Is This a Sign Muhandae is One of My Favorite Creators?
Sections:
About
Tags
Warnings
Synopsis
Review
Results
Related Posts
Comments
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 Love Gym.
Content Warning: There may be references to body commentary (fat-shaming and skinny-shaming), experience gap, extortion, social gap, excessive drinking, dubcon/noncon, sexual assault, violence, self-deprecation, age gap, manipulation, sexism, gambling, homomisia, somnophilia, blood, and harassment, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Doh Geon is a trainer at a local gym. Unfortunately, this is a job that requires him to get and retain clients, and his prickly personality doesn’t really facilitate that. As a result, he’s always on the cusp of losing his job and is relegated to tasks like outdoor advertising and folding towels. It is during one of these outdoor advertising efforts that Geon encounters a chubby man decked out in luxury brands, who seems oddly fixated on Geon. Geon approaches, more so to play with this stranger’s dog than actually recruit the man himself, but ultimately the man expresses interest in joining the gym.
However, as Geon gets ready to make a sales pitch, the chubby hamster man named Gyuwon strikes a deal of his own. He will sign up with Geon and lose weight, but in exchange, they have to go on ten dates together. This shocks Geon, but he’s sure this is just an impulsive interest that Gyuwon will lose long before he loses any weight.
Little does Geon know just how dedicated Gyuwon is to making Geon fall in love with him. But what Gyuwon doesn’t know is that Geon already has a man in his crosshairs, and it’s his boss, the gym manager. Can Gyuwon pull Geon’s attention from a hopeless, unrequited love, or are they both destined for failure in their pursuits of love?
Review:
I have recently read Triangle Lovers: XXX by Muhandae, and I fell in love with it. I know that was one of their newer titles (and even a remake of an even older one, at that), and the art was a bit rough for me already, so I was expecting this to be even worse. I am very glad I went in with that mindset because this is honestly very ugly early on. I talked a lot about stiff and awkward poses before, and if, like me, you are going backward in Muhandae‘s catalog, it is 1,000 times worse. Honestly, it was hard to get through with all the sketchy lines, inconsistencies, and stiffness. However, I knew what Muhandae was capable of, and while the overall art isn’t the best, that smut is delectable, and as it goes along, the more modern Muhandae art starts to develop, so power through. It does get better.
Transitioning away from the general art of the series, I want to get into the smut. Honestly, while the story isn’t perfect, and we’ll explore that in more detail shortly, I have to say Muhandae‘s smut scenes are so, so peak. That was the case in Triangle Lovers: XXX, and that is the case here. Honestly, Muhandae may be one of my favorites for smut scenes. They are always just so wild and honest without being completely nonsensical, and I love it. One scene in particular is when our retriever top Gyuwon is pounding Geon, and Geon is holding himself open so Gyuwon can go as deep as possible. It is such a small detail, but it is so freaking hot, and Muhandae kills it with those kinds of things. Now, I will say, there is some dubious consent in this, as Geon does say “no” or “stop” a lot, but I don’t mind that kind of thing. However, for those who may want to avoid that, now you know. This one may not be for you.
Now, onto the story. There are some really strong elements to get into, but before we get into the really good stuff, I think we should get the weaker elements out of the way. Geon can be immensely annoying, mainly due to his inability to let go of this silent pining he has had for his boss since they were much longer. This is probably a very realistic portrayal of a long-term unrequited love that is hard to let go of because it is comfortable – painful, but comfortable, since it is familiar, while Gyuwon providing an accessible, loving relationship is new and uncomfortable. It is realistic, but I personally didn’t care for it. It draws out the first half of the narrative, which, having read the second half, is a real shame because I think the second half is so much stronger. Admittedly, I do think, logically, this first half was necessary to give Geon time to transition from wholeheartedly pining after an impossible love to growing comfortable with Gyuwon. Still, it just isn’t my preferred setup.
But once we start transitioning to Geon finally accepting Gyuwon’s love, the storytelling really shows out. There is a reflected narrative here between Geon’s initial love triangle/first love and what eventually is revealed as Gyuwon’s love triangle/first love. I am not going to pretend this is perfect by any means, but it is in the mirroring between Geon’s first love and Gyuwon’s first love that shows how differently Gyuwon and Geon are characterized. Gyuwon ends up having a one-on-one with Geon’s first love, being thankful that the boss is a good person and that Geon was able to love someone so kind for so long, though Gyuwon was jealous of that love. On the other hand, Gyuwon’s first love returns and he turns out to be an absolute asshole. Geon is pissed that Gyuwon had no choice but to fall in love with this asshole, but he is also glad this first love was such a jerk because then he doesn’t have to feel guilty for establishing his claim over Gyuwon.
Each of them has similar reactions in very different scenarios, which really highlights how they love their partners and why they work well together. Gyuwon was open and purely devoted to Geon, and wanted to mend the wounds he had from loving someone who could never possibly love him. So, when he learns that Geon’s first love was a kind person, he is thankful for that, and that, in turn, shows that Geon has now fallen in love with another kind person. On the other hand, Geon feels relieved that Gyuwon didn’t fall for a kind person. Is this selfish? Sure, but it also shows that Geon is protective of Gyuwon and willing to fight for him if he has to, especially so now that he knows his rival is an asshole. Geon is a fighter while Gyuwon is a lover, and these mirrored love triangles highlight that. It is worth noting that when Gyuwon’s first love appears, it sets us up for a frustrating misunderstanding narrative, but similar to Brat Tamer / King engage!, he is pretty much a non-issue. He is just used to develop the established relationship rather than being a true rival, which I prefer.
Results:
I think Muhandae is very talented. Their smut scenes have been peak across both titles I’ve read, thus far, and while I wouldn’t say either of them is narrative perfection by any means, there are elements from them that show Muhandae is a mindful creator with lots of potential for growth, and I am excited to continue reading what they put out. Is this one the best BL manhwa I’ve ever read? Not even close. But was it a good time? Certainly, and sometimes that is good enough. I would recommend this one.
Have you read Love Gym? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
