Manhwa Review | Aporia by Seontae

Title: Aporia



Goo Ja-wook is hopelessly in love with the infamous Yoon Gyum. Their relationship began by pure chance. Ja-wook just happened to be scoping out the exclusive club for enthusiasts, not because he was interested in BDSM, but because his company was being hired to design the space for an upcoming renovation and subsequent event. Ja-wook innocently took a seat at the to take down notes and sketch up plans when he was approached by none other than Gyum. Gyum was immediately smitten with Ja-wook, assuming he was a club patron as well, and intent on finding out how compatible they are in the bedroom, invited Ja-wook up to his room. Far too enraptured by Gyum to realize what he’s walking into, Ja-wook happily agrees.

After a steamy night, Ja-wook wants nothing more than to be with Gyum, but rather than be asked out officially, Gyum has a different arrangement in mind. Gyum intends to form a dom-sub relationship with Ja-wook. The main stipulation? They never pry into the other’s personal lives. What Gyum doesn’t realize is that Ja-wook has no interest in being a sub, much less a masochist, but he does have a vested interest in Gyum. Ja-wook agrees for no other reason than that he wants to be with Gyum in any way he can, even if at the risk of his pride and health.

So begins Ja-wook’s nosedive into the world of BDSM.

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Manga Review | The Lord’s Bride by Pyoco Asahina

Title: The Lord's Bride



Shion is part of a powerful family, but as a branching cadet family with no blood ties to the main family, he gets all the ire from all the other branches, but without the power the main family has. The main reason for all of the ire? It’s due to a long-held tradition between his bloodline and the head of the main family. Their ancestors were once in love but could not be together due to their differing classes. Unwilling to be without each other, the ancestors performed a bonding ceremony, rebelling against their families and solidifying their love for one another.

Now that Ao, Shion’s former childhood friend, has obtained the role of head of the main family, he fully intends to carry on the tradition of binding their two families together through this bonding ceremony. Unfortunately, this needless tradition has caused immense fury amongst all of the other family members, all of it directed toward Shion, who doesn’t have the power Ao does to defend himself. Shion never wanted to go along with this stupid tradition and, as such, fully intends to escape as soon as he gets the chance. Ao, though, has no intention of letting Shion go.

On the surface, it may seem that Ao is just going along with all of this for the sake of tradition, but there are much deeper reasons that even Shion can’t fathom.

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Manhwa Review | Bound to Be Fools by gahyun

Title: Bound to Be Fools



Kangjin Cha was on the cusp of taking his own life in . He was ready to jump off the top of a building at school, hoping to embarrass his overbearing and cruel father as well as escape his suffering. Before he can go through with his plan, Jungkwon Jang, another student, rushes to the rooftop and snatches Kangjin down back to the safety of the roof. Having been rescued by a stranger, Kangjin is desperate to learn more about his savior and, to do so demands that Jungkwon take responsibility for the life he saved. Jungkwon reluctantly agrees.

Over time, the two become the best of friends. It isn’t long after that that the two end up becoming boyfriends. They are the epitome of happiness with each other. But outside of their relationship, their individual lives are fraught with pain and suffering. Jungkwon, in particular, is struggling with the immense debt left behind by his late father, who committed suicide. The debt collectors are once again hounding his mother, and he is desperately trying to protect both his sister and his mother from the violence, only for Kangjin to come in and bear witness to one of the most embarrassing times in his life. He loves Kangjin, but he never wanted him to see him so low.

In a fit of rage, Jungkwon breaks up with Kangjin and refuses to see him ever again. Kangjin is absolutely heartbroken, Jungkwon’s love being the one bright spot in his life. Kangjin’s sorrow eventually swells into rage, and even years later, as an adult working as a host and sex worker, he still finds his life being directed by the trauma that abandonment caused him. When Kangjin ends up running into Jungkwon, all of those feelings come back to the surface, and Kangjin wants nothing more than to finally get revenge. As it happens, Jungkwon is still struggling with debt and desperate for a way to dig himself and his family back out, and what better way to get his vengeance than to drag Jungkwon into the same muck Kangjin is rolling in?

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Manga Review | Honey Maple More More Sugar by tsushiko

Title: Honey Maple More More Sugar (Renta!) | Honey, Maple, and More Sugar (MangaPlanet / futekiya)



Bee is a bit of a celebrity in the niche crafting community, thanks to his beautiful stuffed creations that he posts online. The online community isn’t just for sharing crafted creations but also a place for gay men to meet up and often have cybersex. Bee, aka Tsumugi, takes full advantage of his popularity, posting his creations and then enjoying some sensual time with his fans. While he has his pick of the litter, Tsumugi’s preferred partner is also his top fan, Chiitan. Chiitan is always the first to leave comments on any of Bee’s posts, and how he dominates in the DMs is right up Tsumugi’s alley. If Tsumugi is going to meet with anyone IRL, it’s going to be Chiitan.

Chiitan hesitantly agrees, and Tsumugi couldn’t be more excited (and nervous). Bee has attempted to meet a couple of people from the community, only to be disappointed as the people end up being creepy or not what Tsumugi expected. Thanks to Chiitan’s interactions online, Tsumugi has set himself up to be disappointed once again, imagining a cutesy and soft man. Chiitan ends up being anything but. Chiitan, aka Mikio, is a tall, angry-looking man, more befitting the mafia than a crafting community. Thankfully, he is still attractive, and though Tsumugi is terrified of Mikio, they end up eating together and kissing. Mikio even gives Tsumugi a stuffed animal he made himself named Honey. It’s a really nice time overall.

Tsumugi, as much as he loves his interactions with Chiitan, is too nervous to continue with Mikio, but no matter how he tries to find a new cybersex partner, none are like Chiitan. Can Tsumugi see beyond Mikio’s tough exterior?

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Manhwa Review | Butler by Nabit

Title: Butler



Seo Yian is a butler at a prestigious hotel where the elite of the elite frequent due to their unmatched service, but more importantly, for their all beta staff. Yian is just another one of those betas, serving as a personal butler for VIP client Yoo Jekwon. Yoo Jekwon is an alpha and a CEO of his own company. He is on a whole other level to most people, but especially to Yian, who feels lucky just to be in his presence every day. Jekwon is mysterious, pretty much living at the hotel. But Yian isn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth and instead takes full advantage of Jekwon’s odd living situation.

To take their working relationship to the next level, Yian offers some “special services” to Jekwon. Though Jekwon is initially surprised, he happily accepts, and the two spend many steamy evenings together under the guise of a master-and-servant relationship. Unfortunately, after spending Jekwon’s rut in his bed, Yian takes in a lot of alpha pheromones. This has the unfortunate side effect of forcing Yian into a transformation, causing him to manifest into an omega. While this would give Yian the chance to be with an alpha like Jekwon, it means he can no longer work as a butler, a job he adores. Jekwon is more than happy to take responsibility, but with Yian’s pheromones being unstable, their relationship status undefined, and the threat of Yian’s identity being exposed to his job, Jekwon has his work cut out for him.

All of this is only made worse as Jekwon’s stepfather is determined to find any weakness Jekwon might have and exploit it to force his stepson to work in his company.

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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.

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Manhwa Review | Cover-up by GyaGa

Title: Cover-up



Yeon Geum-hwa is a tattoo artist and a highly sought-after one at that. Unfortunately, he learned his craft from his ex-boyfriend, an obsessive and controlling man whom Geum-hwa would love nothing more than to escape from. That opportunity arises when he gets a call about a potential client in Japan. They want to fly Geum-hwa out there to perform a cover-up for someone. While it’s not explicitly stated, it’s not hard to figure out that this client is part of a gang or yakuza.

It’s a dangerous prospect, but if it will free Geum-hwa from his ex’s influence, the danger is well worth it. So, after designing the tattoo, Geum-hwa is flown out to Japan, where he meets his client, Katamoto Seung-jae, the second son of the Katamoto family’s head. Geum-hwa inadvertently ends up in the middle of a power struggle between the first son and the second son, being used as leverage by the first son when Geum-hwa and Seung-jae begin a physical relationship. While he’s no longer any safer in Japan than he would be at home, Geum-hwa is hopelessly in love with Seung-jae, and while Seung-jae feels the same, he isn’t willing to risk Geum-hwa’s life.

Even though Geum-hwa is willing to risk everything to be with Seung-jae, Seung-jae feels compelled to let him go. Will Seung-jae be able to follow through, or will he be unable to let Geum-hwa go?

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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.

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Manhwa Review | Killing Stalking by Koogi

Title: Killing Stalking



Yoon Bum is a loner, but he doesn’t want to be. Bum longs for companionship, but not just with anyone. He longs for no one other than Oh Sangwoo. Bum has been quietly stalking Sangwoo since meeting him during conscription after Sangwoo rescued him from an assault by his platoon leader. After figuring out where he lives, Bum discovers the numbers of Sangwoo’s door lock and lists out every possible combination, which he decides to try so he can gain access to Sangwoo’s house. Unfortunately, at the end of the list, a cop car pulls up and begins questioning why he is there. Bum is in a panic but is able to say he’s Sangwoo’s cousin before getting the code right and slipping inside.

While Bum sees this as a victory, he doesn’t realize that the cops he spoke to know Sangwoo, and they end up telling him about the run-in with his “cousin,” prompting him to return home while Bum is lurking about. But having a stranger in his home isn’t the main reason Sangwoo is in a rush to get back. While Bum is snooping about, he discovers a basement door in the floor with a lock on it. Once he opens it and heads down, Bum discovers a woman, bound and beaten. Bum tries to help her, but before he can get her free, Sangwoo finds him, knocking Bum out with a baseball bat.

Bum is now Sangwoo’s newest victim. Can Bum survive this encounter? But more importantly, can he make Sangwoo love him as much as he loves him?

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Manga Review | Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart by Syundei

Title: Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart



Terumichi is in love with his mysterious classmate Yamada, who just appeared in his life one day. Yamada is strange and imposing but dangerously beautiful and one of the few people who have been kind to Terumichi. His unique disposition makes him all the more alluring to Terumichi, and in the end, he can’t help being drawn to Yamada. After an abrupt confession, Yamada and Terumichi seem on the cusp of when a stranger with a knife appears.

Terumichi does everything he can to protect Yamada, but in the end, Yamada is stabbed to death. Terumichi is in a panic, calling an ambulance, even though it’s clear by the amount of blood that Yamada isn’t going to survive. Yet, somehow, Yamada gets right up and walks away as if nothing ever happened, whispering a cryptic sentence:

“Only two left.”

Terumichi would be better off cutting his losses and moving on, but he just can’t forget Yamada.

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