Kirai's manga / #re-encounter(33)

Synopsis: Shavonne (MC) is a writer who is struggling with his income, his love life and now a stalker. Amidst a series of murders, he meets Lewellyn (ML), an enigmatic man who courts him for seemingly no reason. Of course, Lewellyn turns out to be both the stalker and serial killer, but there's still yet another layer of mystery surrounding him: what is his connection to Shavonne? Review: I enjoy characters like Lewellyn, who has both a mature side and a cute puppy-like side. He's the type of love interest who is an upstanding gentleman to our main character, so I think we readers can overlook his murderous tendencies. Shavonne is also a great protagonist, since he is mature and easy to sympathise with as an everyday poor man saddled with an eccentric suitor. Plus, the storyline surrounding the mystery of Shavonne and Lewellyn's relationship is intriguing, so I highly recommend this manhwa for fans of serial killer romances.

Synopsis: Akesato Satoru (MC) has a one-night stand with Hosokawa Kimiyuki (ML), who turns out to be the chubby kid that he's bullied in high school. Kimiyuki's glow-up gives himself enough confidence to seek revenge, but Satoru is currently dealing with a stalker. Review: Actually, this manga is pretty mediocre in all aspects except for Kimiyuki, whose sheer arrogance and narcissism never fails to make me laugh. Please donate money to Kimiyuki for his upcoming surgery procedure, as he's injured his back from carrying this entire manga.

Synopsis: Brought up in an orphanage, Chansol (MC) is selfless to a fault. He's the type to lend a hand to everybody, including strangers, and his insistence on helping Park Hanhoo (ML) leads to an unlikely teenage friendship. However, one day a massacre of his orphanage forces Chansol to leave the country and his best friend behind, and when he returns to seek revenge many years later, Chansol becomes Han Yooem's manager in order to track down the perpetrator and also to find his old friend. Review: Chansol is competent, kind and sympathetic, so it's easy to enjoy his perspective. Hanhoo rocks your usual confident and cool CEO personality, with a penchant for winning bets and taking matters into his own hands like a boss. They have a selfish person x selfless person dynamic and a common goal to work towards, so both the action plot and the romance plot are engaging. I especially enjoyed the build-up to Hanhoo's identity reveal to Chansol.

Summary: Ju Hamin (MC) resents having a mafia family. He tries to live a normal life away from crime, but a kidnapping incident prompts his father to appoint Kwon Sehyuk (ML) as Hamin's bodyguard. It seems like many bad people have designs on Hamin, including Sehyuk himself… Review: Hamin is a good protagonist with both cunning and a strong moral compass. Sehyuk is a certified badass, whose cunning surpasses even the big bosses in the mafia world. As a bonus, the unique art style and action-packed plot makes this worth the read.

Synopsis: In the throes of depression, Yeon Shinwoo finds himself unexpectedly comforted by Jeong Han, a capricious young man. They become close high school friends, but by graduation they have since drifted apart from one another. Twelve years later, Shinwoo is struggling to make ends meet, and he once again meets Jeong Han, who is determined to do things differently this time. The biggest obstacle is the ever-distant Shinwoo himself. Review: Yeon Shinwoo has a personality that is easy to understand. However, besides his depressive side, his character is rather bland. Jeong Han is much more interesting, being the strong go-getter type with a few red flags. Granted, although Han does whatever he feels like doing, he is respectful towards Shinwoo. This combination of personalities means that Han is easily able to rope Shinwoo into dating, but the main conflict is that Shinwoo has no faith in their relationship lasting. That aside, this manhwa has a lot of recurring motifs that elevate its storytelling.

Synopsis: Karlyle Frost (MC) is an alpha noble, one who is expected to one day marry an omega heir from a distinguished family. When the stress of his responsibilities hinders his orgasms, his physician comes up with a recommendation: try receiving from an alpha instead. Enter Ash Jones (ML), the perfect lover—handsome, gentlemanly and romantic. Their arrangement is meant to be temporary, but naturally, Karlyle and Ash their mutual connection blossoms into something deeper. Review: This is such a romantic manhwa. Ash is such a considerate lover towards Karlyle, who is inexpressive but caring in his own way. They learn to communicate, they apologise when they wrong the other and are overall simply good people. Plus, even though they agreed to be just contractual sex partners, Ash goes out of his way to do romantic things with Karlyle—buying gifts, going on dates, cooking together, etc. The experience of a real relationship, even if undefined, helps Karlyle open up and become attuned to his own emotions. You will love their relationship almost as much as they love each other.

Synopsis: Eldest son Haruto (MC) used to be the breadwinner for his family. Now that there's no more need for his family to depend on him, Haruto loses his purpose in life, and now has no job, no money, no connections. On the brink of getting kicked out of his apartment, he runs into his younger brother, Asahi (ML), who convinces MC to move in with him, but Asahi's motives aren't entirely pure… Review: Although I read this with the expectations of a toxic relationship, I find that the story is lacklustre on most of its aspects. For instance, although I understand that the older brother's lack of direction is part of his character, he's boring. As for the younger brother, he has more substance but his portrayal feels a bit half-hearted. Not the most memorable manga.

Synopsis: Theo Smith's real identity is Theodore Jerome (MC). Twenty years ago, Theo learns a dark truth about his father after the death of his mother, so he runs away, leaving behind his half-brother, Cedric (ML). In the present, he thinks he has escaped his past, but then he re-encounters Cedric, who turns out to be less innocent that he's always believed. Review: The darker elements of this manhwa are interesting and atmospheric—for one thing, the 'ghost' part of the title is literal. Theo is deeply affected by his trauma and harbours a lot of guilt and self-hatred. Meanwhile, Cedric has twisted desires for his half-brother from the very beginning, but his cunning is quite laudable. Thanks to him, Theo gets closure, if not a somewhat happy ending.

Review: After cutting ties with his family, Seo Wonhyuk (MC) runs into his stepbrother, Lee Hanseo (ML). Even though Wonhyuk is his stepbrother and a beta, not an omega, Hanseo manipulates Wonhyuk into assisting him with his rut. Review: This won't be to everybody's taste, mostly due to Hanseo's treatment of Wonhyuk. I also think that this manhwa is more like a fragment of a larger story, since it is rather short and lacks character development.