Thursday, I was resting for a while after a hard day's work when I saw this manhwa. This manhwa Be The Actor is not included in my radar as I find the title lame. I mean in the battle of having multiple words for a title such as Saving 80000 Gold In Another World For My Retirement or even Moon-led Journey Across Another World, this wouldn't fall in the category. But as I write this blog, I saw that Be The Actor has an alternative name which is I Will Live as an Actor.
Aside from the lame title, it looks like it isn't an Isekai troupe I devour daily but a regression series instead.
The regression theme series is also one of the famous troupes nowadays. Usually, the main character is a high-level individual that wants to save humanity from the brink of extinction.
Going back to this series, after I read the first few chapters, I want more and rooting for the main character.
First, let's get the synopsis from Mangabat.
Jang Young-guk’, who achieved great success as a supporting actor.
Received the first and honorable Best Supporting Actor Award at the Acting Awards.
However, on that day, his mother passed away…
Horrified by the death of his mother, whom he neglected for years, Young-guk decided to end his life…
Before his death, he longingly recalled the warmth of his mother and the peaceful memories of the past. He regretted turning his back on those memories…
At that moment, he suddenly regressed to his childhood…
“I regressed, to that past I missed”
“As an inescapable fact, this life is just…”
Once again, the story of a person who wants to live as an actor begins.
Will he be able to live a happy life unlike the previous life?
Jang Young-Guk was a relatable character a brat teenager. I am not sure if you went to this phase, but I did in my life. I didn't like our situation and hoped that there was something more for me. Most teens just want to escape and want to have a different take on life. Envious of the achievements of other people, we do something nasty.
In a scene wherein he asked money from his mother, it brought me back to those days wherein I do the same with my parents. I ask money saying it is for a project but they didn't know that the project is to supply my vices at school. I got addicted to online games back then.
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He neglected his mother in the process and become an actor. Some may think that he went to this route because he wants to help his mom and give her a better life but it is out of selfishness that we walked this path. It was a lonely path that he took as he reached the top alone.
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When his mom died, he realized things he neglected. It was a lost cause already and even if he regretted everything now, there is nothing to do anymore. He ended his life because of misery, but rather than going to hell, he regressed to the time wherein he is eating with his mom.
Another thing that I liked about this series is it echoes the concept of regret heavily. In Filipino, we have this quote * nasa huli lagi ang pagsisisi* or repentance comes later. Though I know that this is just a fictional piece the fact that I could relate much now is probably because I am also in the same situation of the main character and even the parent.
Thoughts are running through my head while reading, like what if our little one will not appreciate the work that we do? Since we now are eyeing to have a more relaxed life, what if she rebels too, just like I did when I was in my youth?
After accepting the fact that he regressed our MC tried his very best not to do the same mistake that he did in his first life. With the mind of an adult, stucked in the body of a teenager he managed to ace his exams and become one of the top students in his school. Sure people such as his homeroom teacher is quite suspicious of the behavior and even asked if he is cheating per se. But he proved everyone wrong as he aced exams from time to time.
Thanks for his memorization skills being topnotch, as he still kept his practice while he was acting.
He aimed to walk a different path with the skill sets that he has honed, but the red carpet still follows him. People that he never had the chance to cross paths with back then appeared. Famous people that he dreamt of working with his first life.
The small ripples created a big one as even he tries to avoid everything as if a powerful force is pulling him back to acting. He run away, but after getting approval from her mom to do what he loves to do, he walked again the same path but now he is together with other folks that supported him.
Translation-wise, I can say that they made a decent effort for people to enjoy the series. I saw some lapses, which made me stop for a while and review the words used and pronouns as they interchange some genders most of the time.
The series has 42 chapters released available for reading and the journey of him being a doting child to his mom and even to other people is heartwarming. I can say that this is a breath of fresh air for me as mostly the regression manhwa I am subscribed to tackles revenge, monsters, and dungeon crawl.
All images used are screenshots from Mangabat.com Chapter 1