Peak storytelling in only 6 chapters!! Really punched me in the feels (in a good way). I’m a sucker for dynamics like this where the FL holds more power/status than the ML, and the yearning and payoff here is absolute perfection. The smut adds just the right amount of spice to the story, but I wouldn’t recommend reading this just for smut. Adding to my all-time favs!
Spoilers below….
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What I appreciate the most about this title is that, ultimately, Ul *was* the man Penelope married. That fact certainly doesn’t redeem his misleading behavior, but we can’t help but to sympathize with this lovesick man who capitalized on a deadly farce that was forced upon him. Just like how Penelope says the baby’s breath was the only sincerity amidst their sham of a wedding, Ul was the one genuine factor (in both feelings and presence itself) amidst the noblemen’s schemes.
This manhwa is steeped in symbolism. For instance, Ul’s clothing is deeply revealing—no pun intended! He doesn’t disrobe during sex until he’s shown Penelope his true self and she accepts him. We also see his outermost identity graduate from his military garb (stable boy-turned-soldier) to high class attire (nobleman).
In parallel, Penelope graduates from her namesake mythos to making an empowered decision for herself. These unlikely lovers saved each other in so many different ways. Such impressive development and natural pacing in so few chapters! This creator is a genius.
I do wonder how the couple can pull off this farce when the on-paper husband likely still has living relatives who are also nobles…..
The creator has hinted at a polycule ending at least a couple times already. I really don’t agree with the comments that there’s an angling towards Taeha. If anything, MC’s actual feelings toward Taeha seem most lukewarm atp while his feelings for Juwon are all but confirmed. Blondie is my fav rn and I hope he gets to use those condoms soon haha
Yeah, I'm hoping for Kyungtae to get a point plsss... He's the only one left that hasn't had a chance. Let mah boy take a hit
Maybe as of right now , but the amount of times we see Tasha’s pov alone and his feelings, shows she’s leaning towards pushing his arc more than the other two
I think it’s largely necessary for the creator to do so because their relationship was the most distant to begin with.
*emotionally distant
But apparently the artist couldn’t hold on for 3 more chapters lol I could’ve done without the first change in art style,too. Still worth reading imo loved the matriarchal setting and intriguing plot! Hot hot femdom smut!! Enemies to lovers/hate to love, unrequited love, obsessive and possessive lover… so many of my favorite tropes. Wish the last chapter would’ve been drawn out into two so that we could see more of their happy ending… except with that final art style, well… nvm yeah maybe it was better to smoosh that all into a single chap lmao definitely still coming back to reread this one in the future
Pretty standard fare for unrequited love BL. While I like how affectionate and straightforward the top is, the emotional tension fell short of what this trope is capable of as a result. Nonetheless def worth a read! I wish there was an extra showing how/when Nagira first fell in love with Haruma.
Nearly 15 years ago, this was my gateway drug into enemies-to-lovers BL, which today remains my favorite trope. This is still absolute PEAK! It’s hilarious how the ultimate conflict came to a head via Kasukabe just being so fcking weird lmao I’m super grateful to Echochi Scans for doing this work justice; the typesetting in particular is quite superb. This series is part of my golden trifecta of fav school life rivalry yaoi: Junketsu Drop, Ore no Kirai na Senpai, and Who’s Going to Win This Competition
I haven’t read this yet, but I’m a few episodes into the anime. I’m seeing online that there’s some speculation that Kinosaki may actually be a girl. Are these claims just the delusions of homophobes and heteronormies, or is there an actual basis in the manga for this possibility? I was SO excited after watching the first ep, but I might just drop it all together if it’s a double trap queerbait :(
I reached the lastest ep there is absolutely no claim or proof that kinosaki is a girl and indeed in geros childhood memories he remembers kinosaki and his brother as boys, young kinosaki was def a boy.
Sorry you remember the episode where gero remember kinosaki as boy?? I couldn't find it ╥﹏╥
Kinosaki is definitely a guy, hes gotten naked to prove it so if that isn't proof then Idk what is, and by the direction of how things are going in the story it seems like kinosaki and gero would be end game, although this is subject to change cuz sometimes mangakas are cruel but story wise it only makes sense for those two to get together
I think it was ep 3 or ep 4 when gero was remembering why he can’t eat outside and why he likes that candy so much in his memories he saw boy kinosaki and his brother eatting that candy so he did the same and started lining it up+ it seems both of them liked each other in childhood but gero grew up to forget kinosaki but kinosaki grew to remember gero as his first love and I think in ep one if you remember when they first met kinosaki said “you remind me of my first love”
At least from a manga perspective Gero doesn't know kinosaki was the boy he saw in the human zoo so I don't think Gero knows but pretty sure kinosaki does
aight besties now this sis needs recs for more "a lady and her knight" master/servant romance ლ(´ڡ`ლ)
This was a slow starter for me. I almost dropped around chapter 30 due to pacing/vibes, but I'm SO glad I persevered... it is absolutely worth it!!! This isekai is definitely above average imo.
My favorite thing about this series is how it handles all the MLs:
We get a ML who isn't "high spec" or privileged in anyway. He's considered plain-looking, and he doesn't have wealth, status, fame, or power of any sort. Nonetheless, he easily has us swooning because his devotion and cuteness are just *chef's kiss*
It is nearly impossible to find a romance manhwa where the ML is "normal,” like as if creators worry a character won’t be attractive to readers unless they have extraordinary beauty, wealth, status, fame, and/or power. But sometimes I just want a love story with a normal dude!!!
For the main story, the ML often feels undeveloped as a character because he primarily serves as a foil to the toxic 2MLs. However, the side stories fleshed him out enough for me to be satisfied.
The privileged and powerful 2MLs are realistically problematic, and our MC is a champ for ruthlessly calling them out for bs that other romance heroines would've pandered to.
Although I think more world-building would've been nice, I was impressed with how this series explained the causality behind its supernatural phenomenon. Most isekai romances seem to gloss over these details.
I also loved the OP witches and all the exposition around them. Their badass sisterhood is gold, and I wish there was a spin-off centered on them.
This story is probably too angsty for me to reread, but I am REALLY glad that I read it. I rarely write review comments like this, but I really felt the need to reflect on this series, and to urge others to persevere with it, too. It's a refreshingly unique story that hits on a different level.
To realize the emperor’s name Eric Dyk = erect dick