well shit's manga / #ANATOMY HOLY SHIT(138)

I genuinely dont know where to start with this but i know its gonna be long bc good lord, this story. Peak doomed yaoi. A commenter summarised it perfectly; its a tragic, shakespearean cliche. Right from the beginning you can already expect where the story is headed but it still doesnt make the buildup and irony hurt any less. I was Anticipating the angst and it still felt like a punch to the gut at the end. First of all, the art, story boarding and panels are done so tastefully that it perfectly captures the prose-like narration and dialogue that flowed through the story. Its so so beautifully written and suits the historical setting so well. I love how this story is a masterclass in executing the “show dont tell” story telling with all the hints of dialogue and symbolism littered everywhere. The story unraveling through jean’s wary, unreliable narrator perspective is such a nice way to navigate the readers through the court drama, politics and pending heart break. The story telling and story boarding in that aspect was purely top tier, i have no notes on that. It was amazingly presented. One of bl’s magnum opuses, easily. My heart still aches very numbly at the thought of all the symbolism finally piecing together at the end. Maximillian is one of the best, well written, thought-provoking and sensual characters ive ever read. I fucking adore him from the very start of his act as a wayward prince until the end. He tarnished his own name for the sake of a successful rebellion and its just so heart breaking when you realise that he has planned this down to the minute detail and it all started from the very first time he landed his eyes on jean reading egalité. Maximin knew he was leading a dying country that is in need of a complete revival from all the mess his uncle has created and earnest eyed Jean was the perfect vehicle for that. It all became so bittersweet when you realise that maximin orchestrated this for 10 long years by being jean’s sponsor, planting cornell to both spy and aid Jean all while essentially preparing himself for his approaching death. From the very start, jean’s love was doomed to die despite his efforts in searching and protecting him and i fucking cry at the fact that they never had a chance to begin with. Maximin covered his tracks as jean’s sponsor so fucking well that it even made me doubt he was little pearl in the first place lmao. And i love how the story shifted jean’s search for little pearl into him realising that whether maximin was little pearl or not, he would still love him either way. Its such a nice conclusion and development to both the romance and jean’s character and in a way im happy that maximin knew of such sweetness before he died, that whoever he is, jean still loved him regardless. AHHHHHHHHHH the angst is just so perfectly executed. It makes reading this the second time feel so much more heart breaking, especially when maximin treated jean awfully in the beginning, now understanding that he must be doing this so that jean’s hatred for nobles and his resolve for the rebellion will be unwavering. Yet despite that, jean still fell for him bc deep down he Knew maximin was his person. He knew!!!!!!!!! And that love nearly became their undoing!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH god… Even the way maximin teased and “insulted” jean on how hes a catamite that couldnt “act” bc of his obvious displeased expression, it was all so that jean Knows on what to improve on himself for their plan. Even leading him to the secret escape route all for the sake of helping jean lead a successful revolution. Its all so elaborate and fucking sad. “I hope you find this freedom/light is a gift to your liking” fucking kill me at this point??? He rlly made sure jean’s resolve for the rebellion was unwavering even when it meant he had to be hated in return. Knowing his sacrifice, it makes Maximin’s “My Joachim.” so devastating and full of love. What a well written, heartbreakingly noble character. Just when jean thought he was steps ahead in saving him, maximin, for 10 long years, has always been leaps ahead of him. The only pov you can even get from him is from the excerpts that ariel said to jean as “little pearl”. Those adoring observations mustve all been maximin’s. I’m still reeling at their letters especially at the detail that maximin too, yearned and adored jean just as much, with how crumpled and worn the letters are from the repetitive holding and reading. Everytime jean seethed at maximin’s actions all while yearning for his little pearl makes the reveal at the end so much more painful bc not only did jean realise he technically lead his little pearl’s to death (and with his own gun that gave to protect him at that which is so tragically romantic), maximin was also turning blind from the poison the duke gave him. And it all clicks when you realise why maximin refused to give jean the already present tea in his room at the beginning bc its for “imperials” only. The poisoned tea is for him alone. FAWK. Its all these little details clicking into place that makes this story an even heart wrenching tragedy bc jean, god bless his heart, genuinely had no fucking clue TT-TT even the reveal at the end where maximin ordered him to tailor his extravagant outfit; all bc of the promise jean made for him in the letter and its the only way he could claim it without jean knowing who he is TT-TT even the constant “i’ve been waiting for you to find me.” while knowing hes little pearl and his losing eye sight; “I just wanted to see you” “im used to the dark” i wanna die like ? maximin loved jean so fucking much man its devastating. The painting reveal made me sob even harder when i realised that maybe the unidentifiable animal leg jean saw in the painting maximin gave the duke too, was a tiger all along. And now in hindsight i could just laugh and cry at how jean technically had his confirmation in his hands already. To think Jean’s long search for his little pearl was already in his arms all this time, all while unknowingly leading his beloved to his own orchestrated death. Oh maximin, “Ma petite perle, mon cher jean” His little pearl, his dear Jean. The evidence and admittance that jean has been searching for so long. A tiger and his pearls. What better way to end the story. Jean finally did found his little pearl ;-; and they were each other’s little pearl!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pure adoring sweetness and heart break. It ended perfectly. A classic shakespearean cliche done absolutely right. I genuinely hope and pray that we get physical eng tl copies of the novel and manhwa, and an anime movie or a drama adaptation by a really good studio please please. Cloverworks would be perfect for this. Please. I need this story to have a big international following bc i Need that fix it/au fic NEOW. Give this author and artist their fucking flowers man. Instantly top 5 of my most favourite bl of all time. Gorgeous execution, elegant prose, dialogue and narrarion as well as beautiful, stunning art and expressions. The angst is satisfying, will definitely reread if im in the mood to have my heart shatter again. Beyond 10/10, Im in constant awe. I will honest to god remember this story forever.

Oh im obsessed i love this so much everything from the art to the plot is jsut A1, its soooo fucking good!!!!!!!!!!! I have nothing to say other than this being one of my favourite korean shounen manhwas this year. Love how fresh and fun the entire killer concept + biblical motifs, very well expanded world building. I adore mc i love him so much he serves such a fierce mug in every chapter i just love him ? Cuntiest twunk ive ever seen… and the amount of gratuitous ass shots we have in this is amazing the artist is rlly doing it for the girlies and they have my thanks forever. The homoerotic tension and dialogue in certain scenes is great as well, bc truly what else is more queer than intense biblical motifs, with peter being this source of undying light of hope and fawned (desire to be killed, but hey still lol) by everyone !!!!!! Still reeling at the kowloon arc bc of how well written that arc is, the imagery and art and story boarding is amazing, i shed solid tears in that arc my gawd……. I rllt cant wait to see how this unfolds the further we get, its been so fun!!!!!!!! The found family of it all is so sweet too aughhhhhhhh i love it i love all the characters truly, i hope it ends with peter achieving his dream to take a photo with his friends (then and now) pls… give my old man a break. What a story seriously Author and artist are truly the dream team for this project i feel so blessed to get to read this AHHH need my fujo sisters and brethrens to hop on this and give it the love it deserves bc god i need those peter/everyone fics to flood ao3 NEOW!!!!!! Ch 54 (character info and sheets) Ch 69 (left off + want official tl)

Taishin carrying this entire story for me imma be real with youdhhdjdh hes sooooo fucking adorable, just ab absolute dear in every panel hes in. Hes so sweet and earnest and just trying his darnest best my adorable airhead baby…… i love airhead mcs so much theyre so near and dear to me… took me a good 2 hrs reading this bc of how i had to stop and clench my fist in every panel taishin is in hes just so fucking cute

Magnum opus bl whew the way i fucking cried in chapter 64 is insane, each chapter this story has is story boarded and illustrated to absolute perfection. The panels are so creative and expressive, author rlly used the scrolling feature a webtoon has to rlly amplify the silence of the story. And each panel flows beautifull to the next with no panel half assed, its like a series of moving pictures, its like watching a well made indie film. Im genuinely in awe at how the artist just keeps on getting better in each chapter bc just when u thought the author’s writing is already sad enough, the artist twists the knife even further by depicting it even more poignantly. The art is beyond, beyond stunning. Each panel is beautifully composed to a minutiae. The lighting genuinely Embraced the characters so lovingly. The facial expressions and body language is just A1, absolute perfection. Plus The way the artist is a fucking beast with the hands too, they draw it like its second nature bc im in awe at the amount of emotion in the way the hands are depicted????? Like all these elements come together so fucking masterfully and portrayed the bittersweetness of it all so perfectly. its genuinely insane to me ? This entire work can be a masterclass study on all those things, thats how good it is. What a fucking masterpiece of a bl, i adore the characters, the plot and overarching theme of grief in memories and the morality of making someone Remember while the commentary on poverty and classicism sets itself as a stage in the background. Its so bittersweet and profound and frustrating (read:good) at the same time bc hakyung and yoonsung’s only fault in this is that they love each other so so much, a heartbreaking right person wrong place situation. Like they genuinely did nothing wrong, its the circumstances that they met in that turned everything to shit like wow i hate yoonsung’s family so fucking much ? All the fault and guilt they pushed onto hakyung as if they didnt coerce him into this whole fake identity situation in the first place, all while dangling the money that can save his mom, and even having the gall to judge him for choosing money instead of yoonsung. Do u expect him to let his mother wither and die???? Bunch of out of touch, arrogant rich people. And if thats not enough, faulting hakyung for the entire accident when theyre the ones that orchestrated a lie so devastating it caused yoonsung to attempt suicide?? Are they even hearing themselves? Theyre acting way out of line for the sake of “yoonsung” as if yoonsung couldnt make his own decisions. That scene were hakyung broke down and cried to his mom fucking broke me bc he really went through way too much only to be treated like shit. The only good people in that family is grandpa and yoonsung :( GODD Its sooooo infuriating to see all these factors burdening their relationship. The angst was simmering from the beginning with all the brief flashbacks and history being built and it made me naively think that Oh this angst isnt so bad, its a very comfy hurt/comfort angst! But no it reached its peak in chapter 60+ and by that time i just started full on bawling, hiccups and all. My god…… whats insane too is how this story has almost zero exposition, u really rely on context clues and all the little subliminal messages littered through the story. All the details are so fun to capture especially how hakyung is reflected from yoonsung’s eyes, from initially a girl to finally him seeing a man and still loving him despite it. Its soooooo fucking romantic. The confession scene is romantic, the “korea is too cold. come back to america with me where its warmer” being a double entendre is romantic. This story is Peak love story and yearning in its rawest, visual form. My heart aches and sings everytime i remember this story. God bless the artist and author for creating such a stunning masterpiece seriously. I need this story to get an anime adaptation. A makoto shinkai one specifically. take it further and give us a beautifully directed indie bl film while youre at it. PLEASE. It’s a visual cinematic masterpiece even in manhwa form can u imagine the potential it has in other mediums? Jaw dropping AHHH My Top 3 bls easily.

Ehhh its okay i guess ? Love the author and their art style but ive read better well expanded domsubverses so this kind of fell short a bit, especially the way the ml is written. I understand his predicament but he just ends up being a major asshole especially with that unnecessary blackmail in the beginning and the really lazy underwhelming apology at the end. His back story is rlly ? Surface level too in a way, like okay your problem is the desire to completely own someone with ur love and vice versa right ? Then ….. isnt being in a commited relationship the answer ? Whats with jumping through ppl and grumbling about how woe is you when ppl cuss at u for being a player about it lol. Like the two timing bit threw me off so badly it made me difficult to like him ahhh. Bc like It’d be more understanding if all this time hes just been trying to find someone compatible with his dom side, but no, all he needed/prioritised is a warm body beside him bc he cant sleep without it. To which again, what is his problem really lmao just start a committed relationship then ? (and granted some subs have other needs that he couldnt fulfill, but again, this leads back to: Why are u running through people instead of ending shit properly u fucking cheater??????) because if hes not ready for it then strictly put a fwb boundary so ppl dont call u a two timing asshole ? And sure u can say that Oh no hes a dom with this specific need he needs that physical/emotional connection yada yada yada, okay, again, why is he jumping through people with no heed or caution if emotional/physical stability is so important? It just makes his personality so fucking shallow and beyond understanding bc it just doesnt make sense??? Just… ugh its so hard to like him lol. For the life of me i could not understand his character and motives. He just reads as a shallow bum ass playboy who thinks hes the victim despite being the one who caused his own mess lmao. And mc is a damn pushover for not straightening his bullshit for that. I was rlly ready for a redemption back story scene where all this time hes been just coping thru the motions of his unrequited love for mc and his engagement, thats why hes been running thru ppl like a fucking truck lol. And yeah sure the friend did allude to that at the end but STILL. Alluding it vaguely with just One bubble of dialogue ? Really? And ml’s backstory where he enjoys sleeping in mc’s class/company? Thats it?? GIRL thats not enough at all to subvert the nasty blackmailing shit he did in the beginning + his shitty bum ass behaviour this story makes me realise that i do Nawt like bum ass, zero face muscles, dookie mls who act like theyre all that around the mc when youre the one under their roof like hewlo ,,, give me some pathetic begging and crawling ATLEAST lmao. Like i want mutual romance!!!!! Ml is way too aloof for my liking and its not my cup of tea. I feel like i wouldnt have felt this harshly about him if he didnt pull that blackmail stunt/two timing shit in the beginning sighhhhhh what a shame. All in all its an unsatisfying read, mc deserved the cute hunk of a dom next door instead. Get a man with a job babes, why are we settling for some bum ass kid with no manners come awnnnnnnnnnmm i hate being this heated over a story thats clearly not well expanded/written ugh

WOOOOOOOOO short sweet and simple but immediately cemented itself as one of the best bdsm bl ive read AHHHHHH this is what bdsm is all about babyyyyyyy explicit consent and most of all; love!!!!! Such a fun and fulfilling read. The couple’s dynamic is great too ah i love it, Sub tops u are such a gift to the world and dom bottoms u are my bread and butter!!!!!!!!! The ml having a nipple kink is everything to me RAHHHHHHHH give mls sensitive nipnops!!!!! They deserve the fun too!!!!!!! And the gag and candle play?? RAHHHHHH artist crafted this in the lab specifically for me …… thank u… Panels are beautiful and the composition in each single one is illustrated beautifully, the pacing from one scene to the other is so well done too. The art and anatomy and expressions are just top tier as always!!!!!!!!!!! Author my goat forever AHH Kudos kudos kudos!!!!!!

Stopping at ch30 bc i read the comments and its basically a hot dookie mess rn so SHBDBDB im gonna let it marinate and finish once and for all. See i rlly love the premise in the beginning, im all for sex work i respect the hustle and honestly its the same as working a fucking construction job bc youre putting your body to the limit here so i appreciate the way the author (kind of) presented sex work as that. The sexual exploration in the beginning chapters with the first few clients mc meets was rlly fun too, i love how it broadened the mc’s perspective in the psychology and weight of sex and intimacy. Like sex work is nawttttt an easy job at awl. It’d been great to see mcs character develop and view sex work as a form of honest work as well. Thatd be really great. I also rlly like the whole gangster situation going on with mc’s back story plus the blood maniac bit everytime mc crashes out is so intriguing it reads like a shounen manhwa level up LMAO like i rlly wanna see him beat bitches up, hes so cool!!!!! Go ape shit bc lord knows u deserve it after reeling it in for so long lol. The entire set up to his character is just rlly rlly cool. Glasses wearing clark kent looking ass guy actually having game for stripping ? That beginning scene where he revealed his back tattoo goes so fucking hard like yesssss diva thats some A1 level cunt right there!!!!!!!!! I was gagged like omg. Not only that he also has a hyde and jekyll situation + has experience beating people up????? Girl… what a fun premise seriously. Hes way too badass LMAO, sex appeal off the charts im in love. And him exploring his sexuality on top that???? The very sex positive atmosphere author set up in the beginning?? YES MAMAS Wishful thinking but i hope he overthrows the company and sets shit straight. Like the way his character is written is way too cool to just let him settle for night life. Like now with his experience as a sex worker once, maybe he’ll set a new rule for the strip clubs under his company’s jurisdiction? Idk its just a really fun premise to entertain. Kinda need a well written/expanded stripper/sex worker mc having hella fists in a shounen setting lol give me a mc who not only throws hands but also ass !!! Bisexualism!!! Thatd be really fun lowkey But yeah, maybe all my hopes will be for naught bc seeing the comments talking about the direction of the story rn…… yeesh its looking rough lmao. Especially the ml like damn he looked rlly grounded as a character in these beginning chapters so im wondering what changed ? And the fact that theres no still no glimpse of his backstory 70+ chapters in is insane….. plus the mc’s brother is also apparently acting up and everyones just not heeding mc’s warning about his step bro so thats… whew. Atp a great ending would be mc to just honest to god throw hands and call it a fucking day lmao.

author crafted all the tropes and kinks in the lab specifically for me oh my god im frothing at the mouth at how good this is holy shit??????? The premise started off as the usual supposed enemies to lovers office romance but then u add in ml’s constant growing misunderstanding with mc’s professionalism and friendly customer service attitude + mc’s closeted sexuality and u get one hell of a good fawking time I LOVE ITTTTTTTTT its hilarious dramatic angst from sihyun’s side while the angst from joohwan’s closeted sexuality hurts like a punch to the gut such polarising feelings its a whole roller coaster LMAO. I just adore the couple dynamic in here especially sihyun’s affronted/cheated mistress situation going on in his head LMAO he’s such a tsun babe and seeing him create insane levels of misunderstanding and getting hurt by it fills me with so much joy such an adorable bulliable pitiful wife ml who just wants to get choked and dick stepped on…. My babie……….. can def see the angst for him picking up more seriously especially when he kept seeing himself as his mother who still clung onto his cheating dad’s shadow. Like AHHHHH that panel in ch28 where he gazes down silently and almost dejectedly at joohwan’s clarification (ring) and accepts it as long as he gets to stay with him… him looking hurt everytime he thinks joohwan is sighing at him… AHHHHH MY SHAYLA……. Also peeped his insanity with how he’d rather joohwan Have evidence to threat with him bc clearly that’d be a way to bind him to joohwan GODDD My sweet beautiful wife with a mental disorder i love u so much….. hes jsut grasping on straws thinking this is all he could ever amount to in joohwans life AHHHHHH my baby my wife my sweet pookie wookums the most absolute perfect submissive maso teary eyed kinky ml ive ever seen AND HEWLO THE TONGUE PIERCING???? author truly cooked him with the finest ingredients i owe author my life my GAWDDDDD what a babe fr i can go on and on about him forever. Also im OBSESSED with how author wrote joohwan’s character too bc that professionalism is off the charts like my boy has his entire foot down in the consultant business. Didnt waver at any of sihyun’s slick comments. That A1 customer service silver tongue winning hearts everywhere!!!!!! Adaptable in any setting!!! Unknowingly a man of charms and charisma!!!!! Just all smiles and sweet talk and immediately has sihyun melt into a putty i love joohwan BADDDD i love how hes so smooth with his talking too, such an enjoyable mc seriously. Like this man has crazy fucking game does even know that LMAO, he can easily pull any guy if he puts his mind to it its just a shame that he has gorilla glued the hinges of his fucking sexuality closet and yknow what in a way i get it His interactions with sihyun is just the cherry on top bc hes rlly just wrangling a tsun little cat with nothing but charm and flirt talk and sihyun’s just misunderstanding everything HDBDB like imagine your game too smooth someones first Immediate thought of u talking with another person is “Oh this MANWHORE!!!” theyre on completely different pages of different books its making me crydhhddb sending sihyun all my prayers bc WHEWDHBDBD its gonna be a while to get thru that noggin of his. i love them so much their dynamic is so addicting and fun GODDDD author nailed it downnnnnnnn!!!!!!! The fact joohwan doesnt have any recollection of their first make out sesh is hilarious and also being the igniter of sihyun’s choking kink??? Amazing. Obsessed crazy LOVE the increasing misunderstandings and the angst and drama its gonna eventually spill LMAO its my favourite kind of romcom borderline angsty misunderstanding flavour that i adoreee. Also the art style and anatomy? The facial expressions? The sex scenes????? The sexual tension?? “Donf worry i’ll be careful not to get you pregnant” THE DIRTY TALK HELLO???? THE SHAMELESS KINKS?????? Everything is just peak 10/10 my GAWD what a great adaptation, this is rlly my favourite story ever for this year god give me 20 more of these PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE IM HONEST TO GOD OBSESSED