to pour water out of a boot with the directions written on the heel. The "strong vs weak" mindset that is endemic in Chinese works is just exhausting to witness after reading hundreds of novels that have it, and this is not an exception.

Yeah, your plans for Crocodile are pretty good. Besides, no one (that's of note) actually gets killed by Luffy iirc, because he considers shattering their dreams more cruel than death.

Damn, this mfer is truly shameless. He'd probably make Tobirama vomit blood somehow if he saw and heard what they were discussing at the end.

No? It very much is. Even though it doesn't feature a Chinese MC, it checks every other mark for a Chinese novel/fanfic. Worshipping strength above all else, "skin as white as jade", every character has complex ulterior motives, and the ship the MC got is literally from a Chinese work iirc.

Honestly? Not a bad novel as a whole, but it could use a lot of work before I can say it's actually good. The plot is quite interesting, the setting is intriguing, and I can definitely appreciate how well this was translated, though there are some places that haven't been fixed yet. But that's really about it. The weakest point it has in my opinion is that most of the characters have incredibly weak personalities and presences. They don't stand out; they very heavily lean on Chinese cliches, like how everyone is a power-hungry asshole, the males are arrogant and domineering while the women are slutty and submissive. Honestly, there are very few characters here that are actually interesting, like Ethan Blake, a guy who actually wants to help people but isn't naive or stupid about it unlike a certain green-haired boy, or that one crazy girl who I forgot the name of that actively seeks thrill and willingly stuck herself with that vampire priest who could manipulate elements. Hell, even the MC isn't someone I'd personally want to cheer for. He's just some lucky schmuck who devolved into a megalomaniacal sociopath the moment he got immense power, and doesn't that say a lot about how much of a terrible person he is? What about his deeper motivations for such actions? He literally woke up one day and just decided to take over the world. That's cartoon villain behavior right there. Maybe I'd appreciate him more if he had more screentime, but that's literally against the MC's own objective of ruling from the shadows - and even with that the MC kinda sucks at it because he's the one who has had to do the heavy lifting for a while now. Then there's the worldbuilding. As far as I can see, it's a mess. If I recall correctly, the world is a literal shithole where humans are forced into a small area of the world because of demons. The way the world is set up really shakes my suspension of disbelief because the disparity between the powers of each individual really shouldn't result in a society like this where people are barely hanging on a thread. What I do like - and find rather funny in a grim sort of way - about this though is that the writing is, unintentionally or not, a reflection of how Chinese society is barely holding on, as if a dynasty is gonna collapse again like in the ancient times. Regardless, the worldbuilding is kinda... aimless, I think is the right word? It of course follows the plot and the growth of the organization the MC built, but it often feels like the story never moves from the place the MC starts off, which makes it rather boring. I think this is also because the MC's goal is something I find rather pointless, or at least something that I feel he just came up with on the spot. I could have respected it more if there was more setup for such a decision, but there was ultimately none of that. The story just went straight ahead and never looked back. So yeah, pretty mediocre novel imo. It's something I put on my reading list just so I can have something to read everyday, and even then I find my motivation to read this slip with every chapter.

A very good point, yeah. To be honest though, it really feels like Chinese authors love to push their own values onto mediums that really don't fit with what they're pushing. Like with Chinese Marvel fics that fundamentally change the personalities of so many characters that it's hard to see them being the same character. I don't blame them for this though, since this is ultimately a result of their country being the way it is.

Bruhhh, the end has me fucking wheezing, goddamn