The Only Favorite Ugly Husband Review
The Only Favorite Ugly Husband by Jué Jué
The Story
In the ancient village of Hexi May is considered to be an evil month. Born on the fifth day of the fifth month, during the most difficult time of his mother’s life, Jiang Zhenwei is said to be a star of misfortune. His mother believes in the superstition which states that he is destined to cause his parents problems. This leads her to hate him and mistreat him every chance she gets.
When he falls into a river and almost drowns she doesn’t care. When he gets sick and comes down with a fever she leaves him in an old hut. No one goes to look after him or give him food. The unloved and unwanted eldest son of the Jang family slowly starves to death.
This is the situation that Jiang Zhen transmigrates into. When he awakens in Jiang Zhenwei’s body he’s lying sick and weak in the old hut. Luckily, Zhao Jinge a neighbor who lives nearby hears his cries for help. Zhao Jinge happens to be the person who had saved Jiang Zhenwei when he fell into the river previously. He saves him again by bringing him food which allows him to recover enough to go back to the Jiang family’s home.
Jiang Zhen has the memories of the original person so he knows about the type of abuse that the other man has suffered. He's not expecting a warm welcome, but the family is so confrontational towards him when he tries to eat dinner that he loses it. He goes all out and raises hell. He steals food, flips over the dinner table and threatens people all in one evening.
The beginning of this danmei follows Jiang Zhen as he tries to survive. His goals are simple and relatable. He wants to get away from the awful Jiang family and recover from his previous illness. He wants to find a way to make a living, and maybe seduce that kind and attractive ger who saved his life along the way.
Who’s it for?
It’s a slice of life drama set in ancient times with a lot of face-slapping on the side. If you like mini revenge subplots you might be interested in this.
Please note that this novel contains what the fan fiction crowd would refer to as Mpreg (male pregnancy). Not everyone’s a fan of Mpregs so be aware of this and choose wisely.
Here’s how it works. In this story there three genders; men, women and ger. A ger is a man with the ability to have children. They’re born with a red cinnabar mole on their foreheads which indicates fertility. They are typically effeminate and are socially treated in a manner that’s very similar to women.
Zhao Jinge is a ger who has removed his mole and has been living like a man. He does not look like a woman and is therefore considered to be ugly.
The Downsides
The story is repetitive and predictable because the main character is a Gary Stu. A Gary Stu is the male version of a Mary Sue. They’re overpowered characters for whom everything always works out. Everyone loves them and those who don’t are painted as villains.
Jiang Zhen never really suffers any major setbacks to his plans. Yes, there are conflicts but they are all resolved, and usually in the same way, with his fists. He deals with all his problems, by acting like a thug. He beats people up, steals what he wants, and since he was once a military man he has the skills to do it. Violence is usually his solution to all of his problems, but this routine gets old quick.
Other characters also constantly praise Jiang Zhen’s abilities. The story acts as if him being from modern times would make him a genius in the past. I always find it kind of hilarious when authors make this assumption. When it’s just as likely that such a person would do something stupid and get themselves killed in less than a week.
I can play along and pretend that he would have all the skills needed to thrive in ancient times, but even if that were true it would not make him exceptional. It would mean that he has an advantage over the other characters. Comparing his ability to read, write, etc. to theirs is unfair. I found it annoying, especially when it comes to his love interest.
Zhao Jinge already feels inferior because his looks do not match the beauty standards of that time. Something which could have been resolved or at least alleviated by the two of them having a proper discussion. The reason the townsfolk don’t view Zhao Jinge as attractive is because they’re stuck on the idea that a man must be attracted to a woman or someone who looks and behaves like a woman. As a man who’s attracted to men with masculine features Jiang Zhen prefers Zhao Jinge's appearance, but of course he doesn’t bother to explain this clearly to Zhao Jinge.
While their relationship appears very sweet on the surface that’s where it remains. Everything is very shallow and surface level. Jiang Zhen tries to take care of Zhao Jinge as best he can, but they never seem to discuss any big issues. The longer this went on the more unbearable it all became. Until I eventually dropped this web novel at chapter 89. I don’t intend to ever revisit this story as face-slapping Gary Stus aren’t something I enjoy.