I Will Not Return To My Family Manga

Okay, so you know how sometimes you get REALLY into something? Like, obsessively into it? That was me and the "I Will Not Return To My Family" manga. I devoured it. Every. Single. Chapter.

But... then things got weird. Really weird. And not in a 'cool, twisty plot' kind of way. More like a 'wait, did the author forget what genre they were writing?' kind of way. Anyone else feel like that sometimes with long-running series?

I mean, the premise was gold! A strong-willed protagonist, betrayed by her family, vows revenge! Delicious, right? We love a good revenge story. Think Count of Monte Cristo but with more sparkly eyes and dramatic declarations. What could go wrong?

Well, buckle up, buttercup. Because apparently, everything.

The Initial Hook: We Were All In!

Seriously, the first few arcs were fire. The art was gorgeous (hello, bishounen!), the pacing was tight, and the heroine, Anya, was a total badass. She was smart, resourceful, and had a justifiable reason to want to dismantle her awful family. Who wouldn't root for her?

Plus, the supporting characters were amazing. There was Kenji, the stoic childhood friend secretly in love with her (obviously!). And Mei, the quirky inventor who provided Anya with all sorts of cool gadgets. Remember that electric fan Mei invented in chapter 33? Legendary!

But somewhere along the line… things started to, shall we say, deviate. Dramatically.

The Great Genre Shift of Chapter 72

It started subtly. A little less revenge plotting, a little more… slice-of-life fluff? Okay, fine. Everyone needs a breather. But then it kept going. And going. And… well, you get the picture.

Suddenly, Anya was spending more time baking cakes than taking down her enemies. Seriously! Cakes! Don't get me wrong, I love a good pastry. But I'm not reading a revenge manga for a recipe book.

And Kenji? Instead of helping Anya with her plans, he was now obsessed with… gardening. Yes, gardening. I swear, if I saw one more panel of him pruning roses, I was going to scream. I mean, come on, man! She's trying to ruin her evil stepfather's life! Help her out a little!

And Mei... oh, Mei. She started building sentient robots that did nothing but give unsolicited dating advice. Dating advice! What happened to the cool spy gadgets?!

The Breaking Point: Talking Animals?

Then came the talking animals. Yes, you read that right. Talking animals. TALKING ANIMALS! Apparently, Anya had a secret ability to communicate with squirrels. Squirrels! What?!

Look, I'm all for a little suspension of disbelief. It's a manga, after all! But talking squirrels plotting world domination? That's where I draw the line. This wasn't Fruits Basket; this was supposed to be a gritty revenge tale!

And the worst part? The squirrels were giving Anya advice on… you guessed it… baking cakes! Was the author being held hostage by a bakery? I started to suspect something nefarious was afoot.

My Decision: I'm Out!

So, after much deliberation (and a few frustrated sighs), I made the difficult decision to abandon ship. I just couldn't do it anymore. The talking squirrels, the baking obsession, the complete lack of revenge… it was all too much.

Maybe, maybe, if the author course-corrects and returns to the original premise, I'll consider picking it up again. But until then? I'm moving on. There are plenty of other revenge mangas out there waiting to be devoured. (Suggestions are welcome, by the way!).

So, to "I Will Not Return To My Family," I bid you adieu. It was fun while it lasted. But talking squirrels? Never again. I need to go find a manga where the protagonist actually avenges themselves, not just perfects their soufflé recipe.