Review by farronk - Lover Boy, Vol. 1

farronk 's review for:

Lover Boy, Vol. 1 by ZEC

3.0

emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is my first experience with ZEC’s work, and manwha adapted from web comics (?) in general. So I fully admit to having some bias when it comes to feeling like the characters don’t have as distinct a look, and the backrounds seem a little sparse and empty. However, the overall emotion of the story and the compelling pairing at the center of Lover Boy 1 propelled it forward to me. There were several dalliances from the plot’s rather simple main arc that wound up feeling a little unnecessary, as the motivations of some of the characters, especially Jaeha’s previous relationships, felt muddy and unclear. It didn’t feel like I learned enough more about Jaeha or why he found himself in those positions to truly feel like those bumps in the road were doing anything aside from prolonging the inevitable. However, ultimate payoff was good and I found myself very invested in how the main characters came together. There were a few inventive moments in the explicit scenes that I quite enjoyed, but in general if you read a lot of BL then this doesn’t offer any real surprises.

I liked that Eunho borderline toxic and overly persistent in his affections. If you don’t like that kind of thing, or relationships with a large age gap that connected as children (even if they don’t pursue anything until adulthood), then this won’t be for you. It’s not a standout or argument for any of its tropes and clearly meant for those who already enjoy it.

I’ll be looking forward to reading more about Eunho and Jaeha, as I feel there are still a lot of unanswered questions about who they are and how they operate in the world. Right now I feel as if I don’t fully understand a lot about Jaeha’s feelings.

The feeling of this book was quite premium in the hand with its lovely matte cover, however, the glossy paper allowed for several issues with transferring between the pages. I’d rather pay for something a little less premium if it’s going to have issues like that.

Content Warnings