About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the OEL comic series Achilles and the Boy Next Door.
Content Warning: There may be references to gun violence, violence, references to war, disability, references to human experimentation, invasion of privacy, references to ableism, excessive drinking, PTSD, age gap, mugging, mentions of plague, mentions of famine, sexual assault, attempted cheating (not between the main couple), mentions of fat-shaming, death, gossiping, stalking, vandalism, blood, breaking and entering, self-hatred, and manipulation, as they appear in the comic.
Synopsis:
Adrian Brent is a physical therapist. He does his best to keep a peaceful life of solitude, and not just because he’s an introvert. Adrian’s real identity is actually Achilles, the Greek warrior from legend. For whatever reason, Achilles hasn’t aged a single day and, as a result, has experienced all manner of history, both violent and peaceful. Tired of all of the loss that unending life comes along with, Achilles would love nothing more than to work, make money, and live a quiet life. But these plans go out the window when a new neighbor moves into Adrian’s building.
This new neighbor is none other than vibrant and extroverted social media influencer Harper Holmes. Adrian doesn’t know him, but many people do, which leads to all manner of people coming and disrupting the peace, whether it be obsessive fans or raucous party-goers. Whoever Harper is, Adrian is ready for him to move along so he can go back to his quiet life. But no matter how hard Adrian tries, he can’t seem to escape Harper and all of his chaos. After an unexpected wrist injury to Harper ignites Adrian’s medical inclinations, the two end up spending far more time together than Adrian would prefer.
Unfortunately for Adrian, as they spend more time together, he finds himself drawn into Harper’s orbit. But can a man who lives forever allow himself to be hurt by love’s brevity once again? More importantly, can Adrian figure out why it seems Harper can read his very thoughts?
Review:
I have to admit, I adore hakei. We are mutuals on Twitter, and I have acted as proofreader/editor on multiple of their print works. So, with that, I am pretty biased towards this work. As always, I will do my best to be as balanced as possible, but I do consider hakei a good friend and excellent client. Though, to be clear, I did not work on this title in any capacity. I am simply a big fan this time around, and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts. So, with that out of the way, let’s dive in.
The art in this is perfect for comedy. hakei’s style was made for comedic titles, and this is no exception. Their work isn’t necessarily the cleanest. There are times when it is inconsistent, or the proportions are off (looking at Adrian’s pointy elbow in the cover, for example). But it’s got a great balance of manga, manhwa, and cartoony-esque elements that really highlight the humor and lighthearted points of the story. It’s very expressive, though, so even the darker segments are well done. It’s solid. It might not be the most perfect style out there, but it’s a good one all the same.
Story-wise, I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the reveal of Harper’s identity. I truly thought this was going to be a reincarnation story, with Harper being Patroclus reincarnated (which I would’ve adored, mind you). It’s clear early on that he isn’t an average human, hinting that he might have the ability to read thoughts, which explains why he makes such a good and charismatic online personality. However, as it is revealed, he is actually Hermes. It was a bit weird that Harper was a God who lived forever on Earth while Adrian was a man who suddenly gained immortality. I wish that had been further explored, as it felt a little random, but life is random, so here we are.
Unfortunately, while the story starts off strong and has a good premise, it stalls by the end. One of the major points of conflict up until the end is Harper’s real identity and his ability to read minds. While they’re on vacation, Harper confesses all of that to Adrian, leading to a rather childish and unnecessary fight. The two end up crumbling by that point and going their separate ways soon after. Then, we spend an agonizing amount of time seeing them move on from each other, though more of the moving is on Harper’s side, both literally and metaphorically. Based on all of the pain and rage, this would need a whole other season to find each other again, but within a few episodes, Adrian goes to find Harper packing. He admits that he loves Harper and that he wants to be with him… and then they kiss. The end. It’s a very rushed and anticlimactic ending, which was disappointing, to say the least.
Results:
Unfortunately, this isn’t a favorite of mine. The story starts out strong and burns brightly in the middle, only to fizzle out at the end. I love hakei’s art, but it isn’t the pinnacle of perfection either. This had a lot of promise, but it just didn’t end on the note I would’ve liked. If you adore hakei and Twoony, I have no doubt you will like this, but it was a miss for me.
Have you read Achilles and the Boy Next Door? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!