somethingslight's manga / #Romance(38)

the first bl i read, so i read it again to jog my memory! honestly, it took a little bit of time for me to warm up to the story and the characters, but once i got to that point, i was SO invested into the story. the development of their relationship seemed to run around in circles at times, but the realization of feelings was very adorable. i'm not very familiar with stories that revolve around a character's ugliness (LOL), but this was still very cute regardless!! the mc values justice a lot, which was very admirable!! overall, this manhwa was really enjoyable and hooked you into it once you got into the story, and i would definitely reread it again (which i've done before already!!)!!!

oh. my. god. this is a bl unlike any other bl that i've read. at first, i really liked it because it was genuinely hilarious, and i thought it was going to be just another light-hearted yaoi. however, i was SO WRONG. this story was emotional, deep, and unapologetically raw and honest about the realities and struggles of being attracted to the same sex in an unaccepting society. the metaphors and symbolism used also further enhance the emotions that the characters are feeling, and it was done very beautifully. not to mention the art style!! it's very unique, and the smut is honestly god-tier. this story was so refreshing and a very stark contrast against the (unfortunately) pretty toxic genre of yaoi and bl in general that i believe that everyone who enjoys bl should read this manga.

i've read this story ever since the first chapter came out, and i found the premise interesting enough to keep reading. here are my thoughts on this manhwa now that it's finished! characters: 5/10 not gonna lie, they are boring. they're not unlikable or anything, just very one dimensional and kind of trope-y. yoon is the adorable, easily flustered uke while yeonwoo is a quiet but possessive seme. nothing that hasn't been seen before, but their interactions are pretty cute. however, i found yeonwoo to be especially boring. nothing about his personality really captivated me. the side character, yoon's friend, is honestly quite forgettable. he barely serves any purpose in the story, and i honestly don't even remember his name. story: 4/10 the weakest element of this bl in my opinion. i know bl tends to be very quickly paced in general, but it was especially evident in this story. the way their relationship progressed seemed rushed, and i personally didn't find myself very emotionally invested in these characters or their problems. the main conflict of yoon and yeonwoo getting caught in public was also quite predictable. during the last chapter, it felt as if the story was unfinished, like there should be something else that happens, but nope, no backstory or anything. the story was shallow and wasn't enough to get you very invested into it, but it's a pretty easy read. art: 6.5/10 cute! it's clean and simple, and has a raw feeling to it. again, nothing to write home about, but adorable nonetheless. overall: 5.2/10 i personally didn't find this webtoon to be anything special, but i doubt that anyone reading will have any major issues (or strong emotions, really) for the characters or plot. the thing that drew me into this bl was the "puppy" aspect, but i still think that there are better webtoons that do a better job of conveying this type of relationship (make me bark, for example). nothing special or particularly great, but an easy read if you want to kill time with some cute looking characters.

(possible spoilers ahead!) mine is a hopeless romantic who expected high school to be just like a romance movie. he's a part of his school's movie club, where he recommends romance movies under the disguise of saying that they're his sister's. after crying his eyes out during a club meeting due to a romantic film, he meets the delinquent playboy hachikaku! they get themselves caught in a difficult situation when hachikaku, who suffers from erectile dysfunction, gets hard after speaking with mine for the first time. characters: 8/10 overall, very likable! mine is an entertaining and adorable main character who, despite being a bit air-headed, isn't helpless or like he can't do anything by himself. his love interest, hachikaku, is also very enjoyable. he's a delinquent/playboy, and while he is a bit forward and forceful, he's not the typical asshole or jerk seme, which was very refreshing! he actually APOLOGIZES for his actions!! we love to see it!!! the two of them had an interesting dynamic that i was really into. neither of them are static as well, and grow as they realize their feelings and their true desires compared to the beginning of the story. the side characters were also good, not overly annoying or bothersome or anything like that. story: 9/10 i thought the premise and plot summary was very interesting, and it definitely didn't disappoint in the way it played out in the actual manga itself. the pacing was fitting for how short the manga was, and the choices made by the characters didn't unnecessarily elongate the plot with meaningless drama. the way both mine and hachikaku find what they are looking for and fulfill each other's needs and desires by the end of the story is very satisfying. well-paced, brief but does its job, adorable, but not shallow and has some real heart to it. art: 9/10 call me judgmental, but the first thing that makes me want to read a series is the art style, and that was the case for this manga as well. it DEFINITELY did not disappoint. i'm a HUGE sucker for this kind of art style (more on the simple side, but still with good looking character designs), and this is another example that shows why i love it so much. the art was so clean and simple while still maintaining a youthful look that was extremely fitting for the mood and setting of this story. it was very consistent and there were no parts of the story where i thought that something looked strange. and the smut! AAAH! sexy, cute, and the right amount of graphic. this manga was so good on the eyes. overall: 8.7/10 of course this isn't a perfect series, but it's damn good. it's short, but does the job well, and i believe that any bl fan that reads this will enjoy it.

(slight spoilers ahead!) takimoto finds out that the usually perfect manager sakuma is achluophobic, or afraid of the dark and being alone, after sakuma seeks refuge in takimoto and cries during a blackout. this makes sakuma feel safe, so he asks takimoto to sleep with him... literally. takimoto becomes sakuma's body pillow to help him sleep due to his phobia. characters: 7/10 i thought they were interesting. takimoto is honestly a little bland, but his character develops as he realizes his feelings for sakuma. however, he's not unlikable or anything though. despite how he acts outwardly and seemingly close-minded he is at times, he wanted to help sakuma and was always concerned for him from the very beginning. now, sakuma is more interesting, as we receive a background for him where his phobia is a result of childhood trauma. he acts a bit childish at times, but that's expected considering his situation and everything he has gone through. despite his supposedly "perfect' persona in the workplace, he is quite adorable in reality. however, it was kind of hard to feel that gap between those two parts of him due to the lack of exposition that would have established sakuma as that perfect person in the first place (which was eventually emphasized by his backstory, but i think it would have been even more effective if there was more exposition about his perfect side in the beginning). now, IWASE. iwase was really complex, in my opinion. honestly, i got some bad vibes from him in the beginning, and then he turned into this overly protective character that really rubbed me the wrong way. after the explanation of their childhood to takimoto, his actions were a lot more understood and i really commended him for taking the action that would have benefited sakuma the most, further showing his love for sakuma as an older brother. overall, pretty good cast of characters. story: 8/10 there are many people saying that this has great potential to become a yaoi, but i personally believe that this being a shounen ai really allowed the plot to focus on takimoto and sakuma's emotional relationship rather than physical and how they deal with sakuma's phobia. they even dive into the physical during the kiss/confession scene at the office, where we gain perspective on sakuma's views of physical touch. so, while it would be great to have some smut as an extra touch, it's totally not necessary to the overall story and didn't take away from it at all. now, the main plot was a good balance between the romance between the main couple and the main issue of sakuma's phobia, which was handled really well, i think. they were intertwined, allowing for the plot to progress naturally. like i said before, i wish they gave more scenes where sakuma's "perfect" side could be shown so it doesn't seem like his phobia defines him as much as it did, but that's the whole point of the story so it wasn't bothersome or anything like that. one last gripe i have is with the confession scene at the office. it seems that their jealousy was quite tame and sakuma wasn't taking it seriously at all, which just personally bothered me, but it makes sense with sakuma's past so i can't complain much. overall, a really beautiful story about a man finally finding what he's been looking for. (BONUS: that extra scene gave so much more depth as to why the father treated sakuma as he did. i'm not saying it's justified, but it gives a reason and shows his true intentions really well, honestly. he just wanted to protect sakuma, but it didn't turn out that way... it's sad.) art: 10/10 gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. the character designs are very stylized and the art style is unique, which i really loved. it had a sketchy, more raw feeling to it that really suited the tone of the manga. now, the smut isn't part of the main story, and it still wasn't fully smut, but i think the intimate scenes were drawn very beautifully! their facial expressions were really nice as well overall: 8.3/10 i think this manga handled the phobia and how romance can play into that really well, and it's a very enjoyable and heartwarming story.