Manhwa Review | Tenth Time’s the Charm by gom

Title: Tenth Time's the Charm



Hyunwoo is doing everything he can to get by. As a poor student with chronic health issues, including amnesia and fainting spells, it's hard to make ends meet, much less to keep a job. Unfortunately, his situation comes to a head when he returns home to find his door locked, his stuff sitting outside, and a note from the landlord kicking him out. With nowhere else to go, Hyunwoo heads out to the street with his few belongings, trying to determine his next course of action.

While out on the street, Hyunwoo comes upon a flyer looking to hire someone with room and board provided at a garden-themed cafe named The Flower Garden of Memory. As a lover of flowers and plants and needing a home, Hyunwoo has no intention of letting the opportunity pass him by. He heads straight to the cafe, only to discover the owner is someone he already knows. The night before, while at a , Hyunwoo saw the owner, Hansung, kissing another man in the alleyway. They both are stunned to see each other again. As if his chances of getting the job aren't already bad enough, he passes out after smelling what Hyunwoo can only assume is Hansung.

Needless to say, when he wakes up, he's pretty sure he's lost the job. But after Hyunwoo begs, and coincidentally after he mentions his love of hydrangeas, Hansung gives him a chance. So begins Hyunwoo's new job at the cafe. But it's not all flowers and coffee; the longer he works there, the more he learns about his past and how Hansung might have been part of it. His memory seems to be intrinsically tied to this garden of memory.

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Manhwa Review | A Painter Behind the Curtain by MUNAMU

Title: A Painter Behind the Curtain



Ian is a prolific artist, but no one knows it. His artwork is sold for high prices, prized in exhibitions, and hanging on the walls of some of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom. Yet, Ian lives in squalor, starved and frail. He is a prolific artist, but he doesn't even know it. Ian has had a talent for art since childhood but was forbidden from pursuing his passion due to his family's low standing and poverty. Unfortunately, his work is noticed by a noble, the head of the Bardi family, a family of prolific artists. Bardi wants Ian and is willing to pay a premium for the child.

Unable to decline his offer, Ian's family sells him off to the Bardi family; all the while, Ian is being lured with promises of being able to paint to his heart's content. Ian sees this as a dream come true until the reality of his situation comes crashing down on top of him. Ian has been enslaved. He's kept in a closet where he is broken and beaten, trained relentlessly in the techniques of painting until he can do so without any reference. Once he's completed a painting, the second son of the Bardi family, without any talent for the arts, signs his name to the piece, passing it off as one of his own.

Ian can't even dream of anything beyond this torturous he's trapped in, the only comfort being that he can still paint. That is until a mysterious and eager merchant named Raymond comes by, requesting a portrait from the Bardi family. Raymond's coin is all the Bardi family cares about, but once Raymond sees Ian, Ian is all Raymond seems to care about.

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Manga Review | Charming Scarface by Io Kaziwara

Title: Charming Scarface



Yuma is a big, bulky bear of a man, but inside, he's a soft sweetheart. This gentle personality manifests in the motherly way he dotes on his younger childhood friend Shizuya, in his love for kid's picture books, and at work when helping kids find books they'll love at the bookstore. But nothing gives him more pride than Shizuya. Much of who he is as an adult was carefully crafted for Yuma to be the best big brother and guardian figure for Shizuya. Yuma's happiness is intrinsically tied to Shizuya's, and Yuma wouldn't have it any other way.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Yuma tries, it seems like Shizuya just isn't all that happy. Undeterred, Yuma does everything he can to dote on Shizuya in hopes that he will become the upstanding man Yuma knows he can be. One evening, while in town, Yuma's devotion to Shizuya reaches a dangerous level. As much as Yuma likes to think Shizuya is still the small, sweet, and gentle little boy, Shizuya has played the role of a delinquent through his teen years and, consequently, has gained a violent reputation and many enemies. He's challenged by some other delinquents, itching for a fight, but what was going to be a fight with fists turns deadly as one of the guys pulls out a knife.

When Yuma sees his beloved Shizuya threatened with a blade, he has no hesitation and jumps in the way, permanently scarring his face and making his life much harder, as children are afraid of the scar. Shizuya is beyond guilty, but Yuma is all too happy to sacrifice himself and his livelihood for Shizuya's happiness.

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Manhwa Review | Royal Servant by MasterGin

Title: Royal Servant



Kyon is looking for a job. One of the most lucrative positions out there is the position of a “servant,” which means working under someone with royal blood. While the royals look like regular humans, they are much more than that. Royals are almost invincible. They have superhuman strength and speed, are nearly immortal, and can even manifest powers. They are Gods among men, and with vast estates from their prestigious and long-lived lineages, they need as many servants as possible.

One such royal is Selvior Lucaon. Lucaon is looking to hire a servant, and Kyon happens to be that lucky one. Lucaon puts his mark around Kyon's neck, allowing Lucaon to control and monitor Kyon at his leisure. Lucaon is a cold and particular master, meticulous in how he expects his household to be managed, and he seems to despise the servants working for him. Despite this, Kyon is desperate to tear down the walls Lucaon has built around himself, even when it leads to punishment.

While Lucaon and Kyon struggle with their relationship as master and servant, a group of creatures known as Zeros are popping up everywhere, threatening the lives of everyone around them. As Kyon's devotion to his master grows, so too does the threat of the Zeros.

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Manga Review | Kuroe and the Garden of Feminine Pleasures by Chifuyu

Title: Kuroe and the Garden of Feminine Pleasures



Sonogi Eda woke up after a night out drinking in a shocking predicament. He has a vagina. Thankfully, he still has all his other parts, too, but that is a small comfort during this horrifying discovery. What's worse is that Sonogi doesn't have insurance, so he can't even afford to go to the doctor to get it checked out. Desperate for an outlet and anyone to confide in who can help, Sonogi goes in to work at the host club and asks his boss if he knows anyone with medical knowledge he could talk to.

As it turns out, the boss recommends the number one host of the club: Kuroe. While Sonogi's not convinced Kuroe can actually help, he has nowhere else to go and asks Kuroe to meet him in private. After disclosing his current predicament, Kuroe talks Sonogi into showing him his new body part. While all Kuroe does is humiliate and tease Sonogi, as well as blackmail him with this new secret, Kuroe does have some information about what is going on with Sonogi's body. There is an illegal drug going around that gives the person who takes it the opposite sex's genitals. Thankfully, it isn't permanent, but it won't go away in less than a month.

Relieved that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Sonogi is comforted… except that now he's forced into Kuroe's servitude in exchange for keeping his secret. Can Sonogi withstand Kuroe's sadistic, womanizing tendencies?

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Manhwa Review | Love Bite by LAMYO

Title: Love Bite



Lee Shinwoo is a kept man. His boyfriend Sebin is well-off and doting, doing everything he can to make Shinwoo happy, though it doesn't necessarily align with his preferences. Unfortunately, no matter what Sebin does, he can't satisfy Shinwoo on one particular front: sex. It's not for lack of trying. Shinwoo just has a particular kink in that he wants harsh and humiliating . But no matter how much Sebin tries, he just can't make himself cruel enough to satisfy Shinwoo. Sebin loves Shinwoo, but Shinwoo just needs more than love.

This particular kink didn't just come out of nowhere. Shinwoo developed this insatiable need for BDSM from a scarring moment in . Shinwoo was in love with his best friend at the time, Taesoo. He longed for Taesoo but couldn't bring himself to confess. Unable to withhold his growing lust but unwilling to wait to be with Taesoo, Shinwoo starts an illicit relationship with his art teacher. Unfortunately, while having oral sex in the classroom, Taesoo ends up walking in on them. Seeing Shinwoo in this comprising situation, Taesoo is disgusted and ends up calling Shinwoo a whore before breaking all ties with Shinwoo.

While Shinwoo was hurt and missed Taesoo, being demeaned like that by his first love awoke this need to be put down and humiliated in bed. Unfortunately, Shinwoo has yet to find a partner to sate these needs until he runs into Taesoo at a school reunion. Shinwoo already has a committed partner, but with his first love in front of him, who also seems willing to give in to Shinwoo's preferences, Shinwoo struggles to fight against temptation.

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Manga Review | Enter the Beast by Owal

Title: Enter the Beast



Hajime Sato is an worker. Work has been unbearable with neverending overtime. His only comfort in this trying time is the prospect of seeing his favorite porn actress Chihiro when he gets the chance to go home. He's already thinking about her newest release while on the train heading back home for the first time in a long time, but then he hears her. Looking around on the train, he finds there is only one other person, and he has headphones in. But the headphones are doing nothing to deafen the sound of porn coming from the stranger's phone.

Hajime is beyond embarrassed for the strange man, watching porn in the middle of the day, but he's even more embarrassed for himself. No matter how hard he tries to hold back, he can't help getting a boner hearing his beloved Chihiro's voice. The man ends up catching Hajime in this precarious situation. The man takes Hajime off the train at the next stop, taking him into the bathroom to “relieve” themselves while listening to Chihiro.

Hajime's stunned, embarrassed, but relieved all the same. At least it's over, and he'll hopefully never run into this weirdo ever again. Little does Hajime know this stranger, coincidentally named Chihiro, has no intention of leaving Hajime alone.

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Manga Review | Wails of the Bound by Keri Kusabi

Title: Wails of the Bound



Keisuke Takaba is an alpha, and he's recently been hired at a company. As the new guy, Takaba is still feeling out the hierarchy, but all of his assumptions go out the window when he finds out his chief is an omega. Takaba has an aversion to omegas due to his childhood, having to see and hear his omega father being used and abused by various customers. Add in the unfortunate fact that Takaba doesn't even know who sired him, and this has created an intense hatred and phobia of omegas. But Chief Miyabi Karasuma isn't concerned with being well-liked, especially by alphas.

Miyabi Karasuma, chief of his department, didn't get where he is by being a well-mannered omega. Having been hidden away and confined by his father for most of his young life, the moment he became an adult, he was determined to build a life for himself where he used every advantage his omega body afforded him. He has sex with clients, many of his client's subordinates, and even the higher-ups in his own company, securing contracts and money that keep him at the top of his company's sales reports. His sales tactics are an open secret around the office, and most people despise him for his unconventional methods, none more so than Takaba.

But as Takaba spends more and more time with (and beneath) Karasuma, Takaba is beginning to realize that Karasuma isn't just any omega. Karasuma is strong. But even the strong need a place to rest, and Takaba wants nothing more than to be Karasuma's place. Can Takaba break through Karasuma's disgust for alphas?

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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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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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