lamsar503's manga / #Drama(18)

Seme (Dominant) ML is hot, famous actor who "held nothing precious in his life until he fell for" the good-natured Uke (Submissive) ML, who reveres the Seme ML and also aspires to be an actor. Above all, I want to say: Neither "Romance" nor "Love" have room for Rape in the relationship. Period. There are other genres for that shiz, guys. Otherwise... Considering that this is set in the entertainment industry, the story is predictably progressed through drama related to aspiring actors (like coerced sexual favors), popular actors (such as psychotic, homicidal fans/stans), and the development of the yaoi relationship itself (including a rape that is forgiven in the blink of an eye, because "love"). Personally, I detest when stories treat rape dismissively. I find that it is my biggest qualm with this story so far. More specifically, the uke ML fully recognizes that he was raped by the seme ML; the seme ML also recognized what he had been doing in the middle of the act, and then just walked out on the uke. Even so, the uke pursues and forgives the seme ML in the next chapter because he "doesn't care" what the seme ML does, because he "loves" the seme ML. -- This whole development could be summed up to me as "garbage". Honestly, if the rape had been left out of the story it would've been much better. The rape is completely out of place and out of character. The seme ML may be aloof and possessive, but he is not depicted in any way to the extent that actually raping someone in anger is believable of him. What is more frustrating is that nothing changes because of this event, so even if it never happened every other chapter afterwards could remain unchanged and you wouldn't feel like you missed anything. I consider it completely amateurish to include a rape scene solely for the sake of drawing readers attention; if nothing else it just serves as a huge flag in the middle of the story that screams "bad writing and flimsy plot". If you can pretend those 2 chapters don't exist, then the quality of the story and romance increases significantly. Even then, however, you are left with an aloof guy (Seme) who basically forces a good-natured guy (Sub) into a contract with him. They go through the ups and downs of helping the aspiring actor start his career, and they deal with drama along the way. The times when they are "good" to each other are actually really sweet and well depicted. It is really a shame that what could've been a decent yaoi romance story was spoiled by a crappy decision to include rape and a few other minor developments. The art is pretty decent, nothing amazing. Basically, the decent art and the story of the relationship (minus the rape) earns about 2 stars. The rape is dismissed so completely that I had honestly forgotten it even happened until I happened across a scene of it, so it makes it easier to focus on the "nice" elements of their relationship and rate the story higher. If I take the rape into consideration I'd probably say this was a solid one star. But since I can't give the absolute rubbish stories that are even worse than this one "zero" stars (as opposed to one star), I'll opt to let this story barrrrrely keep 2 stars. Overall, I've certainly read worse, but I have also read much, much better. My last thought: I will never, ever label a relationship that includes rape (especially an aggressive rape, where both partners are fully aware of what is happening, and which is abruptly dismissed entirely) as a "romance". So I can only call this story "drama" or just "fiction", since there isn't much else to it.

Surprisingly amusing smut manhwa. College-age MCs. [Sexually Confident FL] x [Sexually Insecure ML]. Art is full color and done well. The following includes spoilers. FL enjoys sex, has a collection of "toys", and she is NOT one of those ubiquitous, annoying FLs who are shy, ashamed, or embarrassed about sexuality. She has been in a relationship for 3 years with the ML and she loves him quite a lot. She loves him so much that she has stayed in the 3 year relationship despite the fact that he has never once made her have an orgasm (and he doesn't even realize it). Shenanigans start when, after another round of unfulfilling sex, the FL tries to excuse herself from the bedroom to use her toys to "finish" the way she has always done for the last 3 years. This time, however, the boyfriend sees all the "toys" and figures out what the FL has been doing; he and his male ego proceed to get all butt-hurt about the whole thing and the two have a big fight. This fight somehow triggers a magical-moon something-or-other power to start zapping around, and BAM, the next day they wake up inside each other's bodies. Body swap shenanigans ensue. Oh, and some hot chick that is related to the moon-power-zappy-body-swap thing is on scene, stirring things up (in various ways) now too. Notable shenanigans: (1) The FL (now inside the ML's body) realizes how ridiculously easy it is to feel sexual pleasure with a partner as a man (after all the "blood, sweat, and tears" she put in over the years trying to feel it as a woman) and flies into a (fury-filled) sexual rage. (lol) (2) We learn that ML is super buff due to a sexual complex he has developed, courtesy of his father. See, according to dad, his mother left the family because dad couldn't "please" her. So now good ol' dad has been making ML workout (both in the gym and in...other ways...) like a madman to build endurance and strength for the sake of building and maintaining sexual prowess...all so that he can keep a woman. (the desperation and misguided beliefs are pretty funny. Also, the ML has the daddy issues here. Gotta love that.) (3) Various people (including a cop) unreservedly bashing the ML for his ego-centric reaction to learning he never once satisfied his girlfriend in 3 years. (It made me lmao). Moreover, the story is actually pretty good about emphasizing a healthy lesson about relationships and sexuality; namely, "open communication is key", whether its day-to-day relationship stuff or between the sheets. That said, there's some morally questionable stuff afoot here too. For example, the FL(-in-ML-body) ends up having sex with mystery-moon-woman (not "entirely" willingly) and with another girl who had the hots for the ML despite knowing he had a girlfriend (even though said girlfriend is actually in his body as she tries to seduce him after getting him [actually FL inside, so "her"] blackout drunk -- the chick figures it out pretty fast though). The ML learns about these things after-the-fact, so his body is used sexually without consent. So if that isn't your cup of tea, that's something to know. Overall, I am enjoying the shameless approach to relationships and sexual dynamics, and the different approaches/considerations associated with different (so far strictly binary) genders. [Extra recommendation: If you enjoy this, and appreciate humorous stories with smut, you might enjoy another smutty manhwa called "Lightning Rod". I don't know if it is on this website, but it is by far the most hilarious manhwa I've ever read, even though it is smutty. I'd probably even label it comedy before labelling it smut.]

Not worthwhile to read for smut. Not worthwhile to view for art. Not worthwhile to read for characters, story or plot. ...basically, it isn't awful, it just isn't worthwhile.

Decent art. Very "meh" story. Lukewarm smut. 'Second ML syndrome' inducer, in my opinion.

(1) Review based on first few manga chapters: "Ah, interesting! Good art. Interesting, independent FL. I look forward to more." *Spoilers follow* (2) Review after reading (what I could tolerate of ) the novel: "Jeebus F*ing X-mas. This is so awful. How the hell did the FL go from so independent and interesting to a totally submissive, go-with-the-flow, annoying little crap stain? I mean, she even found out that she had been PERMANENTLY PHYSICALLY MARKED by the ML as his mate (without any warning or consent, knowing full well that the act of marking her robs her of any choice to be his fiancé) and even makes her wear clothing specifically designed to reveal that mark to the public, and she has no qualms about this?? The ML is a total overbearing crap stain, through and through, from beginning to the end. He doesn't care at all what the FL wants and just does whatever he pleases, however he pleases, whenever he pleases with her. And as if that wasn't bad enough, another character yet to be introduced in the manga, the FL's childhood friend (who is a really good guy that has always been there for her and protected her). He has loved her for years and only seems to exist in the story to live in anguish over his inability to confess his love to the FL, and then further lives in anguish over resigning himself to watch her relationship evolve with his friend, the Prince (the guy he basically works for as a head magician of the court). -- Reading about the FL being with the prince instead of this childhood friend character made me want to scream like a banshee. Every. Single. Time. There's also an element of the story that almost gave me hope. The FL, having been reincarnated into this isekai, had a lover in her previous life. She fell in love with him in high school, and she really, really loved him. In her previous life, that lover was very dense. He didn't understand her feelings, and he didn't understand how to communicate with his partner nor how he should communicate about his feelings...and so she ended up believing that he didn't really love her, and broke up with him in tears. He, being dense as he is, didn't really comprehend why things turned out as they did and spent years hung up on the memory of her. Finally, years later a friend helps him realize that he was in love with her, that he has always been in love with her even up to now, and that his behavior back then was surely very hurtful to her. He then rushes off to find her in a desperate attempt to make amends and hopefully start again. Of course, he is too late. She has already died and been reborn in the isekai. In sorrow and desperation he fervently wishes to be wherever she is. Flash forward, and he finds himself wandering about the isekai she had been into which she had been reborn. He himself had NOT been reborn, he was just transported there. Because he was just transported, he is still himself and has his original appearance. This means that he can't necessarily recognize her (because she was reborn and now has a new appearance), but she recognizes him at first glance. --- I thought this was an interesting new twist on the isekai premise. And I was all ready to ship this guy and the FL, because yet again this guy is lightyears ahead of the ML in likability and compatibility with the FL. But, yet again, it is a frustrating and ultimately fruitless hope. There's at least a hundred other reasons that I grew to hate this story, but most of all it boils down to the fact that the ML is the absolute WORST guy of all the potential love interests available to the FL; the FL becomes a docile little prince's fiancé and loses all the spunk and independent will (just because Prince Rapist says he won't have a harem) that made her interesting; and the story just goes ON AND ON AND ON AND ON repetitively to the point that I felt I might die of boredom. I just up and quit reading the novel once it was stated that she had "fallen in love" with the ML. That, furthermore, the FL now thought that all the previous rapey stuff that happened between her and the ML before "wasn't really rape" because "surely she had fallen in love with him that night at the masquerade" before everything happened...so it was all fine and good.... --- Yeah, I'm just done. This story had potential and turned into absolute garbage.

Surprisingly readable story about a former hikkikomori, NEET, otaku FL (27 years old) who becomes infatuated with (and falls in love with) a cute high school guy (17 years old) after she starts working together with him when her savings from her previous career as a programmer runs dry. I have one major qualm with the story: The idea that a super sexy woman (with a banging body who worked in IT) would still be a virgin at 27 years old is a pretty big overstretch for my 'suspension of disbelief'. That said, I can totally overlook it for the fact that the FL is depicted unabashedly in all her shameless sexual desires. There's no FL with repressed sexuality or an ignorant and shyly blushing FL here. What is even better is that there is no constant "Iya, Dame, Hazukashii!" ("No, stop, it's embarrassing!") from the FL in the perv moments. Both parties have their desires, both are self-aware of them, both want to act on them, and both want the other party to act on how they feel as well. Best of all, this manga actually covers sexual consent AND the guy actually respects her boundaries. --- Sad as it is, I'd be hard pressed to name another ecchi manga where that is the case. No smut, implied or otherwise, in case you wondered. (not yet anyway) But its a cute, ecchi, slice-of-life story depicting the typical insecurities that accompany a new relationship between an older woman and much younger man.

Instead of the very typical wise, gentle, beautiful, skilled, etc. female protagonist in an asian harem that wins over the emperor (or prince, or prime minister, or whatever) from the wicked Empress, this story is centered around the wicked Empress as the protagonist. The story shows her motivations, reasoning, and thoughts as she goes around being a servant-slapping, self-centered, sometimes misunderstood (more often than not, NOT misunderstood), "Wicked Queen". Meaning that, she is expected (for certain reasons) by everyone to become the Emperor's proper wife (the Empress), but (for other certain reasons) she is married to him as a Queen (Concubine) with the belief that she will one day force the situation to be as she wants, such that she will wind up Empress. It is interesting to watch the dynamics between this woman and the man she fell obsessively in love with, the Emperor. Additionally, it is interesting that they include PTSD/psychiatric disorders as a characteristic of this protagonist. Lovely full colored art, as well. The story definitely makes you want to slap the protagonist and her husband frequently though. lol.

Chinese RAWS: http://m.kuman55.com/16793/ I enjoy this comic, but I must say that the novel on which it is based is sooooo long. (;_;) I'm on something like chapter 900 out of something like 1,700 and Merlin and Alice still haven't confessed to each other. Even though they know how they themselves feel about the other person. And (***SPOILER**** they have a kid accidentally. By magic basically.) Anyway: The super OP ML (the Demon King, Merlin, who is bad with money, wants to be lazy, and is suffering from some sort of life-threatening curse) abdicates his throne after his "boss battle" with the FL (a relatively weak but spirited and virtuous fighter representing the church). Some time after their parting of ways that followed their decisive battle (where FL was totally swatted down like a bug by the ML), the two find themselves brought back together by various twists of fate, and kept together due to shared financial debts. Overall, it's a cute story, and the main characters are fairly likable. The romance element between the two characters is developing veeerrrrry slowly, but it is still enjoyable. Also, the FL is continuing to grow stronger, which is fun to watch develop.