(warning: me yapping about my thoughts on this manhwa)
i've been re-reading sadistic beauty side story b for over 5 years now and it's still my personal favorite BL. it's so fucking good man. it's everything i could ever want in a dark romance / dead dove kind of story. perfect for Sick Twisted Perverts (TM) such as myself.
- the art style is gorgeous. i love how the character designs have a good balance between an idealized anime look and realistic proportions. thank you geumsan lee for your amazing art
- wookyung is an extremely possessive, obsessive, batshit insane seme and i love it. i like that the story doesn't shy away from the brutality and awfulness of his actions (despite the visuals being very appealing and sexy; this is still smut after all). the trauma he inflicts on minho is never handwaved and has actual consequences. his behavior is explained but never excused. i hate doona because the main story frames her as an innocent little victim by the end when she literally raped minho. if she was just an unapologetic evil piece of shit, i might have enjoyed her character as much as wookyung, someone who's done much much worse than her. i like that wk never gets redeemed after he apologizes to minho and tries to be gentler with him. it’s more realistic that he remains a scumbag until the end.
- this manhwa is just the right amount of fucked-upness for me. some of the other dark BLs I’ve read is too bleak and disturbing even for me, like non-zero sum. i like that manhwa too but good lord it is hard to stomach during certain parts. i've re-read sadistic beauty BL countless times, but it’s hard for me to re-read NZS (although SB is a lot shorter, so...) also SB just has better writing than NZS. NZS is just nonstop relentless abuse and rape every chapter, to the point that it's almost boring LMAO. idk why i enjoy these kinds of stories. but it's MY trauma and I get to choose the coping mechanism!!!
- i like that wookyung and minho's relationship has been built up since the main story. you technically don't need to read it to read this one. i did and i think it's more impactful when you get to know them both as individuals and their history with each other before they eventually get together (even though the main story's not as good as this one lol). also, seeing wookyung's interest in minho grow from mild to all-consuming is fun. like watching two cars about to crash in slow motion and being unable to stop it
- i think the ending is pretty good. “good” doesn’t necessarily mean “pleasant”, just that it fits with the story. i love me some unhealthy codependency. inject that shit straight into my veins. i'm so sorry minho, you deserved better
(warning: me yapping about my thoughts on this manhwa)
i've been re-reading sadistic beauty side story b for over 5 years now and it's still my personal favorite BL. it's so fucking good man. it's everything i could ever want in a dark romance / dead dove kind of story. perfect for Sick Twisted Perverts (TM) such as myself.
- the art style is gorgeous. i love how the character designs have a good balance between an idealized anime look and realistic proportions. thank you geumsan lee for your amazing art
- wookyung is an extremely possessive, obsessive, batshit insane seme and i love it. i like that the story doesn't shy away from the brutality and awfulness of his actions (despite the visuals being very appealing and sexy; this is still smut after all). the trauma he inflicts on minho is never handwaved and has actual consequences. his behavior is explained but never excused. i hate doona because the main story frames her as an innocent little victim by the end when she literally raped minho. if she was just an unapologetic evil piece of shit, i might have enjoyed her character as much as wookyung, someone who's done much much worse than her. i like that wk never gets redeemed after he apologizes to minho and tries to be gentler with him. it’s more realistic that he remains a scumbag until the end.
- this manhwa is just the right amount of fucked-upness for me. some of the other dark BLs I’ve read is too bleak and disturbing even for me, like non-zero sum. i like that manhwa too but good lord it is hard to stomach during certain parts. i've re-read sadistic beauty BL countless times, but it’s hard for me to re-read NZS (although SB is a lot shorter, so...) also SB just has better writing than NZS. NZS is just nonstop relentless abuse and rape every chapter, to the point that it's almost boring LMAO. idk why i enjoy these kinds of stories. but it's MY trauma and I get to choose the coping mechanism!!!
- i like that wookyung and minho's relationship has been built up since the main story. you technically don't need to read it to read this one. i did and i think it's more impactful when you get to know them both as individuals and their history with each other before they eventually get together (even though the main story's not as good as this one lol). also, seeing wookyung's interest in minho grow from mild to all-consuming is fun. like watching two cars about to crash in slow motion and being unable to stop it
- i think the ending is pretty good. “good” doesn’t necessarily mean “pleasant”, just that it fits with the story. i love me some unhealthy codependency. inject that shit straight into my veins. i'm so sorry minho, you deserved better