Beefy Men Love Other Beefy Men
About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Full Volume.
Content Warning: There may be references to sex work, sex worker, BDSM (including dangerous play), social gap, exhibitionism, voyeurism, violence, chronic pain, sexism (including toxic masculinity), excessive drinking, slut-shaming, blood, alcoholism, child abuse, child abandonment, dieting, possible purging, sextortion, extortion, dubcon, gang rape, attempted kidnapping, ageism, sexual assault, perceived cheating, death, mentions of gambling, mugging, gun violence, tentacles, mentions of religion, mentions of ritual sacrifice, stalking, self-deprecation, financial abuse, PTSD, underage drinking, police, power imbalance, corruption, bribery, overwork, mentions of cults, gossiping, drug addiction, fat-shaming, allergic reaction, homomisia, drugging, mentions of nazis, mentions of dementia, gang activity, attempted murder, slavery, nepotism, arranged marriage (not between the main couple), strained familial relationship, and manipulation, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Sa Dowon is a traveling essayist. As a result, he doesn’t spend much time at home, but between trips, he’s at home, being pestered by misdeliveries. His neighbor’s packages end up at his door constantly, which bothers him to no end. Then, one day, he receives a package with big letters that read: Adult Goods. There is no question that this is a package that Dowon was not supposed to see. Hoping the embarrassment would prompt the neighbor to fix the misdelivery issue, Dowon heads over and knocks on the door.
A boobalicious, hunky hottie answers, alluring Dowon for a moment. But before Dowon can even try to explain the situation, the neighbor grabs the package and closes the door with hardly a word. Dowon is furious and flies back to his apartment in a rage. Thankfully, his favorite camboy is streaming, and that’s just what he needs to release some of his anger. But to his surprise, as he enters the chat, the camboy, SnowTiger, shows a package to his audience. The box says Adult Goods, and he complains about the neighbor who brought it over.
It has to be a coincidence, right?
Review:
This art style is super clean. It’s one of the cleanest. But oddly enough, I actually like the character’s faces more in earlier episodes than in later ones, which is very rare. Usually, the art only gets better as it goes. I wouldn’t say it necessarily gets worse, but I’m not as pleased with how the style changes. I feel like the eyes get bigger, closer together, or both over time, giving them a much more unnatural look than they had in the beginning. Again, this isn’t a deal breaker by any means. It actually goes back to the more natural style in the second set of side stories, but the overall art isn’t bad by any means throughout the rest of the main story. This is one of the most expressive styles I’ve seen, and with it being so clean, it’s hard to dislike any part of it. That, of course, doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Some of the interactions with the 3D elements are strange (Dowon is floating in one panel), and the size of the foreheads to the rest of the faces can be awkward, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen.
But the best part of the art is the character designs. I harp a lot on how there are so few beefy men in BL comics, whether they be manga, manhwa, or otherwise. Well, there are no complaints here. This is the epitome of beef. We get four different beefcakes, two bottoms with two tops. Now, while this excited me, there is always a chance we get copy-and-paste body styles over and over again, which isn’t fun. Thankfully, that is not the case here at all. Our beefy bottoms, Beom and Taeju, are very distinct both in body type and looks. Beom is much softer and boobalicious, while Taeju is hard and broad. But maybe more impressively is how distinct Dowon and Dojin are. They are very similar-looking because they’re siblings, but there are small details that make them distinct. Dojin has smaller and narrower features, while Dowon is more open and expressive, aligning with their personalities. The art and design in this are just so impressive. I love it.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. This is actually pretty hilarious. I’m very picky when it comes to comedy manhwa, as much of the comedy doesn’t end up being all that funny to me. That is not the case here at all. Dowon is a comedy king. He’s so extroverted and silly that he’s impossible not to love. I wouldn’t say it’s as funny as The Devil’s Temptation, the funniest BL I’ve ever read, but this comes pretty close. Dowon is hot, funny, and a pervert. I love him.
What’s uber fun is that they actually switch between dominant and submissive roles (not positions, just to be clear. Though, I could imagine Dowon being willing to bottom for his bae). Usually, one is the dom, and the other is a sub, and then they just stay that way. Not here. Beom is predominantly submissive, but he plays as a dom, too. And the opposite is true for Dowon. It is so satisfying to see them play both roles. Dojin and Taeju switch less often and don’t seem to have the same level of safeguards in place as Dowon and Beom, but we do still get to see the sexual power dynamics change from time to time, and I love it. They may not always be equals in their day-to-day lives, but they can be equals in the bedroom.
Not to mention, we get to see some hardcore BDSM with mentions of safewords, a heavily underrated part of BDSM. There is breath play using plastic bags and belts, some slapping for impact play, and other really fun play with toys. If you are a fan of BDSM, you can’t miss this. There’s also egg laying, outdoor play, and roleplay, culminating into a smut smorgasbord. Our boy Beom, as boobalicious as he is, also has inverted nipples. If you’re a degenerate like me, there is no end to the fun that can be had throughout this series. Admittedly, Dowon and Beom can be a bit boring in the bedroom initially, with them almost always in the same position, but never fear; it gets spicier and more diverse as we go along. And Beom’s solo play is an absolute treat.
But it’s actually not all about smut. Smut plays a huge role, don’t get me wrong, but it does have some heart in it. Both of our bottoms are downtrodden and dealing with immense debt and exploitation. This is pretty run-of-the-mill as far as this trope goes. They both have shitty childhoods, are forced to take on debt, and are compelled to pay for it both based on pride and at risk of their lives. It’s not until they meet their tops that they are able to see they aren’t alone and find a way out of their restrictive and toxic lives. You can see the story beats a mile away. But then we get to the second side story, and that’s when we see our perfect dom Dowon struggle with his pride and the external expectations being pushed onto him by his family. And this is also where we get to see an elderly Dowon as Beom imagines what their future might look like. Seeing elderly BL men is so rare, and I can’t express how happy I was to see Dowon old and still hopelessly in love with Beom. I wish we could’ve seen the same treatment on Beom and the rest of the main cast, but I’ll take what I can get.
Results:
I wouldn’t say this story is revolutionary by any means. However, it has so many unique elements that make it feel super refreshing. Granted, most of the uniqueness is in the smut and the art. I think you’ll adore this if you’re a degenerate like me. Bonus points that this is actually a funny, smutty comedy. I’m a big fan, and I highly recommend this one.
Have you read Full Volume? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!