Mafia Leader Falls for Lawyer and Then the Plot Spirals
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Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Roses and Champagne.
Content Warning: There may be references to gossiping, gang activity, corruption, blood, obsession, violence, gun violence, murder, death, mentions of excessive drinking, extortion, sexual assault, invasion of privacy, vandalism, overwork, power imbalance, child abuse (including attempted murder), breaking and entering, theft, PTSD, manipulation, drugging, drink tampering, kidnapping, spying, xenophobia, family abandonment, betrayal, confinement, noncon, racism, poisoning, mentions of sex work, mentions of drug trafficking and usage, religion, mentions of military, BDSM (including dangerous play, like gun play and breath play), arranged marriages (not between the main couple), mentions of being orphaned, mentions of child homelessness, discussions of incest (none occurs), homomisia, self-harm, and threats of suicide, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Caesar Sergeev is the heir and acting head of a very powerful Russian mafia family. From the moment he was born, he has been intensely trained for this very purpose. As a result, Caesar’s life is full of violence, corruption, and death, and he basks in all of it. On behalf of a senator, Caesar’s just doing what he does best to extort someone out of a factory property, but on the way to his next meeting, he ends up bumping into a lawyer. The lawyer is Lee-won Jeong, and Lee-won just so happens to be defending the man Caesar is supposed to be extorting out of the factory property. Caesar would be better off just getting rid of the lawyer and moving on, but there is an immediate attraction that Caesar can’t deny, and as one of the most powerful men in the country, he has no issues getting what or who he wants. Right now, he has his sights set on Lee-won.
Lee-won is horrified by the world of the mafia and is especially disgusted by Caesar’s unexplainable obsession with him. But this is working in his favor, as Caesar seems to be willing to switch sides just to appease Lee-won. Unfortunately, it means spending time with the mafia leader, but if it means winning the legal battle for his client, it is worth the trouble. Still, the closer Lee-won gets to Caesar, the closer he gets to the horror and violence of the mafia world. Not only does he have to worry about the love of a man like Caesar, but all of Caesar’s enemies that come along to hurt him, whether directly or through those he cares about.
Much to even Lee-won’s surprise, though, he finds himself reciprocating Caesar’s attraction. And though it is dangerous getting so close to him, Caesar himself doesn’t seem to be a danger to Lee-won… right? But Lee-won may have much more to worry about than his relationship with Caesar, as he may have more ties to the underworld than even he is aware of.
Review:
I typically like to start by discussing the art, but I think there is something more important to discuss this time around (and this is becoming a much more common complaint than I would like to admit). I try to give grace, because as an English speaker, I am judging these works based on a translation. I am not sure how much is the fault of the original writing versus the translation. But for a series that is as popular as this one and that is as long (thus, expensive) as this one is, it is painful how poorly written it is. With all the missing articles, typos throughout, inconsistent name spellings, weird phrasing (such as referring to someone as “a mafia” rather than “a mobster”), and clunky writing, this does not read like a professional translation. It is worth noting that I read the Lezhin version in full, but I do own the Seven Seas version and did compare a few chapters. Yes, Seven Seas did fix a few things, but it appears to be the exact same translation with very minor edits. It may be worth getting the Seven Seas version if that is available for a slightly better edited translation, but only by so much. Either way, this is an unfortunate showing for a manhwa translation.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the art. The style in this is very unique. It is super inconsistent, and there is something eerie about how boxy and big the faces are paired with the smaller, narrower features (Caesar especially), but I have to say it is a very attractive style when it is done right. This artist is especially good at depicting longing. There are panels that subtly change from one to the next, creating a slow transition that just made my heart race. Kisses are so slow and intimate, and are sometimes sexier than the sex itself, but let’s get into the smut. It does take a long time to get to the smut, and the first time we see it is noncon (this doesn’t bother me, but I want to note it for those who would like to avoid noncon), but once that dam breaks, this has some of the best smut out there.
It is uncensored, which is always a huge bonus, and after all of the very ugly penises I have experienced recently with some uncensored titles, this was a breath of fresh air. But there is one scene in particular I have to discuss, as this scene alone is almost worth reading this entire series for. It takes place in the side stories, and it is during/after our couple, Lee-won and Caesar, just went through a survival battle royale fight against each other. Lee-won ends up dominating Caesar, holding a gun to his head, and then riding him dry and enjoying the pain just as much as the pleasure. It is much more intense BDSM play than I’ve ever seen in BDSM titles, and it is with the bottom dominating the top, which culminates in one of the hottest and most unique scenes I have seen in BL. I need more intense BDSM paired alongside a dom bottom. I need it, and if you have any recommendations for things like this, I implore you to leave them in the comments below.
Unfortunately, though, as much as I love this scene, it is still hard to recommend this series. The main story is a whirlwind, and that is putting it mildly. It starts off well-paced, with mutual pining that builds and builds as Caesar forces himself into Lee-won’s life again and again. Admittedly, I often find myself not enjoying many of Zig‘s stories because they are very melodramatic and nonsensical, but I was actually enjoying this since it does set us up for it to be hyper-violent and cruel, unlike their other series, which often go from more down-to-earth melodramas into sudden thriller-esque stories out of nowhere. While this doesn’t have the tonal whiplash of many of their other series, it still has that random, rushed, nonsensical quality. Yet somehow, it manages to make it feel like the series will never end. It is a mishmash of contradictions that is hard to enjoy. I will say, Lee-won as a character is great, but one amazing character doesn’t a good story make.
Results:
If you love Zig‘s over-the-top, sometimes nonsensical, whiplash method of storytelling, this might not be as much of a slog for you as it was for me. I like to think I have the ability to suspend my disbelief pretty well, but Zig always seems to test me, and this series is no exception. It certainly had its bright spots, such as the intense BDSM and noncon scenes, and Lee-won as a character is just begging to be a mafia boss in his own right. But there are far more cons than there are pros. Add in a subpar translation, and this ended up just being a mess. I personally wouldn’t recommend it, but Zig has a huge following for a reason, and this series in particular has a pretty big fanbase. I very well could be the weird one here, but I just couldn’t enjoy this one. There are better translated stories and better mafia stories out there, and they are probably more worthy of your coins than this one.
Have you read Roses and Champagne? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
