Kirai's manga / #possessive seme(12)

Synopsis: When a deadly accident kills his friends, a system approaches Wang Yi (MC) with a contract: transmigrate into novels and take on the villain's role, and in return he can reverse that tragedy. However, the male leads (ML) somehow see through his acting, and they fall in love with Wang Yi instead of the female lead. The male leads all have a mind-reading ability; is there a connection between them? Review: This manhua has colourful art, great comedy and an interesting storyline. The premise of accidentally romancing the male lead as a side character is not new in Chinese stories, but I find the male lead's mind-reading ability to be a fresh way to throw a wrench in the protagonist's plans. If you like the world-hopping genre, this manhua is a must-read.

Synopsis: Brought up in an orphanage, Chansol (MC) is selfless to a fault. He's the type to lend a hand to everybody, including strangers, and his insistence on helping Park Hanhoo (ML) leads to an unlikely teenage friendship. However, one day a massacre of his orphanage forces Chansol to leave the country and his best friend behind, and when he returns to seek revenge many years later, Chansol becomes Han Yooem's manager in order to track down the perpetrator and also to find his old friend. Review: Chansol is competent, kind and sympathetic, so it's easy to enjoy his perspective. Hanhoo rocks your usual confident and cool CEO personality, with a penchant for winning bets and taking matters into his own hands like a boss. They have a selfish person x selfless person dynamic and a common goal to work towards, so both the action plot and the romance plot are engaging. I especially enjoyed the build-up to Hanhoo's identity reveal to Chansol.

Synopsis: Yorong, the popular female player, is actually a serial catfish named Kim Kyuyeon (MC). Having targeted a newb named Yummin, Kyuyeon realises too late that the Yummin in real life is Yum Kimin (ML), who is handsome, rich and popular. Kyuyeon gets desperate to dump him, but Kimin is even more desperate to meet Yorong in real life. Review: This manhwa can be split into two storylines, the first being focused on Kyuyeon's struggles to keep his identity concealed and the second being more slice-of-life. Kimin is hopelessly smitten with Yorong no matter what, but he also becomes very toxic in the face of any threat of their relationship. His behaviour may be easier to stomach since this manhwa is a romantic comedy. Kyuyeon is a dumb protagonist who's easily caught up in Kyuyeon's pace, but you can feel less sorry for him if you remember that he's a serial catfish. Otherwise, this manhwa is very cute.

Synopsis: In the throes of depression, Yeon Shinwoo finds himself unexpectedly comforted by Jeong Han, a capricious young man. They become close high school friends, but by graduation they have since drifted apart from one another. Twelve years later, Shinwoo is struggling to make ends meet, and he once again meets Jeong Han, who is determined to do things differently this time. The biggest obstacle is the ever-distant Shinwoo himself. Review: Yeon Shinwoo has a personality that is easy to understand. However, besides his depressive side, his character is rather bland. Jeong Han is much more interesting, being the strong go-getter type with a few red flags. Granted, although Han does whatever he feels like doing, he is respectful towards Shinwoo. This combination of personalities means that Han is easily able to rope Shinwoo into dating, but the main conflict is that Shinwoo has no faith in their relationship lasting. That aside, this manhwa has a lot of recurring motifs that elevate its storytelling.

Synopsis: Learning that he's an omega, Asahi (MC) shares the news with his best friend, an alpha named Kei (ML). However, Kei deduces that he and Asahi are not fated pairs, and in anger he rapes Asahi. Many years later at a class reunion, Asahi realises that he's in love with Kei. This triggers his heat, prompting Kei to make Asahi his permanently. Review: The art is decent but both characters are rather shallow. The ML is sadistic and toxic during the time he thinks he cannot have the MC, which so happens to be the majority of the story. Amazingly, MC falls in love with his ex-best friend even after getting raped then ghosted. They both forgive each other upon learning that their love is requited. That side character friend is not paid enough for this.

Synopsis: A weak necromancer named Choi Lee-kyung (MC) lucks out and makes a contract with the famous deceased guild-master, Seo Dawon (ML). In exchange for Dawon's protection, Lee-kyung must help him revive his fallen guild members and exact revenge on those who murdered him. Review: The dynamic is like this: Lee-kyung is a regular guy out of his depth and Dawon is the usual overpowered badass, with a teasing streak and a tendency to look down on weaklings. Although Lee-kyung quickly develops a crush on the handsome dead guild-master, it's Seo Dawon who becomes overly attached to his new emotional support necromancer master very fast. There's also a strong, interesting revenge plot; the cast grows with every guild member that Lee-kyung resurrects, and shrinks with every successful revenge. For those who are interested, you can also read the novel that this manhwa is adapted from; you'll find that there's a lot more content that the manhwa has cut.