Clearly something is different here, otherwise it would not grate at me this much. Although at present I cannot really tell you what it is.

One thing that is different, however, which I've been mulling over, is that you have shows where the protagonist struggles, and you have shows where the protagonist is OP.

Whereas this is a show where the protagonist is OP while pretending that he struggles.

I mean there's also shows where the protagonist can struggle despite being OP, but this doesn't seem like one of those.

Where does it seem like he's "pretending" though? Because you get the sense he could always pull out something that would help him win?

I get what you are saying.
This is the type of power fantasy show I hate the most.
The show is blatant about wanting to make MC OP, yet for some reason still want to present the MC as being challenged.
And that's where all the pretending feel came from.

And yes, this definitely is not make the OP MC struggle type of show. That is Ragna Crimson next door. There is a clear emphasis emphasis on the struggle and what was portrayed as the struggle.

This tends to be really annoying in some shows, but except for minor things (that I also complain about sometimes) there doesn't seem to be so much more he can do in most situations. It's not like he has some super cheat that he just conveniently forgets to use so that he can struggle. He tends to have to use everything at his disposal to have a chance to win (whether he should be getting into those situations in the first place is a matter of his low intellect though).

The show's aim seems to be an MC that is almost sure to become OP in the future (since he can grow the strength, while nobody else can) but currently is no big deal in the big picture.

Ragna Crimson is suffering porn. He suffers just because it's cool. I kind of hate those kinds of stories where the MC goes from bad to worse to even worse, etc. It's much better if there is a proper cycle of "introduction -> things get bad -> things get solved -> peace/reward -> intro..."

Who said there wasn't any reward?
We are just 3/4th into the first story arc. Reward doesn't come until problem is solved.

This is also a difference between the shows that pretend to present obstacle to an OP MC with shows with real obstacles. Those not real obstacles are just excuses to hand out rewards early to the MC to make the MC more OP, or simply just to let the MC look cool and win praises.

I don't have enough persistence to watch through permanent suffering for over 20 episodes and not even minor respite or reward. That's what I call suffering porn.

Jinwoo wants to cure his mom, but he still needs ingredients for the elixir of life...but he knows he isn't strong enough to brave the dungeon to get it. Which means...more solo levelling :eyespin:!

And to that effort, he's willing to work with Jinho now, even if it means just him and Jinho (and basically just him) soloing the raids together, but as long as they get results that's all that matters, especially with Jinho feeling the pressure from his dad to build up their guild :uhoh:.

Cha running! In tight workout clothes! That hug tight to the chest and butt! You can't beat that view! Though no surprise they'd want to recruit her :nod:.

Mr. Song really should probably be retired, but you have to commend that he's still willing to go out into dungeons in his old age and even without an arm. That's strong civic duty. Though other hunters willingly put themselves out there for the sake of their families, even if their loved ones still worry about them :(.

Joohee is feeling the pressure too, both for her anxieties and the terror she feels, on top of her parents not leaving her alone and trying to make her life choices for her. But she's still trying her best :).

Baek hates doing PR, but it seems like it's all leading back to Jeun island, the Hunter Association's biggest failure and where a lot of lingering feelings (and comrades) were left...and a plan to collect an army of the greatest hunters to go back and finally retake the island. Is this where Jinwoo is destined to end up :eyebrow:?

It's nice to see Jinwoo reunite with Song. It's almost like a bit of the old, softer, Jinwoo was back again. And in this world, I guess it's easy to write off dudes regrowing their legs with proper healing :).

What are the chances Jinwoo would be reunited with the survivors from that fateful dungeon...but it's nice to see Jinwoo and Joohee reunited, especially with Joohee looking amazing in that outfit and ponytail :D!

There are so many red flags to letting convicts into dungeons with civilian hunters so they can work off their sentences and fill up the numbers...I mean, I know Kang and Jinwoo are there, but it still doesn't seem safe :eyebrow:.

I can already see the ending.

Stubby beard is certainly going to die. That whole thing with his wife and kid was an easy foreshadow. I was uncertain how he'd die, but the whole fact they have convicts means that they are definitely going to axe him.

The Association guy is either a spy sent to observe Jinwoo, or just fodder to give a reason to introduce the convicts to the group. The convicts will probably get the jump on him, even if he's higher-ranked, since it'll be the only way they can run wild.

The politic components still feel abstract, with the way they introduce it in pieces. I can see the makings of some kind of guild war at play, but its not enough focus to see how it'll play out.

Nice to see Joohee and Jinwoo reunite again. The author kinda hated on the moment, since when she mentioned she visited him, they just cut off the conversation by the arrival of the Association convicts. I have a feeling this convicts are gonna take her out of the game; I doubt she'll die, but they'll be traumatizing enough to make her quit, even if Jinwoo protects her.

They are including too much foreshadowing and too little plot. Sure, if this was at least 24ep run it might be OK to drop in this amount of worldbuilding, but they have only 4 episodes left, so there is no way they are gonna use most of it. The constant other PoVs are just breaking up the pace, which is a pity.

And the D-rank dungeon is clearly just big trouble. If I was the MC I would pass on this one. Ignoring the criminals, even just having the same team as the failed raid + some agency guy clearly smells like they are poking into what happened and a few monsters are hardly worth revealing all his cards.

yeah, that jumping scene to scene and I don't even recall the S rank playing part so much so early in the game.

anyway, it's not hard to see what is going to happen inside the dungeon.

This seems destined to turn into a mess. That organization is itself either a mess or absolute scum. Just happening to gather this group together and bringing in an absolute chaotic element of criminals! None of them seem remotely compliant enough to warrant being sent out into a life or death situation like this.

I do feel for the girl working through the issues she already had before that incident and the trauma coming off of it. Her mom really isn't exactly a source of support. I'm sure their communications aren't open on both sides. But telling your kid she's just getting in everyone's way isn't a great way to encourage her to come home.

It really doesn't pay to have a family and be a Hunter. Jinwoo's lucked out that it's basically just his sister :heh:.
Y'know Joohee went to the trouble of visiting Jinwoo in the hospital but it seems like Jinwoo made no effort to get in contact with her after what happened...even though he was supposed to take her out to lunch :eyespin:.
I think this was stealth confirmed to be a split 2-cour :uhoh:?

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This franchise is way too popular to just have 1 cour. Heck, even I heard about it awhile back before an anime was announced, and I rarely ever pay attention to any manga or manhwa. It being a manhwa may play a part to how much budget can be given for anime, but I'd be very surprised if they don't announce another season after the last episode.

To me this feels more like a parallel or extension of the chaebol environment in Korea, which is much more significant than Japan's keretsu equivalent.

Basically the economy now revolves around dungeons, and the top guilds control the top dungeons.

Considering that in our world Samsung roughly represents 20% of the Korean economy, it's not too far off.

According to the offficial website they planned one cour so far but I don't know who has the decision of making sequels. A1 Pictures or Aniplex?

Then again, on a similar case Nier Automata was obviously meant to have more than one cour but they didn't announce it officially after months of the first's ending.

Jinwoo is a beast, the convicts are beasts, even Mr. Song is a beast...and I guess that leaves Joohee as the beauty of this party? She definitely fits the bill :D!

Dang it Kim, why did you have to rack up as many death flags as your buddy with a family did? I mean, it's respectable that you wanted to apologize and make things right to Jinwoo, even knowing he probably wouldn't forgive you, but still :(.

Okay, not really surprised these convicts would have someone who wanted them dead, especially for what they did to his daughter and the impact it had on his family, though bribing Kang to kill them...well, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal had there not been witness and Kang been a nutjob who enjoys killing people over monsters :twitch:.

Man, poor Jeongho and Kim...even if Jinwoo still blamed him for what happened to him, he respected that Kim was fighting for his family like he was, and didn't want to see him go out like this. But at least he apologized in the end :upset:.

Good on Jinwoo for making sure Joohee doesn't lose an eye now that Kang's turned his attention to them :eyespin:.

I would've just left Jinwoo to solo him but I respect Song's determination to fight himself, and he's got the sword skills and the magic (backed up by Joohee) to hold his own even if he just isn't fast enough to keep up with Kang :uhoh:.

I love how Kang didn't even realize Jinwoo was that same scrawny E-Rank Hunter until now, and Jinwoo is the only person who can keep up with him, and when Jinwwo's bloodlust and murderours intent kick in, their flurry of well-animated clashes and superspeed ends with Kang's Stealth skill useless, overwhelmed by Jinwwo, and with a dagger in his chest. It's what he deserves :cool:.

Well, Jinwoo is definitely getting stronger, but that comes with it's own drawbacks, like his slowly erasing humanity in the process :eek:!

Good on Song and Joohee for covering for Jinwwo with Woo! Though I feel like Woo isn't quite done with our Jinwoo...

Is there any better sight than Joohee with her jacket off in that strapless top in the night sky? Lucky Jinwoo :love:!

such a good fight.

while he manage to hide his strenght this time thanks to his friends, it's just matter of time and he knows that.

Anticipating an enemy's attacks through their killing intent...

I mean sure, but it's a bit deus ex for me and a bit of lazy writing. It would have been cooler and a bit less of a stretch if he picked up a new ability in the middle of combat.

This was surprisingly gory. I mean we have seen monsters torturing Jinwoo in the first episodes but now we got to see humans decapitating humans.

Unpredictable hitman...but predictable fight.