1.5 Stars: Initially, I hesitated between giving it a 3.5-star rating and considering it a 4-star read. However, the story's lack of depth and engaging content led me to drop it to 2 stars. Up until a certain point, it was tolerable with some harmless charm, but it failed to captivate me. Despite a few cute moments, the plot lacked excitement and character development.
I tried to give it more chances, but ultimately decided to lower the rating by another half-star and abandon the story. It's surprising to see such high 5-star reviews without a significant change in the story's direction, such as improved writing, plot, and character growth. The translation, however, is decent.
The protagonist, Ei, narrates in a monotonous manner and has little interest in relationships due to her immortality. She lacks desires, goals, and hobbies, and her detachment from past experiences makes her appear bland. Her reactions to events, like Dante's appearance or her own violent deaths, are underwhelming. Even when she claims to fall in love, it seems more practical than genuine, driven by convenience rather than true affection.
Dante, the male lead, has more depth compared to Ei, but his character is clichéd, resembling a typical tsundere manga protagonist. His love for Ei is confusing, as he struggles to understand her apathy towards life's events. The occasional third-person chapters from other characters serve no purpose other than padding the story and advancing the plot artificially.
While there was some initial intrigue in the promised "village bomb-death" event, the handling of Ei's immortality revelation was a major disappointment. She inexplicably keeps her own immortality a secret from Dante, despite her earlier emphasis on avoiding emotional entanglements due to her longevity. This inconsistency felt frustrating.
Furthermore, Dante's exaggerated grief and quest for revenge after Ei's death felt forced and melodramatic, especially since there was little buildup for such an intense response. The remaining chapters seemed to drag on without any meaningful progression, making the decision to stop reading even harder.
In summary, the lackluster character development,平淡 romance, and unrealistic plot twists contributed to my dissatisfaction with the novel. Despite my tolerance for common shoujo tropes, this book exceeded my limits.