Sequel Teases With Love Triangle Trope, But Doesn’t Deliver (Thankfully)
Sections:
About
Tags
Warnings
Synopsis
Review
Results
Related Posts
Comments
About:
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Platform(s)/Publisher(s)
Media Type(s) Available:
Length:
Color(s) of Comic:
Work Type:
Tags:
Tropes
Genres
Relationships
Jobs/Professions
Settings
Unique Character Types
Specific Acts
Explicitness
Additional Content
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Brat Tamer / King engage!. 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 BDSM, being outed (specifically secondary sex), invasion of privacy, violence, slut-shaming, overwork, sexism (based on secondary sex), classism, and dubious consent (says “stop” and “no,” but doesn’t say safeword), as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
This is the sequel to Brat Tamer / King, and it is recommended you read that review before reading this one.
Aoha and Shino are partners and are still going strong. Aoha’s entertainment career is booming, with very successful acting roles and a maxed-out work schedule. Unfortunately, with success comes a lack of time, including for his dear Sub Shino. Shino, though, is Aoha’s number one fan, and has no problem with his boyfriend taking advantage of every opportunity that comes his way. But deep down, he also wants Aoha all to himself.
Still, things are going well, so there’s not much to worry about. But at an upcoming job, Aoha meets a man who immediately recognizes that Aoha is a powerful Dom. This man, a famous gamer, is a unique class of Dom, too, and not only can he pick up Aoha’s secondary gender by scent, but he can also tell that Aoha has been with a special class Sub, Shino. Thankfully, this new Dom has no clue who Shino is, so Aoha doesn’t have to worry about protecting his Sub… until Shino meets him at their shared dynamics doctor.
The new Dom seems very interested in Shino, and though Aoha trusts Shino completely, he isn’t so sure he can trust this new Dom.
Review:
Just like with the previous entry in this series, this is pretty. I will say Aoha looks extremely rough in this volume. My recollection of the previous entry (Brat Tamer / King) was that it was much cleaner than this, but I could be mistaken. Really, all the more masculine characters are on the inconsistent, rough side, which is interesting. Shino, however, is super cute, and he, along with all the other more feminine-presenting characters, is very cute and more consistent. Overall, it is very sketchy, so if I am not mistaken and the previous volume was on the cleaner side, be prepared for a slightly rougher art style this time around. Regardless, I liked it.
I will say, with sequels and future iterations featuring the same couple across multiple entries, I get nervous about the usual tropes and elements that seem to create tension in what was a completed romantic narrative. For example, an additional rival or love interest will make an appearance and cause all kinds of trouble, usually culminating in distrust, misunderstandings, and maybe even a breakup. I am, personally, not a fan of this setup. So, when they introduced the other Dom character, I was ready to struggle getting through this title. However, much to my surprise, the secondary Dom is a non-issue. He does cause a little jealousy, but it is clear he is more curious about and interested in Shino and Aoha than attracted to either of them, and this serves as a way to push them to go public with their relationship. This was a huge relief.
Because of the minimal drama, this is a super fluffy and smutty title. Less time is spent dealing with potential love triangle issues and more time seeing how our established couple navigates the pressures of intense workloads and the longing they have for one another in their absence. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of titles that can introduce a rival for an established couple and make it work, but the fact that this introduces a potential rival and just uses him to establish how much they trust and long for each other is a breath of fresh air. It isn’t an exciting story by any means, but for those who want sequels that focus more on the domestic bliss and watching the couple grow in their relationship, this is a huge win.
I will say, one complaint I had in the previous volume that shows up again here is the lack of content on the Sub twins who share a Dom. I have looked into this series, and I know there are additional volumes, including one that features our gamer Dom and the Switch, Flora, which I really hope gets licensed and translated by Renta!, too. I am sending out all the good vibes I have in my soul so we get some dedicated chapters, or even a full volume, for the Sub twins. I desperately want to know more about them. Maybe one day I’ll get my wish, but I’m excited about the possibility of reading about Flora, too.
As a quick aside before closing out this review, this is BDSM with safewords, but Shino does say “no” and “stop” a lot, which is why I tagged this with dubious consent. That might be questionable since they are doing BDSM play, which is consensual until the safeword is said. Still, I wanted to make sure to note this in case people who are very sensitive to these things can determine whether they are fine with characters saying “no” or “stop” during consensual play. So, be warned.
Results:
This is a fluffy and smutty morsel. Honestly, it ended up being much better than I would’ve ever expected, especially when that secondary Dom got introduced. Now, that doesn’t mean I like this one as much as the previous entry. On the contrary, I think this one is much weaker, but it was still very enjoyable. If, like me, you are looking for a sequel that focuses on the couple’s growth rather than a third party suddenly coming in and causing trouble, then I think you will be very satisfied with this sequel. However, for those who need more than fluff and smut and crave the heavy drama, then you might be bored. I ultimately recommend this one, though.
Have you read Brat Tamer / King engage!? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
