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About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Kiss the Bride.
Content Warning: There may be references to mentions of death, invasion of privacy, social gap, power imbalance, classism, breaking-and-entering, permanent injury, chronic pain, drugs, drug use, cheating, excessive drinking, coercion, blackmail, prejudice, disability, homomisia, sexism, sexual assault, gossiping, manipulation, sexual harassment, violence, and mentions of car accidents, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Javier has worked towards one goal: becoming Duke. But even after his father’s death, the position is still out of his grasp. His father left behind a stipulation: Javier must get married to claim his birthright. Javier is disgusted. He has no intention of marrying anyone and having an heir any time soon, but that is the one barrier keeping him from obtaining what he’s been working toward his whole life. He’s unwilling to give up but doesn’t know how to proceed without giving in and marrying a woman. In the middle of his frustration, he catches sight of someone he hasn’t seen in years, Jaewon. Jaewon was someone he played tennis with long ago, and it’s then that it occurs to Javier that while he has to get married, there was nothing in the stipulations that said it had to be a woman. With a new plan in mind, Javier sets out to find Jaewon.
Jaewon, meanwhile, is struggling. He was once a prolific tennis player, but after an unfortunate accident, he can no longer play and deals with chronic pain. What little relief he gets is from smoking weed, which is illegal, but it’s the only thing that keeps him comfortable. While trying to live his life, he finds himself bombarded by news regarding Javier, a man he has fostered a secret love for since they met. Imagine his surprise when he gets home and finds Javier waiting for him in his living room. Instantly, Jaewon internally questions whether or not this is a sign that Javier might love him, especially when Javier tells him they’re going to get married. But Javier draws the line. This is just to get around his father’s posthumous rules.
Jaewon, despite knowing there probably isn’t hope, wonders if this isn’t all because Javier might have feelings for him. So, he makes Javier swear that he won’t have sex while they’re married. Begrudgingly, Javier accepts but promises to make their time a living hell together. Jaewon accepts, and so the two begin their false marriage. Javier is an asshole, but Jaewon can’t stop loving him.
Review:
I love this art style. I was really drawn to it when I saw this was being released; plus, it is a story by ZIG, and I was even more interested. ZIG typically does omegaverse titles, but to my unfortunate surprise, this is not one of them. Still, the art is very nice, and though I might have been disappointed this wasn’t omegaverse, it still looked very pretty. The style is super clean and consistent. I actually really like it, which is what makes everything else about this title so disappointing. Let’s get into that.
It’s important to note that there is hetero sex in this title. If you want zero hetero smut in your BL, this is not the one for you. I don’t personally mind it, but the time between the hetero sex and the BL smut we’re all here for is a long one, which, paired with the story, makes this a tough read. This is a modern nobility story set in Spain, and I can’t speak to how accurately everything is portrayed regarding politics, news, government, and the like. What I can speak on is how closely this aligns with ZIG’s other work. ZIG is notorious for the downtrodden lowly bottom with an absolute asshole of a top, and that is no different here. Power imbalances are the name of the game, and it doesn’t get much more imbalanced than a noble forcing a poor and disabled man into a sham marriage. It’s not necessarily my favorite setup in the world, and having read multiple things by ZIG, it is a bit tiring, but it’s not bad, either. Just be warned, the top is going to be an unnecessarily cruel asshole.
While this is by ZIG, it has been reworked for the manhwa format. I have not read the novel version of this particular title, but I imagine it’s much more thorough than this. This is a very disjointed story. We’re going from pretty strong hate between a person who secretly loves a man and a man who just wants to use the other – all the while dealing with politics and social activities necessary to establish Javier as the Duke. Drop in flashbacks to establish their past, and 34 episodes just isn’t enough. Javier just seems to suddenly fall in love with Jaewon, so much so that he is willing to give up his birthright to do so, something that was an impossibility an episode or two before that. Granted, this does end up being resolved, and Javier gets his title back, but still. Tapas, unlike the other webtoon and manhwa platforms, has comments, and there were comments noting how scenes were completely dropped or rushed that would have helped tie together the backstory with the present.
But maybe, most importantly, these missing scenes would help explain why Jaewon would love a dick like Javier. As I mentioned before, Javier makes a sudden switch from a raging asshole to a loving and doting partner out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Jaewon has loved this same asshole from the very beginning. The flashbacks are supposed to help establish why Jaewon fell for Javier, but they are hollow and devoid of any significant emotional moments that might help show why they might’ve felt something more for one another. They seem friendly, but only barely, as Javier uses Jaewon as a practice partner in the evenings, so even that is transactional. I hate Javier, and nothing in this story makes me feel like I should feel any different.
Results:
Beautiful art can make up for a lot, but not in this manhwa. The story is really bad. I imagine many people wouldn’t have liked it anyway since ZIG’s work is so notorious for being toxic and cruel, but even ignoring that, the story is just bad. It’s rushed, nonsensical, and severely lacking in both the smut and romance departments. This is a huge miss whether you are a ZIG fan or not. I really hope the artist has more stuff licensed in the future because I’d love to see their work again, but this was an unfortunate showing. It’s a miss.
Have you read Kiss the Bride? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!