[Warning! Contains Spoilers]
First of all, let me make this clear… NO, the protagonist doesn’t get NTR’ed. If accidental touching and hugging can be called NTR, then I have nothing to say about it. Just remember, originally, Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo were lovers, but Zhang Wuji was always like a JP Protagonist. He wouldn’t even touch Zhou Zhiruo, or Zhao Min. Zhou Zhiruo only married the original Song Qingshu to take revenge, but she still had feelings for Zhang Wuji. Both the women remain clean, and pure, until they fall in the hands of the protagonist of FSM, Song Qingshu. In simple words, it’s Song Qingshu doing the NTR, not the other way around, and it will remain that way for the entire novel. So, don’t come to conclusion based on limited understanding (and incident of Chapter 6) and go on a misguided rant on NU.
Anyways, the original Song Qingshu was mental and ended up destroying himself, and that’s where the original plotline ends.
FSM begins with the transmigration of the “new” Song Qingshu, who comes from a modern era. Remember, the man is a normal man, a businessman to be exact, with a working brain and the story is written from that perspective. The MC is not a maniac, who will act arrogant and be instantly okay with killing, or eradicating nine generations of his enemies. He actually thinks about the situation he is in, and tries to do his best to survive. Yes, he’s not a pushover, he will get stronger with time, but he will always maintain a modern intellectual mindset. He is a schemer, and nearly everything he will do has some sort of reason behind it. It’s the same with his harem as well. Every member had some sort of part in his plan, and he will conquer them to get them on his side even if they were once his enemies. It might not make sense at first but, it all comes together at the right time. His relationship with Zhou Zhiruo is a good example of that. Also, this novel takes the time to develop it’s characters, so there will be character development, lots of it.
Of course, there will be tons of ero as well, starting from around 400 chapters, due to a certain reason which you will come to know as you read. The first 300+ chapters will be used for world building, and character development.
So, only read if you like this type of story and protagonist.
Now, let me explain what is a good novel for me:
Intelligent characters. Not only the protagonist, but also the female protagonists, antagonists and the notable side characters.
- Character development.
- Good and mature writing from the author. He has to be able to write well thought out stories. The character interactions have to be interesting. And give relevant information where it’s needed, with a fair amount of mystery. You know…to keep me interested.
- No female protagonists should be forgotten. They have to be more than just dolls. They should have brains.
- World building has to be well thought out. I do like it if it’s a Kingdom building novel.
- Since it’s a harem novel, the romance between the characters has to be satisfactory. Not some kind of mindless hypnotizing incident, where they fall as soon as they see.
- The plot has to follow a certain logic. The world within the novel has its own logic, and the plot of the story should follow it.
That pretty much covers it all.
And now, about why I like Flower Stealing Master: Spoilers
The protagonist is intelligent. And even after becoming powerful he stays that way. Yes he’s a bit of a pervert, but this is a harem novel, it’s necessary. He also gets a fair amount of character development. He makes mistakes, and he learns from them. He schemes, but uses force when necessary. He’s a diplomat. Also, throughout the entirety of the novel, he never forgets his origin, he retains his modern perspective.
The best part about this novel is definitely the harem. This is probably one of the best harem novels out there. The female protagonists play a major part in the entire story. You can say that without them the protagonist would not be able to get that far. They have strengths and weaknesses. They scheme and get jealous. They are in the end very rational, hence the existence of the harem. This novel is similar to Pokémon. The protagonist is Ash and he has to travel around the world and work hard to catch those powerful Pokemons. He has to build a good relationship and then with their help he is able to challenge the world!
The author’s writing is another reason I love this novel. Keep in mind that this novel was the first novel he wrote. It may have some flaws, but you can feel his competence as the story progresses. The interactions between the characters are really interesting. You can also feel that the author gives a lot of thought into his plots. His latest book is a good example of his growth.
Romance can be another plus point. Usually, cn harem novels don’t put that much importance on romance and courtship. But in this novel it plays a major part. The protagonist takes his time to gain their favour. He tries various tricks and schemes to make them his. You can very well say that the whole novel is about this process.
The world building is also quite well done. Actually, Jin Yong has already done most of the work, but this author has done a great job of combining them into a unified whole. We have to give him credit for that.
Last but not least, it has a happy ending with no complicated drama.
Ok… that’s all I have to say for now. I really enjoy reading this novel. It kept me interested till the end. I hope it’ll be the same for you too!