About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Heat of the Moment.
Content Warning: There may be references to violence, prejudice, social gap, mutism, memory alteration, blood, kidnapping, murder, death, power imbalance, religion, chronic illness, dubcon, experience gap, somnophilia, male pregnancy, self-deprecation, trauma, and age gap, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Yeo-heun is a goblin. He’s a half-goblin, a creature that lives beyond the average human lifespan, can carry a pregnancy regardless of gender, and is known to seduce and trick humans. They’re feared and hated, so when Yeo-heun was small, his mother scrounged every penny she had to have a seal cast on him. Unfortunately, as a poor, single mother, she couldn’t afford a complete seal, and though it sealed away the goblin part of Yeo-heun, it, unfortunately, sealed away his voice and parts of his memories, too. And, despite her best efforts, his identity as a half-goblin is still clearly visible. It can be seen by the color of his eyes: one gold and one violet. And by the color of his hair, streaked with gold. As a result, he and his mother have lived as outcasts on the outskirts of their village, avoiding everyone who wishes to bully and harm Yeo-heun.
All of that changes, however, when the new, young emperor, Ju Hee-yeon, is on the hunt for a goblin. Hee-yeon has been sickly, chronically so, to the point it is impeding his ability to lead. It’s all due to his bloodline, which carries the blood of dragons. It has manifested in Hee-yeon with fevers and painful scales along his back. It’s said that only by lying with a goblin that he will be healed. So, Hee-yeon sends out a small group of soldiers who successfully hunt down Yeo-heun and bring him back to the palace, leaving his sickly mother alone. The two lie together, and, as expected, Hee-yeon’s fever and pain subsides.
But beyond the newfound freedom Hee-yeon has gained thanks to Yeo-heun, Hee-yeon finds himself entranced by the half-goblin. He wants to know more about this beauty and is determined to find a way to remove Yeo-heun’s seal. All the while, however, Yeo-heun longs to see his mother again. But when Hee-yeon sends out a party to find his bedmate’s mother, there’s no sign of her anywhere. Just what secrets lie in Yeo-heun’s locked memory? And how will Hee-yeon keep the wily goblin by his side?
Review:
I have to admit that I have a bias toward Shin Yuri. They created one of my favorite emotional titles, Home Alone Together, and one of the things I loved in that title, which I also loved in this title, is the art. It’s not consistent, and it’s very unique, so I imagine a lot of people might be turned off by it, but I enjoy it. I like how recognizable it is with its sharp angles and narrowed features. It’s unique in the best way, and I am forever compelled to buy and read everything from this artist. It’s lovely, and the contrast of Hee-yeon’s cool blue design against Yeo-heun’s warmer goblin design speaks to me. It’s really pleasant on the eyes.
Along with the art, which I enjoyed, I was very impressed with the story we got for how short this is (which is eighteen main story episodes with six side story episodes). Of course, it’s not the most dynamic or intense story, but it is quite romantic. I love the subtle mystery of Yeo-heun’s mother and how it’s used to explain the lifespan of goblins. It also adds immense emotional depth to Yeo-heun, whose memory is altered due to being simultaneously suppressed by the seal and by his need for human connection. He sees his mother and presumes her to still be alive, though she died many years prior. But this plot element also helps develop Hee-yeon, who could easily have been portrayed as a cold and heartless emperor using Yeo-heun without regard for his wants or needs. But he actually feels for Yeo-heun. He’s determined to free him from the shackles of the seal, and he longs to learn more about Yeo-heun. Though he’s hesitant at first, he does go out of his way to try to find Yeo-heun’s mother when he asks for her, which is when the big reveal occurs. It shows that he wants to make Yeo-heun happy, even if it means he might end up losing Yeo-heun’s attention and time.
Unfortunately, because the story is so short, we don’t get much more lore beyond that, especially when there’s so much smut, romance, fluff, and the like involved in an already tight-packed story. I would love nothing more than for this to be extended. There are so many elements that I would love to explore. One example is Hee-yeon’s dragon blood. It’s used to bring Hee-yeon and Yeo-heun together, of course, but beyond that, it doesn’t play a role. I’d have loved to know if it extended his life so he and Yeo-heun could be together forever or if it did anything for him beyond making him ill, but here we are.
Another aspect of the story that I have to complain about, and complain about frequently when it appears in other works, is the pregnancy. We do get male pregnancy, which I love. However, it ends with no baby reveal. Such pain. Such anguish. There’s been a common theme among the male pregnancy titles I’ve been reading lately, and it is no child reveal. It’s so unfortunate. I do like that it happened, but it left me wanting more in the worst way.
Results:
Overall, I really like this. There are a lot of elements I really enjoy, such as male pregnancy, the romance, the fantastical elements, and the smut, of course, but it also left me painfully wanting. There’s only so much that can be expected of a story that’s eighteen main episodes long, but there was so much potential there. This could’ve easily been one hundred episodes long with all the fantasy and romance, but we’re left with the bare bones necessary to develop the romance and smut. It’s really nice, but there could be so much more.
Have you read Heat of the Moment? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!