About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series My X Report.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to extortion, spying, manipulation, sexual assault, sex work (sex toy testing), blood, human experimentation, power imbalance, employee and boss relationship, inappropriate relationship with a student and an adult, mysophobia/haphephobia, theft, BDSM and kink play (harassment play), stalking, criminal and implied gang/mafia activity, confinement, illegal drugs, and fire, as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Seon Seorim got a job working under the prolific Professor Jin. Unfortunately, while on the job, Seorim pressed a button that caused an expensive piece of equipment to explode, leaving nothing of it behind. Seorim thinks the worst thing to happen to him will be getting fired, but then Professor Jin drops a bomb on him: he has to pay Professor Jin back for the damages. The piece of equipment that was destroyed is almost priceless and will undoubtedly bankrupt Seorim. However, Professor Jin has an alternative solution: get hired by Professor Jin's rival, Gong Woon, and steal and sabotage as Professor Jin commands.
With no other choice, Seorim does as he's told and is hired on as an assistant to Professor Gong. While Seorim feels guilty and nervous, he's ecstatic about this opportunity as Professor Gong is touted as a genius and one of the greatest innovators of the time. Seorim is looking forward to seeing what Professor Gong is working on until he sees the storage room packed full of unique sex toys. Surely this is a mistake, right?
Not at all. As it turns out, there is a lucrative market for sex toys, and Professor Gong is all too happy to capitalize on it. The only problem is he needs someone to test them, and who is better than his new assistant? Maybe this plan of espionage is a bit more than Seorim anticipated.
Review:
First off, the art is super clean. It's probably the cleanest out there. It's nothing particularly gorgeous or stunning, but it is consistent, which makes me very happy. The art style really lends itself well to the narrative, being lighthearted and comedic as it is, but we'll get into the specifics of that shortly. One thing about the art style I'm not super fond of is how young and doll-like they all look. They are adults, but the simplicity of the style, which does lend itself well to the story, is a bit odd during the smut scenes. It's still quite lovely, regardless.
Don't let the content warnings fool you; this is a very lighthearted story. It has some meta humor that had me chuckling out loud. Not quite as much as my favorite comedy BL The Devil's Temptation, but it has some really clever moments, often poking fun at the BL manhwa genre as a whole alongside your usual ditzy humor from our main character Seorim. There are a few moments where it openly breaks the fourth wall, the characters referring to the fact that they are in a comic, and I know that's not to everyone's taste, but I liked it. It's not something you often see in manhwa, or at least not that I've seen, so it was rather refreshing. It's silly and a bit nonsensical at times, but that's what is fun about it and gives it its charm.
Let's move on to the characters. One thing I appreciate is how Professor Gong knows that Seorim is a spy, but his conflict is whether he wants to pull him to his side or not. With a more serious manhwa, Professor Gong either wouldn't realize Seorim was a spy or when he did realize it, he would go out of his way to punish or scold Seorim for it without trying to get any reason as to why. Professor Gong gives Seorim the benefit of the doubt, and knowing his personality, Professor Gong assumes Seorim is more than likely being forced into this situation. He teases Seorim over there being a spy, but he's chill about it, which is a refreshing take.
Something I didn't care all that much about was Tae Minjin. Minjin is introduced halfway through the series as a secondary love interest for Seorim. He also serves to make Professor Gong jealous, all good and acceptable reasons. I know some people aren't a fan of love triangles, but let me be clear: he is not even close to being a contender for Seorim, so never fear on that front. However, what I hate is that he is a high school student. He is nineteen, which in my country is an adult, but him still being in high school makes this all very uncomfy. I don't know why he had to be a high schooler, as some kind of forbidden fruit trope, but it felt unnecessary.
Results:
This is a pleasure to reread for this review. I like this a ton. It's not a masterpiece by any means, and it is more smut than narrative, and what narrative we do get is very surface-level, but it's a good time all the same. I'd happily call this a fave for a bit of mindless, lighthearted smut and fluff. You'll be satisfied if you aren't looking for anything deep. It's a goofy little story with a ton of heart (and the right amount of smut).
Have you read My X Report? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!