A review by ashlightgrayson
Under the Oak Tree: Season 1, Vol. 2 by Suji Kim

emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I appreciate the increased character development in this second installment of the series. We see Maxi start becoming more confident as her relationship with Riftan develops. Riftan spends a lot of time reassuring and comforting Maxi. This results in Maxi realizing that she's being given the affection that she has always lacked and yearned for.  At the same time this also bring up a series of insecurities about how stable her relationship with her husband is. Maxi does not share her past with him at all and feels this creates an emotional distance between them despite their mutual growing affection. She also feels the need to prove herself useful to Riftan and his kingdom. This manifests itself as Maxi training with Ruth to develop her affinity for magic. This unfortunately creates a point of contention between Maxi and Riftan as well. It displays some of Riftan's own insecurities about his relationship with his wife. It seems like he is insecure about not being able to provide Maxi the comforts he believes a noblewoman of her status is used to. This is ironic considering that Riftan is a very practical man with very little care for luxury. The conflict between Riftan and Maxi makes the relationship feel more genuine. They are still getting to know each other and their priorities aren't exactly aligning. Riftan is overly protective and has trouble communicating with Maxi in a way that isn't perceived as aggressive at times. Maxi's past abusive childhood exacerbates her anxiety and fear during arguments or disagreements, sometimes to the point of tears. Thankfully, Riftan cares very much about Maxi and her feelings. As a result, he tries to find middle ground with her and apologizes when he feels he has hurt her feelings.  

By the end of this installment Maxi isn't afraid of Riftan, even when he's angry because she understands that his anger is usually coming from a place of concern. She starts to genuinely miss him when he isn't spending time with her. Additionally, we see her feel more confident expressing herself verbally as she practices improving her speech impediment. This newly found confidence is obviously correlated to feeling like she has found a new home. I'm sure this will continue to be explored in the next installment. I'm specifically looking forward to seeing Maxi develop her magic. I really like where the story is going so far and I do recommend reading these novels even if you have already read the webcomic. It helps add a lot of context and you get to see a lot more of Maxi's inner thoughts.
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