Konnichiwa minna-san!. I hope everyone is doing well. After finishing university, I thought I would finally have time to focus on Hive, settle down, and engage more by writing posts. But life had other plans! My laptop got spoilt, and I almost lost my Hive keys and my account. Luckily, after a long search, I managed to recover them. Now, I’ve properly backed up my Hive keys, so that kind of problem won’t happen again.
The good news is I got a new laptop last week, so I’ve been able to settle down again. Thanks for having me back!
Over the years, I’ve mostly been reading manga and spent very little time watching anime (if you’ve read my past posts, you probably know why). While I’ve watched some amazing anime, they don’t compare to the amount of manga I’ve read. I started with the mainstream ones but eventually ventured into different genres like science, cultivation, and isekai. After this whole journey, I can confidently say manga is highly addictive!
The manhwa I’m sharing today is called The Book Eating Magician, written by Makenlo and translated by Rainbow Turtle. It was consistently produced between 2017 and 2020 and happens to be one of the first manhwa I read this year. A friend recommended it to me.
The Book Eating Magician (or Book Eater) tells the story of Theodore Miller, an exceptional boy who dreams of becoming a magician. He’s brilliant, curious, and deeply dedicated to studying. However, despite his efforts, he keeps failing his exams due to a lack of magical power, which prevents him from excelling in practical tests. In other words, he doesn’t have magic. Despite facing repeated failure, Theodore never gives up and keeps trying again and again.
One day, when he was searching for books in the library, he found a mysterious book, which he mistakenly bonded with and demanded for books, stating that it needed books or else he would devour the host. and that if it devours some advance books, the host will gain several advance benefits, that is, he will be able to perform magic that was written in the books and other added benefits. Seeing this, although, Theodore felt scared but at the same time delighted due to the fact that what he's been trying to achieve was brought on a silver platter and decided to go along with it.
Yes, I can say I love gluttony kind of genre, where there's desire for power after encountering some mysterious situations, like the anime's own "Besrk of the Gluttony." These anime's are really interesting and just give way to the main characters to rise through the ranks.
You know a situation where people have considered the main character to be weak and ultimately shock everyone?. That was exactly the case in this manhwa. Though it happens repeatedly, which makes the anime boring along the way, it is still cool
Though this manhwa isn't the mainstream ones, it is very interesting, portraying every single detail of the storyline, showing how a young boy rises through the ranks from zero to experts, which is kind of story I like.
There're things I like about the manhwa. First, I appreciate how the story tries to touch on every character, not just focusing on Theodore. While he’s the main character, some other characters I wanted to see were also given attention, which is a good touch.
Second, the fights are the most exciting parts of the manhwa. The twists and turns in the battles keep you wondering whether Theodore will win or not. One of the most thrilling moments is during the competitions, when Theodore fights against other brilliant students for the top spot. However, some fights feel a bit ridiculous—where the main character is clearly no match for the enemy but somehow wins by using the book eater (gluttony). Still, the battles are interesting and raise expectations for what’s coming next.
That said, too much of anything can become boring. At some point, the repeated themes of desire for power, devouring everything, growing stronger, and defeating seemingly unbeatable opponents made the story feel repetitive. I think adding more creativity to the plot could have improved it significantly—maybe even making it rival some mainstream titles. Unfortunately, this lack of creativity may be why it doesn’t stand out.
When it comes to the art, it’s simple and pretty average compared to other manhwa and manga I’ve read. After reading so many manhwa, my standards for art have gone up, and this one doesn’t quite meet them.
Although the manhwa has 114 chapters on manga zone when I was reading it, I've finished it those chapters, but it doesn't look like it has been finished. I guess I'll have to wait for more chapters.
Overall, The Book Eating Magician is a decent manhwa. I enjoyed the main character’s journey from zero to hero and his battles, but the story could use more creativity. The art is simple but average. I’d rate this manhwa a 5/10.
Thank you very much for reading my post, See you next time, Sayonara minasan 👋
All images are screenshotted from the manhwa, except where stated otherwise