Writer/Artist: seungu
Original Creator: Han Yoon-seol
Publisher: WEBTOON (Ongoing)
Publication Date: February 13, 2022
Rating: All ages
Genre: VSC adaptation (S. Korea), Fantasy, Romance, Drama
My In-Laws are Obsessed With Me by seungu and Han Yoon-seol is one of the most popular fantasy romance titles on WEBTOON. The series has 1.6 million subscribers and has racked up over 138 million views ever since its release. These numbers are crazy! So let’s see what this webtoon is all about.
An affectionate boyfriend. A caring stepmother and stepsister as if they’re her own blood. Pereshati Zahardt, a count’s daughter, promised she would always cherish these people now that her father passed away as well. Only devastation awaited her when she found out, on her death bed, cursed by her very own lover, that he only married Pereshati for the late Count’s inheritance. The stepmother and sister were in on the plan as well. She swears she will never forgive their wrongdoings, even in her death.
She doesn’t expect to open her eyes again, let alone go back to the time when her father had just passed away, but the people she thought of as family are yet to betray her. Pereshati has a hard time believing she went back in time, but still gathers her strength to turn down her lover’s proposal and vow to protect her household this time. The key to her plan is to enter into a contractual marriage for a year with Grand Duke Therdeo Lapileon, a bloodthirsty warrior who played a crucial role in the empire’s victory.
The prologue gives us a glimpse of the future where Pereshati is adored and protected by every single member of the Lapileon family. Then, we rewind time to find out how it all started, and what brought these two characters, who otherwise wouldn’t cross paths due to their social standings, together. My In-Laws are Obsessed With Me, at first glance, is what it says on the tin. We have the usual beats for a fantasy romance webtoon; the female lead gets a second chance to change the course of her life, the male lead is cold and distant, an expiration date for the marriage is set, and both leads benefit in some way from this contract. In the end, Pereshati conquers the hearts of the family members one by one.
Yet, even from the early chapters, there are signs that this series doesn’t take the issues it introduces lightly. Pereshati is rightfully anxious and confused, the reason being not knowing the details of her own death or why Therdeo’s cursed blood makes her feel like dying but still survives. Therdeo, on the other hand, has a family name to uphold and too many secrets that belong to their bloodline to keep.
The Lapileons’ blood is deadly to people, which forces them to live a secluded life, one that’s laced with tragic events. Right now, what Pereshati needs is protection while Therdeo needs to figure out why Pereshati, while she does suffer, doesn’t die when she comes in contact with Lapileon blood. It was also interesting that our female lead used this marriage to learn about the intricacies of running a household to prepare herself to take over the Zahardt house after the divorce.
The distress and the sudden anxious wave that sweeps the characters away are successfully conveyed through haunting images and stark changes in the palette. The series is not short of funny panels as well, providing comical relief when the atmosphere gets too heavy. Seungu is more than capable of visually conveying emotions when needed and constructing an intriguing narrative. It also makes me wonder; why depend so much on text, then?
Depending too much on written words in webtoons or manga is a problem I encounter often in series that are adapted from webnovels or light novels, as is the case for My In-Laws are Obsessed With Me.
I understand some repetition, reminder, or exposition is needed because webtoons have at least a week between each chapter and these series tend to run for years. However at times, there is simply too much in the way of internal monologue or reactions to situations where everything is otherwise already clear and no further explanation is needed. Inner monologue is one of the most reliable tools to convey thoughts/feelings in novels, but too much of it in visual media can dampen the experience for the reader.
With those minor complaints out of the way, there’s a lot to look forward to in My In-Laws are Obsessed With Me. From lovely character designs to chapters that leave you wanting to know more, this ongoing fantasy romance webtoon slowly but surely grows on the reader! Completely free to read on WEBTOON, My In-Laws are Obsessed With Me updates every Sunday. Perfect time to binge and catch up to the second season!
