Mateo cleared his throat slowly, adjusting the grip he had on the glossy manga volume as he leaned slightly toward the camera.
"This manga… Ore wa shujinkō dakara, mochiron utsukushii hiroin-tachi o sukuu, which is also known by its English name, 'I'm the Protagonist, so of course I'll save the beautiful heroines,' was recommended by a lot of people both on livestream and in my personal DMs," he said calmly as he looked into the screen.
Immediately, the chat exploded across the screen.
「BRO FINALLY WE'RE HERE LET HIM COOK」
「I waited all WEEK for this review I swear 😭」
「He pronounced it clean as hell damn, respect」
「Mateo always respects the language fr」
「LET HIM COOK LET HIM COOK 🔥🔥🔥」
He nodded as he glanced at the comments, a small grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"And you know me… Even though I can read the pirated copy online, what's the use if the authors who are creating the manga aren't earning? So I went to the shops, found the volumes, and bought them, and as of right now, I'm at the latest volume."
He cleared his throat again, repositioning the manga so its cover faced the audience. "And all I want to say is that this is peak…"
The chat suddenly erupted in disbelief, scrolling so fast that Mateo instinctively blinked twice as though that would slow it down.
「WAIT WHAT? PEAK?? MATEO WHAT ARE YOU SAYING 💀💀💀」
「Bro did they PAY YOU??」
「NO WAY HE CALLED THIS PEAK I'M LOSING IT 😭😭😭」
「Mateo blink twice if they held you hostage」
「THIS MANGA???? PEAK??????」
He allowed their disbelief to simmer for a second before continuing with a calm academic tone.
"The plot is very refreshing, and you know me, I love post-apocalyptic worlds with Awakeners, especially if they're done well. The worldbuilding in this book was done surprisingly well. We have a different power system which, instead of using the regular class-type bullshit or the F-to-SSS ranking we see in literally every other manga, it employs lined crests in a way that is both complex and still easy to understand at the same time."
The chat lit up in a mix of agreement and trolling.
「THIS PART WAS ACTUALLY FIRE I AGREE」
「Crest system was fresh as hell ngl」
「L take💀」
「KYS💀💀💀‼️」
「Bro Izana again 😭 why are you ALWAYS here hating」
「Izana your parents left BECAUSE of comments like this 💀🙏」
「Man drops L takes like it's a JOB」
Mateo snorted softly at the chaos but continued without missing a beat.
"Yes, the political standings are great too. The world has this perfect blend of fantasy and modern society, and let's also talk about A.L.I, the academy. It's a modern academy, which is what all these medieval academy stories wish they could be. It's a well thought out academy with advanced testing systems, social ranking pressure, dorm stratification, and the Individual Points and Class Points system that genuinely pushes competition to a level that feels both brutal and realistic."
He lifted a finger and began listing. "Students earn Individual Points monthly and can earn more through trading, services, tutoring, combat achievements, and even social manipulation. Class Points determine the overall ranking of each class, and if a class has enough CP, they can dethrone a higher class entirely. So every student is smiling upfront while plotting behind each other's backs. It's deliciously twisted, and I love that aspect."
「ALI WAS LEGIT THE BEST PART FR」
「Bro that class war was PEAK writing 🔥」
「Political angle was so damn good ngl」
「Exactly, everyone tryna climb to Class 1 is realistic as hell」
「Manga coulda been legendary if it KEPT this energy」
"BUT," Mateo said, raising his voice slightly as his expression darkened, "the manga went through a downhill ride shortly after."
He jabbed his finger at the comic with increasing irritation. "Let's talk about the Heroines, which are the main point of the whole damn manga."
「OH BOY HERE WE GO 😭😭😭」
「THIS ABOUT TO GET REAL」
「Strap in y'all Mateo is COOKING」
「He's gonna murder this manga rn」
「I got popcorn ready 🍿」
"The Heroines at first were amazing people… don't get me wrong." He jabbed at his shirt this time, showing off the purple-haired heroine printed on the fabric. "I'm a Shion fanboy, but the heroines got progressively worse. From a well-developed manga, it became just like any other slop, with the protagonist saving them once, and then they lose all their power and reasoning and start falling like flies. STICK TO YOUR OWN PLOT."
He leaned forward, passion burning visibly in his eyes. "According to what they've shown us, this is an immensely political world where someone can be thrown aside for another person to rise. And you're telling me these heroines… who should be smart and aware of political consequences are suddenly falling for a guy with no political power, no influence, and no redeeming qualities except the fact he 'saved' them?!"
「BROOOOO EXACTLY 💀💀💀」
「Dude said SAVED and they immediately became STUPID 😭」
「Shion fell off so damn HARD man」
「He's SPITTING FACTS🔥🔥🔥」
「Author wrote them like wet cardboard later on 😭」
"Let's also talk about how useless the heroines became the moment they got in contact with the hero," Mateo continued heatedly. "Suddenly, women perfectly capable of standing against A-rank monsters… like the President's daughter, Shiramine Ruri were kidnapped by TWO C-ranks?! Make that make sense!"
He jerked forward so hard the table shifted, yet miraculously the phone stand held firm.
His viewers could practically feel the rage radiating off him.
「DOG NO FR HOW WAS RURI KIDNAPPED 😭😭😭」
「BRO TWO C-RANKS?? AGAINST AN A-RANK SOLOIST????」
「Author hates women I swear 💀」
「Peak nerfing, absolutely peak nerfing 🔥💀」
「Peak? You need help bruh」
「I dropped the manga at that point man」
"And let's not talk about how collectively dumb the characters became after each volume," Mateo added, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ryōma is a perfect example of this. In the first exams, he manipulated Class 4 and Class 5 against each other from the shadows to win the exam and I really liked that. But now? In the recent volumes? He's incapable of thinking and just moves mindlessly like a discount background mob. How the fuck does that make sense?!"
「MAN RYOMA FELL OFF SO HARD 😭」
「BRO WENT FROM STRATEGIST TO STRAIGHT NPC」
「Remember when he tricked 2 classes?? NOW LOOK AT HIM 😭」
「Everything became worse once MC showed up fr」
Mateo exhaled sharply. "And the MC? Don't even get me started. He's just a common guy with nothing special about him, yet he gets all the attention for no reason. He's funny sometimes, sure, but he has no brains, no depth, and no real struggles. He's basically a walking convenience button."
「THE MC SUCKS PLEASE SAY IT LOUDER 💀💀💀」
「He literally has NOTHING and yet everything loves him 😭」
「Walking serotonin battery for heroines 💀」
「'Funny but dumb' is not a personality」
「Worst MC of the decade tbh」
"It was a good read," Mateo concluded, holding the manga up one last time, "so I'll be giving this an honest rating of 3/10. The authors need to review their whole thing… I hate seeing mangas with good potential turning into romance slop. And that's all for today. Leave new recommendations in my DMs and I'll check them out."
He moved forward and tapped the screen.
「Your Livestream has ended」
「Total Views: 2,647,882」
「Total Donations Received: $62,000」
「New Followers: 36,000」
"Damn, this one really did a number," he muttered as he set the manga on the table, stretching his back as fatigue washed over him. "I'm finally done with this… I'll just get some rest and check my DMs again when I wake up and then I can finalize the new house as well."
He tossed his cap aside, placed his phone on the desk, and collapsed onto the bed.
Within minutes, his breathing slowed, and sleep claimed him.
…
Mateo stirred as a strange sound buzzed beside him, something that definitely wasn't his notification tone.
A static-filled voice murmured. "Breaking News. A Dungeon breaks in the middle of Keropolis City and hundreds lose their lives. These dungeons really need to be stopped."
His eyes snapped open. The ceiling above him wasn't the same at all, the peeling paint was gone, the dim, flickering bulb was gone as well… Everything that was familiar was gone as well.
He turned sharply toward the desk. His phone was gone.
Instead…
There was a radio.
"What the fuck…?" he whispered.