Before starting Misvil, I got the impression that it would be a light and fun read—something comical and hilarious. But it took only a couple of pages for that impression to be blown to smithereens.
| Story by | Feng Yu Nie (凤羽涅) |
| Art by | St, 墨路 |
| Available at | Seven Seas (EN) |
| JJWXC (CN) | |
| Translation | Yuka |
The story opens with Song Qingshi (SQ) transmigrating to the realm of the gods. And gosh, his life story before he transmigrated? There’s no other word for it but tragic. He had ALS and fought tooth and nail to survive. He studied medicine in the hope of prolonging his life. Despite all that, he still faced his imminent end.
Then he transmigrates into this new world as the infamous Medical God. Fate probably pitied him because, in this new life, he has a better body and greater powers. But this new society is still grim and dark. Maybe even more so than the world of mortals.
Enter Yue Wuhuan (YW)—a beautiful man, the favorite of gods and heroes because of his beauty and allure. But in this world, where having slaves is the norm, that kind of appearance only attracts the attention of sinister individuals. He is owned and controlled by a powerful god in the realm. A plaything for the rich and powerful.
Self, where is the comical part??? At this point, all I’ve seen are nausea-inducing descriptions of the lifestyles of the rich and mighty.
The “saving the villain” part happens when Song Qingshi rescues Yue Wuhuan, believing that YW is the protagonist he’s supposed to save based on the System’s task. I guess Song Qingshi was taken in by Wuhuan’s beauty. Heh. Men.
There’s a scene where Song Qingshi begins treating Yue Wuhuan. But Yue Wuhuan is so scarred by his past abuse that he assumes there must be a catch—that every treatment and every kind gesture from Song Qingshi must be repaid in bed. Their exchange is quite hilarious, but it’s also heartbreaking if you think about it.
Art
Despite turning out to be vastly different from my initial impression, I grew to love Misvil and its characters. That is, until I came across something that almost made me want to pause my reading. I reached the inside illustrations and scratched my head.
None of the characters looked like the ones on the cover.
That made me stop and wonder: was I still reading the same book? All this time, had I been imagining a completely different set of characters? In my mind, Song Qingshi looked like a cold guy, maybe a little taciturn and stoic. Perhaps someone like Chu Wanning or Lan Wangji. However, the illustrations inside the book made him look like the lead of a 90s shoujo manga with his big doe eyes. He looked so cute that it was hard to imagine him as the fearsome Medicine King.
Yue Wuhuan was no better. He is supposedly beautiful—I get that—but he looked too beautiful and fragile.
I get it, I really do. It’s the artist’s style. I’m not saying the art is bad, but there’s a disconnect between the cover art and the interior illustrations. It feels misleading to have a cover and then include illustrations inside that look vastly different.
An Long
He deserves a separate heading haha.
The only on-point character is An Long. Surprisingly, he’s exactly what I imagined him to be. Not just a feast for the eyes, but also charming in personality. He’s Song Qingshi’s long-time friend (think centuries-old friendship) who may or may not have a crush on him.
Actually, scratch that. An Long definitely has a crush on our Medicine King. I mean, he flirts at every chance he gets, even suggesting he be “experimented” on when Song Qingshi researches sexual activities.
You know. For science.
Final Thoughts
I can sense the inevitable heartbreak for both An Long—and for me—from miles away. Yue Wuhuan and Song Qingshi are definitely the endgame. But I’m curious how will that happen especially with the way volume 1 ended.
Have you read Misvil? I want to hear about your thoughts in the comments!