By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Manhwa, the Korean term for comics or graphic novels, has gained immense popularity worldwide for its diverse genres and unique storytelling. One particular trope that often appears in manhwa is the overly competent aide to an already overly competent character who provides essential support to the main protagonist (or main love interest) often behind the scenes but making brief, comedic appearances to show off how scary the overly competent aide can be.

The competent aide is a character who possesses exceptional skills, knowledge, or resources that assist the main character (or love interest, as mentioned) in achieving their goals. They may be a loyal friend, a mentor, a strategist, or a caregiver but what sets them apart is their unwavering reliability for various tasks. To me, this trope of a characters is an indispensable part of the story. I love when there are references made to the aide, when the aide is seen complaining about their workload only to have a surprise addition to the already heavy schedule and, even more so, I love when they are given a surprise vacation that leaves them in tears of gratitude. While they may not be the central character, their presence is often a welcome inclusion because they are often an ex machina-type character that was in the background but provides enough presence and reasoning to help in the plot’s progression and resolution for me that it feels natural in the world of the comic.

One notable example of the competent aide trope in manhwa is Perdel from Daughter of the Emperor, who serves as the aide to Caitel (Ariadna’s, the main character’s, father). His intelligence, experience, and loyalty despite how much he dislikes his job make him an invaluable part of the story even if he’s not elevating the story’s intensity and excitement.

I think what I like about the competent aide is that they often add a roundness to the extraordinary abilities of the main character or love interest. While they sometimes highlight the importance of friendship and loyalty through their relationship with the main character/love interest, the competent aide often goes beyond mere assistance. It can showcase the power or capability of trust in another person that has likely gained their particularly extraordinary skillset through unusual or difficult means. They create comedic moments, but sometimes foster emotional ones too, and may be the sounding board that allows the characters to strengthen their bond with an “outsider” by resonating with readers in-story as a voice of reason.

Essentially, the competent aide humanizes the impossibly high standard of the love interest or main character by being an almost-foil character that differs dramatically from their “better” counterpart. Where the main character/love interest is untrusting, the aide is trusting. Where the character/love interest is an extremely great swordsman, the aide is overwhelmingly superior in paper-pushing. Can the main character/love interest still do what the aide does? Yes; but the aide is better at it and therefore worthy of being hired/staying in their position because of delegation reasons (hence being an almost-foil rather than a full one).

However, the competent aide trope in manhwa is not without criticism. Some argue that it can perpetuate the idea of a sidekick or a secondary character who exists solely to serve the main character’s needs. They may lack their own agency or character development, and their contributions are likely to be overshadowed by the main character’s achievements or the achievements of their betters in a high position. With this in mind, I was surprised to find a series where the competent (perhaps overcompetent) aide is given the leading role, which brings us to the series I’d like to recommend today: Please Repent, Your Grace!

This series is a transmigration story, wherein our main character finds themselves in the shoes of a newly hired aide, Sion Ribellon, to the soon-to-be-villainous Duke. He decides, for his own survival and because he likes the Duke’s story, that he will secretly work behind the scenes to support the Duke and prevent him from becoming a villain.

The problem is, he’s not as overly competent as his predecessor was. Rather, he’s pretty darn average and has a difficult time separating his personality and motivations from his actions, which is leading to a hilarious story arc thus far. He’s still more competent than other aides, however, which is a bit of a spoiler, but let’s just say that the personal element and loyalty he has adds a lot to the narrative and makes him an attractive asset to others.

In some ways, this is where the competent aide that Sion now plays steps in as a hidden hero, working tirelessly to prevent a horrible outcome that no one expects. He has his own motivations, obviously, but also is building a personal connection with the original series’s protagonist, creating a sense of duty. He uses the skills he has, his future knowledge, and resources to guide or convince the Duke to take different actions from the original tale, ensuring said Duke is moving toward the right path and avoids succumbing to darkness.

What I really like about the story thus far is that, to others, the aide’s actions may be subtle, but their impact on the Duke’s choices and actions can be significant. It underscores the importance of guidance and friendship in shaping character development for the larger narrative and shows us, to a degree, why those little sneak peeks of competent aides in other stories that have so much sway with the protagonist/love interest make sense.

So, if you would like to read something fun (and maybe something memorable), I think that you’ll enjoy this series as well given how Sion and the Duke are pretty well-developed characters.

10/10 Recommended Read!

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Copyedited by: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee