Mangonificent's manga / #wasted potential(5)

*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.

Beautiful art and very interesting premise with several intriguing elements. Sadly, in the end it felt like this had a too ambitious setting for what it was actually willing to deliver. It’s mostly about smut so good for those satisfied with that. I tend to look for more and was expecting more because of that fascinating premise. Still glad I read it but the untapped potential left me feeling it should have been a longer, more in-depth manga.

Disappointing. The first story had such a promising premise with its’ interesting character dynamic but was ultimately rushed in the most unsatisfying way. The author decided to switch to a webtoon format in the middle and the story suddenly became a cringy rushed mess. Even had a “villain reveal” which felt right out of Scooby Doo. Frustrating since the beginning did such a good job capturing my interest. Did not bother to read the second story due to lack of interest.

Ended up dropping this. Had a really promising start with its fun atmosphere but I quickly grew bored and a bit annoyed. I just don’t feel the main couple. Whether it’s because of the pacing, the predictable contrivances or the characters themselves, I don’t really know, but I just don’t feel it. To be perfectly honest I found the henchmen to be the best part. I just love how expressive they are and how many little endearing moments they have. Often the greatest joy was just to observe them and their fun little interactions / reactions. Might someday skim over the rest of the story just to see whether they’ll get more screen time. Also, to give some more credit: the MLs stupid ass lolwut tattoo made me snort so hard I spurted my drink outta my nose. That’s an achievement alright so kudos to that lmao. Speaking of the shitstain tattoo, the art overall is pretty mediocre. Too much same-face syndrome going on.

Dropped. Might re-visit later. Too much smut, too little plot for me. Had lots of potential to have really interesting character development but instead it went like: "Hey, ur blood smells nice. If you let me suck it, I'll help you." "Deal. Kill the dickwad. Now let's fuck 10 times in a row." Yeah yeah, I know they said that being fed on has an aphrodisiac effect which is really damn convenient for the smut but it doesn't change the fact that I seek more from a story. This one was ripe to e.g. explore MC's trauma and recovery. Oh well, maybe I'm not the target audience.