cinah

THIS REVIEW MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS, DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT FINISHED THE MANHWA

STORY

The premise of the story was quite interesting and fascinating. In general, the story was pretty heavy. It involved bullying, suicide and domestic violence. It was slow paced at first but the second half of the story felt rush sometimes. I really liked the supernatural element because it added mystery but I wish it was explored more. I mean soul switching is such an interesting trope on its own, and in combination with the plot of this manhwa it could be perfect. I liked the fact that there was a subplot within the main story. It was quite interesting but I felt like it was tossed aside in the end. There were so many things that could be explored more, about the brothers, about the boy who committed suicide, or even about the main couple etc so when I reached the end and I realized that we are not going to find out more I was disappointed. The ending of this manhwa was very rushed and disappointing, it kinda ruined the story for me. When I read the last chapter, I clicked next but the A/N said that this was indeed the last chapter and I wanted to scream. I have so many questions and I feel like I didn’t have time to say a proper goodbye to the characters. I was so emotionally invested and with that ending I feel like they took something away from me. However, what I loved most of this manhwa is how pure the love and affection between the main characters was. Their emotional scenes were so nicely done and you could actually tell that they cared about each other. I loved the fact that they didn’t emphasize the sexual part of their relationship like many other yaoi manga. Their physical attraction to each other was not treated as something more important that their connection and affection. I liked that a lot. It’s the main reason why I really liked the story of this manhwa despite its flaws. 

ART

The art was amazing. It suited the atmosphere of the story. I loved the colors a lot. Overall, it was quite minimal but very beautiful. 

CHARACTERS

The two main characters of the story were fantastic. Taemin’s personality stood out to me the most. He was very sensitive and caring and yet he could actually make your life a living hell if he wanted to. I liked the fact that he didn’t take any shit from the bullies and he actually defended himself. Despite his rough side, he was unapologetically sensitive and he tried to protect the people he cared bout. He was sassy, blunt and oh god he was so damn salty with the bullies it actually made me laugh sometimes. 

Siwoon was the mysterious hot guy at first but after he met Taemin he was like a little puppy. I loved it that he made clear that he was interested in Taemin and he was quite blunt too because why the hell make things complicating when he had the guy he like just in front of him?? He knew what he wanted and he did everything to claim it. 

Their chemistry was absolutely amazing. While I was reading the manhwa I felt like those two were made for each other. I’ve mentioned it before but I’m gonna say it again because their relationship was so pure it made me cry. It was not about the sex. It was way more than that. They actually had a reason to fall in love with each other. If you ask me why they ended up together I could actually give you a lot of valid reasons unlike other BL stories where the two main characters like each other just because they are two hot guys. But with Siwoon and Taemin, the reader can actually understand their affection. They had a huge impact on each other’s lives and they gave strength to each other. 

The two antagonists were not explored enough. We still don’t know what happened to them in the end. They were actually so mean and they did some pretty horrible things but we never got to see their punishment. Joohoon didn’t get the ending he deserved. He actually deserved to rot in jail and suffer but of course we never saw that. Jiwook got some kind of a punishment but it still wasn’t enough in my opinion. And with his last conversation with Joohoon, we’re still not sure what happened to him. 

OVERALL

This manhwa is definitely worth reading. I will say, that It has many flaws that I am still salty about just because they could be avoided so easily. The ending came way to early and it was very rushed and confusing. I still have questions about the fate of some characters which is a huge pet peeve of mine. But overall it was very entertaining and it was quite different than other typical BL stories. It had depth, no doubt about that. It was just that it could be so much more and it had so many things to give that I am disappointed that I will never get to see it reach its full potential.