Finally caught up after letting it rest sometime when Hell Joe was first introduced. Like, 2 years ago?
Anyway, it's certainly fun. And art has improved immensely since the start. SIU is so good with shine and shading effects. Must have made dozens of screenshots to draw later on.
Yeah, I can agree it's not as good as the beginning promised. Too much sidetracking. Of course, it's all part of the main plot but it feels like sidetracking. Bam is just being sent from one quest giver to another. I dislike the soap opera elements as well. You know, the fact Rachel took Wangnan's ring and we couldn't find important stuff because Karaka needs to see the ring before he spills the beans to Wangnan. Or Hockney not getting his damn painting fragment even though Yura is in his face every other panel and there's no more reason for her to hold on to it. Yeah, suppose he will get it when it's proper time, but it's still annoying. Akraptor and Prince dying is really badly written. Want those guys back dammit. There's also stuff that seems like it was cut out for lack of time. Like that Snake Charmer Androssi carried with her for most of the arc and who did almost nothing in the end.
The dialogues sometimes leave much to be desired. I guess some of it get lost in translation, but I can't imagine it's the same in every case. Characters interactions are sometimes weird, considering the past events. And having a cast that big makes it harder to juggle it all. I wish SIU worked with a writer so he could focus more on art. I said it has improved, but characters feel too static at times. Especially in fights. There's definitely room for improvement there.
Speaking of characters, they range from madly creative to surprisingly bland. Like that dude Kallavan. I suppose it's just the way things are in real life as well. But I can't deny he makes them really likable, even if they're villains. Yu Hansung is one of the best things that happened during my reread and I was so glad when he appeared in real time.
The fights are one thing I could be a lot happier with too. Not just from art perspective. It's good enough to enjoy most of the time. But I wish it could be more technical, you know. In the end, favored positions often don't end up having too much meaning. Would have been better if the positional differences were more emphasized. Feel like we got into an era where enemies are strong enough to be good at every position a little too soon.
I love the lore and you can tell SIU put in a lot of time to organize everything. The tower structure, the floors, the guardians, the 10 families, the branch families, the royal family, the groups, the rankings, the positions, the items, the history, the known character quirks, the trivia… It's a shame SIU doesn't do more of those blogs to fill in the blanks.
Regarding these last chapters, I actually feared the all out battle would be a lot worse. It was a pleasant surprise really. Think the positioning of the battlefield and the match ups were handled really well. Love how there were multiple fronts at the same time. Evankhell and Hansung coming with Karaka's posse was an exciting bit and a nice turnaround for the one sided battle. Love such chaotic situations.
So, you guys figure we're at a half way or a little farther? There's so much stuff unresolved. But seeing how fast Bam is growin and considering some floors might be time-skipped... I don't know.