Manhwa Review | Hard-Boiled Love by Gwendolyn

Muscle Bottom Plays Kitty for Beautiful Dom

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Synopsis
Review
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About:

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Tags:

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Warning:

There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Hard-Boiled Love.

Content Warning: There may be references to BDSM (including nonconsensual and dangerous play like breath play and needle play), blood, violence, gun violence, kidnapping, self-deprecation, bullying, gang activity, stalking, overwork, extortion, obsession, sexual harrassment, toxic work environment, mentions of drugs, homomisia (including use of the f-slur), vandalism, death threats, depictions of corpses, mentions of slavery, being outed, fake revenge porn, gossiping, manipulation, abandoned animals, invasion of privacy, mentions of cheating,  excessive drinking, gambling, scamming, smuggling, breakups, self-harm, depression, racism, and disordered eating, as they do appear in the manhwa.

Synopsis:

Gyuwon is a mercenary, though not for long. He fully intends to retire from this life, even though it is the only one he knows. And why? He wants to get back to his home country, South Korea, and get plastic surgery. Unfortunately, he’s always had a scary exterior, and while that was just fine in his mercenary life, it isn’t going to work so well in the life he hopes to lead.

After he gets his surgery, he intends to finally join the BDSM community as a sub.

He doesn’t anticipate being very popular even with surgery, but that is his best chance of finally finding a dom that will satisfy his deepest and darkest desires. This endeavor requires more money than he currently has, but there is an opening for a bodyguard. Oddly enough, it is a bodyguard position under the Yoon family, who one would think could protect their own just fine, but it turns out it is for none other than the beloved baby brother. He is the beautiful and sadistic Hwayoung Yoon.

And though Gyuwon is meant to be the protector, under Hwayoung’s keen eye, he is the willing victim.

Review:

I usually like to start by discussing the art, but having read the novel, I was admittedly not looking forward to this adaptation. Much to my surprise, though, this was marginally better than I had anticipated. I am discovering more and more that the manhwa adaptations of Korean novels tend to be better than their source material (at least, so far). The same thing happened with the novel The Flower of Alosha and its manhwa adaptation, The Search For Alosha. With that said, if, like me, you read the novel version of this manhwa, Ang Ang : Hard-Boiled Love, and were immensely disappointed, you might be pleasantly surprised by the differences in the adaptation. It isn’t much better, mind you, but the visuals certainly help.

Now, into the details. The art in this series is beautiful. There is no question about that. But as with many of Tappytoon‘s titles, the quality of the translation, editing, and even the font choice is unfortunate. There are multiple instances where Gyuwon is called Kyuwon, and the first half of the manhwa is nearly impossible to read because the translation reads like early-day Google Translate. It definitely reminds me of the quality of the novel, though the visuals make it a much more enjoyable experience, poor editing be damned.

Honestly, even if the writing had been well edited, the first half of the story is complete nonsense. The two meet; Hwayoung immediately recognizes that Gyuwon is a sub and, of course, exactly his type, and they start their play partnership. It is breakneck speed, which is good because we get right into the play, but it has little to no substance otherwise. The editing and the story do get better in the second half, which was a huge relief, and I do love that it forces Hwayoung to look at himself and figure out whether he has the capacity to love Gyuwon while simultaneously being compelled to destroy him. Otherwise, though, the main draw of this is definitely the depictions of hardcore BDSM, which is rare even in dom/sub universe titles or just plain BDSM works. With that said, if you’re looking for a good story, you’re in the worst place, but if you just want to see some good BDSM play that includes things like breath play, needle play, whipping, etc., then look no further.

Before I end this review, I feel compelled to point out how wildly different the quality of one title on this platform can be from the next. So, if you’re looking for quality control, Tappytoon in general isn’t the best. But if you don’t mind those quality issues, this is a very pretty manhwa overall. I will say that Gyuwon being perceived as disgustingly ugly is an absolute joke. While he may not have that feminine, delicate beauty that Hwayoung does, he is beautiful in his own right. So, be aware that you will need a high level of suspension of disbelief regarding Gyuwon’s looks, as his “ugliness” is one of the key elements of this story. Beauty aside, though, this is just one more example of Tappytoon‘s poor quality control.

Results:

Supporting licensed work is very important to me and my process, and I will continue to do so, but seeing the poor quality that can come from an official platform like Tappytoon makes it hard to encourage people to buy official when they may find better fan translations out there. I’m not saying to pirate this at all; I think it is too beautiful not to support the artist. But be mindful of what you’re getting when you pay for it. If you just want stunning depictions of hardcore BDSM play, then I think this is worth the coin. However, if you’re looking for a well-edited story, at minimum, this isn’t here at all. Shame on Tappytoon for not showing the care for this title that they show to so many others.

Have you read Hard-Boiled Love? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!