ADÉNTRATE EN EL OMEGAVERSO En un mundo dominado por alfas, betas y omegas, ser alfa es sinónimo de éxito, poder y riqueza, el gran premio de la lotería genética. Kim Hyesung siempre ha creído ser un alfa y, aunque no le ha ido muy bien en la vida, tiene claro que una buena pareja omega es la solución a todos sus males. Todo se complica cuando, intentando buscar a su alma gemela en una fiesta de la élite, descubre que en realidad no es un alfa sino un omega recesivo, el eslabón más débil e inútil de la jerarquía; peor aún, su destino queda ligado al de Park Dojin, un alfa dominante que preside la cúspide de la alta sociedad y no soporta a los omegas. Ambos jóvenes son totalmente opuestos e imposibles, pero tanto sus caminos como sus feromonas se verán entrelazados para siempre.
At its core, the relationship between Dojin and Hye-sung felt unhealthy and manipulative. Dojin took advantage of Hye-sung, got him pregnant, assaulted him, and tricked him into carrying the pregnancy to term, all with the purpose of getting him to stay.
Despite his flaws—yes, Hye-sung can be selfish at times, especially when he thought he was an alpha—he didn’t deserve what Dojin put him through. And while Dojin’s actions are portrayed as part of a misguided attempt to keep Hye-sung with him, it came off as coercive and exploitative. The imbalance of power was clear from the beginning. The first time they had sex really emphasized this imabalance, Hye-sung was in heat. He acted in a way that he wouldn't have otherwise, so it's not any different from if Dojin took advantage of a drunk guy, especially since he himself had full control of his actions.
What made it even more difficult to connect with the story were the attempts to paint Hye-sung as a bad parent, despite him never asking to be one in the first place??? This felt like an unfair characterization, especially considering the circumstances he was put in.
The art style was really cute though (but don’t take my word for it since this was my first one). However, a lot of things bothered me while reading. First, the smut scenes—why, just why did they flash me like that? 😭 I get that it’s a mature story, but how do you explain them showing me where the freaking prostate is???!!! I did not consent to that!!! Plus, all the 'grip, roll, whack and pant'—if you don’t get it, I mean the whole explaining what’s happening—it just threw me off, though I eventually got used to it.
This doesn’t mean I’ll stop my manga/manhwa journey! I’m still eager to explore more stories in the genre, but if you have any recommendations, I’d really appreciate ones that don’t include any non-consensual elements. I didn't finish the story but I heard that the author introduced another couple that is not as toxic so maybe i’ll be back to finish this.
_________________ Pre-Read
I need to switch things up so I just spent 2 hours learning the difference between manga and manhwa, checking out the best BL to read as a beginner, and figuring out how to read them since it's completely different from regular books (though that part was pretty straightforward). I also had to look up where to read them, so this one better be good!
This feels so wrong, the main characters aren't likable. The art style is so cute and I love the comedic effect it brings but the flow of the story just irritates me. Do we have to resort to rape and exploitation? Seriously, I've only read a few manhwas and this is mostly my starting days, but I've never seen such wholesome ones (speaking the same thing with omegaverse, honestly) Another great art style with a crappy storyline. What a waste.
I thought this one was going to be all soft and cutesy but it was honestly pretty intense. I don't really like either of the MC's but somehow that makes it work?? The dynamics are interesting and the world is also cool to read about!
this was kind of like a bad car wreck? it was not great but like, I couldn’t look away? It was also my first foray into the omega verse genre and I’m not sure how I feel about it? maybe this wasn’t the best choice to go into it for the first time because this felt morally questionable…
I read the full Korean version of this and, oh boy, it’s been a long time since I have read a series so bad.
On top of the main lead being the most unlikable protagonist I have ever read, I’m not even sure he actually likes his rich co-star or he’s just thirsting after the money till the very end.
Things you need to prepare yourself about if you want to read this series:
- A lot of non-consential sexual experiences, or sex under force. - Keeping someone basically hostage - Using pregnancy as a way of blackmailing money - BFFs who lie to you for months, hiding your partner away and trying to force them to leave the country. - Child abandonment - Verbal abuse - ?attempted cheating which only failed for “biological” reasons
By the end of this series, I felt Hye-sung only came back because he literally had no other choice. I was waiting for a moment of reflection, when he realised he had some affection for Dojin, but this moment never came, he literally tried having sex with a stranger, but. “Omegaverse reason” prevented him and he had to go back. Every opportunity he was given to choose Dojin or a different direction for his life, he chooses to run away.
We didn’t see them ever bond over their backgrounds or share anything meaningful about their experiences or feelings.
Hye-sung was a spoiled, stupid, money thirsty idiot how had no problem blackmailing or dimissing anyone else’s feeling when it suits him. He is childish and selfish and sadly has no growth till the end.
Dojin was a bit better at the end, but he was controlling, manipulative, rude protagonist who took advantage of someone in heat and then basically used their bad position in life to hold them there.
Hye-sung and the BFF were honestly the most annoying parts for me. There is only so much Hye-sung’s “stupidity” could be used as an excuse for some of the frustrating choices he made through this book. The only likable characters here were Dojin’s family and sadly we don’t see them often enough to make reading this series enjoyable.
I’m honestly glad It’s over and that I don’t ever need to read it again. Would not be purchasing the English published version or recommend this story to anyone.
Not been very lucky with mature manga lately. This one has a lot of dub-con and the main characters don't even get to know each other or bond, despite starting to live together quite early in the story. Won't continue the series.
If you're a big fan of A/B/O, then you might enjoy this more than I did. I liked it, but didn't love it. However, I will freely admit that ABO is kind of hit or miss with me.
1 star for the cute art, negative stars for everything else.
I feel like I was bamboozled by the title but this was awful. All of the characters are so damn unlikable and tbh I was rooting for them to NOT get together.
And god the sexual assault in this book is so goddamn painful. Yet it’s plot development?! Literally the result of it leads into the next volume I think. God I bought this on a whim because it looked cute but man do I regret it. I still love the cute art and design but that is literally it. Save yourself the time 😭 .
This is an omegaverse series - a quick explanation, if you aren't familiar with that. Everyone in this world is an Alpha, Omega, or Beta. Betas are regular humans. Alphas produce pheromones that attract Omegas, Omegas produce pheromones that attract Alphas, and Omegas go through heat cycles that make them want to have sex with Alphas (in the world of this series, medication exists that can suppress these heat cycles). Alphas of either sex can get Omegas of either sex pregnant.
Hye-sung has spent his entire life thinking he was a recessive Alpha, but, while working as a waiter at a party, he meets Dojin, a dominant Alpha, enters his first heat cycle, and discovers that he's actually an Omega. Specifically, he's a recessive Omega, so he'll likely have difficulty finding medication that can suppress his heat cycle and it'll be harder for him to get pregnant.
Dojin is a singer in a popular band and comes from a wealthy family composed almost entirely of Alphas. Due to his family constantly pressuring him to pair up with an Omega, he hates Omegas and only has sex with Betas or other Alphas. Until he meets Hye-sung. For some reason, having sex with Hye-sung inspires him to write incredible songs. Too bad Hye-sung resents Dojin for making him realize he's an Omega.
Look at that cover. Don't they look like a sweet and loving couple? Ha ha. Banish that thought from your mind. Maybe they eventually turn into that, I don't know, but their relationship in this first volume is nothing but rape and resentment.
From the way it was written, it didn't sound like Hye-sung's reaction was entirely normal, but his heat cycle basically overrode his brain and turned him into a mindless sex fanatic who really wanted Alpha Dojin to impregnate him. Their first sex scene starts with Dojin shoving his fingers up Hye-sung's butt in order to find his uterus and prove to him that he's an Omega. To be fair, he gave Hye-sung meds to suppress his heat cycle (they didn't work), but who shoves their fingers up some random stranger's butt?? Hye-sung is understandably upset when he comes back to his senses.
In a later scene,
They're a terrible couple who are terrible for each other. The main thing tying them together is the fact that Hye-sung seems to be Dojin's muse (find another source of inspiration!), and Hye-sung is a dumbass whose idiocy makes Dojin understandably worried. Hye-sung, there are no non-sketchy ways for you to make money fast, so stop falling for scams!
By the end of the volume, I was rooting more for Sooyoung and Hye-sung than I was for Hye-sung and Dojin. I'd probably have liked Dojin more if it hadn't been for his mind-controlled Alpha rapist moments.
I generally liked the artwork (except the horses, which were awful and thankfully rare). The sex is on-page, but penises are fuzzy white voids. Some pages are in color - in one odd instance, the artwork switches to color part-way through a page.
It'd be nice to know more about why Hye-sung has spent his entire life hiding that he's actually really good at math, and I am morbidly curious about Dojin's stiffly awkward family. But I don't know that I'm curious enough about any of that to put up with more heat cycle rapiness. I really wanted some of the warmth and sweetness of the cover art, and this volume gave me none of that.
Additional Comments:
There is a page at the start of the volume explaining Omegaverse basics. The page does not explain "knotting," which comes up later in the volume. I unfortunately already knew what that was due to prior furry fandom experience, but hadn't expected to encounter it here. WTF, Dojin?
Well, this was bad! And that’s saying a lot since I’ve been around the block in BL for years, the old, the new, the good, and the bad. Tbh the genre has come a long way but this feels SO DATED in every aspect but the art. Such a disappointment because the art and character design is so good, but it’s like the author said hey let’s go with every single one of the worst BL cliches that aged the worst and are the least interesting, throw it all into one story, and then top it off with ending this volume on one of my least favorite plot points ever. It’s hard for a BL to get 1 stars from me because I go in with the lowest expectations to begin with, and I’m able to look over a lot of what BL can get a very bad reputation for, but this one was not it.
took a break from pride and prejudice to read this for cursed bingo; wish i had read yarichin bitch club :/ too much yelling at each other not enough kissing
The cover is so misleading on this one. I hoped for a cute would they won’t they with lots of sass and instead I get a ton of rape and generally unlikeable characters. Disappointed by it. The only reason I gave it two stars was because the art was great.
This manga had a cute art (mostly Byul was very cute), but the story wasn't so much. There were good parts in too, but almost at the end. In the middle of the story there was rape, cheating (kind of bcs the omega stopped when he practically was doing something already, and only stopped bcs he felt dizzy cause the rejection of the bond with his real alpha. Btw in the side story the alpha finds out about this and they talk etc..) and I found the omega really annoying most of the time. I wish there were more chapters abou the 2nd couple, and I hoped until the end that the author would tell us that beta too can have kids, or that the beta would become and omega. But in the side story it still seems they had a kid, so I guess they used surrogacy. The last couple was ok too, we see there the omega ex husband of the alpha in the second couple. (The 3rd couple had a kid by using a sperm donor since betas can't impregnate omegas)
Heesoo and the master are just too cute as a couple!
At first I was gonna mark this as dubious consent, but besties there’s literally multiple scenes of assault 💀 Am I surprised? No. Am I still gonna buy the rest of the volumes? Yes.
Listen, this is just riiiipe with BL “stop” and “no” meaning yes. But there’s legit assault here because even Hye-sung is BAWLING HIS EYES OUT two times after Dojin assaults him. So, yeah. Like the narrative wants to both make it horny while simultaneously recognizing it’s fucked up 💀 Like pick a struggle at this point.
Regardless, I remember now vividly why I had such mixed feelings when I read this years ago. Between Hye-sung having 0 brain cells—boy is so prone to scams! please use your brain, I’m begging 😭—and Dojin being in denial about his interest in Hye-sung this is…a lot in a manga 💀
However, the side couples in this series are top tier and the baby Hye-sung and Dojin eventually have IS CUTE AS HELL SO I NEED ALL THE VOLUMES. BYE.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Love is an illusion is a BL manga. There's some smut in there, so be warned. It's based around the concept that everyone is either a beta, omega or alpha. one of the main characters thought he was an alpha most of his life, but he finds out he is a recessive omega. it's a cute love story with two stubborn men. Can't wait for vol 2.
Unpopular opinion: NO. HELL NO! This was so unhealthy and manipulative and i LOATHED how they started their relationship (a hundred smooches for baby Byul, tho)
Once you start, it’s impossible to stop reading. When it comes to wholesome romantic comedy, “Love is an Illusion” stands out above the rest. Between the spicy 18+ scenes, the overall character arc of Hye-sung, and the mix of comedy and drama, you can’t ask for better narrative writing. If you enjoy Manga, BL, or even the occasional spicy story, this is definitely for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a love story go from so rough to so pure.
A lot of reviews point out the toxic aspect of the relationships portrayed. I don’t think that’s fair. What story doesn’t have a dark side to it? It’s not about how the romance started, it’s about where it goes. Dojin is far from perfect and has to adapt from being a rich musician to a responsible adult quickly. He makes mistakes, he learns as he goes, and by the end, he is exactly what Hye-sung needs. I honestly love the characters in this story and felt physically sad when I finished book 7.
This was a fun, if problematic, series starter. I enjoyed the art and the humor, and mostly liked the characters. There are consent issues, as is common in a lot of omegaverse stories. Specifically, at the end, one MC does something to the other that is definitely a violation. It seems to be something that will have a lasting effect on the central relationship, but I’m honestly interested to see where this goes. Dojin definitely has some groveling to do though. Ultimately, this was still fun, and I appreciate the lack of instalove, as it leaves plenty of room for relationship growth.
I’ve read wayyy better abo fics on ao3 with much more likable characters 😒 Seriously, Dojin makes me feel meh and Hye-sung annoys the crap out of me (good lord for someone good at math, he’s kinda too stupid to live)…and yet I still want to see where it goes from here 😑
Edit: I saw a spoiler about the end and yeah…I’m stopping the series here and now bec f*ck hye-sung
C’est parce que je connais la suite et fin de ce WEBTOON sinon je ne le lirai jamais 💀 vraiment y a trop de choses qui sont pas ok normalisées dans ce livre
Leí este manhwa hace un par de meses, lo encontré porque me salió un edit en tiktok y la verdad este año leí más manhwas de omegaverse que otra cosa, este me encantó.
vemos a la "fugada" Hyesung, amo a este niño y es solo un niño. Todo lo que vivió. y lo que tuvo que vivir con Dojin. Con ese último si tuve varios problemas. Tuvo acciones muy cuestionables. Pero luego en los demás volúmenes se redime.
Heeso me encanta también, me encanta la inocencia de Hyesung, y a la vez no es nada inocente, sabe defenderse, porque tuvo que aprender a hacerlo desde muy chico.
También los gestos, todo me encanta de ese personaje..