Alpha x Omega Childhood Friends Fight Fate
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Bitten Till I Melt. 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 sexism (specifically in regards to secondary sex), sexual assault, attempted rape, violence, blood, mentions of break ups, male pregnancy, mentions of divorce (not between the main couple), harassment, excessive drinking, slut-shaming, BDSM, sex work, and gossiping, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Yoshihisa and Takeshi have been friends for a long time. When they were in high school and getting their secondary sex identified, all Yoshihisa wanted was to be someone Takeshi could be with. So, when Takeshi gets identified as an alpha, Yoshihisa is all too happy to manifest as an omega. The only thing that could make it better is if they are fated mates, but that’s a long-gone possibility, as fated pairs recognize each other on sight. Still, Yoshihisa is an omega, which means he has a chance to be with Takeshi.
But as Yoshihisa and Takeshi grow up, get together, go to college, and live together, things aren’t quite as smooth sailing as Yoshihisa had always dreamed. He is still hopelessly in love with his partner, but when Yoshihisa brings up bonding, Takeshi avoids the conversation. Yoshihisa worries that Takeshi is waiting to meet his fated mate, and this insecurity creates a rift between the two that is only exacerbated as Takeshi goes on a business trip. Yoshihisa, spiraling in his worry, fully anticipates that Takeshi will end up meeting his fated partner and leaving. But what Yoshihisa doesn’t expect is running into his fated partner.
Yoshihisa is still madly in love with Takeshi, fate be damned, but his fated partner is persistent, and Yoshihisa can’t help but wonder if all he’s doing is holding Takeshi back.
Review:
The art in this is cute. I’m not going to pretend it’s perfect by any means, but Yoshihisa, in particular, is very cute. Takeshi, on the other hand, is alright. He’s the most inconsistent of the two, and something about his long and boxy face is unattractive to me. I actually think Yoshihisa’s fated partner is more attractive, but that’s just me. There is also a non-omegaverse, completely separate side story where I think both character designs are pretty attractive. However, again, the top, Seijiro, is inconsistent with his super long face. Still, I don’t think it’s as bad as Takeshi. Either way, the art is servicable. It’s not perfect, but it’s not awful, either, and I think that’s perfectly fine for a short omegaverse title like this one.
The story, however, is very lacking. I adore the premise. Fighting fate to create your own destiny in the context of a romance is ultra romantic to me (though I am just as much a sucker for finding and following fate, but whatever). I especially like the twist in that the partner who is worried about his alpha finding his fated partner ends up finding his own fated alpha instead. It gives the more stressed and self-conscious partner much more agency, which I am all for. However, this is a single-volume title mashed together with a completely separate side story, which further cuts down the time to resolve this narrative. This ultimately leaves the most pivotal moment, where Takeshi and Yoshihisa confront the fated alpha, to be one of the most awkward and corniest moments I’ve ever seen. I laughed and cringed more than I swooned, which is never a good thing.
I will give credit where credit is due, though. This did make me very happy since we get male pregnancy, and we do actually get to see the children along with some child-rearing. This in no way makes up for the poorly resolved story, but it definitely feels good to see some family content in an omegaverse title. I, of course, wish there was more, but with how short the main story already is and how much time is taken up by the separate extra story, there was hardly room for the main story as it was. I actually think this would’ve benefited from cutting out the mpreg and child-rearing content, which hurts me to say. But this would’ve made it a much stronger narrative overall.
Before I close out this review, I do want to briefly touch on the extra story, which is not omegaverse. It plays with very light BDSM content, which is fun, and I like that the narrative is pretty light. There is no fate to have to resolve; it’s just about two men who happened to meet at a club, find they have great chemistry, and end up working together so they can continue their smutty situationship. This is very short, so there is very little depth here, which works. It’s a nice smutty morsel with a sprinkle of emotion and romance. It was honestly refreshing after reading the awkward whirlwind that was the main story. Nothing revolutionary, but fun all the same.
Results:
This was pretty disappointing. It had its highlights with mpreg, fighting fate, child-rearing, and the smutty extra, but the core of this volume ended up falling flat on its face. If you’re a voracious omegaverse fan like me, this isn’t the absolute worst one to add to your reading list, but there are leaps and bounds better out there. And for BL fans in general, this falls on the lower end of the list when it comes to what is worth a read. I wouldn’t recommend this one.
Have you read Bitten Till I Melt? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!