#granted idk how toxic the stepbro really is bc i didn't read the mainstory but y'all know i'm not really into stepsibling pairings

[herotheshiro]

ok discovered the side story for the manhwa antimony (it’s localized as another name) and i was like ok this looks cute, i like the dynamic i’m being shown even though i literally don’t know the characters bc i never read the main story of antimony and don’t really plan to. and you’ll know that now i have even less desire to once you finish reading this rant post lmao.

anyway so i didn’t really know any relationships in-comic (bc they assume you know it already) so it wasn’t until i read reader comments that established who these ppl were so quick summary for those like me who don’t know shit

red-head actor: apparently tried to kill the main character during the main story. currently under social fallout after his almost-murder(s?) were found out by the public

redhead’s stepbrother: prob the main antagonist of the main story, but apparently toxic and low-key deranged i guess. idk. also he’s like a ceo or something i guess? anyway he and redhead were in a relationship to some degree, don’t really know; rn at the beginning of the side story i think they’re either on break or just not talking to each other

redhead’s manager: all-around nice or at least patient dude. although i think they were trying to indicate maybe he wasn’t so nice/had ulterior motives but idk korean so i couldn’t garner that. but basically he’s trying to take care of redhead post-fallout

(spoilers for the side story from now on) so the side story starts with the manager taking care of redhead and eventually they hook up bc redhead, in a drunken state, mistakes manager for his stepbrother (afterwards he does realize he slept with the manager not the stepbro though). which like ok so maybe the redhead is gonna move on from his ex and get together with his manager.

skipping through the rest of this like 10 ch side story for this review: they don’t! the redhead ends up back with his stepbrother! and i was so betrayed even though i don’t know ANYTHING abt the main story bc i like stories of nice, patient dudes taking care of tsundere guys. it’s a case of (1) ‘i don’t know what i had until i lost it’ on the stepbrother’s part, he was aggressive towards redhead but when he sees/hears of redhead being with another dude he’s like wait no i want you back and (2) the classic history-beats-all. the final scene where the redhead chooses bw the manager and the stepbro is very much imo the redhead being like yeah stepbro is a bitch but i grew up with him and we’ve been together all this time and i can’t imagine life without you (i’m making this up. idk korean). it was a good scene technically, having it take place on a crosswalk, basically indicating that the redhead has the choice to cross the street towards the stepbro or stay on the sidewalk with the manager (omg wait. now that i think more abt it, is it subtext indicating he’ll be safe with the manager but pursuing a relationship with the stepbro would be more dangerous? i mean idk maybe they explicitly said that in the dialogue but if not wait hold on holy shit) but when they cut to the next scene with the main story’s main character seeing redhead and stepbro smiling happily at each other i was like DAMN..... BRUH YOU REALLY DRAGGED ME ALONG FOR THESE 10 CH TO SEE THIS ENDING ....

also the other annoyance is that they basically removed the manager from the story right after that scene and i’m like bro. his last scene was him watching after redhead when he runs out to the crosswalk after stepbro almost gets run over bc the fucker is standing in the middle of the crosswalk when the light is red. not even a single panel of the manager accepting that redhead doesn’t like him like that. like fine ok in every love triangle that doesn’t end in poly, one person gets left out but at least give them some resolution even if you don’t write a new love interest for them. it’s ok to have them not end up with anybody, but at least let them accept and move on and have SOME degree of closure (if not for them, for the readers who were rooting for them).

i think i got everything i wanted to get out. i prob won’t read the translated ch even though i think some dialogue during the hook-up scene might be important bc ik what happens in the end lol. maybe this is just frequency illusion speaking, but after love or hate ended with (spoiler if you didn’t know) the main getting together with his “stepbro” (i’ll play devil’s advocate though bc TECHNICALLY they aren’t stepbros at the time of their main story relationship. did their parents get back together or not? i didn’t read this manhwa tbh lol. anyway i say devil’s advocate bc y’all should know my stance on these kinds of things by now), i’m like damn are other ppl just like ‘alright i’ve been validated and i’ll do that too!’ but also there was the older manhwa unfather that also ended with the main x his dad (i think it’s old enough that this wouldn’t be a spoiler. also btw i never read that manhwa either bc i tend to drop manhwas when i find out the love triangle involves a relative most of the time, i just found out the ending via IG lol. i’m menaced by those accounts to find out stuff abt stories i have no intention of reading).

other than the incest thing, i mean some reader comments were like ‘the redhead is crazy and so he should end up with his also crazy stepbro instead of the nice, “normal” manager’. which in some cases ok sure that makes sense but also damn just give the manager at least a single panel or dialogue of closure. idk maybe they did give him a dialogue of closure which i wouldn’t know since idk korean but damn. feels bad if he was demoted to only a line of dialogue