Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Vol. 1

Official Synopsis: 

Kill each other within the time limit or die. It’s just another evening commute on the train, until the passengers are given an order they can’t disobey. Utter chaos ensues, but ordinary office worker Dokja Kim only feels an unsettling calm. He knows exactly how this will play out! The subway car, the passengers’ reactions, even the bizarre creature that suddenly appears to oversee this sadistic scenario…everything is straight out of his favorite story, an online novel so obscure he is its sole reader. And as the only one who knows where the plot is headed, Dokja must use his knowledge to survive the oncoming apocalypse!

This was such an explosive start to the series, I’m honestly impressed. Dokja is ruminating on his crappy life for a couple of pages, and then everything hits the fan almost immediately. There were basically no breathers whatsoever in this novel, which made for a pretty addictive reading experience. 

I guess it’s not that important to talk about my impressions of the series before it even started, but somehow I thought there would be a little more buildup. I guess this is what I get for reading Lord of Mysteries just a week prior. The series drops all kinds of jargon as to what is going on, such as constellations/sponsors, planetary systems, goblins (dokkaebis), scenarios/quests, the “star stream” system, leveling stats, and skills.

None of these tropes are unique in their own right, and I think anyone who is used to the game-like isekai series would easily be able to keep up. In fact, I think a lot of these tropes are present in “System Apocalypse” or “Apocalypse litRPG” series. I haven’t read anything like this (D-genesis is on my list, and Dungeon Crawler Carl is on my radar), but I’m at least familiar with its existence. 

Dokja makes for a very compelling main character. Initially, he doesn’t have any “supernatural” abilities other than knowing what’s going to happen in the future, simply because the apocalypse that’s occurring is the same one in his favorite webnovel series, Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse. He very quickly adapts to the situation, and makes use of his knowledge in practical ways. It’s fun to see him gain stats/level up, but I think his true skills are in guiding the situation into being exactly what he needs. He’s pretty successful at it in this first book, but I can see where he might run in to problems/issues down the line. 

I’m also intrigued by the fact that this apocalypse seems to be occurring simply for the benefit and entertainment of powerful fans/sponsors, like the Hunger Games and the Get Schwifty episode of Rick and Morty. What do they even get out of destroying planets like this? It’s not clear, but I hope the series will eventually answer that question.

I also appreciate the vast references to many famous characters in literature. I have my guesses about who some of the constellations are (some of them are confirmed by Dokja’s own suspicions), but it’s a fun twist either way.

The next volume releases in November, and I’ll be eagerly waiting!