dystopia!

overview: in desperate need of money to pay off his debt, ed turns to filming adult videos. soon he becomes unconditionally entangled with the famous director and actor glen mcqueen.

review: i loved this for the representation of ed and glen's relationship and their backstories. it's deep and bittersweet and such a satisfying read, especially with the touch of the human experience amidst it. the boys are also such snacks.

plot: 8.5/10
drawings: 8.5/10

overview: hyungdo is poor but has a pretty face, which he uses to his advantage by making adult films. when he's called in for the occasional job at a brothel, he unwillingly becomes attracted to the owner, gyung.

review: i like how trashy hyungdo is - he pretends to uphold his morals but never acts in line with them. he goes through a lot of messed-up shit, and gyung isn't so innocent himself, but in the end their attraction to each other overrules all.

plot: 8/10
drawings: 8/10

overview: jaehyun resides with his sponsor, professor and lover kang minwoo in order to achieve his goals as a pianist. complications arise when minwoo's son seojin enters the picture.

review: i loved the complex and toxic nature of this plot, including jaehyun's conflicting character, minwoo's vulnerabilities and seojin's relative innocence. however the ending was too sweet and abrupt for me to be content with such a dark story.

plot: 8/10
drawings: 8/10

overview: siwoo finds out that a classmate lives on the rooftop of their school, thus blossoming an unexpected friendship between the two.

review: the relevance of this book being in this list is questionable because before chapter 3 it was sweet, but death always leaves a gaping hole in me. it was plot twist after plot twist, and their story looks happy but it's so sad.

plot: 7/10
drawings: 8.5/10

overview: yuwol works hard to pay off the debt he's accumulated over the years. when a wealthy handsome man comes and offers him his heart and money one day, he can't help but grow weary.

review: the characters are all screwed up because that's just what humanity is like. the illustrations are beautiful and the plot is concise mostly so far. i can't wait for the updates.

plot: 7/10
drawings: 8.5/10

overview: suyeong leaves his dream of boxing after sufficing an injury and breaking up with his long-term boyfriend, only to get kidnapped to work off his father's debt. surprisingly, his life may have taken a turn for the better.

review: there's abuse and cheating and rape, not to mention the violence in boxing and gang rivalries. the illustrations are hot as hell and park taesung is so sexy, minhyuk too but he's weird. the plot is unique overall.

plot: 7.5/10
drawings: 8/10

overview: sunhwa, a bl artist on the verge of becoming a hikikimori, is caught by his handsome new neighbour who hides his own secrets while studying for his bl art.

review: this sounds and appears humorous initially, but the plot is so deep-rooted and psychologically manipulating that i generally didn't know what the end-game was at some point. regardless, it's well put and ends sweetly.

plot: 7.5/10
drawings: 8/10

overview: kyujin and doyeol are cousins & lovers who've lived together since both their parents died. kyujin, who does everything to make doyeol happy, starts tutoring a rich but bratty student jimin, and things start to change.

review: a truly bittersweet read; i genuinely enjoyed this but the ending was iffy. kyujin's trashiness is never directly addressed but shown through his actions - despite being older he plays the two boys like instruments.

plot: 8/10
drawings: 7/10

overview: hajoon takes up his professor's deliriously risky offer in order to get closer to his crush, eunwoo.

review: the teacher-student relationship is just as toxic as joohyuk's behaviour. the adult-y feels and hint of polygamy sums up just the most complex aspects of his manhwa, making this a good read.

plot: 7.5/10
drawings: 7.5/10

overview: jeonghan breaks up with his long-term boyfriend kangwoo abruptly without reason. their boss in the studio they work at, gyutae, starts to get involved and further evoke tensions.

review: the ending is sweet but i'm not a fan of it, and the characters are flawed. jeonghan is selfish, gyutae has a terrible personality, even kangwoo sexually assaulted his ex, though regrettably. dropped this but skipped to see kangwoo's story.

plot: 6.5/10
drawings: 8/10