I read three chapters of this manga, shut down my computer, and called my Mother
to say hello for the first time in too long. If you're as lucky as me, you'll do
the same.

It is good when a piece of fiction that's rooted in the fictional concept of
rebirth acknowledges the importance of "family" in the development of character.

This is rare in Manga. Oda once said something along the lines of "Good
parents don't let their kids grow up to become pirates" and can you really say
that's inaccurate? I can't.

The sense of childlike wonder in the romance of adventure is synonymous with the
concept of premature independence. Link's a child who's probably too young to be
saving Hyrule, and Miyamoto was probably too young to be exploring the
countryside on foot collecting bugs, which inspired The Legend of Zelda in the
first place.

Immaturity and naivete are necessary to healthfully consume young-adult fiction;
at least it is as you begin to grow older.

Consequently, I'm not sure if the growing popularity of Isekai says something
about the maturity of aging fans of Japanese media, or if it says something
about the desires and fantasies that these fans hold dear to themselves.

I expected just another one.
Another light novel adaptation with okay art.
Another protagonist who's tired of it here on this plague infested planet, lucky
enough to escape to a fantasy world with a unique and privileged set of
challenges granted to him by a benevolent, fiction-crafting God.

Then we met William. Saw William. The art is beautiful.

He introduces us to his family. They're the only plot in sight.

"It's hardly a Manga at all" I thought to myself.
"There's no substance except for the Mistborn-esque magical rule explanation."
I'm bored already.

Then there's a simple secret. Everything is simple. It's so juvenile.
Then... a church. Religion? Non-trivial acknowledgement of the ethics underlying
reincarnation?

Chapter 2. This is what I was expecting. I've read four dozen Isekai that start
this way, and I hate them all. I hate the protagonist... Wait, the protagonist
also hates the protagonist.

"Maybe this is another one of my punishments..."

His mother takes him outside, a baby no more than a few weeks old.
The scenery is beautiful and overwhelming.

"After living in such a hopeless vague manner...
I had though that waking up in this world was my punishment for not being filial
and retribution for looking down on life.
However, this is by no means a punishment.
This is forgiveness.
The thing that I had carelessly thrown away was granted back to me by someone."

Here's where you know it's a different kind of Manga.

William is, for lack of a better word, blessed. He's dutifully being raised by
a capable, knowledgeable, and passionate family. They forgive his faults,
nurture his curiosity, and, barring the occasional uncharacteristic hostility,
are kind to him.

There's really, honestly, nothing in the slightest wrong here. There's no plot
and you don't understand why you're okay with that.

You're told by the parents that there's a "lot going on" and you believe them.
You're certain that whatever it is, everything will be okay.

Will is living this Manga with the exact same vision that I have while reading
it. An adult "inhabiting" the life of a younger person and trying to make the
most of it.

To me, as I read through the lovely, comfortable, and masterfully crafted
atmosphere woven for me by the first few chapters, I found it asking me
questions.

I forget these questions.

As we age we attempt to comprehend the emotional states of our parents.
First they protect us, and as we age we come to better understand them.

I don't know how old I was when I first realized "Oh, my parents are mortal and
have flaws and weaknesses just like me" but I think it was however old William
is in Chapter 3.

The plot has been there all along. You still can't put your finger on what the
plot is yet, but you finally realize it's there.

You're not reading this any more to solve a mystery.
You're reading this because, just like Will, you want to understand what Wills
parents are saying, doing, and feeling.

The narrative continues. It focuses on Will. His teachings from his Father and
Mother grow more involved, and the teachings from his uncle grow increasingly
unreasonable and hostile.

You don't know why. It doesn't matter.

I've beaten this bush enough. I recall my question.

... What the hell is wrong with you? Yes, you. How can you consume this genre?

How fucking dare you think that you'd be okay after being forced to leave behind
everyone who's ever loved you?

How fucking dare you so easily accept fiction reliant on your identification
with self loathing, self hating, regressive, and distraction obsessed main
characters?

Saihate no Paladin understands these questions.
They form the cornerstone of the first arc of this Manga.

When you're young, it never once occurs to you that the people who raised you
won't be with you forever.

The time comes when Will is at his weakest. He's old enough to learn what his
family is and what his existence means. His existence is born of a malevolent
scheme that exploits the fundamental goodness of his family, and they may be
killed for having raised him.

The restraint I show by keeping this review free of spoilers is causing me
genuine anguish and suffering.

I found myself incapacitated by a piece of fiction I was reading.

Under the weight of having learned the harm that he did by merely existing, he
utters aloud the words "... It's all my fault."... And the way that his parents
repair his emotional well-being is just... Peerless. Un-Improvable. World-view
altering.

I've frozen at this impasse in the review for four months now.
Eleven thousand words and I can't find a single combination of them that
satisfies me.

Every time Will cries in this Manga, I do too.
This is no mere sympathy, but empathy.
You can't relive life, and you can't truly reread this.

I've tried. It injures me every time I do. Every time I reread this, the feeling
of childlike wonder I felt never returns. The realization Will lacks until
adulthood, that the lives of those he loves are fleeting, haunts me and prevents
me from suspending disbelief. How can I suspend disbelief? This isn't fiction
anymore.

This is a beacon of what fiction is capable of.

Will is tormented by his memory for failing to express his love when he
could. In whatever feeble way this is, I will make that mistake no longer.

Read this in any form you can. I can say the Light Novel is just as astounding
as the Manga, and neither is better than the other. The correct answer is to
read both, and then tell me what you thought of it.