it's like a book review kkkkkkk great
For people whining about the non con, it is a mutually consented transactional relationship. It deceptively looks like dub con because it was painful, but it was meant to look realistic. The motivational factor behind their sex isn't primarily physical attraction, there are many other emotions and ulterior motives underneath their act of sex, and they are both aware of that too. It was so clear to see that this act of sex was not supposed to be pleasurable, it's first and foremost an act of transaction, the physical attraction while it's there, is secondary motivation. The author made this very clear in the preceding chapters. If anyone reduces it to just rape vs consent issue, while disregarding everything else, it becomes clear they were only reading this manhwa for the sex because they thought it would be hot, which can only come from a shallow understanding of the subject matter. People are complaining about the rape because that's the only lens they are seeing the characters with, typical yaoipilled sex obsessed lens.
Honestly it's so reductive to see everything with rape vs consent lens. I hate gratuitous sex and glamorization/sensationalisation of rape but it can't be denied that rape does happen in the real world, there is much darkness in the world and stories must be written to represent with accountability and sensitivity. And these two characters are portrayed as carrying a lot of emotional baggage and scarring that influences their actions. Just like the real world people.
And just because stories have rape, doesn't mean it's a reprehensible act by the author to show it, as long as they dont use it as a fan servicey plot device. This author didn't glamorize the sex, they made sure to show that while there is latent physical attraction between the two, they also resent each other and resent their reason for being in each other's lives, at least at this point of time. Sex is part of their deal. In the real world, sex doesn't only happen between two people who love each other, sex is also used as a currency for mutual benefits.
Unlike most BLs, this manhwa doesn't just deal with the love story between the leads but also has a macro overarching theme about corporate greed, political power games and class clashes. But the average yaoipilled readers do not have the intellectual or emotional capacity to understand text, visual language or themes that go beyond - uke and seme sitting on a tree, k i s s i n g.
Thanks )
the first actual good take i’ve seen
I think a lot of negative comments are also coming from the usual readers belonging to the mutual wanking circle of mggo whose staples include conformity, low iq and entitlement.
That was intense, and realistic. This narrative has such strong socio political economic undertones that show very clearly in the relationship between the uke and seme. It's a transactional relationship, they know what the other wants and they are going forward with it with mutual consent because they know that the benefits are also mutual. The boxer knows the intentions of the political aide and he knows he is in a rare position to take advantage of the situation and get an upper hand. And because he is attracted to the aide ( I think part of reason he is attracted to the aide is because he senses in the aide, a sort of repressed defiance bubbling under their calm demeanor, just like his own, bound by obligation and societal/professional pressures), he gets to satisfy his own desires that seem to be borne out of deep trauma. There is a certain darkness in both of them, and that's why they can't help but be drawn to each other knowing both have ulterior motives. And it is interesting because the boxer is someone who has no financial, social or political capital to fight the political bigwigs trying to make money off his and his community's misfortune and powerlessness. But he has his gym, a single structure that he can use to create an obstacle for the system, the political and capitalist system trying to take advantage of the poor.
The political aide has his own lofty ambitions because of which he has been sacrificing his morals and boundaries since day one in his job. He is tired of doing it over and over again, putting out fires at his own personal expense, surrendering his dignity and integrity to whoever has more power, because he knows that's how the system works and his personal opinions don't matter. However he hasn't met anyone like the boxer before. He thought he did but turns out the boxer is not your average guy and both his ego and ambition are getting threatened by his presence. He is also attracted to boxer's darkness against his better judgment. But because he is straight, his conflict is not only professional but also personal.
The writing indicates that going forward, the aide will find his salvation in the boxer, who will help him take back his power from the system that has been using him as a convenient tool. And the aide will help resolve the boxer's repressed pain from his past that makes him self destructive and despondent and give him a reason to live. And I just know that it will be all believable narratively.
There will be no quick fix solutions, no overnight realisations, and no flowery resolutions. Just like real life. Their journey together will be painful, fraught with emotional violence, they will clash and clash again, bloodying each other in the process while licking their own emotional wounds in each other's arms. It's going to be intense, complex, and resonant with the darkness that the world coloured both their hearts with. It will be intensely human. And I am looking forward to it all. Thank you author, maybe start giving classes to other bl writers. Heh.
This type of story isn't for everyone. One can only understand something with the depth they have reached in themselves. But it's objectively one of the best written manhwas, mature and nuanced and complex, that i have come across and hope to find many more.