Zombie Men Turn Into Hot Knights
Sections:
About
Tags
Warnings
Synopsis
Review
Results
About:
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Platform(s)/Publisher(s)
Media Type(s) Available:
Length:
Color(s) of Comic:
Work Type:
Tags:
Tropes
Genres
Relationships
Jobs/Professions
Settings
Unique Character Types
Specific Acts
Explicitness
Additional Content
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Hot-to-Go Bakery: Cooking the Dead.
Content Warning: There may be references to theft, violence, knights, immolation, epidemics, dubcon, death, and invasion of privacy, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Johan the baker is doing his best in a world that has fallen apart. After an epidemic began that resulted in people dying and rising again as zombies, things have gotten very dangerous, especially within and surrounding the ruined cities. Johan happens to live in an isolated house just outside a major city, putting him in massive danger every time he makes his way over to a neighboring village to sell his bread. Thankfully, Johan can use fire magic so that he can protect himself in a pinch, but it is still a struggle just to survive.
Things are especially dire after he is pickpocketed while leaving the village, meaning he is going to have to make another trip through the city much sooner than he anticipated. That wouldn’t be so bad if, while on his trek back home, he didn’t draw the attention of a pair of zombies that are particularly fast. As someone who’d rather run than fight, Johan makes a break for it, and usually that would be enough to shake off most zombies. Unfortunately, these beasts are unrelenting, following him all the way back to his home.
Desperate, Johan brings them to his baking oven, which he uses to enhance his flames, and sets them ablaze. But, to Johan’s surprise, the monsters don’t burn up. They, instead, seem completely healed, and when they awaken, they turn out to be two knights from the capital. They are Calion and Alexis, and they initially want nothing more than to cart Johan off to the capital to use him to stop the epidemic. But as they spend time together, the knights are less interested in returning to the capital and much more interested in creating a home with their little baker.
Review:
The art is nice in this. There is a bit of a manhua quality to it, and by that I mean manhua typically has a very familiar, smudgy, soft quality that is sometimes present in this one. It isn’t consistent, though, and this manhwa is very stiff overall, which isn’t all that nice, unfortunately. Even in simple scenes where Johan is just walking or standing, he often looks stiff and awkward, and it’s even worse in more dynamic scenes like the smut scenes. It is generally pretty, but it just isn’t as nice as I would’ve hoped.
Unfortunately, the story isn’t any better. If anything, it is even worse. Part of the problem is that this sets us up for a much more in-depth plotline than I think it should have, given that it’s only seven episodes long (including a prologue and two epilogue episodes). Zombie dystopia in a fantasy world is fine, and if it had remained that simple, then I think this would’ve been much better. However, when our tops are brought back to life, a sudden conflict arises. They feel compelled to bring Johan back to the capital to help cure more people. They do some experimenting, and they find that it is the oven itself that has the power. That’s all fine and dandy.
But because Calion and Alexis are knights, they end up leaving for a time. It is meant to be an extended period of time, making Johan miss them, but because this is so short, it is impossible to show that meaningfully. So, it is ultimately needless. They show back up and reveal that the oven doesn’t permanently cure people, as people revert to zombies after a certain distance, so, really, the whole cure plotline was just as needless, too. It was pretty disappointing and added so much filler that could’ve been used for the smut, which this title was certainly meant to focus on. If they hadn’t been knights and been compelled to return to their posts, all of this could’ve been avoided, and more time would have been spent on the threesome fun. We probably also could’ve gotten more character development, which would’ve made this all much more enjoyable because, as it stands, the chemistry between all three characters is near-nonexistent.
All of this culminates in a very disappointing smutty short. It is especially disappointing because not only are there threesomes, but there is dialogue that clearly establishes that the two tops consider themselves both husbands to Johan. Poly titles are so rare, and for this to just immediately start with these three being in a physical relationship with no issues of jealousy or hint of a love triangle is even rarer still. Love triangles into poly relationships are great, don’t get me wrong, but for there to be no issue with that to begin with, and for everyone to just be cool loving each other, is something so special. I just wish it had been present in a better story.
Results:
This is, thus far, the worst story among those I’ve read from the Hot-to-Go Bakery collection. It has so many elements I like, but none of them are executed all that well (minus the insta-poly love, which only makes this whole thing all the more disappointing). Also, this is the only one that is uncensored, thus far. If you are just desperate for quick and dirty group play of some kind, then sure, this is a cheap one to try out. But for even the slightest amount of a cohesive story, look elsewhere.
Have you read Hot-to-Go Bakery: Cooking the Dead? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
