Help support the BL library on Patreon and get extra content!
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series The Black Monk And The Pink Incubus. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Content Warning: There may be references to religion, exorcism, demons, noncon, BDSM (including forced), violence, power imbalance, obsession, voyeurism, mentions of death, slut-shaming, male pregnancy, and blood, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Rei is an incubus, and he’s got a hot little number he’s planning on bedding and getting some energy from. Unfortunately, his target is not a very willing bed partner. But a little resistance isn’t going to stop him. So, he returns to her, intending to finally get the energy he so craves. Yet, when he tries to get into her bed, he finds a hunky monk there instead.
Rei is shocked and ready to run, but the monk captures him in some bead bondage and ultimately turns him into a succubus. Rei is ashamed and humiliated. And he kind of loves it. Even after it’s all said and done, Rei finds himself craving more. In the end, Rei devotes himself to the monk, Toji, and Toji happily beds the succubus as often as he can. But these two couldn’t be more different if they tried. Surely, they can’t be together forever, right?
Review:
Sakira has a very recognizable style. I feel like I own 1,000,000 different BL titles by them, and they’re all very recognizable. Admittedly, I did not realize this was Sakira based on the cover, but it has all of their classic hallmarks, big, muscular, manly men being the key one. Though I own a bunch of their titles, this is the first one I’m finally reading and reviewing, and I have to say, while I like their bulky men, the art style itself is very sketchy and inconsistent. It can be a bit hard to see what’s happening in some panels, which is unfortunate.
And this is a smutfest. It is 90% smut with 10% story, which I appreciate. As I said, it is hard to see what’s happening during some of the scenes, but what can be seen is really fun. I adore that an incubus is turned into a succubus because this bad boy monk comes in and dominates him. That’s super fun, and I was all in on this concept as it was. As with a majority of smut-focused titles, there is a switch that occurs where we transition from lustful feelings to romantic ones. I was looking forward to seeing that happen, but I admit I was a bit dumbfounded by it.
From the beginning, we’re given very little information on the demon world. We know there are various types of demons, like vampires and succubi, which function like jobs but not much more. But then it’s time to transition from a lustfest to a lustfest with some love in there. How is this achieved? Toji and Rei realize that Rei will end up alone once Toji dies. Toji then reveals that he gained some of his dark powers from a high-level demon. He takes Rei to the demon world and extorts the demon so Rei can be made human. Admittedly, this felt a bit like OP self-insert fanfic. Toji is not only a powerful monk but also has demon powers? It just doesn’t make much sense. I wish Rei had just traveled back to the demon realm and found his own method of becoming human or something, as that would’ve made much more sense. But here we are.
While we’re talking about disappointments with our badass monk top, Toji, he never seems like he loves Rei. He’s like a really hardcore tsundere, and while I do have my favorite tsundere (looking at you, Hyun and Hye-sung), Toji certainly isn’t one of them. Even after they have kids, which was such a nice surprise, by the way, especially when it wasn’t tagged, Toji seems utterly apathetic to their relationship. It’s very disappointing that we never see them romantically affectionate beyond just having sex together. Of the two, oddly enough, the succubus seems more human than Toji. I just never felt the romance between these two, which was really disappointing.
Results:
This has me stuck. I can’t decide if I like it or not. It’s got some really strong elements going for it, such as lots of smut, male pregnancy, and light child-rearing. But it also has a lot of weak points, like the random self-insert fanfic-like story elements and the rough art style. Ultimately, if you’re just looking for lots of smut with little care for the story, then look no further. But you’ll probably be disappointed if you need more substance and a reasonable story. I think I lean on the side of like, so take that for what you will.
Have you read The Black Monk And The Pink Incubus? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!