Mangonificent's manga / #surprising/unconventional(16)

(Gotta write a better review later but for now I'm just gonna gush) Masterpiece. I love how unique it is, I love the art, I love the plot, I love the characters. And I must also say: SO damn refreshing to see bi- and pansexuality acknowledged! That like never happens! And the way Kuroiwa mentioned this too, this complete carefree attitude about his sexual orientation, it's so damn lovely. None of the stupid denial shit you usually see.

*sigh* To think I originally rated this 5 stars. Well, it has come to a point in which I ended up dropping it. Started out as great, one of my favorites, for it had plenty of intrigue, pleasing artstyle, and was doing such a nice job dodging some of the most obvious clichés. The MC Sooyoung was a strong-willed man who wasn’t afraid to fight back even on crutches, making him vulnerable in some ways while very strong in others. This cleverly tied to his background. As a boxer in a toxic relationship he got used to "taking a beating" which furthermore gave him a pretty warped idea of sex, using it more as a coping mechanism. He basically had no care for his own body and was always ready to throw himself at dangerous situations. Always ready to "step into the ring" so to speak. The story seemed to be going for a very interesting and welcoming angle because the seme Taesung, after realizing Sooyoung's carelessness and messed up attitude towards sex, was basically teaching him to take better care of his own body and desires. Chapters 23-24 had an especially lovely scene where the seme really went through the effort to have the MC enjoy himself, checking for consent multiple times. Man did I love that! Plus, a violent mafia boss who most certainly has his flaws but also a surprisingly healthy attitude towards sex, even refusing it when he thought Sooyoung was not in the right mind to demand it? “More stuff like this plz!”, I thought. Now though, there’s not even a point of Sooyoung being a boxer anymore. He’s been reduced to a damsel in distress who’s just stuck in another toxic relationship(s), constantly needs to be saved and is repeatedly taken advantage of. The seme went the usual “possessive douchebag wanting to own him like a pet” route (all under the guise of protection of course), ditching all the previous elements I found so refreshing. Yes, I’m well aware of him being a criminal so it’s no surprise he’s not some perfect goody two shoes but I am so damn tired of these type of plots and characters, especially because at the beginning the story seemed to be doing something actually refreshing and new with them. The possessive angle COULD work but I don't like how it has been done, basically reducing Sooyoung to a weeping blushing mess while Taesung has steadily lost all the traits that made him such a breath of fresh air. There’s also a shitton of gratuitous VERY prolonged sex scenes which don’t even have a point anymore (except smut) whereas before they had some story relevance as well like revealing new characteristics. Guess those who enjoy brainless smut will have a field day but, sorry, I’m the type of person who finds smut for the sake of smut boring af. Even art style has gotten rather ridiculous and unappealing over time with the semes overdosing on steroids while the MC took a shrink pill. (Minhuyk is especially hilarious, his head doesn’t seem to even fit his body.) I’m really sad with the direction this manhwa went. It had such promise. The only reason I'm not giving this 2 stars now (and deleting my old tags) is because I used to truly enjoy it and I do think there were legit great moments & ideas. Overall it has given me way more enjoyment than some other works. Maybe I’ll keep occasionally glancing at it for any actual good development but we’ll see.

Yes the premise is unhealthy, not something you'd want to promote irl, but as fiction it was strangely intriguing and when the two actually got into their arrangement, surprisingly sweet and respectful. Funny how the seme might have started as a molester but he does actually listen to the MC, even comes up with a safe word and adheres to it. That's way more than I can say about many other semes. A twisted start but in truth there never was any non-con act between the two.

Fucking impeccable. An actual gem among the sea of banal stuff.

(Fyi, haven't read the main series but after this I think I must) I'm so invested! I didn't expect this amount of thoughtfulness, the story is raising up relatable and realistic points and it's just so damn interesting to see the development of this man who has been struggling with some generational gaps and old fashioned views. I love how you can see how beautifully he has grown as a person and how he's still learning. (Oh how smoothly he shut up that guy jabbering on about how having a single placate stating 'we are a gay friendly bar' is the LGBT "shoving their views down our throats".) The art style took a moment to get used to (the blond guy looked like a serial killer to me lol), but I very quickly grew to like it. I'll take unique styles over generic ones any day anyways. The one thing I'm a little torn with is how the story is progressing. Because on one hand I have zero objections seeing this DILF get freaky but on the other hand I'm loving his journey of understanding so much that it'd be kinda disappointing if it all boiled down to: "Ok, I can now understand my son cuz, you know what, I'm gay too!" It's too soon to judge though because it all depends on how the topic actually gets handled from here. There's nothing wrong with the act itself anyhow, no wonder he'd be bi-curious.