Roses and Champagne (Main Story)

Roses and Champagne was strange. Caesar is insane. I don't know what to say because I keep thinking of things for my brain to go back to "Caesar is insane." I can't really fault the manhwa for its flaws because it's a bit difficult to make sense of certain things in Roses and Champagne due to the insanity of Caesar and Leewon's understanding of it over the course of the novel. He grows a general fondness toward Caesar which includes the good parts, the bad parts, and the absolute balls-to-the-wall batshit stuff.

I wish I had read the light novel first so I could evaluate it without comparing it to the manhwa, but I did not, so here we are. Leewon is better written, which helps a lot of the strange stuff make sense, but still, I am not sure how to feel about the story progression. I still have the epilogues left, which are about the length of the main story itself, so perhaps my feelings will change. But I still am not extremely fond of the strange Stockholm syndrome Leewon experiences. I don't like how it resolves either, unfortunately, though it did make me laugh really hard.

I think some of it is heavily influenced by Leewon realizing he isn't a normal guy, though I disliked that plotline too; but it does result in a neat bow being tied on the main story, but like... hm. I don't know. There's so much I like. I really like the "not real sex" scenes that happen earlier in the book. I like Leewon's guilt around how he has navigated Caesar afterward. That also adds to the final resolutions at the end of the book, but still, I don't know. I know he has some understanding that Caesar can't fully comprehend remorse at times; it's even said in the final parts of the book, but ugh, we got over that so easily, especially considering Leewon pretending to be asleep much of the time and the doctor's comments.

I don't mind the horrors. Really, I like them, BUT... I wish this was explored more in depth. Leewon sort of accepts that Caesar isn't a good person, but his morality is so strong throughout the light novel. Sure, it's broken over time—he sort of is pulled into that world—and every which way, he's punished harshly for trying to leave, and he is in a constant battle to keep his autonomy, which Caesar sort of grants but not really, but like... I just don't know. I don't know if the end justified the journey.

I guess Caesar just had to fuck Leewon with his giant horse cock, consequences be damned! But... he has some concept of consent and seems to understand consequences... so..? Leewon reflects on so much of the immorality of other characters in the novel, but not the 8-day session they had... It had to be horrific...? I guess he did have a lot of other stuff going on afterward.. Epilogues..?

Anyways, I do like all the characters, even the ones I glazed over in the book. Dimitri is a lot better in the novel, which is saying something to me because he's the best non-main character in the manhwa. I liked Leonid too, and Mikhail is really entertaining and interesting. The book kind of does quite a bit of "head hopping," but I think it works. I wouldn't like many of the characters without that head hopping. I think they are all still "scary" in a way that's pleasing. The manhwa uses a lot of chibis and has a brighter art style, resulting in a strange juxtaposition. The novel keeps a strange, darker tone throughout, even with the casual moments.

Okay, I have to go to the store now. I may reflect more on this later because I am not fully sure how I feel. Bye-bye!

Roses and Champagne Volume 1

Today I had an awful migraine. I ended up lying in the dark, extremely bored. I remembered a few weeks back I bought Roses and Champagne and still needed to finish it. I was able to select a font with defined serifs and tall line heights. My headache cooled off as I listened to rain sounds and read books.

This is (sort of) the first light novel I've ever read. I do technically own some but never got around to reading them (Haruhi... etc.). Roses and Champagne is missing from my favorite yaoi list simply because it pisses me the fuck off—the manga, anyway. Reading the comments revealed to me that a lot of the decisions made in the manhwa were not made in the light novel itself. It was technically next up on my list. I wanted to read Kill the Lights, but this was $9.99 on Apple Books.

So, was it better than the manhwa? Well, I am on volume one. I can say a lot is better or different. I like that the book is very blunt about the racism of the mafia and how strange it is to Leewon. Caesar is way more interesting in the book to me. I think it's partially that Caesar is pretty... not quiet, but... he's... got a strange personality. It comes through in the manhwa, but the book does a better job characterizing him to me. The little bits of banter that could not be fit in the manhwa, or that are much longer in the book, do sooo much for him, as well as Leewon.

The sandwich incident made me laugh really hard. Honestly, a lot made me laugh, but the never-ending rant about the terrible sandwich Leewon made really got me. I thought it was completely over, then it was referenced again later, so I laughed harder.

The tension Leewon has with Caesar is really good too. My favorite parts of the manhwa show why they end up being a couple, but the manhwa never really... gets this across for me? It almost does but kind of falls flat. I feel it way more in this book. The slow burn is pretty well-done. Caesar is such a good character, and I really like Leewon with him because one of my problems with the manhwa is that I just kind of feel like Leewon gets over the mafia thing way too easily, especially with a lot of the writing decisions made at the end of that series. In the book, he kind of has to deal with Caesar as a force of nature. I like that he views Caesar as repulsive, but not quite... a monster in human skin? Like, he struggles to even see Caesar in that way, and the manhwa explores this, but it's just so good here. Just the introspection helps so much.

Caesar can be so flippant, but...He's... almost... childish? In his black-and-white thinking. I find it cool, too. It's visible in the manhwa, too, but it is just so well done here. I really like it.

I like the exploration of Leewon and his... feelings about law and order. It's really good, too. It's constantly brought up because it's how he navigates the world. He sometimes goes off on Caesar briefly, only to punish himself for softening on him because he seems to know that he feels some attraction to Caesar but doesn't acknowledge it directly unless Caesar does something so awful that it makes Leewon go, "Wow, I can't believe I like this man's beautiful body and face and that his personality is kind of fun to me." It's even more interesting in that I... guess the book does this really good job of getting across the rift between them. It describes a chasm becoming an abyss at some point. This is obviously in the manhwa, too, but here, I just... really liked it.

The desire for Caesar to talk from Leewon, or even Caesar's brief attempts at articulation or to understand, are so well done. I am really excited to see how Caesar develops as a character because he just seems so... unreachable, almost. The book is in 3rd-person omniscient, but even in Caesar's mind, it is like... he just... lacks the ability to introspect properly, or at least it is so buried that it makes me curious how Leewon is going to actually come to understand Caesar. It's hard to say because I'm still worried that the book is just going to go, "We are different and we have to accept this," when they are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum, but I have high hopes. I can't wait to finish Volume 2.

Write Me, Touch Me, Read Me

Write Me, Touch Me, Read Me was bad. I don't know. I want it to be good. I want it to be good really badly. I like the furry/hybrid stuff a little bit (sexually), but its commentary on the fetishization of minorities is half-baked and extremely bad. I see this happen in yaoi, but it's so much worse here because it's drawn out over the entire manhwa and then it just isn't really PROPERLY resolved. Like, it's just "let's talk about it." BITCH, YOU SHOULD'VE TALKED ABOUT IT 20 CHAPTERS AGO.

Really, this manhwa isn't a slow burn; it's a "these clowns are bad at communicating over such complex issues that they shouldn't be dating each other," but it's not done in an interesting way. It feels extremely unplanned—the way it comes across.

I also wanted more about writing, but it's only used as a plot device for the two MLs to interact as Writer and Editor. It's so fun in the first few chapters, then we get dragged into nonsense. The brother who is annoyed about his brother dating non-hybrids? Never properly resolved! Just kind of fucks off after finding out a little bit of info about Kang Seok-Won doing a bit of social activist work. BUT SEOK-WON DOING ACTIVIST WORK DOESN'T MEAN HE'S NOT A PREDATOR OR FETISHIST. Like, really, he's not, but I don't know. It's hard to even say why it's bad. Obviously, some people are drawn to dating minorities for various reasons, and I think he sort of explains that part well, but the fact that it's done at the end of the manhwa and he's SO secretive about it means that Dal-Lae would always be foolish to trust Seok-Won.

What an annoying old man.

What a Catch!

I finally finished What a Catch! It was extremely silly. Recently, I've been writing very miserable yuri to the point where I couldn't recall how I was writing less miserable yuri before.

Then I remembered... Yaoi. I got really stressed and read less yaoi because of stress, but I always like it. It makes me a dumb lovesick puppy, and because a lot of what I read is porn, it does it in amazing ways. Every time I read yaoi again, I feel like this is what it's all about!

I found the couple here really cute and silly. I was admittedly surprised by the lack of threesome/toy action by the end. Side story? Wags tail? Side story?

The manhwa stays dumb with its own sort of logic, but I really love it. It made me laugh... I liked when they were physically chasing each other. They are both so stupid. Good! Fun! Silly.

Anti P.T.

I read Anti PT and it was a delight. I was really struggling to get into yaoi again due to my migraines and the downfall of my beloved site, though I'm finally getting into the swing of things again. I read some random JP anthology manga, but none I really had thoughts on. This was the first "longer" thing I read in a bit.

It was very cute. Cuter than I anticipated. I thought what it had to say about cheating and wanting to be desired was new. I was really irritated by the actions of Pa-Ram Lee (the protagonist), but while I don't think he is blameless, I can certainly understand him as a young gay. I still think he's very strong as a character and written quite well! His inner turmoil is really good.

The love interest, Hwi Seo, is really funny too. I thought the direction would be way different based on his initial appearance, but I was pleasantly surprised with where it headed. It was... really funny. Haha. Hwi is good and ends up being the most likable character by the end.

Tae-Hyun Han was also interesting even if he's a BASTARD. I've known people like him, and I think he's written well. I honestly think he had the potential to be even stronger as a character with some more chapters focused on him despite my hatred. I felt the glimpse of him in the side story was really good for this. He was really funny there. Part of me wishes we could've seen more positive aspects of him that weren't focused on his role in the narrative (haha), but I also think that's part of it.

Tae-Hyun isn't really meant to be... known. He is not a vessel, but he lives a life totally separate from Pa-Ram. He doesn't really get to know Pa-Ram, and Pa-Ram doesn't really get to know him either. He's a dreamboat who sucks, and his focus on not sucking instead of getting to know his coworker was... bad.

Anyways, it was good. I added some other stuff by the author to my list!

What a Catch!

More thoughts. I haven't been finishing a lot of yaoi quickly like I used to, but I am reading random things. I'm slowly getting through Love for Sale and, of course, reading some of my ongoing things (though some are on hold).

What a Catch! has been interesting. I've had random moments where I thought I'd dislike it because I don't trust the author LOL, but she always catches me off guard and charms me. I think I began to doubt her because I wasn't confident in Myeong-Tae Yun and Shin-Ju Kang as characters. I mean, I like Shin-Ju as an insane pervert, but as I read, I had this realization that if he stays static and insane, the story may not be super interesting.

Myeong-Tae Yun is also good too, but I wasn't confident in him either; however, honestly, Sitta, the mangaka, has a huge brain. This is good as a proper manga over a side story because it allows them to grow outside of their What a Catch! selves.

It's hard to describe this feeling properly because What a Catch! is such an OTT comedy. The characters act really bizarrely and stupidly if you don't just go "it's like this" while also realizing it's still being sincere despite the characters being ridiculous. I've spent so much time reading red flag yaoi and comedy that is still somewhat serious that I forgot romance can be like this.

I like Shin-Ju Kang more now. I was worried he'd manipulate Myeong-Tae Yun too easily, but Myeong-Tae is smarter than the Hook, Line, and Sinker counterparts. He is also more interesting than them to the point where I also like reading things solely focused on him. He's innocent while still having common sense and the ability to say no. I like his surprise at realizing he's attracted to a man.

His sense of morality meshes well with Shin-Ju Kang. Shin-Ju has a hard time understanding Myeong-Tae. He sort of tries to manipulate him with that sense of morals he knows Myeong-Tae has while also not understanding that his understanding of it is shallow. Because Shin-Ju is so shallow. Shin-Ju spends so much of the first manga in ~love~ with a random person, while in What a Catch!, I think we'll be able to witness him get out of the infatuation phase and truly fall in love with Myeong-Tae.

It's just weird that everyone keeps going on about how Shin-Ju isn't a bad guy, lol. The thing is, I sort of get where this is coming from in some ways. If he isn't actively pursuing you, he's very nice. Shin-Ju also seems to have an understanding that he is a charming and nice person to most people, which makes him repeat "I'm a nice person" or "I'm not a bad guy."" when trying to persuade Myeong-Tae. I am hoping it's setting up romance that exists outside of Shin-Ju being a sex pest (though I do look forward to it).

Anyway, yap yap. Nice manga to read while in dissociation hell, lol. It's very simple and mostly pleasant (unless Shin-Ju's perversion makes you uncomfortable). Myeong-Tae works better with Shin-Ju than over his actions in Hook, Line, and Sinker, lol. I'm curious how this will end. All these logs will be embarrassing if Sitta disappoints, but she hasn't yet.

Write Me, Touch Me, Read Me

This is becoming more of a liveblogging thing, whoops, but it's fun! Anyway, the recent chapters of this have been interesting to me. I like the introduction of the brother character. I was getting really worn out on crime stuff in the last chapter, though, and while I love gangsters, I look forward to him becoming more normal, you know?

I have faith in the mangaka, though. I doubt he will be committing (more) crimes. I hope he gets yaoi'd. He's very moe to me in behavior. I want him to have a side story. We've been so zoomed in on the main two characters, though the ML does have a best friend (who perhaps the brother would be yaoi'd with if that happens)?

I also think I've been so exhausted. Reading is really hard for me, so seeing all the brother shenanigans is wearing me out a bit. I wish I was more alert and could take everything in. It's hard to keep up with manga updates in general, really.

Hook Line and Sinker

I found this manhwa really funny. I'm not going to lie, and that was because of Kang Shinjoo. I don't remember a lot outside of Kang Shinjoo. I think I've even reread it, and my main memory is Kang Shinjoo.

There are people who really don't like this manga because of Kang Shinjoo, by the way. Kang Shinjoo is a sex pest and pushes the couple together with the goal of having a threesome with them. There's a lot of other stuff he does that is insane, by the way. People who dislike this manhwa often find themselves uncomfortable with the treatment of the protagonist and the misunderstandings, which is fair, but Kang Shinjoo... Kang Shinjoo is so fucking funnyyyy.

I think it's to a point where everyone in this manhwa is stupid. Like, I think the stupidity of the over-the-top personalities of everyone is hilarious. It's hard because stupidity is really frustrating in a lot of manhwa, but in this one, it's like... Shinjoo... Shinjoo is a good baseline to understand the intelligence/behavior to expect of people in this manhwa.

The love interest is really stupid. The protagonist is also stupid and pretty innocent. And Kang Shinjoo is smarter than both of them but also stupid and over the top. There are basically only a few ways for the story to go with Kang Shinjoo being smarter than the couple, and at some point, you stop expecting logic and roll with it.

I also need to get across... I lost interest in the main couple and was more focused on Kang Shinjoo (I keep saying his name because I laugh). And when I got to the end, I waited and waited for side stories only to discover while writing this, there will be a whole-ass sequel focused on Kang Shinjoo.

I hope he gets his ass beat. He probably will because his love interest was the only person in the manhwa who could really chill him the fuck out. I'm gonna start reading that. Only 6 chapters now...

Mr. A's Farm

Okay. So, this manhwa is insane to me. I need it to be understood that I don't really read hentai. Smut manhwa and hentai manhwa are different, and I know that will sound like a cope, but I'm saying it because it means when I read hentai, I seee things I didn't know. I thought my normal yaoi was insane, but Mr. A's Farm tops everything.

I'm vaguely aware that hentai often has weird plot points, but a lot of the time they just sort of act as vehicles for sex to happen, which is why I find all of it boring. Even if I read a hentai manga/manhwa with a strange plot, I sort of tune it out because it doesn't matter.

But Mr. A's Farm seems to have a sort of insanity I am not used to. It has an entire mystery plot running, really good humor, the characters are designed really well, and also, like, the animals all have, like... unique anatomy (they are all futanari—sorry), but I didn't know that was a word you could also apply to guys? I've never thought about it.

It serves an interesting purpose in this story. I really like this weird world. I'd like this story possibly without it being hentai / having sex, though it does make it better and insane. The protagonist is really funny to me. Little A.

He's like a shonen protagonist. He has that glow in his eyes and that, like... kindness born out of naivety and stupidity. I really like him a lot, though I do wonder if I'd feel differently if the characters weren't men, lol; but anyways, um, there's a lot of other cute characters too.

Big Dog, who attacks Little A and tells him to do "no funny business." The big cow man whose big tiddies I guess are the main appeal for a lot of people. And the most interesting character so far is this... guy who lays eggs. I enjoy him. He's good and the scenes with him are insane. I think this became solidified among my favorites, despite being only 13 chapters in, after I got to know him a bit more.

I think it could easily fall out of my favorites, though I am not sure. The mystery arc in the background has an answer that is there and has been stated aloud, though the specifics of the situation are a mystery. I hope it's done well because if it sucks, then I'll have a bad taste in my mouth; but so far, everything's been good.

I think... having this sort of... people becoming livestock and then being on a farm and treated as livestock in this hentai yaoi harem manga... I think there are things to say, but I'm not sure what I want to say. Maybe another time...

Formless

This was fine. It's one of those "rich criminal abuses poor guy in debt" stories. I don't think it's as uninteresting as a lot of other yaoi with similar plots, but honestly... Ehh..

I was invested, and then it ended.

Okay, one notable thing about this manhwa is that the protagonist doesn't really view Kang-Woo as a romantic partner, just an abuser, which makes the final few chapters just feel ridiculous to me; however, people who read the light novel said that thing is terrifying, so I might read it.

Because the story wants to tell an abuse story so badly, it's so close, but the ending really misses the mark for me and I just felt like, "That's it?" I kind of get how we got to that point, but it wasn't really... anything to me.

I wonder if it was pacing issue or the suddenness or because the ending just felt kind of abrupt. I don't know. It has interesting characters that could make this entire thing interesting but fails to actually carry that out.

I Swear I'm Not a Scammer!

This thing is so booring and sooo poorly written. It makes me insane. I stopped reading this I think at the end of S1 and if you asked me to describe anything that happened over S1, I'd say, "That guy's eyes glowed and he might've killed someone, but honestly, I kind of forgot."

It's one of those manhwa that just sort of spirals into sex, and it's really boring. The scenes aren't good, but even if they were, there's soo much that it's lame. I don't feel like the relationship is really built. The actual plot thing where he's a wolf doesn't really feel like anything.

I may pick it back up since we're into S2. Maybe the script will improve, but S1 was just soo bad to me. And I want to say, it's not awful—it's just boring.

My Sadistic Master

ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!!

I love this manhwa. It's so good. Girl reads BDSM manga and loses her mind. The protagonist is good. I enjoy him. He sort of feels like commentary on yaoi protagonists haha in that he is sort of constantly called a baby, and earlier on in the manga, he has a crush on a guy for a really long time and then moves on. Someone tries to blackmail him, and he smashes their phone because the person he loves is at risk; then he gets anxious over possibly being in trouble for smashing the guy's phone over anything else. The love interest is surprised imagining this cute guy smashing someone's phone for him. I think it shows how their relationship still has so much potential to grow too.

The love interest is a rich mafia guy which makes it crazier because his lover is a pretty cool guy. I love, like, evil mafia men, but specifically with weak baby protagonists, the dynamic is overplayed and dull. The protagonist, Jin Yu-an, just wouldn't be with an abusive partner also. It would be a very boring story.

But Mr. Juicy's (sorry) introduction and progression are really delightful. He rejects Jin Yu-an but Jin Yu-an pushes a bit further (it's a dating app and Mr. Juicy thinks Yu-an is too young). When they meet, he's very scary to everyone around him including Yu-an, and Juicy just treats Yu-an to dinner.

Throughout the manhwa, Juicy sort of views Yu-an as like... a little creature and struggles to differentiate between feelings of cuteness vs. attraction which I love. Juicy is really careful with Yu-an, but their intimacy intensifies over the manhwa which is fun to me. I love Yu-an going from wishing more would happen to going "How are you walking around after doing that?" There are things I'm not into in this manhwa at all, but the scenes are so good and Mr. Juicy just makes every scene really good. A recent scene actually makes the protagonist feel mortified but he still finds Juicy so hot.

Definitely one of my favorites. It's just good.

The romance is slow but good. I enjoy these weird slow burns. I think the dynamic they have makes it more interesting too. Lots of age-gap manhwa yaoi running right now handle it well. They're a cute couple. Enjoy.

Oh also, Yu-an does not know Juicy is in the mafia so we'll see how that goes! (Or Yakuza..? Does it translate it to Yakuza..? Is it the same in Korea..?)

Toys of Trade

I really like Toys of Trade. I usually put off reading historical fiction because Western historical fiction is often Evil, but the times I've read historical fiction from Korea and Japan have been pretty good, and this manhwa I've enjoyed immensely. I'll also get this out of the way. Obviously, a bunch of stuff isn't historical, and for some reason, every historical yaoi fan feels the need to say this. I get that some people really want accurate historical yaoi, and I can sort of get that, but it feels a bit silly when opening something called "Toys of Trade."

Anyway, the dynamic between the two lovers is very good. It actually is sort of the opposite of Painter of the Night or anything like that. The nobleman really doesn't try to control Sin-hu (the sex toy maker) at all. His desire to constantly win Sin-hu over is good, and Sin-hu's hesitance makes sense early on even if you don't know the reason for it.

The nobleman, Park Hyowon, is hard for me to wrap my head around. He's so normal (nobleman style). He really does just feel like a silly kind of ignorant rich person, but not in an infuriating way. He doesn't seem to understand the implications of his actions and constantly puts off things that the plot points to as being 'inevitable' (marriage and stopping having sex all the time). A lot of the time, rich protagonists feel really distant and unrelatable, which isn't inherently bad, but it just makes Park Hyowon notable. He has really normal problems; he just thinks about them rather flippantly.

Sin-hu is cute too. Kind of moe. I don't find him that interesting, but I do like him. He sort of just feels like he's in a constant state of uncertainty and anxiety, especially right now, which is more obvious now that he's a quiet, distant love interest.

It's been on hiatus for a few weeks now. I miss it. I do enjoy it quite a bit. I like toy-focused manhwa a lot. There's a lot of it in yaoi. Yuri sisters, when will you learn? It can be hard to find good ones because they can just be kind of a bit too sex-focused to the point of boredom.

Though sometimes I don't know what is quite happening in the plot and have to go back and reread, lol. Historical intrigue... blackmail, etc. Also, well, sometimes characters look similar because of the historical hairstyles and similar clothes and all the noblemen, so I'm like "Ehh?" I think it's somewhat natural when reading something that releases over time, but I feel it more strongly with this than many other things I read. A lot of plot stuff sort of happens in the background, or old characters will appear and I'm like, "I sort of remember you, and I just reread, but you still are hard to recognize because your hair is up."

But yeah, I still recommend it! I don't think it's crazy or anything, but it's good. Good to read. Good manhwa... And a lot of attention is given to toys, which is always pleasing.

Jinx (again)

Obviously I've talked about Jinx before, but a lot of ground has been made in the manhwa, so I feel as though I should talk about it again, haha. I... don't think Jinx is going to be good. The author of this is the same manhwaga as BJ Alex, and BJ Alex is a classic. It's a very annoying manhwa in the first half, but the reward of the chase arc is really good. I also thought every character in BJ Alex was pretty fantastic.

Jinx has been compared to BJ Alex by many readers. Unfortunately, I think I have to do it too now. The cruelty of the love interest, Jae-kyung, is a mirror of BJ Alex. He does some awful things like BJ Alex did, but I recently saw some old panels someone posted and I realized that Jae-kyung is evil.

I know that, like, there's a lot of evil guys in yaoi and honestly straight romance too, and I think a certain amount of evilness is to be expected, but Jae-kyung is actually, like, terrible in a way that is not really acknowledged in this arc.

Another red flag is that his backstory was revealed in, like, one chapter, but it doesn't really go into why he's so evil. Actually, if anything, the backstory made me really confused about why he treated Kim Dan the way he did???

BJ Alex did this really well. All of his behavior was understandable, and earlier on, arguably some of it was kind of justified, but Jae-kyung tortures Kim Dan for no reason. He throws away gifts from him, he has sex with him and delights in his pain, and unlike Alex, there has really been no sign of love from him. I like evil characters, but I don't know why Jae-kyung did that??

I need you to understand I was writing this then saw the next chapter update which explained the 'jinx' and it made me more confused!!!!!! Everything was explained but not the strange sadism!! It feels glossed over! Like there's a difference between indifference/rudeness and being CRUEL AND SADISTIC. WHY WAS HE SO CRUEL AND SADISTIC?

I am worried that Kim Dan is going to be soft on Jae-kyung after learning about his backstory, which will suck so bad. I saw people say his backstory is bad, eehh... It doesn't upset me or anything, but it does feel like a shitty martial arts movie backstory, you know. 71 chapters in, it's like "Ok." It also sucks that we got it from a character who isn't Jae-kyung telling the story to Kim Dan.

Originally I ended this hoping Jae-kyung and Kim Dan would not end up in a relationship, but after reading the end of CH75, there's just no chance they're not ending up in a relationship. I just... AHH. It's so bad. Realizing this in a dream? Seeing Kim Dan in a dream and going, "Maybe I'll make him more important than being a champion?" It just feels bad.

I don't know. I am going to reread all of Jinx at some point and figure out how I feel because, genuinely, like, the first half or 3/4s of the manhwa have Joo Jaekyung being such a bastard that it's hard. Like, the gift throwing away makes sense to me in some ways, BUT THE SADISM? THE SADISM? PLEASE MINGWA???

Am I supposed to assume he's sadistic and that he likes MMA? But the backstory doesn't show him being sadistic to other partners, just enjoying winning?? Are we going to get some heart-to-heart with him saying he liked hurting him and abusing Kim Dan because it made him feel like he was winning and that domineering behavior satisfied him? I don't think Jaekyung is capable of that sort of reflection, so I have no idea what's going to happen.

My guess: Kim Dan's grandma dies, Jaekyung is there to support him and possibly pay for the funeral. Hope she doesn't die. It will probably piss me off if her death exists to further their relationship, but I can't see Kim Dan getting closer to Jaekyung that easily.

I think Jinx can be fine. I think it is salvageable, but we cannot just gloss over the sadism. We're 70+ chapters in. It makes sense he's less sadistic now after everything that happened to him, but Jesus Christ.

Write Me, Touch Me, Read Me

I've been reading Write Me Touch Me Read Me for a while now. It's very good and also insane because that's a wolf. That's a dog. To be honest, I have a habit of picking manhwa and not really paying attention to much of anything haha. So, I picked this up thinking, "Ah, writing manga and the two characters are cute." I've been reading other hybrid manga where people turn into animals, so I was pretty surprised when I realized that he's just kind of a werewolf.

I guess that is the closest thing I can compare him to other than, like, a furry (and werewolves are technically furries). He doesn't really look like a wolf to me, thank God. In his werewolf form, he's clearly still a guy, though I do think some people who find furries creepy would not like this. I think it's really fun and kind of scary lol. A lot of the hybrid manga I read aren't really set up like this, so it's interesting. New world.

I enjoy the premise a lot: the editor and the manhwaga. I've read this before, this general thing, and I always adore it probably because I'm a loser artist who doesn't leave my house. One of the characters is middle-aged, in his 40s or 50s, while the manhwaga is in his 20s, I think. The age gap is handled really well. I think both act their age, and the back-and-forth between them is not exhausting or anything. CH31 updated today, and I think things are going to change a bit as something major in the manhwa has occurred, but I am not sure.

I'm not sure how a romantic relationship will come out since a lot of it for one of them is currently built on lust and for the other it's built on love, though it's a bit childish in nature. With the stalker arc finally over, it feels like the thing that brought them together while they were distant is finally gone, so surely they will choose to hang out together now, yes? Or perhaps they'll hang out for legal reasons.

I really love the expressions and art style. This will probably end up being one of my favorites. I have faith in the writer.

Also, I just realized I just wrote a fucking visual novel about a translator who translates yuri. I don't recall if I started that before or after reading this. I've read this plot before, but this is the one on my mind the most recently. Much to think about.

Love Plan

I really like this manwha and makes my suffering worth it. Thank you, checks author name Majeungji!!! It was a random surprise. I kind of go through these yandere reading lists expecting to feel nothing at the end of most stories. It is the equivalent of reading poor fanfiction as a teenager for no reason in particular.. It's just now I am an adult and I have to filter out omegaverse. ANYWAY.

Love Plan was very bizarre, but I loved it.. I love.. you Siyeon (the ML). You are so cute and so desperate and so so deranged. Siyeon never actually harms his love interest, Jaewoo. I can't go into specifics. He does manipulate him haha, but it's just kind of.. You must read it. Saeyoo has problems that I love. I wish this manga was longer. I'd love to explore the intricacies of these two further. Make that boy suffer!!! And then.. Grow from it. LOL. I think it'd be super fun with Siyeon and Jaewoo specifically because Siyeon's character flaws all feel very redeemable and manageable,and Jaewoo seems to have a good understanding of Siyeon.. We never get manga like this for 70+ chapters T_T.

Forbidden Fruit

This manwha's fucked up and don't read it if you don't like fucked up manwha. I sometimes go through the yandere lists on bato, and this one.. Kinda bad. I don't know. I was so curious about where the cult stuff would go (it went nowhere). We don't even get a clear idea of Noah's goals or beliefs by the end of the manwha which is so lame. Why have homosexual priests if you're not going to explore their religion? Why did those characters do any of that? Why did they sexually assault Agotho? What did that have to do with their ritual? Why were they willing to use him as sacrifice? I don't know. I know like you're probably thinking "what the hell why does this matter?" IT MATTERS TO TRUE RELIGIOUSLY TRAUMATIZED HOMOSEXUALS OKAY..

Agotho is boring- he's tortured just for being good. Noah is so evil without purpose that it's boring. The random priest who you forget about then who reappears at the end of the story is boring and also so stupid. DUMBASS! F!!!!!!! Though I like Noah's design he could be an RPG Maker villain lol. But yeah I have more reasons for not like this manwha but exploring will just piss me off lmao. It's deeper than what I've gone into but the amount of effort to explain why I dislike this yaoi will take more effort than the author put into the plot lmao.

Jinx

Jinx is like the most popular yaoi at the moment based on every single site I go on. The manhwa actually makes me mad, haha. To be honest, I have no idea why I continue reading Jinx. I don't like the ML. The protagonist is... not the kind of protagonist I enjoy. It's not even a dynamic I like. I just feel kind of... I guess it's like watching those drama shows where everyone hates each other, but you want to see how it ends. Like, I'm not really interested in the romance or the characters, but I am invested in how she's going to make the ML NOT AN ASSHOLE. This manhwaga did it well in BJ Alex, but I felt Alex was... not nearly as irredeemable as Jaekyung. Though... I do think there are some aspects about Jaekyung that are respectable, but they're just things I don't care about LMAO.

Like, Kim Dan, the protag... being the way that he is actually might be the reason I am invested. Season 2 is interesting to me specifically because of Kim Dan. I just wish that he... wasn't... such a baby. LOL. I don't know. Jinx will never be one of my favorites, and there's a chance I'll hate it by the end, but I'm too invested to stop—especially since the dynamic from the first season is FINALLY OVER. I just want to see Jaekyung bark like a dog. I also... like watching Jaekyung interact with Kim Dan's grandmother. I like Kim Dan's grandmother as a character in general. I feel like they are the most interesting dynamic in the series, though we don't get too much of them.

UUGHHH. tired of these horse-faced assholes.

Full Volume

Full Volume was fun and also distressing at times. Not like Black Flag or dark romance kind of distressing, but there's a specific plot point revolving around one of the characters that is explored, and I found myself skimming through these chapters because they really stressed me out. But I think the topic is explored well—it's regarding sexual exploitation.

I really liked Full Volume. I actually started it earlier at some point but lost interest, only to pick it back up because I was so fucking bored. The story kinda goes about lackadaisically, but this is something I enjoy. The first chapters just kinda annoyed me at first, haha. One thing I like about the manhwa is that the threats in the plots never really feel like true threats—you know the ML and protagonist will be fine despite the fact that they're both stressed the fuck out. For me, the true joy is seeing how they take care of each other and get through these situations together and how they can suddenly make a horrible memory very positive. In the words of Do-won, I love premarital sex!

Also, the side stories are really fantastic. They're my favorite part of the webtoon. They touch on gang stuff, which is fun for me, and I like the dynamic between the side couple and how they interact with the main couple, too. It's so fucking funny, actually; I'm giggling thinking about it. Also, the sex scenes in the entire webtoon (aside from a few which are meant to be uncomfortable) are really fun. The author's notes were fun too... Something something too many twinky bottoms, we need beefy bottoms... I prefer when people in relationships in yaoi tend to be equal to each other in stature (I don't know why, lmao), so I support you beefy yaoi fans!

Painter of the Night

I've been in the yuri and yaoi dungeons. I made this page then magically ran out of content lmao. But I can talk about things I'm currently reading even if I'm not in a hurry to finish them. We'll start with Painter of the Night since it's apparently a classic (among manhwas). I did not know this because despite this yaoi page existing, I don't know much about yaoi history/popularity haha. To be honest, I don't know how to feel about Painter of the Night. I've gotten to a point in the work where the love interest... is... doing something. LOL. I don't know. He's been a menace most of the manga, but he's very beautiful. Seung-Ho is a very beautiful character; I like to imagine he is a woman. It's fun to watch him crash out, and he looks beautiful while doing it.

It's just... hmm... he sucks really bad lol. There's usually some kind of redeeming quality I can think of for these "bad" types of love interests in these works, but his only one is that he is unintentionally funny when he is cruel. He acts so flippantly and arrogantly, and also, a lot of the other characters in the work are assholes, so when he's being an asshole to an asshole, it's great.

The protagonist, Na-Kyum, is fine. He is like... the poster boy of the young yaoi boy who is manipulated into a relationship and then constantly tormented by various people for things out of his control. I wish he was a bit more interesting, but if anything it feels like the story wants to establish how uninteresting he is. And I enjoy a boring protagonist sometimes, but it basically means every single thing he does is because of someone else's manipulation. It bores me a bit. It's why I put it on hold at Chapter 75, actually. I was just losing interest... My only motivation to keep reading is to find out why Seung-Ho is so fucked up and how he's going to enact punishment on those who have wronged him and Na-Kyum. Hopefully, I come back with my thoughts on this... eventually.