Totally Captivated

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

This is, by far, my absolute favorite yaoi manga of all time. It's got the perfect blend of engaging story line, adorable characters, and laugh-out-loud humor. It even made me tear up a couple times. It's got it all in one beautiful package.

What I love about it:

1. Yakuza setting = adult themes - no high school drama.
2. The characters are incredibly lovable and while somewhat typical in their roles, the uke isn't a blushing maiden - he's still masculine with a strong will of his own.
3. It's dark but not too dark, and the humor helps to keep it ... in balance.
4. The art is just gorgeous.

It starts off sort of typical for a yaoi and I rolled my eyes a little but after that, it really develops into a solid story. I got engaged and invested in the story. It was refreshingly unpredictable and surprising at times. The author continued to introduce new forms of conflict and resolution to keep that roller coaster ride moving along.

The characters are what made the story interesting for me. They are very real, lively, and lovable. Ewon is a strong-willed and independent thinking uke. Mookyun is an incredibly possessive yet remarkably observant and caring seme with a temper and a sardonic sense of humor that I couldn't help but completely fall for. Most of the character growth comes from Ewon and it's touching to experience.

One of the most enjoyable things about this manga was the artwork. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Finder series. Ewon looks a lot like Akihito. Eyes and hair are stunning but their clothes are also amazingly drawn. Because they're yakuza, they're dressed pretty snappy and this artist really excels at displaying that. It's a male fashion show in every frame and it's delightful.

There's very few sex scenes in here and they're not explicit, but their suggestiveness is hot in itself. I never really felt overly disappointed by the lack of smut because the story and the characters were so engaging.

I read it straight through in one sitting and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys adult themed (as in non-high school) yaoi stories.

I felt like much of this manhwa was so, so good, but never became truly great. There were areas of questionable consent, violence, and also implied pedophilia that was creepily and maddeningly glossed over when everything was said and done. I feel like this one could have been a 10 if the author had really taken the time to explore the deep, darker themes, this could have been a magnificent, complex drama.

The art in this was TERRIFIC. It was my first manhwa and I ADORED the way the author drew eyes in particular.

The characters were endearing even as they were maddening at times. ...

I appreciated many things about this story. I really enjoyed that homosexuality was clearly declared from the get-go. It was a given that relationships were complex and often ugly. The characters were by NO means perfect people--not even the main POV character, Ewon. He was a serial player and prone to hurting his partners by stirring up their jealousy. Mookyul was just...I don't even know. He was charming, handsome, and also SUPER messed up. He was controlling, jealous, and pyscho many times and that bothered me a LOT, because it was romanticized in some cases, but then called out in others. *Sigh*.

I'm coming to realize that many yaoi are just filled with blurry consent lines, forced sex, controlling psychos, and stuff that makes me cringe and makes my heart hurt. I want to see more wholesome (but still complex) relationships that don't rely on stereotypes or shock-factors in order to tell a compelling story.

I have seen people talk about how good this manhaw is and so I decided to give it a go but I absolutely didn't like it.

------- THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON -------

There are so many issues to address. First of all, can we take a moment to talk about how Mookyul didn't bat an eye sleeping with his "father" and tries to justify it by saying, "Oh! But he saved me. How can I leave him? So I'll sleep with him instead". It was sickning.

Ewon is no saint either. But I feel bad for him. Yes I do! He's probably the ... only character I like in the whole thing and even he's not that great. The story kicks off with him cheating and he was and utter asshole in the beginning. But he devoted eveything of his to Mookyul and in return all he got was lies. For this reason, I truely feel bad for him.

I hated how Ewon gets treated by Mookyul. Like, Mookyul practically didn't let go of anything of his own to be with Ewon, he was constantly lying to Ewon. On the other hand, Ewon was being pushed around, wasn't allowed to be with his friends, didn't have any personal space. HOW UTTERLY SUFFOCATING THAT MIGHT FEEL LIKE! Even in sex Mookyul didn't care about how Ewon was feeling and would jump at him any chance he gets. It's as if Mookyul wanted a slave not a lover. Even then Ewon went back to Mookyul again and again. It was his toxic trait. Their relationship is toxic, YES!

I lost my shit when Ewon and Mookyul got back together after the big fight only to find out that Mookyul had lied even that time. I absolutely lost my shit.


NO DICK IS WORTH THIS CRAP. NOPE.

I legit wanted him to be with Moon or Jiho instead. They treated him better than Mookyul ever did.

Story : 1/10
Art : 5/10
Character : 1/10
Enjoyment : 2/10
Overall : 2/10