About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Heat x Beat: I May Be an Omega, but I'm Going to Be an Idol!. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to sexism, overwork, violence, idol culture, harassment, mentions of divorce, lack of bodily autonomy (specifically pressure to be on contraceptives), prejudice, invasions of privacy, gossiping, slut-shaming, sexual assault, and mentions of pregnancy, as it appears in the manga.
Synopsis:
Asahi Amaya wants to be an idol. He's longed to become someone that the masses could love and support so he can entertain them and bring them joy in return. His inspiration comes from a long-retired actress and singer who had to leave because she got pregnant. Of course, he admires her talent, but he admires her even more for being one of the few famous omegas. Why would this matter? Because he is an omega.
But he doesn't let anyone know, as omegas are heavily judged for their biology, often going into heat and, as such, “seducing” others. Asahi makes it all the way through auditions and is placed in a new unit dubbed B-Marks, but on the day he meets his fellow idols, he finds out one of them is an alpha. Instantly, the two recognize each other, and Asahi is forced to confess that he is an omega. Thankfully, his management will let him stay in the group, but he has to keep his identity as an omega secret.
Asahi will do anything to keep his dream alive, but Madoka, the alpha, is a huge obstacle. Can Asahi keep his secondary gender a secret while his groupmate constantly causes him to go into heat? Or will he end up just like his inspiration, forced to quit altogether?
Review:
This art style is super cute. It's all very fluffy and pretty, as well as super clean. There is some sexy time in here, though the majority of it is softcore until you get to the very last sex scene. Then, all of a sudden, we get uncensored nudity. That was an amazing surprise. I wish we had seen more of that throughout the series because it's so rare to see in manga. This is a peculiar point to make, but I like the style of the penises. They're reasonably sized and bulbous-looking, making them look cute. Yes, I said their penises are cute. If you didn't know I was a degenerate already, there you go. There are really cute penises in this, and I was so happy to see them.
While art-wise, this is near perfection, the storyline isn't my favorite thing. I love omegaverse, so I always have a bias already in play when starting a story in that setting. But this just didn't sit right with me. I'm sure a large part of it is the length, but I've read other works at a comparable size that felt more put together than this title (the first one that comes to mind is Sating the Wolf, which also has beast-people). It just felt like it was trying to fit a lot of stuff in there, and, as a result, it had to rush through a lot of heavy topics that really felt like they needed more time to be explored. Then, the ending is pretty similar to something I complained about in Sating the Wolf, which also feels very reminiscent of In My Closet. Much like Sating the Wolf, this has a “then everyone clapped” style moment, where Asahi and Madoka announce their relationship and Asahi's secondary gender on stage during their concert.
However, while it worked for In My Closet, it didn't for this title and Sating the Wolf, and I have no doubt that is entirely due to the length. With In My Closet, we see the main character work for a long time, developing himself, his relationships, and his craft before he comes out on stage and ends up finding immense love and support. With this title, though, Asahi and Madoka still feel a bit like strangers, especially in their idol identities. We see very, very little of them actually performing and working; instead, we often see them hanging out and flirting. The focus is on Asahi's identity in relation to Madoka rather than him as an omega within himself and his identity as an idol. I like that it did focus so intently on their relationship, but even that feels very superficial, watered down to an alpha and an omega with not much more beyond that. There were some glimmers of something there, such as when Madoka learned to cook Asahi's favorite things. Still, those moments are strangled by all the additional characters, commentary on the idol industry, and then Asahi being constantly in heat or hiding away.
So, when the big reveal on stage happens, it just feels corny and like an easy out. I think it might have been more successful if they just started showing off their relationship in public rather than having Asahi go out on stage and announce it only to have Madoka come to his rescue, which results in the crowd cheering for them. Letting Asahi's identity remain unconfirmed and simply accepted by him would've been much more powerful since so much of this was focused on his identity and the public eye. He could go out with Madoka like he wants to do, only confirm his identity when asked directly, and just enjoy being an idol, giving him the inner strength I think his character really needs, rather than relying on a crowd to accept his confession and then to have Madoka run out and save him from all the scrutiny. As far as I can tell, Asahi just never comes into his own.
Unfortunately, this is coming out during a time when there are dynamic and distinct omegaverse stories with unique plots or, at the very least, unique spins on tired tropes. Some that come to mind immediately are Smyrna and Capri or The Origin of Species. Saving My Favorite for Last and Beast's Storm have elements similar to the omegaverse and also have the added element of animal characteristics. Even taking the omegaverse and beast elements out entirely, there are far superior idol-based narratives, like In My Closet. Unfortunately, this is a single-volume work, so it just doesn't have the time to reach that pinnacle confession with any sense of depth. I think another, more subtle resolution would've made more sense for the amount of character development we get and would allow Asahi to have some level of independence he desperately needs.
Results:
This was very okay. I almost want to say I dislike it, but it does have some elements that hold me back from saying so. The art is beautiful, and the hardcore, uncensored sex at the end is great. I like the commentary on idol culture and bodily autonomy, but the depth of character and romance development is severely lacking. If this had more volumes, I have no doubt it would be much more well-rounded, but it didn't have the time to develop beyond those good elements I mentioned. There is a separate volume in this universe that's coming out that I fully intend to read. Fingers crossed, we get some more exploration into idol culture, but with more character development and deeper romance the second time around.
Have you read Heat x Beat: I May Be an Omega, but I'm Going to Be an Idol!? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!