Manhwa Review: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint
Anyone who has ever been invested deeply into a story has thought about what they would do if they were in that same story. Whether you’d call the main character an idiot for trusting someone they shouldn’t, or tell your favorite side character not to do something because you already know it would lead to their demise. Would you change the story or let it play out as intended? The Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint answers those types of questions.
Quick Information
Publisher: Ize Press
Published: December 12, 2023
Genre: Action and Adventure, Fantasy
Rating: T (Teen)
Series Status: Releasing in English
Official Summary
AT THAT MOMENT, MY LIFE TOOK ON A DIFFERENT GENRE.
As a struggling office worker, Dokja Kim’s sole joy in life is an online novel so obscure that he’s its only reader. Then one day the story comes to an end…and so does the world. People all around the globe suddenly find themselves being massacred by horrific monsters or pitted against each other in sadistic scenarios straight out of the novel. However, only Dokja is aware that this is merely the first chapter of what is to come. Knowing that devastating plot twists are on the horizon, he can no longer afford to sit back as a reader—it’s time for Dokja to step up and write his own destiny!
Review
Dokja Kim is your typical every day worker. For the past 10 years, he's been reading the webnovel called Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. After 3149 chapters, he's the only reader to have stuck with the series, reading and commenting on each and every chapter. For him Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse has given him strength through the hard parts of his life. On the day the epilogue is scheduled to be released Dokja suddenly finds his world and the world of the webnovel have overlapped.
Rather than your typical Isekai story where the main character is transported to a faraway land, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has Dokja’s own world expand with the addition of magical elements. Having these epic battles take place in subway tunnels and city streets made the story feel more ‘realistic’ as the story comes to life before a reader's eyes. This is an example of ORV’s many metatextual layers.
While ORV isn’t unique with its use of giving video game skills to its protagonists, it’s the specific skill that Dokja is given that I found fascinating and very on brand with the series’ title. Instead of suddenly becoming overpowered physically, Dokja’s strongest skill is his knowledge of his favorite webnovel, its characters, and its plot.
This is where Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint really shines its strength for me. If a reader had the knowledge of everything that would happen in advance, could they change the overall narrative? How would the narrative change? And would the reader want it to change? This predicament very much falls in line with the “butterfly effect.” Dokja is given very little time to find the answer to all of these questions but to stay alive he must make hard decisions. While I won’t spoil it in this review, I was extremely pleased with how the first volume played out.
Dokja himself is a very average character who encompasses the everyday worker. Despite his low self-esteem and struggles, he makes clear decisions on the direction he's going to take within the story. He isn’t a perfect golden boy hero, and I think that's what makes him a compelling lead. The world he finds himself in is messy as it deteriorates overnight into survival of the fittest. I also appreciated that Dokja isn’t going at all this alone, he has a small cast of characters around him which include characters from his favorite webnovel, which provides its own extra layer of interpersonal drama.
ORV’s art is outstanding and synergizes perfectly with the story. I appreciated the blend of fantasy with modern day elements. Each volume comes fully colored and it really heightens the intensity of each scene.
As an avid reader, the story takes great care in relating all the thoughts anyone has had while following along with an epic story. The frustration you feel towards the main character after they make a questionable choice. How you loathe certain characters and wish the main cast would never interact with them. But also what defines a character? Is it ok for a character to be killed off because they are written on a page? Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint takes the relationship between reader and narrative and brings that front and center. This sets it apart from other action/adventure manhwa out there. ORV repeatedly breaks the fourth wall by simulating what you the reader would do in Dokja’s position.
Once I started this series I couldn’t stop reading. Each volume keeps building on the intrigue left over from the last, leaving us more questions with every new page. The character development and internal struggles that each character goes through are diverse and feel genuine. Even the series’ title itself is clever.
There is an anime adaptation that was announced back in 2024 in the works, and I have no doubt that this will help bring more eyes to Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.
Fans of stories like Solo Leveling will find enjoyment here, but I think even for fans who haven’t been pulled in by other action/adventure manhwa titles will find something to keep their interest.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is an excellent action story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but more importantly it will leave you with lingering questions of what you would do if you were thrust into the world of your favorite media.