pluckaduck's manga / #Enemies to lovers(7)

has a really accurate depiction of adhd in the mc. she's just a pure ball of sunshine. she's so adorable and funny. it might seem like the ml is the typical edgy loner type with a dangerous past, but no, it in fact subverts and pokes fun at that trope; he's just a normal teenager with lots embarrassment and pentup anger from people always assuming the worst in him bc of his scar that was a result of extremely mundane trip. at first ngl I didnt like him all that much since he was an asshole to mc who was trying to be friendly to him, but his characterizarion is very well-written, much more than just a misunderstand boy as we learn later in the story

tension was palpable. great enemies to lovers with unrequited pining. last 50 chapters or so was messy cuz of pacing issues

im giving it an extra star because of the translation quality. i detest the seme and hate a story in which the uke submits to and falls for the person who killed his family, but I am interested as to how the story will unravel, albeit it's a bit slow seme: ruthless, ambitious. very clear-headed and doesn't let his lust (for mc) affect his judgment. whom i assume is the 2nd ml: love and lust for uke. he's willing to leave his job for uke's sake. as it stands, he is wayyy better than ml. edit: welp that aged like milk. he thinks of mc as a whore and rapes him too. he wants mc to be indebted to him and fall in love with him but he's not respecting the mc at all. edit: seems to me the author either wants to prolong the series or hasn't really planned out the revenge on mc's end, so she just supplementing the story with smut. how disappointing. is it just gonna be like those stories when mc and ml get emotionally attached to each other bc of their constant skinship? it's one of the hackneyed plot devices for enemies-to-lovers trope. furthermore, there's a clear power dynamic between them- mc having sex with ml so he can live- so anything mc feels will just be stockhome syndrome.

sad that arin still yearns for iza. sana, rather than being swept by the sense of meaninglessness and numbness, it's more like being drowned by that feeling. she is slowly losing her humanity, yet still remains human because she is fundamentally different from the red fox. the red fox in this sequel is slowly learning human emotions such as jealousy, or rather, deciphering it, and how his 'love' evolved from that of the prequel.

I started this without any expectations, thinking it was another dumb generic bl, but holy damn I'm so invested. this is a slow burn but very fleshed out and well-paced. mc and ml went from classmates who barely spoke, to blackmailer and blackmailee, to mutual dislike, but mc absolutely hates the ml, and he has every right to do so. ml is a jerk, asshole, selfish guy who originally wanted to mess with mc and used him to humiliate his stepmother which evoked memories of the past mc desperately wants to forget. but ml's not like those cold-blooded crazy bitches, his asshole-ness at his age is realistic. like typically a forced kiss would kickstart a romance and be glossed over, but this time his behavior had an impact of a magnitude he didn't realize and we all despise him for it. I'm glad that mc is not turned into this feminine or masculine dude that many creators love to do, he's a normal guy without any fetishization, originally outgoing and social who turns anti-social and gloomy bc of a deep trauma. his ex-best friend is understandably upset, and it's not uncommon to feel disgusted at the concept of homosexuality, but his vindictive actions are downright cruel. (and, it's kinda sad that mc still in love with him). I'm really sad for mc, bc of ml his trauma reopened, and his insensitive ass isn't aware of the depths of the consequences. there better be some good groveling shit before he is forgiven. it's really well-written with great art and paneling, so im looking forward to it. ch 66. finally, his comeuppance. ml is a real selfish, manipulative two-faced asshole, he has developed feelings for mc and while I do enjoy a possessive fleshed out ml, I hope karma bashes him in his face. i admit that i lowkey kinda like him, but I'm hoping mc will fall for another or actually not like anyone for a long time (like he said he would) while ml just pines away cuz he really deserves that. like, he only did one thing good in mc's life so far, and that is unintentionally influencing mc's mom to cancel his doctor appointments. this motherfucker literally after developing an obsession over mc, he tries to isolate him from his friends, make mc heartbroken and give up on chanil by setting him up with pink-haired lady...like he the whole red flag. ch78. Jesus fucking christ.