Current Athlete Relentlessly Pursues Former Athlete
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Review
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Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Out of My Depth.
Content Warning: There may be references to manipulation, mentions of self-harm, violence, obsession, excessive drinking, somnophilia, noncon, blood, comedic depictions of suicide, and vandalism, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Haedeun loves swimming. He wanted to go pro, if he could, but a lack of natural talent, among other things, has left him settling for a job teaching others how to swim. He still takes every opportunity he can to get in the water, but it isn’t the same. Something that hasn’t changed, though, is his relentless admirer’s obsession with him. Haedeun tries his best to keep a safe distance, but then he gets a message that makes his heart sink.
His admirer, Han Sio, a talented and well-known swimmer, has been injured.
Haedeun can’t get to him fast enough. Fearing Sio will have to give up on the dream he did, Haedeun is ready to drop everything to nurse Sio back to health. But then he discovers that Sio was exaggerating his injury to force Haedeun to finally talk to him. Sio is still injured, though, so Haedeun lets him move in with him for the time being, despite all of Sio’s red flags. Their living arrangements are only temporary, so what’s the worst that could happen?
Review:
I was immediately drawn to this art style, which surprised me, since the cover art really highlights many of the artistic issues in this series. Sio’s hand looks super weird, with long, gangly fingers and a miniature palm, and Haedeun’s hand doesn’t look any better, with pointed fingertips and a pointer finger that is much too long relative to the other fingers. Plus, both characters’ eyes are a little crooked. Body proportions and facial structures are inconsistent at best and just plain bad at worst, but the goofy little faces Sio makes are great, and when the art is done well, there is something very lovely about the style. If it were just more consistent, I think this style could be one of my favorites.
However, there is something about the art that is near-unforgivable. I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I think this would have benefited from being censored with lightsabers. The penises in this are really weird-looking. They almost look like they were pasted in from another art style and have very rounded heads – think shafts wearing helmets; they look so weird, and the anatomy of where the penises are placed in some panels is… questionable, at best. Haedeun’s hole also doesn’t make any sense, looking like it is bunched up outside his body, and it was honestly distracting during the smut scenes. For once, lightsabers probably would’ve worked out in this story’s favor, but here we are.
Now, as far as the story is concerned, I ask you one question: what story? This is only seven episodes in total, so there already wasn’t much room for a story to begin with, but this just gives us a general foundation, and the rest is nonsense. Within a single episode, the two go from living together to never speaking again due to a momentary misunderstanding. Sure, the misunderstanding is understandable because Sio is obsessive and has a history of doing wild things to be with Haedeun, but this will give you whiplash with how quickly it sets us up for a live-in lover plotline, transitions into a misunderstanding-to-time-skip section, and then they get back together after Sio qualifies for the professional team. It is mostly nonsense because there is no sense of time or pacing, so if you are hoping for even the most minute amount of well-crafted and well-paced story, you’re looking in the wrong place.
I have to admit, though, there is something about this that I like. The story is silly, don’t get me wrong, but I am a sucker for red flag love interests. I like Haedeun as the caring older bottom (even if it does lend itself a bit to the raising my lover trope, which isn’t my favorite) to Sio, who is the obsessive and intensely devoted top. If these two were transplanted into a better story, I feel like it might have favorite potential. But as it stands, these are just my preferred character archetypes in a non-story.
Results:
I would love to see something longer from this creator. All of the weird stylistic choices and the lack of story aside, I feel in my bones there is a chance they could create something that really vibes with me. However, as it stands, this is one of those shorts that I think you should read if you are just that desperate for toxic BL between a yandere cusp and a loving older bottom. Otherwise, there really isn’t much to enjoy here. The art is too rough for the smut to be enjoyable, and the story doesn’t really exist. It’s cheap, though, so it’s hard to be mad about it.
Have you read Out of My Depth? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
