Im left speechless. I wasnt expecting a plot this intricate. At first I was sort of like Oh this is like Sword Art online but with otome games but its super high quality with the storytelling. And I was half right and half wrong. This manga is a masterpiece that deserves better than for me to compare it to something as infamous as SAO. Concubine Walkthrough only shares the basic premise of being trapped in a video game. Yes Im aware that there are other trapped in a video game isekai out there other than SAO but that was the first one that came to mind. Concubine Walkthrough is a majorly popular mobile game that is now being adapted to virtual reality. Teenager Yona Lee finds herself playing this new VR game but she finds that she cant log out until she clears the game and becomes empress. In order to do that she must survive the treacherous world of scheming concubines and seduce the cruel emperor. However she is playing the villainess the highranking consort Ranhee Seo. And its not just the regular concubines that Yona has to worry about but the heroine and player character Lili who usually brings about Ranhees demise... This manhwa has such a detailed and intricate plot seamlessly weaving together three mysteries and storylines. We have the drama treachery and scheming of the court life the mystery of how the game came to hold Yona hostage and how Yonas real life had an influence on her current situation. The chapters feel longer and denser than the usual manhwa chapters. I feel like it took me much longer to read this than it did for other series. Theres so much going on yet it never feels like its unnecessary or that theres tons of exposition. I had an easy time following along with the story and the characters despite my many questions. I hate it when the central mysteries are simple and easy to figure out and so I love series like these where the story is intricate and makes you think and theorize. It begins as a simple villainess reincarnation but with more of an emphasis on how Yona Lee is not Ranhee Seo. Its obvious to the people around Yona that something is different even though the conclusion is that shes gone crazy and lost her memories. However the more information we learn about the people in this world and the game the more complicated things become. The author uses tons of gameplay mechanisms to her advantage which helps make the series more creative. I think the only other otome isekai Ive read that included items was The One Within the Villainess. Im not writing out the Japanese name because its ridiculously long. Even the battle of wits and the scheming feels a bit different with every character having strong motivations and refusing to trust their own allies. My favorite part involved a banquet that involved debunking a past scandal involving the former empress. I know my friend who recommended this to me loves that part too. I could go in so much deeper about the plot and how amazing it is but that would be too much work and go super deep into spoiler territory. And I dont want to ruin this experience for anyone so I will only be including spoilers if I absolutely must. While the strength of Concubine Walkthrough is the story the characters are by no means weak. Yona Lee is smart practical and strong willed. Shes kindhearted and virtuous always striving to do what she thinks is right. Even when shes in Ranhees body she never forgets who she is and retains her powerful sense of individuality. I think many isekai stories like this gloss over how the lead is a different person than the person they reincarnated as but this one addresses it completely. Yona has to face Ranhees questionable actions while also defending herself and preventing her own execution. She behaves so realistically as a modern girl trapped in a foreign land and I love it. By her side we have the mysterious eunuch Sunshine. Sunshine is a fitting name for his sunny devoted golden retriever personality. However he hides his own darker role in the game and a more devious personality. Hes an incredibly complex and interesting character and his relationship with Yona is so well done. The duality of Sunshine and his real role are played to their full effect. As for our other two leads Lili and Youngjun in order to do them justice spoiler territory must be entered. Lili is the player character in Concubine Walkthrough with her own stories involving her lover from before being a concubine. The main route and true ending of the game is by having Lili become the empress. Guess what Concubine Walkthrough is a multiplayer game and Lili is another player in this VR world. I initially could not get behind Lili and her general disregard for the lives of others and her aggressive attempts at winning. However as I acquired more information I came to love Lili. I would get excited when I saw her again because her free spirited overconfident little boy attitude combined with her sheer drive to win and chaotic energy was so engaging. Youngjung the second male lead and Ranhees childhood friend was not interesting to me at first. I got bad vibes from Sunshine from the very beginning but with Youngjung I just felt like there wasnt much chemistry with Yona. The side characters are also spectacular. I could gush about each individual one but especially Ingpae and Dooyak. Alongside Yona and Lili those two are my favorite characters in Concubine Walkthrough. Even the antagonists are welldone and fleshed out. I even found the literal psychopath character to be morbidly fascinating despite her rage inducing actions. The art is breathtakingly beautiful. Its stylized and unique in a way that I dont normally see. I also love the color pallet. There are completely different pallets for both the game and the real world. The game world uses almost exclusively black/gray and dark brown with various shades of turquoise coral and pale yellow. I havent identified much with the real world other than the prominent use of purple and darker colors. The flower art and drawings of the characters are gorgeous and I think the style is just so unique and fitting for this piece. I could honestly gush about Concubine Walkthrough for days on end. Its masterfully crafted in every conceivable way. It could go on for hundreds more chapters and I would not complain. I think the only issue I have with it is just that the ending feels like its coming on too fast. Im clearly approaching the end since the story has ended the translations official or otherwise arent caught up. I just feel like it could have let the mystery unravel on its own for just a little longer since there were plenty of creative ideas to use for this story. I just dont feel like Ive read anything like this before and I wish more people knew about this absolute hidden gem.