Stray Cat Bottom Ends Up Domesticated
Sections:
About
Tags
Warnings
Synopsis
Review
Results
About:
Author(s)
Artist(s)
Platform(s)/Publisher(s)
Media Type(s) Available:
Length:
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Tags:
Tropes
Genres
Relationships
Jobs/Professions
Settings
Unique Character Types
Specific Acts
Explicitness
Additional Content
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Mine to Begin With.
Content Warning: There may be references to mentions of parent death, being orphaned, self-deprecation, sex work (sex in exchange for a place to stay), dubcon/noncon, child neglect, implied abuse, slut-shaming, body commentary, starvation, homelessness, homomisia, mentions of religion, and theft, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Seoha has no roots. When he was younger, he lost his parents, but even when they were around, they cared very little for him. And once they were gone, relatives passed around him until he graduated high school, and then he was pushed out on his own. Seoha learned quickly that he couldn’t rely on anyone for long. Sure, they may be interested in him for a time, but he would inevitably be replaced by something new or at least more important. So, he never sticks around long. Both so he doesn’t get kicked out, and so he doesn’t become attached.
Using a gay dating app, he hops from partner to partner, giving them his body in exchange for food and a place to sleep. Sometimes it’s only for a day, but that’s better than nothing. And that is how Seoha survives.
That is, until he is matched up with Jaewon. As it turns out, Seoha already knows Jaewon. They went to high school together, but none of that matters to Seoha. What does matter is that Jaewon is rich, and he is willing to let Seoha stay with him for a while. As usual, Seoha doesn’t plan to stick around for long, but Jaewon is going to do his best to pamper his new stray cat until he can’t live without him.
Review:
I would argue that the cover art for this one is very deceptive. I was really into the art of the cover, and that was part of the reason I hopped into reading this one as soon as I did, as opposed to all the other titles on my never-ending to-read list. While the series’s style isn’t ugly, it is very inconsistent. And while I am a self-professed degenerate, this is another one I think would’ve benefitted from being censored (seems to be a trend with these shorts, like Out of My Depth). The genitals are pretty ugly in most panels, and there are moments where removing the censorship was either missed or they weren’t sure where things were supposed to be, so the anatomy is a little wild in this one, too. It isn’t the worst I’ve seen by far, but if you are hoping for smut scenes that aren’t stiff and awkward, this isn’t the title for you.
Now, before we dive into the story itself, I want to talk about character types. I frequently hear about characters being cat-like, especially with bottoms. Usually, this means they are a bit prickly, maybe even mean, and hard to get close to; while this is representative of the cats most of us think of, there are other types, like stray cats. And Seoha may be the most stray cat type I’ve ever seen. He gives in to various men’s desires to get what he wants, but as soon as he gets the inkling, he runs off back out into the streets. He is equally reliant on others as he is independent, which is an interesting irony, and I love that about him. He makes for a very interesting character, and I really fell for him as the story progressed.
However, the story isn’t all that great. It has strong aspects to it, don’t get me wrong. For example, introducing Woohyun as a comparison to Jaewon was such a good move. While personality-wise they may be very different, Woohyun and Jaewon are functionally very similar and can offer Seoha similar things. They’re both rich; they both offer Seoha a place to stay for as long as he wants; they want to know what he wants or likes; and they both put in some effort to find him and be with him. However, Seoha’s life has been plagued by people who should want him, family, for example, just passing him around or pressuring him to leave when they aren’t responsible for him anymore. He needs effort, and while both are willing to put in effort, it is how they express that effort that matters. Woohyun wants to pretend like he doesn’t care and that he is open to Seoha leaving at any time. On the other hand, Jaewon makes it clear that he loves Seoha and never wants him to leave. Woohyun thinks Seoha wants freedom, but what he really wants is for someone to make him a priority and love him unconditionally, which Jaewon shows by chasing him down and expressing his love. If Woohyun had been more honest about why he always seeks out Seoha, he would’ve had him, but he isn’t honest with himself or Seoha, and that is why he loses out. It is a powerful comparison, and I really enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, though, while this is a great moment of characterization (and I especially like that Seoha’s goal of finding a rich man to spend time with doesn’t change even after Jaewon’s grand confession; he just settles on Jaewon being that rich man), the overall story is a bit confusing. There are multiple timelines at play in this. We have Seoha and Jaewon in high school, Seoha and Woohyun before Seoha meets Jaewon again, Woohyun’s past, Seoha’s past, and then the present with all three of them. A lot of these are pretty easy to recognize, though the transitions between them aren’t the best. But Seoha and Woohyun’s past together is absolutely muddled. We see two different times he returned to Woohyun, but they are mixed together, with little to no way to discern between them. If this had a little more time (this is only twenty-two episodes long), I think there could be more room to structure things properly, provide more depth, and just make this a more enjoyable reading experience overall, but here we are.
Results:
I liked this. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but some really strong story elements are just hard not to praise and enjoy. I wish there were more episodes, and I wish this had been created a little later, when this artist had more work under their belt, because I feel like it had the potential to be really well done across the board. At the end of the day, this is more mid-tier. I definitely want to give both this writer and artist another shot, though. If they keep creating together, I have a feeling we’ll see a classic made.
Have you read Mine to Begin With? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
