Mangonificent's manga / #yakuza/mafia/gangsters(10)

The second couple sold this to me. So much depth, emotion and drama in just 2 chapters. Had a lot of potential for a longer story since there were some elements that would have benefitted from deeper elaboration but I’m still impressed how much was done with so little. Might have helped my enjoyment too that the boss is totally my type. During the first half I already was like “… would you like to step on me fine sir?” (lol) so color me very pleasantly surprised when he ended up not being just a side character. The story of the first couple, while I wouldn’t call it bad, it just didn’t immerse me in the same way.

Fucking impeccable. An actual gem among the sea of banal stuff.

"What u want?" "Food." "K." The End. Lol, brevity is the soul of wit I guess. Tiny little one shot which still manages to be strangely engaging because of its' interesting premise and beautiful art.

Maybe the author is a hidden genius who makes fun of the genre and its’ fans because in some universe this COULD actually be a great satire of stupid yaoi tropes. It basically has all the things I detest the most in yaoi, the obvious ones being the: “I express my 'love' for you by repeatedly raping you, uwu!” and the dumb doormat uke who never stands up for himself, easily forgives all the shit that has been done to him, AND looks like a 10 year old girl with a dick. Then there’s also the stupid “don't u dare suggest I'm gay, I just like fucking this speshul boy” crap, absolutely ridiculous proportions (I mean, size difference is kinda my jam but here… pffft no), almost nonexisting plot with smut for the sake of smut and so on. The seme is such a huge asshole that while skimming through the manga I was just head-canoning the uke ran away with the henchman (and the boss spontaneously combusted, never to be seen again). You know, since Homare seemed to be the only one with goddamn self-control and actual respect for the uke’s own wishes, even acknowledging him as the victim who should not be excusing those using him (like the dumb doormat he is). Every other guy who had the hots for the twink apparently saw him as this giant “RAPE ME!” sign. It was actually kind of amusing how the manga itself is aware of this and poked fun at the fact that Homare could have something the dickwad seme never will: a consensual first time with the uke. In fact, these glimpses of self-awareness and humor is one of the only reasons why I gave this 2 stars instead of 1. Granted, I’d hope them to actually DO something about it instead of just acknowledging the fucked up stuff but it's better than nothing and has some satire-like comedy value. I also actually liked some of the side characters -Homare, his twin and the okama specifically- so some tiny little enjoyment was received instead of it being a complete waste of time. Oh, the okama's dad was rather fun too because everyone who slaps the asshole seme around is good in my book.

Notes for future review: talk about subverting expectations with the tattoo guy. I was prepared to heavily dislike him, yet I ended up loving him and was as upset as MC when he was hurt by the ML. Speaking of that... I really appreciate how "your obligatory breakup cuz things can never go smoothly" was actually legit and not because of some dumb misunderstanding which could then be solved by just 2 sentences.

Beautiful art and very interesting premise with several intriguing elements. Sadly, in the end it felt like this had a too ambitious setting for what it was actually willing to deliver. It’s mostly about smut so good for those satisfied with that. I tend to look for more and was expecting more because of that fascinating premise. Still glad I read it but the untapped potential left me feeling it should have been a longer, more in-depth manga.

Pretty to look at but the pace of the story felt too fast, especially since this is an ongoing series and not a one-shot (right?). Now in the very first chapter it basically went: "I've always loved u!" "Ditto. Let's have sex to celebrate." I know it lists smut as a genre so perhaps I'm just expecting too much but I'd have liked to get a better grasp on the characters and their feelings. Now the MC is kind of all over the (admittedly very hot) ML and has been so ever since she was 15 but it's not touched upon why that is. Their dynamic isn't really explored beyond the "well, he's her bodyguard and she's got a crush on him".

*sigh* To think I originally rated this 5 stars. Well, it has come to a point in which I ended up dropping it. Started out as great, one of my favorites, for it had plenty of intrigue, pleasing artstyle, and was doing such a nice job dodging some of the most obvious clichés. The MC Sooyoung was a strong-willed man who wasn’t afraid to fight back even on crutches, making him vulnerable in some ways while very strong in others. This cleverly tied to his background. As a boxer in a toxic relationship he got used to "taking a beating" which furthermore gave him a pretty warped idea of sex, using it more as a coping mechanism. He basically had no care for his own body and was always ready to throw himself at dangerous situations. Always ready to "step into the ring" so to speak. The story seemed to be going for a very interesting and welcoming angle because the seme Taesung, after realizing Sooyoung's carelessness and messed up attitude towards sex, was basically teaching him to take better care of his own body and desires. Chapters 23-24 had an especially lovely scene where the seme really went through the effort to have the MC enjoy himself, checking for consent multiple times. Man did I love that! Plus, a violent mafia boss who most certainly has his flaws but also a surprisingly healthy attitude towards sex, even refusing it when he thought Sooyoung was not in the right mind to demand it? “More stuff like this plz!”, I thought. Now though, there’s not even a point of Sooyoung being a boxer anymore. He’s been reduced to a damsel in distress who’s just stuck in another toxic relationship(s), constantly needs to be saved and is repeatedly taken advantage of. The seme went the usual “possessive douchebag wanting to own him like a pet” route (all under the guise of protection of course), ditching all the previous elements I found so refreshing. Yes, I’m well aware of him being a criminal so it’s no surprise he’s not some perfect goody two shoes but I am so damn tired of these type of plots and characters, especially because at the beginning the story seemed to be doing something actually refreshing and new with them. The possessive angle COULD work but I don't like how it has been done, basically reducing Sooyoung to a weeping blushing mess while Taesung has steadily lost all the traits that made him such a breath of fresh air. There’s also a shitton of gratuitous VERY prolonged sex scenes which don’t even have a point anymore (except smut) whereas before they had some story relevance as well like revealing new characteristics. Guess those who enjoy brainless smut will have a field day but, sorry, I’m the type of person who finds smut for the sake of smut boring af. Even art style has gotten rather ridiculous and unappealing over time with the semes overdosing on steroids while the MC took a shrink pill. (Minhuyk is especially hilarious, his head doesn’t seem to even fit his body.) I’m really sad with the direction this manhwa went. It had such promise. The only reason I'm not giving this 2 stars now (and deleting my old tags) is because I used to truly enjoy it and I do think there were legit great moments & ideas. Overall it has given me way more enjoyment than some other works. Maybe I’ll keep occasionally glancing at it for any actual good development but we’ll see.

Ended up dropping this. Had a really promising start with its fun atmosphere but I quickly grew bored and a bit annoyed. I just don’t feel the main couple. Whether it’s because of the pacing, the predictable contrivances or the characters themselves, I don’t really know, but I just don’t feel it. To be perfectly honest I found the henchmen to be the best part. I just love how expressive they are and how many little endearing moments they have. Often the greatest joy was just to observe them and their fun little interactions / reactions. Might someday skim over the rest of the story just to see whether they’ll get more screen time. Also, to give some more credit: the MLs stupid ass lolwut tattoo made me snort so hard I spurted my drink outta my nose. That’s an achievement alright so kudos to that lmao. Speaking of the shitstain tattoo, the art overall is pretty mediocre. Too much same-face syndrome going on.