Trapped in a Soap Opera

I rarely like modern settings, but this one was really good! Initially, I really disliked the major twist, but even that ended up working out somehow. Trust the process! The art style took me a bit to get used to, but it really is VERY good, especially from a technical standpoint. This story isn't a horror but apparently the artist likes horror/has drawn it before? And you can tell. One character in particular becomes really uncanney valley and the first time that aspect showed up, it genuinely was a jumpscare because I did NOT expect that. If you're easily scared like me, maybe at least readit with lights on because some of the panels are genuinely terrifying... Speaking of which: the characters! Unsurprisingly, they're pretty much characters you'd expect to see in a soap opera for the most part. Still, they have some actual depth to them and have interesting and realistic character progression/growth. I found myself positively surprised on several occasions by them! Even the characters that start out being.. not great get their development and growth without immediately turning into a great person, which is fantastic! The antagonists are genre-typically a little over the top, but somehow still felt grounded in reality. It really feels like some of the worst people you could have the misfortune of meeting in your life. They main antagonists are also just genuinely bad people, and come in two very distinct flavours, which I think complemented each other quite well in that sense. And, most of all: this series actually manages to stick the landing! The ending felt deserved, it's genuinely happy for all our protagonists, and even has two.. dynamics.. that I don't think I've seen in any of these stories, EVER. It probably also helps that the ending isn't artificially dragged out and it feels like it ends right when it should, with every loose thread wrapped up. All in all, I think it's a good story and very worth checking out if you can see yourself enjoying this genre at all, especially since it's not super long either.