Manhwa Review | The Origin of Species by Harusari

Title: The Origin of Species



Youngjin is a faulty omega. Though he's part of the extraordinary species, due to being born from an ordinary species and an extraordinary species pairing, he's effectively infertile. Not to mention, he's missing the superhuman strength, speed, and other superior qualities found in full-blooded extraordinary species. That wouldn't be so terrible if not for the lonely and dangerous life he's forced to lead. After his grandfather passed, Youngjin was left entirely alone on the island he grew up on, everyone else having moved to the mainland. It isn't until Youngjin is taken in by “sir” that he is given a new purpose. Sir steadily grooms Youngjin, tying him to him with immense debt and helping him become an unstoppable hacker, but oppressing all other aspects of his life.

During an intense mission where Youngjin must hack into a safe at an auction to steal a mysterious, encrypted item, he and his teammates are captured. Youngjin is tied up and presented to an alpha, the item's buyer. He is Seo Seunghyun, president of a large company and a man who has every intention of getting what he wants, no matter what it takes. He has the item, but it's encrypted, and his team just isn't well-equipped to break into it. Having seen Youngjin's skills firsthand, he's sure Youngjin is just what he needs. Youngjin is willing to work with Seunghyun only under a few conditions.

The first is to free his teammates.

Easy enough, but then there's the second condition:

Make a sex tape with Youngjin.

Seunghyun is shocked but even more intrigued, and after a night with Youngjin in bed, he finds himself intensely drawn to the strange omega. If Seunghyun wants Youngjin, he'll get him, and he's willing to do anything to win Youngjin over.

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Manga Review | Hotaru Dies Tomorrow by Fuyu Saikawa

Title: Hotaru Dies Tomorrow



Saneatsu is in love, but not with a real person. He's in love with the main character of his favorite novel, the somber and hypersexual Hotaru – a cat-eyed beauty with dusty pink hair. Every partner he's ever had has never been able to compare to her, resulting in Saneatsu being dumped over and over again. He's lonely, but he longs for Hotaru and no one else. To his surprise, he runs into a young man with cat eyes and dusty pink hair. He kisses the man before he can control himself and asks him out.

The man, to Saneatsu's surprise, agrees, and the two start an intensely sexual relationship – exactly what Saneatsu would expect from being with his beloved Hotaru. This Hotaru's name is Nao, and his entire personality, likes and dislikes, reactions, and commentary all align with his beloved Hotaru. This is everything Saneatsu could have ever wanted in a relationship. But is Hotaru really the one Saneatsu wants to be in a relationship with?

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Manhwa Review | Hotel Pharus by BINGO

Title: Pharus



Daniel is down in the dumps. His long-term lover has left him to get married, his boss is closing the bar down, and without much direction, he has no idea what to do with his life. More bad news arrives at his door when someone delivers a letter announcing that Daniel's estranged father has passed. But hope is waiting in the wings as his father has left him the hotel Daniel once grew up in. Seeing this as his new start and a chance to revisit his happy childhood memories, Daniel takes the leap and moves out to the countryside to find his childhood home worse for wear but still in running order.

It might be best to just sell the building or demolish it and move on, but Daniel is determined to establish a life for himself, so with the help of the hotel manager, Daniel delves into the hotel and its current state. Things are in need of repair and some minor maintenance, but everything seems fine except for the newest addition to the hotel: the west wing. Supposedly, it's in great disrepair with a significant mold issue. But a plaque on the wall suggests something more paranormal, warning people to stay away and, if they see something, to report it to the staff. When Daniel happens upon his father's hidden study, a ledger full of payments far exceeding the price of a stay makes the west wing seem all the more suspicious.

Things only become stranger when a guest, whose stay has been paid for months in advance, arrives and turns out to be a child of the Creston family: Alexander Creston. And for a generous fee, Daniel is tasked with reporting all of Alexander's movements to a mysterious caller. The caller mentions that Daniel, the former owner's son, has inherited this task. Just what was his father doing in the hotel? And why is Alexander now part of it?

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Manga Review | Return of the Prince by Junko

Title: Return of the Prince



This is a collection of three BL shorts by .

Return of the Prince (plus A Ring's Tale)

Adult life isn't all it's made out to be for Kou. He works all the time, is constantly berated by his boss, and ends up home alone. While at a relative's wedding, as if to rub salt in his wound, Kou runs into his cousin Fumihiro, whom he always picked on in their childhood. But as an adult, Fumihiro has become a handsome prince and is charismatic on top of that, causing all of their mutual family members to compare them, often leading to insults toward Kou. Frustrated, Kou takes advantage of the festivities and drinks himself silly. Fumihiro offers to care for Kou, leading to a steamy liaison between the two. Though it was only meant to be a one-night stand, Fumihiro seems to have no intention of leaving.

Metamorphosis

Ritsu Kitagami and Yasuhiro Adachi have been friends for as long as they can remember. Ritsu has always been quiet and considered a bit odd by those around him, but Yasuhiro cares for him all the same. Nothing has changed, even in , or so Yasuhiro thinks. While walking around campus, Yasuhiro sees Ritsu in a screaming match with someone, even going so far as to threaten to fight them. Yasuhiro doesn't even recognize Ritsu. Although Yasuhiro doesn't want to believe it, Ritsu has changed. But has Yasuhiro?

Beside Him

Haijima believes his best friend Shimizu might be in love with him, and in realizing this, he finds that he is in love with him, as well. But then Shimizu comes to school, announcing that he has a new girlfriend, and though Haijima believes Shimizu doesn't really love the girl, over time, he discovers that Shimizu never loved him in the first place. Heartbroken, he goes to their mutual friend, Hachiya, for comfort, only for Hachiya to admit that he loves Haijima. But Haijima still loves Shimizu. What will this mean for their friendship?

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Manhwa Review | Your Wish Is My Command! by Sagold

Title: Your Wish Is My Command!



Chiwoo longs to be with Hwan. Unfortunately, Hwan and Chiwoo were raised together as brothers after Chiwoo's parents passed away when a bridge collapsed. Chiwoo has always felt guilt as a result. He feels guilt for having survived when his parents died. He feels guilty for troubling Hwan's mom when she was already a single mother. And, of course, he feels guilt for sullying his relationship with Hwan, making it lustful when he knows it's anything but for Hwan. So, as soon as he can, he moves out of Hwan's home to live independently, but even with distance, he still finds himself drawn to Hwan.

Chiwoo orders a special toy for himself to try and sate his lust, but upon opening it, the toy lights up and summons a strange pink creature. As soon as it appears, it introduces itself as Sunny, and his goal is to grant Chiwoo's wish. Chiwoo can hardly believe it, and already, he imagines his one true wish coming true: being in a romantic relationship with Hwan. But surely it can't be that easy, and, of course, Sunny explains how his wish could come true. If Chiwoo joins Sunny in his war against his counterpart, Moony, Chiwoo will gain magical powers, which he will use to fight monsters sent by Moony.

Before he can even decide, a tentacle monster attacks, but to Chiwoo's surprise, the monster isn't as interested in destruction as it is in defiling Chiwoo. Thankfully, before he loses his innocence, he gets Sunny's power and defeats the tentacle creature. Having experienced the power of a magical guardian prince, Chiwoo sees this as a one-way ticket to having his dream come true. But what Chiwoo doesn't know is that the power of light he uses isn't so different from the power being used against him.

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Manga Review | A Dominating Prince and His Naughty Habits by Owal

Title: A Dominating Prince and His Naughty Habits



Kadri was once an abandoned child in the Gulf state where he lives but was adopted by Grandma Jedda. Grandma Jedda raised Kadri as her own, teaching him all of her recipes and cooking techniques, and as a result, he started helping her run her restaurant. Now, he spends his evenings making his famous biryani while commanding the kitchen, living life to the fullest. However, his idyllic life goes a little off course when a wealthy man and relative to the king named Fati comes by. Fati wants to buy the restaurant so he can redevelop the area.

While it would mean plenty of money for Grandma Jedda and Kadri, they aren't willing to give up their precious restaurant. Since money doesn't seem to be enough to sway Kadri, Fati recommends another method of negotiation: sex. Kadri, a virgin, is stunned but is willing to do anything to keep his grandmother's restaurant open. So, he meets the wealthy Fati and intends to take him up on his offer. But when Kadri tries to take the lead, Fati laughs in his face.

Fati had no intention of being the bottom.

But for a sweet virgin like Kadri, the great Fati makes an exception.

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Manhwa Review | The Words In Your Snare by Chepali

Title: The Words In Your Snare



Jooin is just trying to enjoy his life. He's running a little cafe in the middle of the country, enjoying spending time with the locals. But more than anything, he enjoys the words, and that doesn't mean conversation. One of the main reasons Jooin enjoys the conversation so much is because he can read minds. His ability is limited to physical words that spawn off people and linger around where they hang out. In the city, Jooin was often bombarded with negative and positive thoughts. In the rural areas, Jooin sees more positive words than any other kind, and there are fewer, making his life much more peaceful.

However, that peace is disrupted when a strange bag of coffee beans appears at his cafe. Not long after, a group of police officers and a handsome man in a suit come looking for that bag of coffee. It's an odd scenario for a random bag of coffee, but nothing is stranger than the man who, for whatever reason, doesn't give off any words at all. Jooin has never encountered anyone whose thoughts he couldn't see, but no matter how much he looks, he can't see any of his thoughts. Things only get stranger as the man returns time and time again, lingering around Jooin for a reason he can't even fathom. The man then makes a request, one that Jooin has no intention of complying with.

This stranger, Mookya, wants to date Jooin.

Thankfully, Mookya works hours away in the city, so Jooin plans to let their odd relationship fade away. But then a young man with a knife drops by, looking for drugs. Jooin can only assume that the random bag of coffee beans was actually a bag of drugs, and after subduing the young man, Jooin has no choice but to go back to the city. He ends up right back where he started, working alongside the police to read possible criminal's minds. Unlike before, though, Mookya is there, too. As Jooin spends more and more time in the city, with the gangster Mookya wooing him, Jooin feels himself softening up to the man, but love can't cover up the dark feelings and thoughts lurking around the city Jooin has left behind.

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Manga Review | I’m a Pop Star, Now Expose Me! by Hokke Shima

Title: I'm a Pop Star, Now Expose Me!



Yukinari Miyata is a photographer for a tabloid. He spends most days staking out hotels, looking for celebrities so he can report on their personal and intimate lives. This wasn't the life he expected to have, as his dream was always to report on sports. But the tabloids are always busy, and getting a job in that department was much easier than any other. With the promise of the chance to transfer if he gets a big scoop, Yukinari swallows his pride and stalks celebrities.

It's another night of no new scoops when he sees the popular idol Subaru Nagare, known as “The White Prince” because of his impeccable reputation, with a woman, another celebrity, on his arm. Seeing this as his chance, Yukinari panics and pulls out his phone, inadvertently alerting the couple to his presence due to the shutter sound. Subaru approaches, telling him to delete the picture, but just as Yukinari tries to devise a way to keep his evidence, Subaru exclaims, “Hey, I know you!” As it turns out, Subaru's real name is Kota Adachi, and he went to school with Yukinari.

Yukinari has no memory of Kota but goes along with it. Unfortunately, Kota does get to delete the image during their interaction, much to Yukinari's chagrin. But not all is lost. After grabbing a drink with Kota to catch up, Yukinari and Kota end up at a together, and the two have sex. In the midst of it all, Kota tells Yukinari to film him, giving Yukinari the scoop of a lifetime on a silver platter. But when all is said and done, Yukinari isn't sure he should expose Kota. Is Yukinari's dream worth destroying the life of someone else?

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Manhwa Review | Bye Bye by SORIM

Bye Bye by SORIM

Title: Bye Bye



Seoyu is standing on the edge of a bridge. This bridge was where his happy life ended years before, when he survived a plunge in the river below, while his parents and brother did not. Ever since, he's lived with survivor's guilt, doing the bare minimum to get through day after day. Now that he's the same age his brother was when he died, Seoyu sees no point in continuing on in life. Just as he's about to climb over the guardrail, a car comes flying up, crashing into it.

Seoyu rushes over to help the driver, only to find a perfectly fine young man. As it turns out, he wasn't supposed to drive the car yet. Fearing his brother's reaction, he begs Seoyu to help him lie and get out of any trouble in exchange for a nice chunk of change. Though only a few moments before, Seoyu was ready to move on from life. But his determination has waned, and he's agreed to meet the young man's brother. Seoyu doesn't expect to meet a very dominant alpha, and a hot one at that.

There's no way this guy would ever be attracted to a recessive omega like him, but that doesn't stop Seoyu from imagining it. How surprising it is when those dreams come true, and he is actively pursued by the hot alpha Sunghoon Choi. But is he deserving of such love from someone like Sunghoon?

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Manga Review | My Pudgy Co-worker Is a Snack by Haikin

Title: My Pudgy Co-worker Is a Snack



Fukuyama is an worker. He's well-integrated into his office and well-liked by pretty much everyone. However, one coworker that Fukuyama doesn't necessarily perfectly work with is Takahashi. Takahashi is a bit of an enigma, aloof and standoffish, entirely counter to the kind of person Fukuyama is. After hearing Takahashi harshly correct a subordinate, Fukuyama inadvertently speaks his mind, sharing his recommendations on how Takahashi could be a better superior. Expecting his opinions to be taken poorly, Fukuyama is shocked when Takahashi takes it in stride – surprised but not upset.

Fukuyama never expected this side of Takahashi, and he finds it very cute, but now he wants nothing more than to see more sides of the reserved Takahashi. He finally gets his chance while drinking with him and another coworker. As it turns out, Takahashi is a lightweight, and by the time they're ready to leave, it's too late to catch a train. So the two head to a love . Fukuyama has every intention of just going to sleep, but then Takahashi makes a demand:

Make love to me.

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