Alpha Accidentally Gets Pregnant by His Greatest Enemy
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Warnings
Synopsis
Review
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Tags:
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Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Smyrna and Capri.
Content Warning: There may be references to dubcon/noncon (due to mistaken identity), violence, blood, murder, death, corruption, war, genocide, sexism (based on secondary sex), imprisonment, mentions of capital punishment, self-harm, fantasy religion, drugging (via fake medication), mentions of miscarriage, mentions of bribery, mentions of abortion, mentions of arson, gun violence, gossiping, corruption, manipulation, and spying, as they do appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Theo Peserus’s future is set by destiny. As the acting leader of the Peserus clan, Theo is not only destined to bear the next heir to the Peserus clan (despite being an alpha) but also to serve as the emperor’s sword, leading various military campaigns, including the complete destruction of the Langeres clan. Since he’s captured the leader of the Langeres’ revolutionary army, Seram Marita, Theo’s main goal is complete. With that done, all that is left is to get pregnant.
As an alpha, he usually wouldn’t be able to, but the Peserus are special. Using a special concoction derived from a special plant, their body is able to temporarily change, growing a womb capable of growing an egg. They become a Smyrna, and in order to create the egg, they must find a Capri, the alpha that will ultimately become the father. Theo has gone to bed with several alphas already, but none have been able to impregnate him. On the night of his next session, he is bedded by the one who successfully becomes his Capri.
But destiny is cruel. The successful alpha is none other than Theo’s prisoner and enemy, Seram Marita. But what’s done is done, and with the Langeres people’s intense beliefs over parenthood, even Seram is willing to go along with Theo’s road to fatherhood. But again, destiny is cruel, and these two are enemies. Can they overcome an entire empire and a history of horror and destruction? Or are they destined for failure?
Review:
I’ve had a love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with Brothers Without a Tomorrow for years at this point. Their art style has always pained me, but I am never one to give up on an artist. It is a joy to see how an artist’s skills grow and change, and no growth is more satisfying than that of Brothers Without a Tomorrow. That’s not to say it is perfect. The usual issues are still present as ever, with the awkward ear placement on the characters’ heads, the inconsistencies in body proportions, and side characters who definitely look like they are from classic titles (they look like one side of them was drawn, then that side was duplicated, flipped, and put together to form a full, forward-facing character). However, this has some absolutely gorgeous panels, some that transcend many other manhwa panels out there. It isn’t perfect, but even someone as picky as me has to admit that there is some perfection sprinkled in. This isn’t as good as their newest title, but you can see the beginning of that perfection here.
But beyond the art, let’s talk about the story. This is a very high fantasy concept. Because of that, there is a pretty heavy barrage of worldbuilding and fantastical elements thrown at us as we read through this. This includes names of deities or characters that we never actually see within the story, only references to them. It can be very confusing. This is a fairly long manhwa, but for a fantasy story like this with so many fantastical elements, it just isn’t long enough. It has to make room for a lot of name-dropping and history-dropping, and for major political intrigue alongside the main plot, which is the romance between Theo and Seth. There is just never enough room, and that is especially true here. I will say, Brothers Without a Tomorrow has made some cryptic tweets suggesting this might be the first entry in a trio of stories that will help expand the world and explain things, but those are auto-translated, which aren’t necessarily the most accurate or thorough. I’d like to think we will get more on this world someday, but as it stands, this is extremely lacking.
However, I will say, I love that this story features an alpha getting pregnant. When I first started reading things set in the omegaverse (back when Love is an Illusion! was serializing), I read several manga where alphas, betas, and omegas could get pregnant, regardless of their primary sex. That seems to have fallen out of favor, with omegas usually being the only ones to be able to get pregnant regardless of primary sex in most omegaverse stories. This felt a bit like a return to form. There are other titles where it is implied (Low Tide in Twilight, for example), but it is nice to have an alpha actually get pregnant and be shown to be pregnant. It is due to a magical plant, of course, but I’ll take what I can get.
Before I close out this review, I do want to mention that at the time of writing this, there is a mention of possible side stories in the author’s note. However, with the possible connection between this title and others that Brothers Without a Tomorrow is working on, I’m not confident we will get more content on this particular story. It is such a shame, especially since we get so little content around the children and their current family life. While this does have eggpreg, the child-rearing is almost non-existent. So, if you are hoping for some follow-up once everything is said and done, just like with much of the rest of the non-romance plot, you will be disappointed.
Results:
This isn’t perfect by any means, but it is a real treat. The art isn’t perfect, and the narrative feels a bit hollow by the end, but for any omegaverse fans looking for something with a strong historical fantasy element, look no further. For my folks who long for more in-depth narratives, it may be worth waiting to see how the creator ties these future titles in (if at all). This could end up being an amazing series of titles, but we’ll have to wait and see. I certainly look forward to it.
Have you read Smyrna and Capri? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
