Review Synopsis:
This one is for the arrogant readers who always read the book before the movie, who knew the Red Wedding was coming, who laughed heartily when the Bridge to Terabithia movie blatantly mislead parents about its plot, etc. There is something very appealing about the situation protagonist Dokja finds himself in Omniscient Reader’s Perspective—the world has just turned into the plot of an obscure web novel, and he’s the only person in Korea (and possibly the world) who has read it. I have occasionally counted among them, so that’s not necessarily a put-down, unless you’re unpleasant about it. This makes it a story for everyone who has ever screamed in annoyance when a character doesn’t seem to know anything about their genre.
Dokja recognizes that final one as being somewhat familiar. At twenty-eight years old, with his office temp contract set to expire, he has been knocked down all of his life. His dad may have written with a variety of Chinese characters that represent “strong and independent person,” but he believes that the term “lonely person” is the homonym the universe chose. He even believes that his name contributes to the issue. (Most people believe that the right characters are “only children,” but the ones the universe is using are most likely “reader.”) He finds comfort in reading web novels, and he started reading Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse 10 years ago. It is a story that includes well over three thousand chapters. Dokja thinks his life is in the category of “realistic fiction” because he was the only one who was still reading the book at the end of its publication, along with his overall lack of luck. If it sounds like a somber assessment of reality, that’s because it is, but Dokja has no idea that the meaning of “realistic” is going to undergo a significant shift.
The tale begins at this point and simultaneously starts to feel like something we’ve seen a thousand times before. The “free trial period” for reality expires soon after Dokja wraps up the novel, and he and the rest of South Korea, at the very least, are thrown headfirst into the realm of Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. All of a sudden, it’s a survival game, and Dokja starts to identify persons and situations. As he is the only one who understands what’s coming, he also realizes that he is the only one with half a chance. The plot takes on the characteristics of both a character study of Dokja and a standard power fantasy, although without the overt isekai element most integrate. He’s the most intriguing aspect of all of this because he’s actively trying to make sense of the situation, devise a strategy, and determine who, if anyone, he can save. In addition, now that he is a part of the story, there is the question of whether or not he may alter it as written, and if so, how.
Regarding the saving issue, Dokja feels unsure of himself. When tragedy hits, he is traveling with his work crush, Sangah, as well as children and an elderly woman, who he knows will die in the book. Dokja is largely self-interested because he believes he can survive on his own, but we also witness him struggling with his own survival in order to save the lives of Sangah, the elderly woman, and the young child. Though his words and deeds don’t always match his thoughts, he tricks himself into believing that helping people is just for his own benefit and to make himself appear better to the “constellations” (divine creatures) watching the game unfold from above. Even while Dokja is actively deceiving himself at this point in the narrative to keep himself afloat, it does offer him more to base his character on, even if it isn’t particularly groundbreaking for the genre.
The lack of genuine character development for everyone else means that Dokja and its circumstances are the focus of the novel, which detracts from the whole volume. The majority of the plot revolves around shock and Dokja applying what he has learned from reading to the situation, which is done quite well (his answer to the goblin who is in charge of the game’s first directive is a solid one), but it still has the feel of an old tale beat. There’s a lot to admire about this narrative, if that’s your kind of thing: violence, the inhumanity of man when faced with death, and some quick thinking on the part of a conflicted hero. However, the whole thing feels hollow if you’re already sick of this kind of storyline, and even the novelty of reading it in a full-color manhwa instead of a black-and-white manga doesn’t really make it any more engaging. That’s not to say that there aren’t any interesting elements—the “goblin” stands out, if only because Korean dokkaebi can differ greatly from Japanese oni—but ultimately, this is a story that many of us have read before, and it’s also hindered by difficult-to-follow pages and panels.
It might take a few volumes for Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint to really take off, though. This feels like the setup for a novel adaption, and there’s enough here to justify a follow-up book to explore not so much where the tale goes, but how it gets there.
