Lex's manga / #Sexual Assault/Harassment(79)

Loved every second of it. Arstyle is amazing, the story is well written. Definitely worth re-reading.

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.

Sarah, the tough girl accidentally meets Elios, a blind young man her age. Elios is very mysterious and makes Sarah curious. Is Elios hiding something? Will Sarah fall in love with him? ---------- I absolutely loved this. Elios' character is mesmerizing, fascinating, intriguing and deep. I loved Sarah's earnest and mischievous personality. Sigit's complexity and aloofness. Every single side character had something that made me want to keep on reading about them and their stories. I became so invested in this story in a way that I hadn't been for a long time. I loved to see each plot device being resolved, every obstacle being overcome and the characters' traumas being addressed and tackled with such realism. Nothing felt rushed or brushed over. Be it the friendships or the romantic relationships within this, I loved to read it all and got excited for what would come next. There is such a nice balance between the more comedic and more serious storyline. It managed to feel light-hearted to read at times, then, then thing you know, it would feel so heavy and serious. Such a masterpiece. I was taken aback by it in every way possible.

Seung-chan is stressed. He has enough on his plate with the long hours at work, and now he can’t even get any rest at home! Every night, the lustful moaning and violent banging from the apartment upstairs keeps him awake. Just as he’s at his wits’ end, he chances upon the gorgeous, enigmatic Hyesung outside his building. Surely all those filthy sounds couldn’t be coming from such a pretty mouth? But as Seung-chan soon finds out, there’s a lot more to Hyesung. ----------- This was simply beautiful. Seung-chan & Hyesung's relationship blooms slowly. The author takes you on the smoothest ride, starting from mutual interest and crush, it slowly turns into having both characters fall in love. I really liked how the abusive Jihyuk was portrayed as what he is. I'd have liked to get a few more chapters, properly dealing with the issue, showing us his trial and Hyesung seeking therapy to recover from his traumas. But the way that the author handled it still felt like his character was given proper closure and a promising future in a healthy relationship with Seung-chan. So I'm not too upset about it. All in all, this was a really nice read for the realism it made e feel. Of course as I said, it's not perfect, but it has a lot going for it that many BLs fail at such as the way that the main relationship was handled, the way that a crime was treated as a crime and we actually got to see Jihyuk pay. I was shocked at how the author suddenly broke the pattern, and explicitly showed us the last sexual assault scene. I hate that it had to take place after Hyesung was finally recovering and whilst I'd have preferred that he just disappears into thin air, I also really liked the fact that the author did actually go through with the plot. This made the story feel much more realistic and tangible. It wouldn't have felt quite right to never see him pay for his acts. And whilst I hate that Hyesung had to be assaulted once more, I also understand that, as there was no proper evidence against Jihyuk thus far, had the latter not been caught in the act and arrested in such a way, it'd have been tricky for the author to get him to be imprisoned and pay for his cimes at all. And while I preferred the way that the past sexual assault he'd committed against Hyesung were only implied since that shocks way less, as said previously, at first, we'd be shown the act, but it wasn't in any way explicitly depicted. Just enough for readers understand what had happened. But then again, this way of breaking this pattern, thus shocking the reader is what was quite good. It made me feel even more invested in the story and its characters afterwards. So the discomfort it brings also has its benefits in its own twisted way. In conclusion, a very well handled piece of work. Really nice job of the author.

I'm slowly losing more and more brain-cells with each chapter, and worst part about it is that I'm okay with it.

Trap City, a crime city in which the first, second, and third thing you must beware of is people. Noah Humphrey stole away the boss' money and ran away with it amidst an inconspicuous war between the two greatest groups in the city. Will he live as a toy for the boss Kahliya, or as a bait for the boss Rex, leaders of the rivaling groups? A love story blooms during a critical situation in which you have to do anything in order to survive! ----------- I liked how natural Noah's affection for Rex developed. As well as how genuine and realistic their relationship's development was. I also liked how the author made a clear distinction between Rex's past feelings towards Noah being something more similar to admiration rather than love, and then showing us how this admiration turned into longing, and then love. It's not something all BLs take the time and effort to really develop. Often such stories are all too rushed and do not take the time to further explain a character's lingering feelings for the other, as well as the development and growth to it all. This felt like quite the realistic read in this sense. It wasn't perfect. But really good compared to most works out there. I also appreciated that Kahliya's character wasn't given the usual excusing of actions. Yes, we were given a basic "got betrayed so gone bad" type trope. But it wasn't *condoning* of his actions. And that changes a lot. His crimes were crimes and his character was not romanticized, let alone was he atoned for his acts. I also liked the way the story was wrapped-up. It wasn't overly done, but instead we were given a smooth conclusion to it. With hints of each characters involved's possible outcomes. Really nice.

Aoki, a high school teacher, has motivation for little else than expending as little effort as possible. After being scolded by a senior teacher, he goes to the infirmary to check on a student that has been skipping class. There he shares his first real conversation with the eerily perceptive school nurse, Tengoku Manabu. ---------- I'm quite conflicted about this one, I wish the author hadn't used sexual harassment as the relationship's starting fuel, but it's also probably the only time I appreciated a story with such a plot. Somehow, the way it was being used and Tengoku & Aoki's dynamic made it less uncomfortable and reading this didn't feel like reading something rapey. It tried being twisted but I just didn't get such a vibe from it, also the Art is amazing to look at, I love how they legitimately look like two men in their 30s, and how detailed their expressions are. I really enjoyed how the Aoki and Tengoku's relationship evolved as the story progressed. There were quite a few cliches used in the plot, but it was still enjoyable, and it felt a little different. Once more, I quite liked the characters' designs! Seriously refreshing, you don't see characters drawn like them really often, especially Aoki's design surprised me (in a positive way). This was far from perfect, but I still really did enjoy it a lot.

From living under the same roof to then being classmates?! Ever since his parents passed away, Haebom has been living in Taesung’s house. And now, being a 12th grader, he enters the same class as Taesung, which makes the whole situation way more awkward. Living together 24/7, Taesung and Haebom's relationship is bound to change. ------------ Meh. Characters are a bit too bland and have not much to them besides each other. But the story is really endearing and their relationship flows really smoothly. I find Haebom's character adorable, but at times his hesitant and people pleasing personality annoys me. I do understand how come his personality ended up the way that it did from how he grew up, but I wish he'd be more confident sometimes. Taesung's personality is really sweet, but I wish he'd show a little more depth to his character sometimes. But overall this is a good story. It made me really happy to see how the author always adds important details like using lube, condoms, preparation etc. during the act. Taesung & Haebom's relationship both touches me and frustrates me. It frustrates me to see how they both tend to keep things from each other instead of communicating, but it touches me how healthy and loving it is the rest of the time. I like how coming-outs are handled as well. It's not too violent, but the reader still gets to see that it's a big deal and step. There have been instances where the story turned for a bit more of a dramatic tone unnecessarily so. Namely, with the stalking Senior when they were in college, and later, with Yoon's character at Taesung's father's company. I felt relieved that neither of those instances were dragged on for too long in the story.