Two People Who Refuse to Learn from Experience
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 Love Me Not.
Content Warning: There may be references to bullying, classism, underage smoking, body commentary, obsession, mentions of divorce, invasion of privacy, gossiping, manipulation, violence, relationship between and adult and student (returning student is 20, teen is 19), sexual assault, blood, torture, child abuse, unsafe living conditions, dubcon, drugs, drug use (including child by children), drug addiction, child abandonment, strained familial relationships, self-deprecation, excessive drinking, self-harm, implied underage drinking, sex work, rape, BDSM (including nonconsensual), slut-shaming, mentions of suicide, murder, death, mentions of car accidents (including hit-and-run), extortion, financial abuse, breakups, mentions of cheating (not between the main couple), confinement, disordered eating, suicidal ideation, gang activity, gang rape, arranged marriage, overwork, corruption, mentions of gambling, prejudice against sex work, nonconsenting porn, police, PTSD, victim-blaming, somnophilia, mentions of alcohol dependence, therapy sessions, brainwashing, cheating (not between the main couple), homomisia, nepotism, drugging (specifically food tampering), kidnapping, and suicide, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Min Jiwook is finally returning to high school. Unfortunately, after his mother abandoned his family and other relatives have passed, Jiwook is saddled with the weight of their debts. Though he was an excellent student, he took some time off to work and build up a small nest egg, and though he is in the midst of adulthood, he returns to high school, hoping to get an education that will enable him to make more money. To reach his goal, he gets accepted into the prestigious Daehan High School. This school is almost exclusively populated by children of the wealthiest families in the country, and most students introduce themselves by naming their family’s company.
However, students who may not be able to afford entry, like Jiwook, can test into the school, which Jiwook successfully does.
But Jiwook isn’t out of the woods yet. Tuition is beyond expensive, and though he lives alone in a moldy apartment, he still has rent to pay. So, it’s test well and get a scholarship each month, or be forced to drop out again. Jiwook is solely focused on achieving his goals, but one of his classmates, Ju Seung-eon, the son of the country’s biggest conglomerate, JS, takes an obsessive interest in him. Jiwook is initially resistant to Seung-eon’s advances, but Seung-eon is accustomed to getting what he wants, and he is determined to have Jiwook.
Review:
The cover art is painfully deceptive. The style presented is smooth and soft, with a realistic quality to it. The style within the series, on the other hand, is super flat and inconsistent. While I wouldn’t say it isn’t on the realistic side, it isn’t as detailed or as pleasing to the eye as the cover. I am an art snob, though, so bear that in mind. What I don’t think is as subjective, however, is the quality of this title. I love Lezhin, as it frequently licenses titles that end up being my favorites. However, some titles clearly do not receive the care and attention in editing or translation that bigger titles do. There are numerous missing words, typos, and even wrong names being used for characters. I can forgive a few because we’re all human, but this is so distracting that it is hard to ignore. For the amount they charge for coins, I would expect at least a bit more QA by a platform as big as Lezhin.
But moving on from the art and quality of the edit, let’s talk about the most important thing: the story. This thing tosses you into the deep end. Jiwook starts school again, and Seung-eon falls in obsession love at first sight. Seung-eon is immediately an asshole and extremely violent, and then wonders why Jiwook won’t fall in line. I get that we are supposed to perceive Seung-eon as someone who has experienced abuse from those who were supposed to love him; thus, he doesn’t understand why abusing others doesn’t work on them as well as it worked on him, and that he is a spoiled rich kid who has always gotten what he wants, but it is so overt and dramatic that it is almost comical. Melodramatic would be a light term. For example, Jiwook and Seung-eon are in the cafeteria, and Jiwook refuses to eat the food Seung-eon bought for him due to his pride (even though he lets some other classmate buy things for him and doesn’t complain, but whatever, Jiwook is painfully contradictory). Seung-eon, furious, throws the tray on the floor and commands someone to bring another. It is meant to show just how little he cares for what others think or feel, and that he is willing to go to violent lengths to get what he wants, but it was just so random and silly that it came off as more awkwardly funny than anything else.
Pacing, though, is certainly the main problem with this entire story. Time is nebulous, as we jump through huge chunks of time with little recognition that any time has passed, or giving us anything to ground us between each arc. Things will happen as if they are taking place within the same day or two, only to be revealed to have happened over weeks or more. This breakneck speed also affects character backgrounds, making very intense and tragic stories seem superficial and shoehorned in. One particular moment is when we get a rush of Seung-eon’s backstory, all told through his thoughts, about his mother killing herself and him being beaten by his father. He thinks the words, and then we move right along to never explore those things again. There are swaths of panels filled with color-coded thought boxes, where important feelings and thoughts are shown to us and serve as transitions between scenes and actions, which makes for a rushed, disjointed narrative.
What truly hurts my soul, though, is how much this title hits on some of my favorite aspects of smut scenes. Seung-eon loves eating ass. It’s his go-to move in almost every scene, and that is one of my favorite things to read in manga, manhwa, novels – you name it. He is an intense person outside the bedroom, most of the time to his detriment, but when that same intensity takes place in the bedroom, the devotion we are meant to see in his actions outside the bedroom finally manifests there, especially in his passion for eating out Jiwook. I’d argue that the Seung-eon in the smut scenes and the Seung-eon outside of them are two totally different characters, which is wild to me because I think the Seung-eon through the story is beyond detestable, while bedroom Seung-eon comes off as much more endearing. I mean, there is a scene where Seung-eon is trying to show Jiwook he has control during sex and coaxes Jiwook to choke him. It is powerful and sexy in so many ways, but then outside of the bedroom, he is that ultra-controlling weirdo that forgets all of the mistakes he makes so he can just make them again and again and again… it is super disappointing.
Results:
It took me much longer to read this for review than it should have, mostly because it is such a roughly crafted narrative. It throws us into the story, which isn’t always a bad thing, but once it sets this pace, it then doesn’t know how to properly explore plot points, backstories, or time jumps. I love a man who loves to eat, and this features that, but even he can’t make up for whatever this was. Still, even if it isn’t the best story in the world, I would hope a platform like Lezhin would take the care and effort to ensure it is generally free of errors. I don’t expect perfection, but I would like better than this.
Have you read Love Me Not? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
