Good day to go crazy
Hosoo, a young man living a hectic life, alternating between part-time jobs to earn money for his sister's sake. On a rainy evening, he gets a call from his friend Dohyun, telling him that the latter had "delivered something to his place, so to hurry back home". Hosoo then comes home to find non other than the singer Esau. A popular singer who was just about to make a come back, lying unconscious on his porch, drenched by the rain. From this day on, his daily-life will take quite the turn. ---------- Hosoo & Esau's relationship feels real. They fall in love slowly and go through many hardships, dealing with past traumas and undergoing much growth before finally reaching happiness. I loved reading about them, they had an insane chemistry, I've never quite seen anything like it in any other BL before. Every single frame of them was just so alive. Filled with emotions. Everything, from their daily lives and running gags, to their passionate kisses and making love was just bewitching. I felt myself drawn into their each and every moves. It was really impressive how well the author managed to portray and convey every emotion they had. Their past traumas weren't brushed off and used as excuses, but an actual part of the plot that moved many aspects of it around over the entire story's timeline, and it was really satisfying seeing their scars slowly heal. Regarding Woojoo's past with his step-father, it caught me off guard. As I hadn't read anywhere that this manhwa had any trigger warning of sexual-assault content whatsoever, I wasn't ready to face such topics prior to reading it so that wasn't exactly pleasant to say the least.. And lastly, about the side couple: Dohyun & Woojoo, to be frank I have mixed feelings about them. I usually am pretty okay with age gap pairings when they're well-handled, and, of course, legal. But something about this paring just made me really uncomfortable. I liked both characters individually, but I didn't see them as an item in any way. So when they obviously became one, I wasn't surprised, as I'd seen it coming, but I was uncomfortable. It just felt off to me. I got used to it as I read more chapters about them, but it still makes me uncomfortable even now to a degree. Just not a fan. I'd have preferred to see Dohyun remain a supportive character, and for Woojoo to learn from his trauma-induced prejudices in another way than through the means of falling for another man himself. I feel like that'd have been way more interesting and fulfilling of a story. But anyhow. Even as is it was a good read nonetheless, I don't regret it as the main couple felt so real, and human. It was definitely worthwhile.
Dark Heaven
Conor, a Korean-American, lives in a city where same-sex marriage has been legalized, but where racist and homophobic hate crimes are still frequent. He joins a band with the blonde hair, blue-eyed Simon and the two go on to create their own “dark heaven” in an abandoned church. Feelings develop between the pair, but light cannot dwell with dark, and their time together will soon come to an end. ---------- This is such an emotional roller-coaster. I've lost count how many times I got sad, angry, anxious, ... the list goes on and on. The characters are all so tangible. I kept on getting triggered at all the racism & homophobia in this one. It made me want to throw fists so much. It's such a beautiful and realistic story, but dang, does it make me angry at the world. This is so well-written in its depiction of unfairness, xenophobia, racism, homophobia, abuse, white privileges, .... The list could go on and on. But as it is so well-written, that's what keeps you motivated to keep reading it. It brings up such harsh topics and doesn't hold back for a second. The characters are all extremely well thought-through and fascinating as well. Especially Connor & Simon. Their relationship is such a deep one that I couldn't help but get invested in. It just feels so real. You can truly feel their feelings for each other the entire time as you read through each and every chapter. They complete each other, their love is such a strong one, and the author does an amazing job at displaying it. The Art's also one-of-a-kind. I've never seen anything quite like it before.If you want to read this, be aware that it's extremely triggering. But it's also absolutely worth your time. It's been quite a while since I've seen a work that'd bring up real-life problems so well. And also one that'd depict love so bluntly and honestly. I was really taken aback by how much of a masterpiece this was.
Kanojo wa Uso wo Aishisugiteru
Frozen for now,
See You Again
Shiwoo always used to say, “Yujin, you’re my favorite person in the whole wide world.” And Shiwoo always believed he was truly special to Yujin. After all, Shiwoo never really liked all those girls he dated, anyway. But when Yujin finally confesses his love, he finds himself rejected and alone... Years later, Shiwoo is a celebrity. The hard-to-manage celebrity gets a new manager that seems so familiar... her name is even Yujin... It takes but one night of too many drinks for Shiwoo to discover she isn’t really what she seems. ----------- Both Hyun & Taehyung should seriously be sent to jail. Both of them. Shiwoo needs to see a therapist and Yujin really needs to mature like mad. As angry & betrayed as he may feel, the man he supposedly loves was blackmailed, raped and abused. I don't care if he thinks that Shiwoo still likes Hyun. Victim blaming is just disgusting. No person in an abusive relationship would ever be able to see sense through all of the manipulation & psychological traumas. Eunchan, as great a person he may be for always standing by Shiwoo's side and taking care of him, the guy's a "doctor" yet doesn't do shit to help him recover. This story is just triggering me in every way possible. It's just straight up unnecessary rape all along. That's the plot. No one's likeable and you only see Shiwoo suffer again and again. Being repeatedly abused, traumatised and taken advantage of. No thank you.
From Points of Three
Jisuh is quiet, unassuming... observant. He’s suited to working behind the camera. But for reasons he’s not exactly quick to disclose, he’s run into some debt. Heejae, an actor he’s worked with before, proposes he work with him exclusively on a private project of his...shooting himself and his partner having sex. Jisuh thought he was hired for his camera skills, but Heejae seems to know an awful lot about him and he can’t help but wonder why he really hired him. ---------- Damn Jisuh was one heck of a refreshing character. He had some serious resolve to push Heejae away, and teach him a lesson for what he's done to him. Jisuh was fully aware of the fact that he didn't have feelings for Sunyool and he refused to lead him on. I liked the psychological side to this one, there were some plot holes, but overall I was still able to enjoy it. I'm glad this one didn't turn out to be a love triangle as well, as I personally don't like reading stories involving polygamous/amorous relationships. I also didn't mind the side-story at the end, which, for me is unusual.
Starlight Scandal