Doronuma
#Domestic Violence #Abusive relationship #Uke ends up starving self #Ex cheats on uke #Ex tries to fake being straight even by hurting uke #Ex marries a woman #Uke and seme break up #Uke and seme get back together #Healing #Uke learns to have healthy relationship Love it. Love it, love it, love it. Not really because of the Uke/Seme or even the smut, but because of the portrayal of why many victims go back to their abusers. Why many victims choose to unhealthy relationships over healthy ones. Why it was the Ex who had to push away Uke even when Uke began pretty much starving himself and was getting beaten up by Ex. It was very emotional and well-drawn. And I loved the parallels of the Ex who did pretty much every shitty thing he could do to Uke vs Seme, who even got mad when Uke was trying to force the issue of unsafe sex.
Tonari no Usotsuki (Suzaka Shina)
#Uke is Seme's first love #Seme is Uke's first healthy relationship #Self-Acceptance #Sexuality Acceptance #What it means to be gay #No courage to be straight #A LOT OF COURAGE to be gay #Closet gay opens the door #Uke learns to be in healthy relationship #Hot seme #Self-conscious seme #Seme learns courage through uke #Cute uke #Courageous uke #Open-hearted uke #Meet cute Beautiful story of what it means to be gay and have an openly gay relationship. It's painful and you have to make sacrifices, but they're worth it to be with the one(s) you love and love you back. The Uke also has the type of open-hearted personality. However, he has also been hurt multiple times before and doesn't look at life in a rosy way, so I especially adore this Uke because he balances self-preservation with vulnerability. In other words, he has learned to put himself first without losing his courageous desire to show others his heart. But this time, he now knows the importance of selecting the right person to /give/ his heart to.
Ookami-kun wa hanasanai
#Underage sex #Minor/Minor #High school #Nosebleed worthy smut #Respectful seme #Gentle seme #Protective seme #Loving seme #Wolf seme #Independent uke #Stoic uke #Cute uke #Bunny uke #Predator/Prey #And the wolf fell in love with the bunny I loved how Uke, even though he is low even on the herbivorous caste (bunnies are pretty much prey to everything OTL), he's not the type to shy away from scary changes once he sees something worth fighting for. He isn't ashamed of his position and he won't let his physical weakness get in the way of asserting himself. Also, I appreciate how this manga didn't make an excuse for Seme's mom's detached attitude. She loves her son in her own way, but she was neither supportive nor opposing, and that contributed to Seme's indecisiveness. But Uke makes up for mom's lack of presence while also giving Seme a reason to protect rather than be protected, so another reason why Seme fell for Uke.
A Painter Behind the Curtain
#Manhwa #Rape #Sexual assault #Dubcon #Manipulation #Murder #Betrayal #PTSD #Merchant/Painter #Manhwa #Blinded by revenge #Possessive seme #Forgiving uke #Tough manly uke #Slender lovable uke #Intelligent seme #Skillfull uke #Sly seme #Sweet uke #Seme learns to treat uke better #Uke learns to be independent of seme #Toxic relationship between seme and uke #Trauma-induced coping mechanisms #Every single character here are either assholes or did an asshole move and are so so human #There is seriously a lot to this story I have no clue what to put without spoilers lsj;ije;ogjseg Ooooooh my god. Ooof. Hah. Whew. Just. This manhwa man. This manhwa. I just spent around 25USD to buy all the chapters so I can show love for Munamu-ssaem's work. And this is HUGE for me. Not just the price, but buying from Tappytoons, cuz I abhor their purchase-by-chapter system. I get it, Marvel and DC Comics do that too, but I no longer buy or read comics for that reason either. WHICH IS PROOF THAT APBC IS A GAHDANG MASTERPIECE. I honestly cannot explain everything I love and hate about this manhwa. I could probably make a gahdang thesis just based off it. There are parts here that are hard to get through because the angst level is just...dear lord. The resolution doesn't erase the pain of the angst, but balances it in a way that makes the future hopeful. Plus, the ending of the story, while happy, is also open. We have a sense that the rain can go from showers to deluge at the pull of a trigger. But at that moment, where Munamu-san ended...everything is okay. And being okay is one of the most underrated and beautiful states of being. I wish I could give more specific details about what I love about this story, but I don't want to give anything away. This is also unusual of me because I typically don't care. My other reviews shamelessly have spoilers lol...again, bitch move, but am I sorry enough to stop? For the sake of my organizational aesthetic...nu~. This is a story that needs to be appreciated and enjoyed in its entirety. Afterwards, I encourage you to support Munamu-ssaem by buying their chapters because APBC fkkn DESERVES IT. I AM REALLY SAD THAT THIS DOESN'T GET MORE APPRECIATION.
Senpai, Danjite Koidewa!
#Slice of life #Older seme #Younger uke #Uke has scary face that's easy to misunderstand #Actually looks very cute when happy #Seme sees this and falls for uke #Tries to keep making uke happy to see that face #Seme and Uke navigate a relationship that's new and serious to both of them #Uke has always looked up to seme #Seme tries to be the guy that uke says he always has been Uke and Seme's relationship is just really cute and wholesome. Uke's emotions are so unfiltered and honest that I can't help but falling for him, like dang. I also like that Seme falls for w/Uke's openness, rather than being turned off by it. But thing is, even though Uke does see Seme for who he is, he can also idealize him in his head, calling Seme "my God" and makes it difficult for himself when interacting with Seme. The issue comes to head v2c2 and Uke fortunately takes much-needed distance from Seme to put his work first. Seme gets insecure about this and his issue of wanting Uke by his side because he feels lonely w/o him also comes to head. But they work through this, growing as a couple and as individuals, so it was nice to see. Their relationship is overall healthy and everything was consensual, so yesssssss. xD The only reason why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is cuz I easily get bored w/Slice of Life stories. ^^;; It has nothing to do w/the writing itself, which is spectacular.
Rift (Conro)
#Childhood friends #Friends to lovers #Dubcon at best rape at worst #Runaway uke #Seme chases after uke #Reunites in college #Uke tries to be friends again with seme #Seme convinces uke that's not what either of them wants #Grief/Loss #Learning to keep living #Sexuality acceptance #Seme only gay for uke Ooooof. Oof oof oof oof oof. Yes. All of this. Give me more pain. xD I just wish there was a couple more chapters dedicated to them deciding to establish a romance--a few chapters before they kissed. Because the pain they went through didn't quite equal the resolution of that pain, so them getting together wasn't very satisfying. Either way, this damn manga was a ride, beginning to end. Two moments that made me EMOTIONAL: (1) Seme promising he would live longer so Uke would never feel the pain of losing him (2) The dream moment with the father, made doubly touching when you realize that Uke was finally able to let in the warmth because Seme was by his side.
Hana to Junketsu
#Vampire seme #Human uke #Got The Promised Neverland vibes from this lol #Uke can't help but go along with seme #Uke is kind w/o being self-righteous #Seme was raised under toxic mottos #Also treated as monster #So decided to live with monster ideals #Then uke comes along with blood that gives seme warmth cuz of his kindness #And shows Seme that it's possible to be loved as a monster #So long as you keep trying to change your ways #And you see Seme continuously trying to that #I love the sister #Anna stan Yes, this relationship is toxic and no, no, no, we don't want this for ourselves. But I also really like the characterization of, both, uke and seme here. It's not really that uke doesn't stand up for himself, it's that he is able to vulnerable enough to put away his pride enough to give someone a chance where others would not. It's not really a good a trait because it opens him up to be used, but it's still admirable with the way he opens up enough to make his intentions clear and feelings known. Then at the end, it goes like this: Seme sees humans as food, but Uke is special, so he loves Uke in spite of that. Uke knows Seme is a monster, but Seme is special, so he loves Seme in spite of that. They try their best to meet each other where they are, even with how unavoidably hypocritical each other's stances will be due to the nature of their respective beasts (Human beast v Vampire beast). It's an interesting journey between these two.
Tadoru Yubi
Excludes chp 6, but that was a nice secondary one-shot of a cute couple too. #Cliches Galore #All-In-One Cliche Gathering #Playboy seme #Codependent uke #Bachelor-Turned-Devoted seme #Uke easily falls in love #Seme falls hard and fast for uke #Seductive manly seme #Cute slutty uke #Seme sees uke for who he is #That smut man *thumbs up* #CEO seme/Employee uke #Seme steals uke away from old company #Seme seduces uke via sex #Uke captures seme via love Okay but. This hit my kinks man. As embarrassing it is to say, I love certain cliches, like the one in this manga. Seme is a playboy that doesn't sleep with others more than once. Uke ends up breaking Seme's rules and ends even LIVING with Uke after one shared night together. Uke doesn't let this go to his head and only makes negative assumptions about Seme's out-of-character actions, which forces Seme to be honest about his feelings because being vulnerable is better than losing Uke. But not only that, because it's Uke, he can be vulnerable--not only did the Uke make Seme fall in love, the Uke made Seme trust him. Also, Uke's innocence wasn't annoying to me, amazingly enough. He is concerningly dependent on people he falls in love with, but he also doesn't let himself get swept away. He is smart and capable in his career. Since his mild personality means he lacks ambition, he willingly lets others take advantage of his skills or what not. But he does have a sense of self-preservation, so only lets others do so on his terms and can speak up for himself. Alongside that, he has this unabashed slutty side to him that reflects his refusal to choose pride over vulnerability.
Wonderful Days?
Excludes chp 4. #College romance #Friends to lovers #High school friends #Roommates #Dubcon #Emotionally stunted seme #Seme only gay for uke #Seme unable to expression feelings normally #Don't-use-my-words seme #Possessive seme #Pushy seme So I like that, both, Seme and Uke has been in love for years. The thing is, Uke can feel emotions normally, so he recognized that, yes, what he's feeling is love. The Seme, however, doesn't feel love the same way other people do. For him, the Uke is part of his territory. Any threat to his territory--that wasn't on his terms--is a threat to his safety. So when the Uke was about to move out, Seme reacted as if this was a personal attack and acted out of instinct/desperation, rather than logic. It was a great touch to see Seme asking Uke several times about how he felt so that he could compare it to his. He knows that he doesn't feel the same things as other people, so when he finds something familiar in Uke's confession that is exactly like his feelings, that's the only time he can label his feelings. When Seme said, "Let me fall in love with you", that was impactful and I loved it.
Kimi ni Koisuru Hazu ga Nai