Man in Immense Debt Summons Snake God
About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series OMG!.
Content Warning: There may be references to blood, dubcon, religion, power imbalance, police, extortion, classism, attempted solicitation, slut-shaming, violence, and chronic illness, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Kang Yohan’s life is screwed. He’s in terrible debt thanks to a friend who ditched him, is being hounded by loan sharks, and is on the cusp of being kicked out on the street. He just can’t seem to catch a break in any reasonable way, so he tries the last thing he possibly can: ask a fortune teller. The fortune teller tells him what he already knows, that he is plagued with some of the worst luck in existence, but he has a way out. Yohan can become a shaman, summon a god, and appease that god to change his fortune.
Yohan, while unsure of the validity of this, really doesn’t have any other choice. Unfortunately, the official way would cost six million won, which is just not in his budget. So, a quick online search later, and he’s doing it the free way. Much to his surprise, he does manage to summon a god named Chung, but Chung is a bottom-of-the-rung god, and Yohan doesn’t feel any better about all of this working. However, as Yohan begins to get physical with the snake god, his fortune steadily begins to change.
But nothing in life is free. Just how much will Yohan’s cheap god cost him?
Review:
I’ve gotta say, I’ve been reading some titles with some mid or bad art recently, and I don’t know if that altered my bar to what I consider really good art, but I genuinely do think this is some killer art. I’ve learned with these shorter titles that you can’t always trust the cover art, as oftentimes, what you see on the cover is nowhere near close to what’s in the story itself. That’s not the case at all here. I’d actually say the cover is doing this title a disservice, particularly for Yohan. I’m not going to say it’s perfect by any means, but the art is super expressive, reasonably consistent, and just really aligns with my preferences. It is a sight for sore eyes, for sure.
I also have to give credit where credit is due. For a title that is only six episodes long, including the prologue, this tells an impressively cohesive story. I think part of it that works where many other shorts fail is that it doesn’t try to overextend itself. It tells a very simple story with a straightforward goal. Yohan is cursed with misfortune. He has to summon a god to fix his misfortune. The god turns out to be pretty useless and greedy, but while fulfilling their physical desires, he discovers that is how he finds his good luck. There’s not a ton of fluff, narrative-wise, so we get right to the problem, solution, sexy time, new problem, and then the final solution in quick succession. It’s breakneck speed, which often isn’t the best, but it works really well in this case.
And it doesn’t stop with Yohan’s goal. I was already pretty pleased that Yohan had the full gambit of problem, solution, new problem, and then the new solution in such a short story, but then we also got some growth on Chung’s side, too. I’m not going to pretend that Chung’s side of the narrative is nearly as deeply explored or involved as Yohan’s, but there is much more substance there than I would’ve expected. There’s a small mention that Chung is a snake god, not a dragon god, but there’s not much mentioned beyond that, like why or how, but it’s very much the Chekhov’s gun in this scenario and ends up being key to Yohan’s ultimate solution. I won’t spoil it because seeing it was so fun that I think it’s worth reading for yourself, but I will say that I was surprised there was enough time to even consider Chung’s growth and change in such a short narrative, and I loved it.
This is one of those instances where the worst part of the story is that it ends. The length of the narrative is the weakest part simply because I’m greedy and desperately want more. I love tsundere-style bottoms, which our snake god Chung is. I also love loud, goofy tops who can’t catch a break like Yohan. Then, pair these two together in a relationship that starts 100% physical but transitions into something more emotional with a connection that transcends destiny, and I am all over it. I would adore for this to one day get a more full, lengthy release, but even as it is, it’s a treat. I’ll still be out there hoping, but I’m happy as it is.
Results:
I loved this. I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but it has favorite potential. If this were to come out with a more full release, I would be ready, wallet-open, to consume it. This a smut-heavy title with much more heart than I would’ve anticipated in such a short package, and I think it’s worth every penny to read it. This was a drop of water in a desert of rough BL recently, and I am living for it. Highly recommend.
Have you read OMG!? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!