About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Melting Point.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to dubious consent, bullying, manipulation, child neglect, implied alcoholism, unstable home life, being outed, homomisia, gossip, and violence, as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Hyun has desperately been trying to get a job. He’s been trying to get a stable job since he graduated, and since he’s nearing his thirties, he’s more desperate than ever to finally succeed in his career. Unfortunately, after many failed interviews, Hyun is down to the last company in the area and is determined to get in this time. Unfortunately, while heading to the interview room, he bumps into someone he hoped never to see again: Myungook.
Hyun fully accepts that he probably won’t get the job because of Myungook, but to his surprise, he gets hired thanks to Myungook putting in a good word for him. While thankful for the job, he can’t help but wonder why Myungook would go out of his way to help him. They didn’t end their friendship on the best terms in high school, and Hyun considers them enemies. Does Myungook not feel the same way?
Review:
The art style feels like a mix of The Devil’s Temptation and Love Me, Doctor!, which I’m not sure is a good thing (coincidentally, like in The Devil’s Temptation, the main character is also named Hyun). They both have their strong points but have really, really weak areas, which manifest in this series. It’s inconsistent, and Myungook’s character design isn’t very pleasant for most of the series. However, Hyun does look very beautiful in specific panels, especially during the sex scenes. I just wish the artwork was as consistent as it is during sex throughout the entire series.
No matter how beautiful Hyun might be while they are having sex, he is 100% the problem regarding his relationship with Myungook. Hyun had a rough home life while in high school since it is implied that he was largely neglected, and he spent every day picking up copious amounts of empty alcohol bottles. Even so, he was a great student, and that was a crucial part of his identity and what kept him going day to day, along with his sole friendship with Myungook. Unfortunately, though, thanks to Hyun’s tutoring, Myungook took the spot as the top student in class, effectively taking away Hyun’s only claim.
This makes him essentially explode on Myungook. Part of the reason they were so close was that Hyun accepted Myungook’s sexuality without question. However, when Hyun’s place in class was threatened, he used that fact against Myungook. He used that against him, taunting Myungook by asking if he would give up his spot if Hyun had sex with him. It was so toxic and sad, but then he acted like Myungook was wrong for telling Hyun off. It’s weird how ignorant Hyun is about his self-sabotaging tendencies and how he immediately blames the other person for their falling out. It’s annoying and causes a slew of misunderstandings.
The best part, though, is most certainly after they finally get together and Hyun protects Myungook, no longer worrying over how others perceive him in the office. He gets judged and persecuted for being gay, which leads to him being fired, which is horrible, but then Myungook goes on a rampage, which is everything. Not that violence is the answer, but seeing him punch out the guy who outed Hyun to the office, to begin with, was so, so satisfying. It was also so romantic how Myungook did everything he could to fight for Hyun’s position in the company. This section really gave me The New Recruit vibes, which was great.
Results:
This was very ok. There is much better out there both on the art and story front, and I highly recommend you check out the ones I’ve linked throughout this review because, while they may share similar plot points or negatives, they are all stronger than this particular work.
Have you read Melting Point? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!