[Spoiler Warning]
There seems to be some tension about the merit of Killing Stalking due to a toxic fanbase and relatively questionable content, so there are a few things that should be made clear right off the bat: Killing Stalking is NOT a Romance.
Yes, the series centers around a pairing is gay. Yes, it is sexually explicit. But it is NOT cute. It is NOT hot. It is not about the romance, if you can even consider it that.
What it IS is a Psychological Thriller manhwa that truly excels in every category, and I’ll be addressing some of the discourse surrounding it first.
Yaoi is a
...
very loaded genre in terms of both content and fanbase—There are some (a lot) of BL (short for boy’s love, i.e. everything male x male no matter how explicit or not explicit the content) that are extremely fetishizing and problematic, perpetuating a “female fantasy” of what gay relationships are like with tropes such as rape and pedophilia. A good portion of the fanbase would also consider themselves diehard fujoshis/yaoi fans (fujoshis literally meaning rotten girl, as in “I'm rotten for reading about gay relationships” which isn’t homophobic at all of course) that glorify such tropes and deny any criticism that comes their way. This portion of the fanbase also tends to be the loudest and most unapologetic, which is why they’re looked down upon by non-BL readers as they should be.
However, many non-BL readers then go to label all BL and BL readers according to these trends because these trends are the most “loudest” (cringey and vocal fujoshis, notorious rape and pedophilia yaoi series). Do you see where this is going?
So now we have Killing Stalking, a twisted story about two mentally unstable people in an incredibly toxic and unhealthy relationship, and those two people are male. So not only is it now labeled as a Yaoi and inheriting all the stereotypes that come with that genre, but it’s also now inherited a fanbase that definitely has a few crazies that will see that relationship as hot.
And so then non-BL readers have this opinion, or at the very least a preconception, about what Killing Stalking is: a gay torture porn that is the epitome of fucked up yaoi.
Just to be clear, the blame doesn’t fall just on the crazy fujoshis. If you have a Thriller with straight, ‘normal’ romance it’s still a Thriller. If you have a Thriller with gay romance, like Killing Stalking it’s suddenly become Yaoi. When series have gay (particularly male x male) relationships, that series will suddenly get the “Gay label.” It’ll be placed on a special Gay bookshelf where all the other books with The Gay are placed. Even if there is a substantial amount of gay content (like with Killing Stalking), the main genre is far overshadowed by the fact that it’s Gay.
With Killing Stalking, I imagine that a lot of people see the Yaoi tag and automatically turn away, or are at least somewhat deterred. Then they hear about or see the violence/abuse/psychological aspect and they tie the two together and think, “oh, so it’s weird gay torture porn,” whereas if the couple was straight it would just be “an abusive relationship.”
To reiterate what I said before, Killing Stalking is first and foremost a Psychological Thriller. The story centers around Yoon Bum, a loner with attachment issues, who falls in love with Oh Sangwoo, a popular, charismatic, attractive guy that he finds out is also secretly a serial murderer (you learn all this in the prologue and first chapters don’t worry). For some reason Sangwoo decides to spare his life after Bum confesses to him and thus an incredibly complex relationship/character dynamic ensues and evolves.
There is gore, sex, murder, and some fucked up themes surrounding all of those. I don't want to reveal too much because the reveals are worth experiencing, but does get a little heavy at times, but if you can handle it then it’s definitely worth the read.
The characters, their development, and their relationship are for sure the winning point of Killing Stalking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it as well done as in KS. Koogi does a masterful job in this aspect in multiple ways: first, both Bum and Sangwoo have extreme emotional depth, the complexity of which is slowly revealed throughout the story. While Bum seems like and is a quiet, socially anxious stalker and Sangwoo seems like and is a manipulative psychopath/sociopath, the degree to which these characterizations are true and how they change throughout the story as the two characters interact and develop is the most interesting part.
From the first several chapters, we already learn that Sangwoo has several sides to his personality and is able to project and manipulate a certain image of himself based on his audience. This leads to a variety of questions: which Sangwoo is the “true” Sangwoo, what triggers him to act a certain way/shift personalities, do more sides exist, why all these different sides of him exist, and how they originate. At the same time, we begin to see how these sides of him change and develop as other characters and events impact his psyche.
With Bum, our understanding of him is totally different. The story is told mainly from his point of view and so the reader is let in on his thoughts and feelings from the start. However, as the story progresses, the reader learns that what Bum hides from the readers and consequently, himself, reveals just as much about him as what we are otherwise shown and told. This also means that one of the driving forces of Bum’s character development is how he changes and evolves, whereas with Sangwoo, the focus is primarily on unearthing his already existing complexity. These two different modes of character development are a testament to Koogi’s ability to create characters that aren’t just interesting and complex, but also complex in different ways.
This leads into the second thing Koogi does really well in terms of characters, which is the execution of their development. More specifically, Koogi is a master of storytelling, subtlety, and a slow, bit-by-bit reveal that isn’t too vague nor too explicit. Especially in the second half of the series, each new chapter begins to feel like an additional puzzle piece in the larger puzzle that is what the hell is going on. The foreshadowing is also very well done. This is particularly true for Sangwoo’s past, which becomes more complicated than anyone could’ve imagined at the beginning. There are definitely a lot of “woah” and “oh shit” moments throughout the story that are credited to the way Koogi is able to build suspense and execute reveals.
Playing into that is the way the characters’ relationships reveal more about each character while simultaneously flowing completely naturally. Nothing feels forced and everything slots together truly like a puzzle, creating a seamless and immersive experience. Even the sexually explicit scenes have a purpose and are rarely just for the sake of appealing to fans.
Another thing that makes KS so seamless is how interconnected the plot is with the characters. Plot events happen because it makes sense for the characters. It’s as if the characters are deciding the plot, which is how it is in real life and how it should be in non-fantasy, real-world manhwa.
The suspense and story are especially gripping because Sangwoo’s mysteriousness and mental state make him unpredictable and able to take the story anywhere. This is established from an early point onward and keeps the story from falling into cliches. The plot never gets boring for the majority of the story.
However, because of the focus on the characters, the last third-ish of Killing Stalking ends up becoming not as plot driven as some other Thriller/Horror series near the middle and end. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing and is pretty expected given the large psychological aspect of KS. There are also some times when the plot does slow down a little. It usually makes sense later on in establishing a certain image/mood, but can feel flat in the moment.
The art is stellar. The style is pleasing while avoiding same face syndrome and the color palette nicely complements the mood of the manhwa. Art plays a large part in the quality of storytelling through things such as perspective, angles, and progression of panels, and it’s safe to say both are top notch.
I will say that it does get explicit, both with sex and with gore. It’s definitely not the worst I’ve seen and it’s artfully done so that it’s not “depictions and close ups of gore/sex for the sake of gore/sex.”
Finally, I highly HIGHLY suggest you read the chapter reddit threads for the later chapters when it becomes more subtle and confusing. I only did it from chapter 55/67 onward and a few random chapters before then that I was confused about. This is because sometimes you might miss out on crucial foreshadowing and they usually pick up on it in those threads. People also have some interesting theories and predictions that enhance the experience a lot, given that so much is left to be implied/not explicit until much later.
Go onto reddit.com/r/killingstalking and search “chapter ##” and you’ll get the discussion thread for each chapter when that chapter was released. There most usually won’t be spoilers because future chapters haven’t been released yet at the time the thread is made.
TL;DR:
Do NOT read this if:
- You’re here for the Yaoi/a “dark but cute” romance. Sorry but the only ships you should shipping are Yoonbum x Therapy and Sangwoo x Prison. If you ultimately think the main pairing is cute or hot you need to stop fetishizing gay couples and you probably also some need help.
- You can’t handle gore, murder, physical and psychological abuse
DO read this for:
- The best characters + character development I’ve ever seen, hands down
- Unique, suspenseful story that avoids cliches
- Amazing storytelling through pacing, foreshadowing, etc
- Amazing art
Even if you’re deterred by the Yaoi tag, give it a shot. It’s not a Yaoi with Psychological Thriller aspects, it’s a Psychological Thriller with Yaoi aspects.
Read the chapter discussion threads on Reddit.
*******Also! if you do plan on reading it, here are some things to think about/watch out for while reading:
- Placement and types of injuries (won't be hard to miss)
- Clothing (won't be hard to miss)
- Who has power, and what actions or objects show that (becomes very interesting near the end)
- Significance of the different floors of the house (interesting to think about)
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: 킬링 스토킹 More titlesInformationType: Manhwa
Volumes: 8
Chapters: 67
Status: Finished
Published: Mar 3, 2016 to Mar 22, 2019
Theme:
Psychological
Serialization:
Lezhin Comics Webtoon Authors:
Koogi (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: N/A2 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #211
Members: 72,429
Favorites: 3,289 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 69 / 79
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Aug 16, 2019
[Spoiler Warning]
There seems to be some tension about the merit of Killing Stalking due to a toxic fanbase and relatively questionable content, so there are a few things that should be made clear right off the bat: Killing Stalking is NOT a Romance. Yes, the series centers around a pairing is gay. Yes, it is sexually explicit. But it is NOT cute. It is NOT hot. It is not about the romance, if you can even consider it that. What it IS is a Psychological Thriller manhwa that truly excels in every category, and I’ll be addressing some of the discourse surrounding it first. Yaoi is a ... 
Nov 19, 2019
Beware of Spoilers.
I'm not into Yaoi, needless to say, i know it wasn't for me. But I was interested. After reading it, it's not something I would consider "Yaoi" in any way. It's a Psychological Thriller, much Abuse and Toxic Stuff. It seemed the whole time like the Author tried to do something, but all I could catch were Cliche troupes. Yoon Bum-Chapter 1 literally shows a flashback of him being almost raped in military, he's underweight, he's lonely, he's mentally ill, he's hurt, he's traumatized and that stays for the rest of the Manwha. He got abused by everyone, his parents died when he was ... 
May 29, 2020
First things first, I found out about it per edits which completely gives this a different representation.
SPOILERS WARNING! I was already genuinely disgusted after Chapter 2 by anyone who would still ship this after finding out who Sangwoo really is. So we find out that Sangwoo is a Serial Killer who beats women and kills them after torturing them. Bum, the MC, gets his legs broken by Sangwoo and goes through hell during the story. Yoonbum: Suffers from PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder and then Stockholm Syndrome because of Sangwoo. Textbook victim, doesn't mean that the Author did a bad job with him, the way he acts and reacts ... 
Jul 19, 2020
In general what is considered bad is the construction of the characters going on for a reason, the manga is good for a 14 year old girl who supports rape but has a great development, everything generated well but besides the bad ending, the story didn't makes a lot of sense.
the art is beautiful with very few mistakes that you can’t even tell if they’re mistakes or purposeful design. I had a great use of the manga, but even so I was not touched by the story. For those who started in this manga world, it may seem to be VERY GOOD WOW but the story in ... 
Jun 8, 2020
*Review contains spoilers*
I was dared to read this as a joke. The only time I have ever seen this manga before reading it was from the fanbase, which is awful. This is NOT a yaoi by any means and should not be romanticized like it is. The only thing I really enjoyed while reading this was the art. There's a lot of care and detail put into each panel and I can appreciate the work put into it. However, this manga was awful to read. I found myself hating every single character, including the protagonist. Many times I burst out laughing due to how awkward, bad and ... 
Jun 18, 2020
Killing Stalking was...interesting...It's been a while since I finished this series, yet I still don't know exactly how I feel. Sometimes I think it was pretty good, but at other times I remember that I willingly read this and wonder why. It had more good points than bad points but is definitely not something I would willingly read again.
My main problems with Killing Stalking are that it fails to be very good at anything it tries to be. MAL categorizes it as "Drama, Horror, Psychological" and "Yaoi." Is it a drama? Somewhat. The character drama was okay, but lacking in some ways I can't ... 
Sep 6, 2019
"If I die first, I want you to die, too. If you fail, just keep trying. Don't let me down. Ever."
Woah,first review. I remember hearing about Killing Stalking for the first time from a friend who was obsessed with yaoi manga ... I did my research the next day and there it was. What an interesting manhwa i said to myself.. I don't read yaoi, but i found this one very different and interesting from any manhwa or yaoi stories out there. I will be spoiling some stuff. Let me just start off by saying that it's not a romantic story. ...
Sep 1, 2023 Not Recommended Funny 
Absolutely disgusting book. How on Earth did it get published??! Seriously it's so good damn disgusting. The story is not for sensitive people. It will traumatize you. I'm terms of genres, wow, r*pe, m**der etc.
It's so messed up seriously guys don't read it. It's also horrendously addictive. I had to finish it to find out what happens. Didn't like the ending at all. The art is quite okay...but that's not the point here.... Characters are insane. Literally just Stockholm Syndrome....I couldn't even imagine how something like got published in the first place. It left me in tears and it was so triggering because of the ... 
May 24, 2023
This is one of my favorite things to re-read. It is not a fetishy BL that most people think it is. It is a psychological horror manhwa that has actual depth to the plot and I think its very well written and the author is very talented at showing mental illness and PTSD. The story is unpredictable and had me hooked when I first started reading; I finished it in one day. I recommend this to people who enjoy reading dark stories with no happy ending
You can see the art style slowly get better and better throughout the manhwa, I love it at its ...
May 30, 2020
This story was a fairly enjoyable read, and if you have the time, I highly recommend it! However, keep in mind that although some sites may have it under "Yaoi" or "BL" tags, it should NOT in ANY WAY be considered as such. Yes, there are sexually explicit scenes and the two main characters share sentimental moments, however one is a killer, kidnapper and rapist and the other is a victim. Don't let the fujoshis and toxic fandom fool you, this is a psychological thriller. Secondly, there are a few things that left me confused, specifically why he started killing after his mother's death. However,
...
Feb 7, 2020 --The review contains spoilers-- First things first, this manhwa was mindblowing. I don't normally read psychological horrors but this made me more intrigued in the genre. It worked in so many different ways, by that i mean there are little details that just caused you to actually use your brain and think of the story more deeply. More to what meets the eye. Theory inducing. That's the main reason why i loved this, the writing and storyline, instant 10/10. Now, for the characters... erm. There are mixed opinions on them. Well for me, boi, some points i hated Sangwoo's guts, as most people do, but it's ... 
Aug 15, 2022
This Manhwa sucks. It feels like something E. L. James would write but with even less knowledge of the human psyche. Truly something 14 year old weirdos can obsess about and drift into some weird fantasy of murder and hot gay sex.
But what is it even about? It‘s about a very good looking serial killer and his man whore. The serial killer acts like a typical dominant partner in a toxic relationship* (besides that he doesn‘t just abuse his partner but mutilates him). Normally even the most witless abuse victims wake up at some point and realize whats going on in their relationship and act accordingly. But ... 
Dec 21, 2019
Killing Stalking... I was wondering why MAL hadn't added you to the database being this one of the most popular Manhwas at the time of its publication but well things that only MAL will know, first English is not my strong point, there will be mistakes if you don't come to me privately saying “You have mistakes here, here, there” insert image of genius meme .jpg, I'm human, I learn English alone by my own means obviously I'm going to make mistakes so don't come to fill your stupid messages with that, second there will be Spoilers, third in the conclusion there will be 2
...
Jun 23, 2020
oof i cant give like a pro review but im just gonna say what i thought of it. You know when you watch something about crime and it gets exciting everytime they are on to something or shit happens? Well from reading all of killing stalking id say i got the same feeling but just consistently throughout the whole thing. Like it is so fucked up and just totally insane because of the killing and abuse etc but i CANNOT help feeling attached to the characters, both yoon and sangwoo made me feel so much pity at the fact that they are both flat out
...
Aug 21, 2020
*MIGHT CONTAIN A FEW SPOILERS*
When it comes to reading stories like killing stalking, a certain level of understanding is required to grasp the essence of it. When I looked at the ratings and saw people giving it such low scores on this site , I was surprised, but upon reading their reviews, I realized it's actually a mark of the writer's success. They mostly went on about how unlikeable the characters were and their disgust with their actions, but you know...this is a psychological thriller about mentally unstable characters spiraling downwards because of their messed up behavior. The writer did not intend to create likable ... 
Jul 21, 2023
Story
This was one of the first stories that I actually had emotions about. Even on the chapters that feel boring have interesting things happen and they show how Sangwoo is an awful person. The characterizations and plot are all very interesting but the s*x/more often r*** scenes are very bothersome and almost made me drop it I can't skip them because they have plot happening during them however even though I've had similar trauma I was able to tolerate it but if you are less desensitized to that stuff than me then I recommend not reading it. The ending was interesting in my opinion however ... 
May 20, 2020
This manhwa has been critiqued a lot and I do understand why. However, I found it interesting and wanted to share some thoughts.
Art shouldn't be defined by its fanbase. I think Killing Stalking has many similarities with "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. If you find Lolita disturbing, you have a right to. If you see it as romantic story about forbidden love, then you do. But the story isn't famous for being controversial only. I watched the movie when I was underage and didn't understand why it even was made. I didn't like and felt like it wasn't something I should be watching. About five years ... 
Oct 22, 2020
this is NOT a yaoi but i did enjoy it for what it is. i liked the creepiness of it and i dont think we should rate stuff based on their fanbase... i liked the characters and the art a lot. i could not stop reading,i was wandering what whould happen next. i think i might be a bit biased because it was one of my first mangas/manhwas. overall it was a great read and i would recommend it, only if u want to read it because of the action and not the shipping. i do not recommend this if u are a victim of
...
Sep 23, 2020
A friend of mine posted a meme of a main character on instagram so I asked what this manga was. While reading it I was slightly uncomfortable because there are some gay things but I just kept reading because it was interesting and the buildup of "tension" was pretty cool. Besides, ik the point isn't the "sexy" situations but there are some t1tties there so it makes me feel a little better about it. Yes the drama was good. I would end there but MAL wants the review to be longer so I added this sentence hoping it would let me submit the review now.
...
Aug 5, 2020
i really enjoyed reading this story. its very different from anything i've ever read which made it interesting to read. the characters are well designed and unique in my opinion but it really bothers me how people romanticize their relationship in any way shape or form. this story is a NOT a romance so i dont understand why people have the need to ship them together. both the main characters are mentally ill. sangwoo does not love bum. bum thinks he loves sangwoo but in reality he just craves love and affection and when he got that from sangwoo he caught feelings and thought that
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