A combination of clichés... into something entirely new
The stereotypical depiction of death: a frightening, disgusting, hooded creature. Quite similar to the depiction in the story. The depiction of an angel: a beautiful humanoid being with wings. Just like the story (at least how I imagine it). A story about a girl meeting a guy and gradually falling for him... the entire story should've been a dumpster fire of clichés... right?
No. The story, although SHOULD be riddled with clichés, is not, thanks to the internal conflict and the first-person POV that the author presents. When we see the mind of the protagonist (quite vividly as well), we sympathize with her and try to cheer her on. The fact that she was "forced" to be a Grim Reaper of sorts while still retaining her human consciousness is also very refreshing. The character of Mochta is also very well-written, being kind of like the "ray of hope" for Shina. The plot at first was a bit confusing (since it's from first-person), but it slowly was woven into something very intricate and beautiful, raising many questions after every chapter.
Altogether, I look forward to each new chapter, and the surprisingly amazing combination of what should've been clichés.
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