Athlete
Manga Review | Absolute Submission -Like Hell I’ll Obey!- by tsushiko
Title: Absolute Submission -Like Hell I'll Obey!-
Kikuma is a delinquent. He frequently gets into fights and leaves campus overnight, much to the chagrin of the teachers and staff of his boarding school. Determined to put him back on the right path, the staff reassign him to another room, one where his roommate is none other than the dorm superintendent, Takasumi. That doesn’t concern Kikuma, and he has no intention of changing his ways, but while being treated by the nurse after his recent fight, the nurse reveals that Kikuma has been identified as a sub – a secondary gender that requires the person to be dominated, commanded, praised, and punished, otherwise, he might experience detrimental health problems.
That shouldn’t be too big of a deal. Kikuma hasn’t experienced anything yet, and he doesn’t intend to, that is, until he meets his new roommate. As it turns out, Takasumi happens to be a dom – a secondary gender that requires the person to dominate, command, praise, and punish. While Takasumi probably couldn’t have stopped Kikuma’s delinquent streak usually, with Kikuma being a sub and Takasumi being a dom, Takasumi is in the perfect position to command and control Kikuma, whether he wants to be or not. But Kikuma is hardheaded. He has no intention of just going along with all of this, biology be damned.
Manga Review | Playboy Beast by Minomushi Momonoki
Title: Playboy Beast
The world has evolved. Through various human experimentation, a second species of human has been created through a mixture of animal and human DNA: demi-beasts. Unlike pure humans, demi-beasts undergo animalistic breeding periods known as heats once they reach puberty. Males long to impregnate females, while females want to be impregnated by males. Unfortunately, for panther demi-beast Riku, though he’s long since passed the age of puberty, he’s yet to have his first heat.
It’s not that big of a deal, but as Riku gets older, it becomes more and more concerning, especially when female demi-beasts begin approaching him. Desperate to initiate a heat, Riku ends up dating a fox demi-beast female, hoping to coax out his sexual urges by going on dates with her, but no matter how hot she might be, he just doesn’t feel compelled to go into heat. Things only become more complicated and frustrating when Riku’s living situation changes. He ends up being roomed with an albino lion demi-beast named Touma.
While Touma initially appears to be a run-of-the-mill book nerd, he turns out to be a bit more of a delinquent. Touma sneaks off campus overnight and has a casual sexual relationship with the school nurse. He’s everything Riku wishes he could be, or so he thinks. After Touma finds out about Riku’s perpetual virginity, Touma is all too happy to toy with Riku’s innocence and get Riku’s heat started. As it turns out, Touma isn’t everything Riku wants to be, but everything that Riku wants.
Manhwa Review | Kinks in Development by NAS
Title: Kinks in Development
Jaewon’s life has been pretty smooth since moving in with his casual sex partner. In exchange for sex, he’s fed, clothed, and housed without having to do much else, which is a great deal as far as Jaewon is concerned. He spends his days idly until his partner asks him to sign up for martial arts classes at the dojang he works at. Jaewon isn’t interested, but if that’s all he asks, he could do that, at least. He joins a class, inadvertently joining under the tutelage of a former classmate, Jung-wook.
For whatever reason, Jung-wook seems to have it out for Jaewon, not that Jaewon is making it hard for him. Jaewon is lazy and self-important, spending class time napping or playing around, and while that’s enough to draw the ire of Jung-wook, the reasons are so much deeper than that. Jung-wook and Jaewon got close in middle school, far closer than friends. They kissed and shared some of the most intimate moments of their lives, both when they needed it the most. Jung-wook was ruthlessly bullied and tortured in school, and though Jaewon never came to his defense, he often lessened the bullying as much as he could by hanging out with the bullies. Jung-wook was fine with this arrangement, and he was fine even when Jaewon ended up spreading a rumor around the school, making the bullying worse.
What Jung-wook couldn’t stand was Jaewon moving on and abandoning him. Jung-wook wants revenge, and he’s willing to give Jaewon his body if he can get revenge. What Jung-wook doesn’t know is that Jaewon doesn’t remember anything about his betrayal. He hardly remembers Jung-wook at all, and he’s all too happy to go on this lusty ride of vengeance.
Manhwa Review | Surge Towards You by Cheongyeon
Title: Surge Towards You
Cheong-ho is a prolific athlete. He’s an Olympic-grade swimmer, but his position is constantly questioned with his diminishing records. His condition would be better as an alpha if he would have sex with an omega, but his fear and repulsion toward omega pheromones make it impossible. Due to a traumatic event in his childhood, Cheong-ho can’t stand being around omegas, which is part of why he loves to swim because they can’t trigger him in the water. With suppressants, he can achieve his goal of being a professional swimmer, but with them being banned as performance enhancers and considered doping, Cheong-ho’s future in the sport is bleak.
At the end of his rope, he tries exposure therapy to overcome his repulsion. While in a park, he encounters someone hanging out on a bridge. The person looks unwell, which leads to them passing out and falling into the water below. Without hesitation, Cheong-ho jumps in to rescue them, but upon pulling them out of the water, he discovers that it is an omega in heat. Strangely enough, he isn’t put off by them, but the reason is even stranger still: they’re odorless. The person he rescued is Olympic figure skater Yi-rim, a “defective” omega with odorless pheromones.
Yi-rim has never been able to attract an alpha since no one can smell his scent, and, as such, he assumed his life would be lonely until he met Cheong-ho. Cheong-ho needs Yi-rim, and Yi-rim will give anything to be with Cheong-ho, even at the risk of his heart.
Manga Review | Rough and Tumble Hana and His Lovey-Dovey Boyfriend by Nene Shakeda
Title: Rough and Tumble Hana and His Lovey-Dovey Boyfriend
Hanamaru (also known as Hana) and Wataru have been friends for as long as they can remember. Even with Hana being a year older, they were closer than anyone else to each other, and as they grew up together, next door to each other, that closeness only grew. One day, in high school, their friendship reaches a fever pitch when Wataru confesses that he is in love with Hana and wants to be with him as his boyfriend. Hana readily agrees.
All is well in their world, but Hana is still bothered. Absolutely nothing is different, even though they’re dating now. While Hana has never thought much about what it means to be with a man, he wants to explore it together with Wataru. So, with the help of his older brothers, Hana makes it a point to take their relationship to the next level. Their relationship is important, but while trying to better their intimate relationship, their school lives are strained as teachers and peers tell Wataru that Hana is a bad influence. Hana just wants to help support Wataru.
Can their relationship survive the influence of others? Or will they succumb to peer pressure?
Manhwa Review | I Have a Boyfriend by PIBI
Title: I Have a Boyfriend
Hyunho is a show-out when it comes to soccer. It’s his life, and he hopes to go pro before graduation. When he isn’t thinking of soccer, though, he keeps the torch for his middle school friend Gyul lit. Unfortunately, due to unfortunate circumstances in Gyul’s family forcing him to move away and Hyunho having to go to a different school, the two never speak again. Even so, Hyunho can’t help thinking back to that sweet little boy who gave him the courage and opportunity to follow his dream as a soccer player.
To Hyunho’s surprise, he ends up running into Gyul on campus. Hyunho is ecstatic, considering this his chance to confess his feelings to his long-lost love finally, but Gyul isn’t the bright and smiley boy he once was. Instead, when Hyunho tries to get close to him, Gyul is cold. So cold that Hyunho wonders if this is even the same person. As Hyunho scours campus to get more information on Gyul, he discovers that most people avoid Gyul simply because he isn’t at all friendly and spends all his time studying or working to pay for his little brother’s school fees and put himself through college at the same time.
This doesn’t deter Hyunho in the least. He’s determined to do everything he can to help lighten Gyul’s load and, hopefully, woo him in the process. Regardless, he just wants Gyul to be happy again.