About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Kill the Lights.
Content Warning: There may be references to gun violence, violence, gossiping, invasion of privacy, mentions of suicide, suicidal ideation, kidnapping, drug addiction, mentions of alcoholism, drug use, obsession, death, blood, murder, threats of suicide, child labor, slut-shaming, strained familial relationships, bullying, age gap, child abuse, PTSD, police, excessive drinking, mentions of sex addiction, rituals, stalking, homomisia, assault, mugging, power imbalance, BDSM, dubcon, blackmail, coercion, gambling, missing persons, military, hostage situations, vandalism, somnophilia, mentions of cheating, and overwork, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Haley Rusk, real name Reese, is a wild child. He is well known for drug use, excessive drinking, and his unusual obsession with Noah Raycarlton, a well-known rich kid turned rich man. No matter how bad his public image is, Haley is only interested in his own self-interests. Unfortunately, while trying out the occult to get Noah’s affection, all of the damage to his body finally catches up to him. Haley Rusk, as he is known, passes away due to a heart attack.
Miles and miles away, Mason, a mercenary, is on a mission with two other mercenaries. His target is begging for his life, offering the code to a safe where there are possibly millions, if not billions, hidden away. Mason isn’t interested and takes out the mark, only to be shot by his teammate, who wants the money for himself. This is supposed to be the end of Mason’s life. But to his surprise, he ends up waking up in a hospital room where people talk about how they can’t wait for “Reese’s” inheritance.
Mason couldn’t be any more different than Haley Rusk, but somehow, he’s “reborn” or “transmigrated” into his body. Rather than be bothered or disturbed by the sudden change, Mason sees this as an amazing opportunity. He doesn’t have to do dangerous and horrific work anymore; he has enough money to quietly retire from show business and start a cafe, and if he decides to stay in the business, he can make loads of money in a short time. There’s just one problem: he seems to have kept some of Haley’s preferences. Specifically, his sexual preferences, and when he ends up running into Noah Raycarlton, who he used to protect back in his bodyguard days, he finds himself attracted to him.
Much to Noah’s surprise, this new Haley is pretty attractive to him, too. Haley now reminds him of the man who protected him all those years ago – the man he’s been obsessed with for as long as he can remember.
Review:
The art style for this is very interesting. It is super inconsistent and is often disproportionate, but I adore it. It’s super expressive, the coloring is vibrant and satisfying, and I enjoy it. Some characters look out of place, like Haley’s manager, whose design looks like he might be from a sketchy episode of old-school Carebears (though this could be because he’s one of the only nice people in the series). The proportions can sometimes be a bit weird, and the shading on the noses is a bit odd from time to time, but it’s not terrible. I still like it despite all of its flaws, and I think it fits the narrative really well, which is all that matters.
Haley’s design is one aspect of the art that really enhances the narrative. There is a distinct difference between the original Haley and Mason-Haley that goes beyond his personality. The expressiveness of the style really helps differentiate between the two. Mason’s visage is much more open and relaxed, while Haley’s face is more calculated and responsive. Most people in Haley’s superficial life wouldn’t notice a difference, but Noah notices it immediately. It is so romantic how he sees Mason within Haley long before Mason-Haley confirms such a thing has occurred. But it also highlights the dark side of Noah, the side that no one else sees, too. It exposes his obsessive side, so just as Noah can see Mason for who he truly is within Haley, Mason learns just how dark and disturbed Noah is beneath the shiny veneer.
Furthermore, there is the use of names for Haley. Now, this didn’t confuse me, but I think it’s worth mentioning because I imagine it might be confusing for some people. Our bottom’s name is Reese, but his stage name is Haley. However, he is Mason inside of Haley’s body. So, you’ll hear some people call him Reese. Others will call him Haley, and Noah calls him Mason. I like that this is a thing because it’s realistic. I can totally see people who know Haley personally calling him by his birth name. I like seeing people in the industry calling him Haley. I especially adore that Noah calls him Mason, as it plays into his idea that Noah is the only one who truly knows him and helps establish their connection. It doesn’t make it any less confusing, but the meanings behind it all are really powerful to me, so I like it.
Unfortunately, the overall story, though, is severely lacking. There are vague hints that Haley tried some form of occult ritual to trigger Mason being reborn into his body, but we don’t see anything about that beyond the circle in Haley’s basement and the person who gave Haley that information. It felt like such a weird way of explaining why it happened. Similarly, the romance build-up between Noah and Mason feels very superficial, and I hate that it’s played off as if Haley’s sexual preferences lingering within his body is what makes Mason see Noah sexually or romantically. As a pansexual myself, I hate that such a weird excuse is used when it could very well be explained as Mason realizing he is attracted to men as a bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, etc. I do like that Noah comes to terms with his attraction for Mason, realizing his attraction is romantic and sexual in nature without some silly reasoning like Mason. There are also stalker, jealousy, and mercenary plotlines that never feel fully fleshed out and are solved instantly. We just needed so much more time and attention for these plotlines to get the attention they needed.
Results:
I like this for the most part. The art isn’t always the best or most consistent, and the length of the story feels far too short for all that it tries to cram in there, but there are some fun sexual dynamics that we don’t get to see in a lot of manhwa (Haley’s piercing is a must-see). The romance feels superficial; the stalker and mercenary plotlines feel superficial. This just needed far more time than it had to explore all of these elements to their fullest potential. There’s lots of fun smut in this, so if that’s all you need, then I don’t imagine you’ll be disappointed. However, this might be a miss if you’re looking for a well-crafted narrative.
Have you read Kill the Lights? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!