“I Need to Stop Faking” (season 2, episode 4; episode 16 overall) trades extended combat for Jinwoo’s S-rank reassessment, the guilds’ reaction, and his preparation to enter the Demon’s Castle. Its manhwa changes have drawn contrasting critical responses, but the available reviews do not establish a wider viewer controversy.
What happens in “I Need to Stop Faking”?
Jinwoo realizes he needs more strength to clear the S-rank Demon’s Castle, so he undergoes a hunter-rank reassessment. His magic power exceeds the standard measuring devices, and leading guild members take notice. The larger purpose behind his push for power is to gather materials for the Holy Water, or Elixir of Life, that could help his ill mother. ORICON’s January 21, 2025 preview outlines the episode’s premise.
The reassessment also makes the hunter system and its recruitment stakes more visible. Anime Corner’s review discusses how the episode uses the result to show its effects on hunters and guilds, alongside raid and recruitment context. But Why Tho?’s review highlights Jinwoo’s S-rank reveal, his meeting with Hunter’s Association chairman Go Gun-hee, and his choice to remain unaffiliated.
Why does the episode feel slow?
The reassessment and its consequences are the installment’s main dramatic work, rather than a long combat sequence. The episode builds toward the Demon’s Castle by establishing Jinwoo’s new standing and the attention it attracts. Both Anime Corner and But Why Tho? characterize it as more focused on story development than sustained action.
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Calling it “actionless” is therefore a critical shorthand for its relative lack of extended fighting, not a literal claim that nothing happens. The episode advances the plot and introduces consequences for Jinwoo’s rank, but viewers expecting another combat-heavy installment may find that setup less exciting.
What did the episode change from the manhwa?
In his review of episodes 4 and 5, Anime Corner’s Jay Gibbs points to omitted humorous scenes and side-character quips, along with changes to the emphasis on Jinwoo’s protective motivations and omissions from conversations. Gibbs sees the streamlining as effective in many respects, while arguing that Jinwoo’s more self-interested side also matters to his characterization.
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That account identifies adaptation choices rather than providing a complete scene-by-scene inventory. It suggests four useful questions when comparing the episode with the manhwa:
- Which jokes and side-character exchanges remain, and which were trimmed?
- How does the adaptation balance Jinwoo’s concern for his family with his own drive for power?
- How clearly does the episode convey guild politics and the consequences of reassessment?
- Does faster pacing compensate for the characterization and detail left out?
Are the cuts controversial?
The two reviews offer different judgments, not evidence of a measured dispute among viewers. Gibbs’s assessment is broadly favorable toward the streamlining while noting the cost to characterization. Kyle Foley at But Why Tho? calls the S-rank reveal anticlimactic, criticizes the limited development of the father and Jeju Island subplots, and finds that the episode moves the story forward without much excitement.
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The disagreement is about what the adaptation gains and loses: brisk setup and focus on one plot thread, versus the humor, side-character texture, and subplot development that can make the source feel fuller. Whether the changes work depends partly on which of those qualities matters more to a viewer.
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