Don’t Be Too Nice
by Yoo Saera, Ryuhwa
published by Tappytoon (20 chapters so far)
2024 – ongoing
My favorite new comic charmed me so quickly, I was caught off guard – it becomes eventful immediately, in an engaging way.
We meet former mage and knight Rustica Genas after she has fallen on hard times. She was a promising teenage battle leader close to power, but after years of progress-free war, she wanted the Caleta Empire to change its approach. The impenetrable Great Barrier spewing monsters remained unchanged, and countless people had been consumed by it – including her beloved parents. Her unwanted advice on a new approach to her Emperor leaves her fired, magically disabled, and miserable.
Her efforts to fade into obscurity in a small town far from the capital seem to be working after four years, but a drunken, one night stand saddles her with an angel-faced, excessively friendly, former child-soldier. Once he disappears (in a magical manner), there is big news. The Great Barrier contains an opening (!), there are countries on the other side of it (!!), and the Emperor wants her to be a diplomat, even with her current weaknesses (!!!).
What the hell?
Rustica (Rue to her friends) rolls with it… and on the other side of the Great Barrier, things take a turn for the fantastic. Well, awkward first, and THEN fantastic.
The story moves FAST, and we get to see what life is like through Rue’s eyes in an unknown, highly developed empire that rivals her own. Life as a diplomat from an “enemy” nation isn’t easy, and her team is completely certain she is being bullied by the emperor on this new side. But the revelations about how the rest of the world sees her home empire come fast, and revelations about how she lost her abilities change Rue’s world view.
I picked this up and wouldn’t put it down until I’d read all available episodes. I love the pacing! I adore the ‘enemy’ emperor! I love the humor panels! (I need to also have the word ‘pitiful’ hovering beside me at various points during the day.) The story is action-packed and developing quickly. I’m eager for more.