This was such a good fucking story. It's so unique in the way it portrays and explores relationships, I don't think I've quite seen a dynamic between main characters like this before. It was almost perfect.
My issues with this story are relatively small so I'll get those out of the way; Kang is written to always be two steps ahead, so there are a few times where you think he's been completely fucked over and bested but then it pulls the rug out from under you and reveals it all went according to his plan. The first time it happened, it was a gag. The second time it happened, it was still pretty surprising. The third time . . . It was a bit tiring, honestly. I get he's meant to be smart & all that, but the constant need the story had for plot twists did end up feeling a bit annoying. At the very least, there were moments I was annoyed by—such as Kang giving in and kissing some detective who was hitting on him—that were retroactively made better by the twists. It's just . . . Kind of a case where it being a thing to begin with is annoying.
The second issue I had is with a specific storybeat, though it's definitely a double-edged sword as there were things with it I liked. Basically, when Kang realizes he likes Kirin—or something akin to that—it kind of freaks him out and makes him cut contact with him. That, I didn't like. I thought it was a kind of contrived trope. However, I did like the way Kirin just refused it. He did his best to get in contact with Kang again and refused to give up on him and their relationship. He was an intense but not necessarily delusional character, which is something I liked.
Everything else about the story I fucking adored.
Season one is what I'd say is probably the highlight, in terms of plot. It's intense and thrilling and shocking. I didn't really know what to expect when I started this, I just knew what the description said; so the hunting game? Bro, my jaw was to the floor. Kang being a sociopath? Again, jaw to the fucking floor, dude. It took me by surprise and I just couldn't put it down. The best thing about this story is easily the dynamic between Kang & Kirin but that's obviously something much more overarching. Season one however was an incredibly strong opening. The setting, the characters, what it establishes between the two mains—it's phenomenal.
For a bit of context, season one is about Kirin trying to get revenge for his sister, who had committed suicide after being gang-raped by a group of friends who are part of a secret, elite club—Behemoth. To get into this club and avenge his sister, Kirin propositions Kang, the only man who is publicly known to be a member. Kang accepts, and from there, season one unfolds.
Throughout the season, the friends are seemingly driven into killing each other, usually all in the name of revenge; they're all rich, petty assholes who are ultimately just serving in their own self-interests. However, it's revealed near the end of season one that Kang is the one behind it all. He orchestrated everything. He led everyone on into killing each other through falsified evidence, leaked private information, etc. And I mean, I was gagged. It was a bit predictable, the plot twist wasn't blinding by any means, but the way it was executed still left it shocking and exciting. At the very least, the betrayal felt and they way the characters were clearly blindsighted by it was really palpable.
As I said though, the real meat of this story for me was by far the relationship between Kang and Kirin.
The story surprisingly treats Kang's sociopathy relatively seriously—it does lean on some stereotypes as ultimately Kang is treated as inherently violent—but the emotional core to his character, the way he interacts and forms bonds with other people, is surprisingly authentic. People with ASPD typically don't fall in love, and in this story, it's no different. Kang doesn't love Kirin, not conventionally. Not emotionally. Kirin isn't a magical exception, he isn't what "cures" him and makes him able to love people like a normal person. It's a relationship where one of them loves, the other owns. But the fact is that Kang does feel something for him. Kirin is the only one to spark that out of him.
I once saw someone say that people with ASPD can feel love, but only cognitively, not emotionally, and I think that's really emblematic of the relationship between Kirin and Kang.
Another thing, obviously, is Kang's intense desire to kill. Violence and death were the only things for a long time that sparked any type of emotion out of him. And now with Kirin being a part of his life, that's something he needs to deal with.
Kirin is afraid of that aspect of Kang. So for years, he asked Kang to suppress it. And for whatever reason, he did. But locking the "beast" behind bars just made it grow more restless, more eager to bare its teeth. You end the story on an open note, where they're still together but you have no idea what's going to happen later. And what I found really interesting, and what I really liked, was that Kirin's fear wasn't of Kang himself, but rather what would happen to him because of it. Kirin feared the police coming after him and killing him. Kirin feared him going to prison and deciding to kill himself rather than serve his sentence. What Kirin was afraid of was the fact that the path Kang wanted to walk on would lead him to his death, and I really liked that. One thing is that I wish Kirin's thoughts had more of a focus in the story, I don't believe Kang and Kirin ever properly talked about it.
One last thing I adored was the art style. This story was made in 2017 yet the style of it is so nostalgic. I loved it.
