well shit's manga / #THE MAGNUM OPUS(97)

Love the overarching theme of fate and sacrifices in this story, its presented so tastefully especially with how the characters developed. God i’d die for mag, shes not some super op mc, shes so realistically flawed and her life as margaret is so especially bleak with how she got framed and killed as a scapegoat for “the greater good”. Especially with how grim the author presented the conflict on war and how it doesnt have a simple, naive solution. Like there are fucking stakes here and i appreciate the author for considering that!!! It sets the perfect tone for the angst and how inevitably fucked everything is in mag’s first life. Still aching at That panel where margaret hugged mag in comfort before she lied about her being a witch. It is one of the most heart breaking and beautiful scenes in rofan for me and perfectly captures the agony in her conflicting identity and decision. Shes really, really trying her best and like the theme (1 or All sacrifice) entailed; she’d rather sacrifice herself than allow another futile war. Margaret Must continue be wrongfully condemned in order to maintain the peace for others and its so fucking heartbreaking and bleak. Theres just so many instances in the story where one decision fucks up the fate of others all for the greater good and its presented in a way that u cant even hate the characters for doing so bc u can emphatise with it, even Squal’s mistake was heart breaking bc you can see how powerless and manipulated he was, the same with Jack’s fear and guilt in the ‘fire’ and poison. The characters’ decisions are so deeply entwined with the other that every reveal had me feeling devastated lmao. I love how the author tackled mag’s reaction in each reveal, its so deeply raw. Shes going through the fucking wringer Both of the men she loved had a hand in killing her but in totally different ways. And the way its resolved is so good as well, because all she wanted from Squal was an apology, and maybe Just maybe of him reaching towards her during the fall. Atleast Jack admitted to his wrongs, communicated and gave her a long needed apology, prioritised her safety during the kidnapping and in return mag chose their fate by jumping to save him. Its such a nice way to rewrite her traumatic experience with Squal all while developing her character at the same time. Love how that scene emphasised in choosing the decision she believed was best, no matter if it all turned to foam or not. The little mermaid parallels made it even better aaa Its so bittersweet and triumphant all at the same time :’) Margaret, jack and squal had shitty circumstances stacked up against them and the only one truly at fault is the southern leader. I love how realistic and multifaceted ALL the characters are, its so rich and full of depth, its so so refreshing to see flawed characters reframe their perspective and try their best to change things for the better. I unironically love squal’s character the most, hes just the most pitiful guy who kept on making the wrong choices that he thought was right. Just incredibly naive and misguided, and i love the way hes redeemed by finally taking reigns in stopping the war. Mag’s character development was so satisfying to see and jack’s guilt being revealed was done so well. In a way, its a story on their path to their own self-redemption as well (mag acknowledging the weight of the war, squal standing up against his father, jack trying to clear margaret’s name due to his ‘actions’) The parallels!!! God, I adoreeee the story telling, theme and writing this story has. The panels and story boarding were planned to perfection, especially the constant moon, stars and fate imagery. The stars falling in each decision mag chooses is so beautifully scenic and poetic. I love how the author had a plan ready in mind for this story and didnt choose to overstay its welcome by inserting unnecessary fodder plot. The theme is simple, direct and to the point all while tugging the heart strings successfully. The Artstyle and expressions are beyond gorgeous and the pacing was great, the plot is fresh and fun as well. Such a good rofan story seriously!!!!!!!!!!

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)

Has the perfect nostalgia of old school yaoi with a modern twist to it; a very endearing and earnest amount of communication that left me pleasantly surprised! I love age gap relationships where the younger one is more emotionally apt than the older one LOL. Aoi setting things straight by explaining his background and why it’ll take him longer to understand certain things and asking takane go be patient with him…… oh tears….. and double it with takane apologising aoi for being the reason why he felt embarassed in the first place after that document/office ordeal…. Its so refreshing and touching i actually shed a few tears ;-; I just adore that scene so much, takane insisting aoi to not apologise bc it isnt his fault…. Its so rare to see such a genuine apology in bl ??????? Immediately left a mark on me bc despite the cliche fake dating for money premise, the sensitivity and writing of the characters made them feel so down to earth and real that i genuinely felt bad for aoi and touched that takane is taking steps in being more emotionally open and sensitive in his interactions with aoi… just… TTTT its so good…. author rlly took all the things that we love in old school bl and rehash it with modern standards making it soo fresh and entirely its own, the art style especially! I was rlly skeptic of it at first but god im so happy to be wrong! The commentary on class differences between aoi and takane was well done as well. Both of them having gone through their own difficulties and acknowledging both parties’ efforts in helping the other AHHHH i love it!!!!!!! I especially love aoi’s slow budding feelings + professionalism in his role. All the communication… its just such a joy to read omg…. Author i will lay my life out for u im so fucking serious. I rlly rlly hope we get an anime adaptation or jbl from this, the potential is there!! Its so refreshing!!!! Its so fun!!! While still maintaining the old school bl essence that we all love and adore!!!! Please future adaptations and physical eng copies soon !!!!!!!

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.

OH NATORIIIIIIIII MY SHAYLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MY BEAUTIFUL SWEET EARNEST GOOD HEARTED PUPPY YOU ARE EVERYTHING TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE One of bl’s magnum opuses easily just by how everythinf (EVERYTHING) is written in here i have no notes everything i just so so perfect. I adore rui’s character, hes so professional and considerate i fell in love with how his character is written in conjuction to his profession; a shibari artist and how much he loves his work and the care he puts in tying up his clients. Its so good ? Like considering his job, author didnt make it overly sexualised (which is fine either way) and instead made the approach to it so refreshing and eye opening!!! Feel like his job doesnt add any horny points into the story, just a testament to his dedication and kind heart in his character which i fucking adore??? And natori OH MY GODDDD LOVE OF MY LIFE natori my sweetest baby my earnest eyed gentle hearted beautiful puppy i wanna cry i completely understand rui’s confession when he said he loves natori so much to the point of crying like girl me too the confession scene from either of them is sooooo fucking good, the tears, the yearning, the bittersweet heartbreak at how natori doesnt see any worth in himself that could be loved and rui’s insistence that there issss and even if its a little bit he hopes natori sees it in his heart to love himself too GODDDDDDDDDDD I WANNA FUCKING YELL its all so tender and sweet and fragile and romantic. So so so romantic, im still reeling at how much natori adores rui and is even willing to bring his feelings to his grave oh my god………. These two im so happy at how rui’s character is written in response to natori’s low self esteem, hes such a real ride or die for that man (AS HE DESERVES) it makes me so happy to see natori showered with so much love and affirmation oh my godddddd The shibari play is rlly just a bonus in all of this its so sweet and romantic, it doesnt feel kinky (?) at all (again which is fine either way) it just feels so grounding and fulfilling for both parties i just enjoyed seeing them relish in their love for each other so much….. and that first meeting natori and rui had…. Natori barkinf and giving rui his paw….. AOHHHHHHHGHHH MY SHAYLAAAAAAAAAA THATS ALL I KEEP SAYING I JUST WAIL AT HOW SWEET AND PRECIOUS NATORI IS MY SWEET EARNEST SUBMISSIVE PUPPY TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALSO PLEASE HIS MR DARCY LEVEL CONFESSION AT THE END rui’s “my love for you wouldnt lose to your love for me” and natori’s “i pine for you, today tomorrow and forever” OH MY GODD I WANT TO YELL I WANT TO CRY THATS SO !! THATS ROMANCE!!! THATS FUCKING ROMANCE!??!? Genuinely felt my brain and body melt…. Such a refreshing and pure confession like baby thats a proposal atp oh my god im genuinely obsessed god i want to cry we need more mls to say new and fresh ways of declaring their love and yearning pls god its the intimacy, the bliss in confessing your love after all the chaos; knowing that this love is wholly yours to cherish and keep, unabashedly. Oh author this is so romantic God i cant do this i rlly need multiple volumes of this like that brief little petplay undertones they have has me biting the walls (good boy/puppy/doggy/kennel OHHH rui the dom bottom u are/ the way natori also relishes in it by responding/admitting to it so cutely too GODDDD the doggo imagery with his wagging tail MY SHAYLAA) rui is just so good to natori and natori is just flourishing so sweetly under all that love and care how could i Not wish to see more of them like the whole entire yakuza premise is so well done and i adore how rui is familiar with their business and understood natori’s choice in staying there under the new boss so he could pay him back. I love how rui didnt turn into this cliche naive mary sue of “but no u cant, repent and go to the light!!!” Bullshit and accepted/respected natori’s choice bc thats his step to healing. Just so so supportive and considerate to natori’s tune. SWOONSSSS its just so good and the way natori the ever so sweet and submissive baby earnestly and shyly reaches for more of rui’s love……. And once their love is established u can see glimpses of him being shameless with it AHH the sweet pathetic little sorries as he obliterates rui UWAHHHH UWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS PLEASE PLEASEEEEE YELLS BASHES MY HEAD GODDDDDD author u have created a masterpiece that others in the bdsm/shibari department wishes they couldve done oh my god……. Such a perfect bdsm/shibari bl with an equally perfect couple dynamic. So sweet so devoted so pure so earnest and most of all so romantic every step of the way. The pacing is perfect, the characters and conflict are beautifully written, and the romance godd the romantic progression has me swooning in each chapter the more their love and devotion is revealed AHH just 10/10s in everything. I adore natori’s character design too a big buff physique with the most gentlest sweetest eyes and demeanor GOOD LAWD what a darling babe, im so in love, oh to be rui AHHHH its just fucking Peak rlly. This story is rlly made for me my god author i cant thank u enough. I genuinely need physical copies of this PLEASE god i beg u give me more volumes

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

CINEMA I ALREADY KNOWWWWWW ITS GONNA BE A BANGER i fucking love the art style especially the juxtaposition of hopeful romance + sudden intense gore scenes at what the curse entailed. Author captured the whimsicality and poignant, bittersweet love thats present in hans endersen’s little mermaid really well in this!