Reading this novel felt like a ghost story in its own right, kept going with a dying hope that it would get better!  Trying to quickly read it in a short time is good if you want to simulate the mental degradation and madness gnawing at the MC; so much gore in so much detail, especially for someone who sticks to good endings and plot lines   [This was written as of chapter 145.2]... more>>

The writing is incredible, from the plot to the presentation, but it’s so highly in-conducive to late night reading in the dark, and the constant twists and tragedies wear me out— the found family and friends around MC are either fake or end up in dire situations, MC included

This man would really benefit from some more Mary Sue traits because he barely survives most the time (it’s the ultimate understanding that he is essential to the story continuing but this novel strongly develops fates worse than death);  there is also a lot of interesting play on the idea of nature (human or ghost alike) as I assumed he would make friends with ghosts and it turns out ghosts are ghosts in the end <<less

If the MC could stop making weird comments about the little girls around him it would be a bit more compelling because the setting and his cleverness are to my liking... more>>

It was also a red flag early on when all his most notable companions from the start have been girls around his age, I swear this guy is cool and smart but then crashes out in the most harem MC way possible and keeps going like nothing happened

Furthermore the beginning doing a metacommentary on reincarnation novels felt like a failed attempt to be unique, like it’s the type of setup I’d draft after being late stage on a reincarnation genre binge thinking I was enlightened or something <<less

The super rough art was a super charming touch throughout this!! They became a lot more common later in though— only reason this one places on this list is because of the shift with part 2 that made me lose interest... more>>

I can overlook the rough writing and MTL struggles because the original plot and progression was very interesting and satisfying;  compared to Got Dropped Into A Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work, this one feels much less tense because the descriptions are more vague and the MC being a powerful ghost removes some of the stakes and makes this a really light read

Love that MC has self-sacrificing tendencies that generally get thwarted, although the writing around the gender bend from the start and shift away from proper friendship development took away my investment entirely—  MC in part 1 never discloses their true identity, which is explained but seems somewhat frustrating after a while (overtly unused plot lines are kinda annoying to me) <<less

This was so close to being on my favorites list, love the “realistic” struggle of s*um to change his character setting while being stuck in his personality and other characters recognizing the fruits of his effort positively + the chaotic plotline with some really unconventional choices   (By realistic struggle I mean he doesn’t immediately become a good person and everything doesn’t smoothly go his way, through and through he maintains a strong sense of identity)... more>>

But ultimately, he’s so clueless and unlikeable that it’s hard to continue reading this when 99% of his problems after a certain point are self-caused (I read to chapter 88 (~halfway) before getting tired)!  Furthermore, it becomes somewhat predictable what ending he’s ultimately working toward, yet you still have to trudge through the muddy effort along the way without much payoff beyond what I mentioned above

The humor of him being a bad driver felt like a forced character flaw, like the anime trope of a character who literally cannot cook anything edible (it’s more tiresome than funny) <<less

I read the manhwa for this because I heard it’s the OG of the genre but it wasn’t as compelling to me as “The tr*shy PD Has To Survive As An Idol” because of their overall comparisons:... more>>

Both have systems, feature a regressed MC who pulls an idol boy group to fame while dealing with crises that pop up (controversy, conflict, strict system quest goals), and rank idol characters by virtually the same stats (dance, singing, visuals, charisma (charm))

MC in Debut or Die goes into someone else’s body and uses system rewards to spawn in conveniently needed stats to clear the current objective, overall the system provides support towards its ultimate requirement (that he debuts or dies), the group members aren’t revealed until over 60 chapters in (again, manhwa) so you don’t get as much focus time on the main cast of characters, much less interactions between them (beyond MC + whichever new character they want you to meet), OG body host is around (later in the novel) but doesn’t engage until it’s convenient with the plot later on

PD Idol has a system that actively works against the MC at times, we know who the other members of the group are (it’s just about developing trust and camaraderie), and MC is ultimately in his own body (and still has to put in considerable effort to reach stat objectives);  also his younger brother is the only one who remembers his original identity (and serves as a natural reason for MC to comply with system objectives)

In other words, the plot happening in Debut or Die feels like a matter of time, PD Idol plot isn’t a straight line and MC’s identity is more grounded to the situation (and has a notable personality);  on its own, I would love Debut or Die, but having read PD Idol first, I can’t help but feel that this is too light of a read for me to get thoroughly enraptured by <<less

Just really like the bad guy doing good things trope, although there’s some arcs and scenes that come on incredibly strong in this one, the overall flow was super enjoyable to follow... more>>

The public humiliation and noncon mar an otherwise immaculate read, but focusing on the sweet moments makes it better; also raising someone as a child who becomes a romantic partner later is hard to pull off (HOB is a rare exception given the time gaps and individual development) <<less

MC reincarnates into the body of a sadistic psychopath doctor but resolves to prevent the assassination plot the OG carries out, which leads to some really strong connection between him and the scorned prince... more>>

It got weird when MC went into a coma to fake his death but the ML clung to his corpse and staged a wedding ceremony with it— sure, sure, something something romantic but the necrophilic aspects were kinda weird;  also that kind of obsession isn’t healthy ngl as much as I love physician MCs

The translating site I read on only has up to chapter 86 so that’s where I left off <<less