About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Wouldn't It Be Nice.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to blood, violence, bullying, implied homomisia, toxic relationships, gaslighting, and implied sexual assault, as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Hyobin and Gichan have been best friends for a decade. There are no signs that that will change anytime soon, especially when another girlfriend dumps Hyobin. As usual, there is Gichan to pick up the pieces and help Hyobin nurse his broken heart. The two are nearly inseparable, and they know everything there is to know about each other. At least, that’s what Hyobin thinks.
What Hyobin doesn’t know is that Gichan has been fostering a secret, unrequited crush all this time. From the day Gichan met Hyobin, he loved him. Though it’s painful to see Hyobin get his heart broken repeatedly through the years, Gichan is happy to be by Hyobin’s side until Hyobin catches Gichan kissing a man. Realizing that he may not know everything about Gichan, Hyobin feels compelled to take their relationship beyond friendship.
But once they cross this line, will they ever be able to return to the close relationship they’ve had all these years?
Review:
The art is ok. It has some absolutely stunning panels, but it’s pretty inconsistent otherwise, and the artist enjoys this Disney, cartoony stylized versions of the characters that are used a ton. I am just not that big of a fan of it. I like almost all of the character designs, though, except for Gichan. He has these unfortunate micro bangs that I despise. It sucks because he is definitely supposed to be this sexy leading man that guides Hyobin along and seduces him, but I just did not find him sexy in that way. He seemed awkward and weird to me, though I can’t exactly put my finger on why. Everyone else is designed well, though. It’s disappointing that a major player in this isn’t as well-designed.
While I prefer Hyobin’s design to Gichan’s, I do not like his personality. I think he’s supposed to be the “ignorant to his own feelings” tsundere-type, but he comes off as a possessive, gaslighting asshole. For example, when he catches Gichan kissing another guy, Hyobin gets drunk and then demands that Gichan kiss him. But after the kiss, Hyobin blames Gichan for making everything weird. It makes no sense, and Gichan is too nice to say otherwise, so he just always placates and apologizes to Hyobin. It was painful, to say the least.
The entire narrative is focused on Hyobin’s inability to accept his feelings, to accept that their friendship is forever altered, and to forgive Gichan for his perceived slights. All of this culminates into an annoying story that goes on and on for no real reason. I hate how Gichan suffers because he has to play these weird games with Hyobin. Hyobin is jealous of Gichan’s past with men. Meanwhile, Gichan has spent all this time watching Hyobin with women, but Hyobin never feels the need to apologize for that. It’s super toxic, and Gichan deserves better.
I will say, though, I love the friends. The side characters really make this for me. Wooshik is a good friend, though he’s sometimes an annoying meddler. Shinyoung is a precious bean who is hyper-affectionate, and I love that. I wish he got with Gichan because I think Shinyoung would be a much better fit. There were some implications that Wooshik and Shinyoung might get together, which wouldn’t be a bad match, but that ends before it begins with Wooshik running off to the military. We get no follow-up or closure on that front, which is just really disappointing.
Results:
I feel like I was really rough on this. Unfortunately, Hyobin was so unlikable as a main character that even the elements I did enjoy were pretty overshadowed. The sex was great, there were very pretty moments, and the side characters had some fun personalities. However, Hyobin and Gichan’s relationship is the focus, and it is so toxic from the jump that it’s hard to root for them and to enjoy this work. There are just stronger pieces out there.
Have you read Wouldn't It Be Nice? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!