I’m gonna be honest, this is pretty much what I expected the moment news about mass DMCA dropped. I already started migrating some of the series in Mihon to Bato even before that happened simply due to the fact they weren’t updated on MD anymore - looks like I’ll just have to bite the bullet and move everything else, if only until I find some other source.

One thing I really hope for is that there will be one major aggregator site (new or otherwise) that steps up after the dust settles. Partially because of my laziness, partially because it’s the best way to find new things to read (outside of asking for suggestions) and partially because I hate Discord and refuse to join any community that’s gated behind it (sooooo many previously public and easily searchable resources are gone because some people thought app made for ephemeral discussions is the best place for documentation, it’s frustrating).

MD had a good run, better than expected honestly considering their size. The whole transitional period is going to be rough.

Thanks Mangadex, it was fun. Imma pour one out for you.

Also… F the companies who can’t even provide decent enough experience to convince people to use their product and would rather destroy what works.

I caught up with S-Class Hunter Doesn’t Want to Be a Villainous Princess and I like it more than I have initially. The humorous and drama parts are great, so is the art - it’s a really solid series over all.
I still don’t really care for the power fantasy parts of the story as something about them just doesn’t connect with me. I think it has to do with the complete lack of challenge for the MC. With Beware the Villainess, Melissa had at least some difficulties in various parts of the story - where they huge? Not really but they existed. With Renée I never had a feeling she’ll have to deal with anything problematic beyond system forcing romance novel tropes onto her.
Still, the hilarious moments overcome the dullness of an overpowered MC so far and that’s good enough for me.

Besides that I started checking out the list of villainess themed series graciously provided to me by @PrincessKadath@ani.social as well as few titles I’ve read in the past but never finished for one reason or another.

The first one is A Wicked Tale of Cindarella’s Stepmom - I love it.
No power fantasy, no special skills, no epic drama, just a simple story of a single mother doing her best to prepare her daughters for live in aristocratic society. It’s full of love, charm and reading it makes me feel all fuzzy inside.
I actually ended up binging it in a few days and now I’m waiting for more.

Next on the list is May I Ask for One Last Thing? - MC’s engagement with the Second Prince is annulled suddenly and publicly in the most disgraceful manner. MC starts blasting (with her fists).
This one is a bit weird for me. I love the concept, I love how unhinged and happy MC is about beating people up and I like the writing for the most part. Despite all that I can’t really get invested in it for whatever reason. It’s not bad so I don’t really want to stop but I’m just not feeling it enough to binge like I do with other titles.
I’ll keep going for now and see how things turn out in the future, might change my mind one way or another eventually.

Last but not least, The Perks of Being a Villainess.
The comedy of errors and MC acting like a great villainess due to anxiety rather than being an arsehole are a hilarious mix that keeps me reading. I was a bit worried her inside voice cringing and worrying about what’s going on around her would get a bit annoying or tiring but it hasn’t become a problem so far.
I’m still fairly early on with this series but it did end up on the “binging” end of the spectrum which is a good sign.