About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Cheeky Habits of My Rabbits.
Content Warning: There may be references to overwork, animal neglect, excessive drinking, prejudice, gossiping, male pregnancy, blood, violence, kidnapping, confinement, sexual assault, sex in exchange for favors, perceived cheating, manipulation, bullying, child neglect, mentions of forced childbirth, deadly illness, somnophilia, death, enslavement, drugging, mentions of human trafficking, betrayal, depression, poor living conditions, animal abuse, and self-harm, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Haru is Habibi’s pet rabbit. They found each other when they needed each other the most and have been dedicated to one another ever since. However, Habibi doesn’t know that she didn’t rescue just any rabbit. Haru is actually a member of the rabbit tribe, a tribe of humans that can shift their forms between human and rabbit. Haru is not a pet rabbit, but he loves Habibi like family. So, he spends his days making sure she gets up and ready for work, and then, when she’s away, he cleans the house and cooks her meals. When she comes home in the evenings tired and usually drunk, he makes sure she gets to bed, and the whole routine starts over again the next day. It’s a lot of work, but Haru does it willingly because he loves Habibi.
Unfortunately, Haru spends most of his time alone in Habibi’s house. Feeling bad for Haru, Habibi decides to get a female rabbit to be Haru’s bride. Once again, she doesn’t realize that the rabbit she gets is another member of the rabbit tribe. She also fails to notice that the rabbit is not a female. It is actually none other than a prince of the rabbit tribe, Neungso. He has been sent out of the Rabbit Kingdom on a quest alongside his brother to determine who will take the Rabbit Kingdom’s throne. The quest is simple: Neungso has to find the fabled Moon Rabbit, a god born on Earth, to provide longevity and fertility to the rabbit kingdom.
Haru, the suspected Moon Rabbit, is not at all what Neungso expected, and, as a half-breed (a half-human half-were-rabbit), Neungso feels he was sent to Haru because they knew Haru wasn’t the Moon Rabbit. First off, Haru is male, and though the Moon Rabbit can give birth regardless of gender, Neungso can’t imagine they would actually be a man. Next, Haru is far too silly (yet perceptive) to be the Moon Rabbit. Not to mention, he’s cute… Well, even if he isn’t the Moon Rabbit, Neungso can still find him cute, right?
Review:
The art in this is pretty rough. It’s very inconsistent and sketchy, and I’m especially not a fan of the rabbit forms. There’s something about their arms that really bothers me. Looking at the author’s note, it turns out the design was much more realistic for the rabbit forms, which I really preferred, but was changed to be more expressive. Admittedly, they are very expressive in rabbit form, but I think I would prefer the cute little fluff balls. The human forms are decent. They are still inconsistent and sketchy, and there are moments where the proportions go super wonky, but I prefer them as humans overall.
With that said, Neungso is so freaking hot, and Haru is very cute. The designs are nice, and I enjoy them. And this is chock full of smut, which can make up for a ton when it comes to art. It’s, of course, not the most consistent smut in the world, but if you are looking for quantity over quality, look no further. And don’t get me wrong, this is most certainly not the worst-looking manhwa out there. It is cute and perfectly serviceable; I’m just very picky. So, take my harsher opinions on the art with a grain of salt.
Now, finally, onto the story. The story is interesting. I love seeing a different take on were-humans, which are usually relegated to cat shifters, dog shifters, or your standard werewolves, which this has none of. And while that’s great, Haru is undoubtedly the best part about this. Haru is emotional and perceptive. He’s realistic and understanding but equally as whimsical and fun-loving. I love that he calls Neungso his bride and believes he can have kits with Neungso before he learns he’s the Moon Rabbit. But I especially love the moment toward the end when Haru and Neungso are fighting. Neungso is trying his best to keep Haru from going to the Rabbit Kingdom, while Haru is making it clear that he can protect himself and has to go. This opens Haru up to be manipulated by Neungso’s brother, only for Haru to shut him down. Haru has no problem standing up for himself, whether against Neungso, Neungso’s brother, Habibi, or whoever. I adore Haru for that. However, as much as I love that scene, it comes up from Haru having bit Habibi, which is when it is revealed that the Moon Rabbit has venom. There are many moments where it feels like there are random key points that are just shoehorned in to add additional conflict.
Once again, we have male pregnancy in this. Unfortunately, we don’t see any of the pregnancies, which is sad, but we do see the children, and they’re so cute (and yes, we get plural in here). It ends right after we meet the children, and it suggests that were-humans might age differently than regular humans, which I wish we could’ve explored, but here we are. I also just wish there were more child-rearing episodes. I am forever left feeling wanting. This series has no side stories or extras, which I feel was a huge missed opportunity to explore the side characters, such as Neungso’s attendants (who I personally ship). But I especially would love to explore more of the were-rabbit world. Do they age faster? What about Haru’s past? We get hints of so many things that we don’t see fully, and I would’ve loved to have gotten more time outside of the main story. From my understanding, this is based on a novel, and I hope it will be licensed so that I can read it. I feel the novel will be more in-depth than the manhwa. I can dream.
Results:
I like this. It’s cute and smutty, has a unique fantasy element, and has very likable characters. The story feels a bit lacking, and the art isn’t as clean as I’d like it to be, but it’s an overall fluffy, feel-good story with lots of heart, and it does my soul some good. Once again, I’m left wanting more, which has left me feeling neutral overall. Do I still think this is worth a read? Most certainly. Get yourself some smut and some fluff, and enjoy the ride. It’s worth it.
Have you read Cheeky Habits of My Rabbits? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!