Welcome to the fifth edition of K-Comic Beat’s Monthly Manhwa Recs! Our team has come together to provide you with a variety of recommendations to sample. If you check them out, be sure and let us know what you think of them in the comment section!
Imitation by Gyeong-Ran Park tells the story of Maha Lee, a K-Pop idol in a new girl group called Tea Party. After a video of her impersonating superstar Lalima goes viral, Maha quickly gains a reputation as nothing more than a cheap copy—even among her fellow idols. Ryoc, the center of the top boy group Shax, is especially harsh. Convinced she’s a fake, he openly looks down on her. Although Maha maintains a bright, sunny attitude, she’s secretly terrified of Ryoc—especially after they’re cast in a drama together and his frustration boils over into physical aggression.
Over time, Ryoc starts to see the real Maha. Her sincerity, determination, and work ethic slowly chip away at his prejudice, and he begins to regret how he treated her. The two eventually fall in love, but as idols, they have to keep their relationship hidden from fans and the public. To make things more complicated, Ryoc comes from a powerful chaebol family that strongly disapproves of Maha.
I originally started reading Imitation on Spottoon (because of course I did, lol) and kept up with it on Tappytoon. As a former K-Pop writer, what really struck me was how Imitation nails the reality of the idol industry. In the author’s notes, Gyeong-Ran Park even mentions doing extensive research for the series—and it shows. The art is charming, and the drama keeps you on your toes until the very last chapter.
Imitation is complete on Tappytoon. ⸺ HK
Paws & Claws is a fluffy (pun intended) and spicy ongoing BL on Lezhin about not one, but two shapeshifters. I was surprised by how sweet this story was. Romance stories are unfortunately rife with red flags (you know, the people you warn your friends not to date but your friends still insist on dating because “they can fix them”) but Chi-young is one of the greenest flags in BL thus far.
Written by Ilju, illustrated by Duhaem, based on the original novel by Marine Code (which will now have an official English translation thanks to Publang!), Paws & Claws follows a dog shapeshifter Gyeon Heeseong who is forced to be a drug runner for a gambling ring. During one of his runs, he runs into the enforcer of the Wolf Den, Yoon Chi-young–but as his adorable fluffball puppy form. Yoon Chi-young will make everyone tremble in fear in his presence, but when he’s with Heeseong, he melts into this sweet and doting man who is absolutely obsessed with his puppy.
I love how funny this series is, and it’s all thanks to our puppy overlord Heeseong who is one of the sassiest characters I’ve ever seen. He’s sarcastic and his internal dialogue is hilarious especially since he can only communicate through growling, barking, and chomping. Chi-young isn’t deterred at all by Heeseong’s puppy antics–if anything, it endears him more. Despite how vicious he is with all the other people in his life, it’s clear Chi-young would never hurt Heeseong. The art in Paws & Claws fits the humorous vibe wonderfully, using a mix of different illustrative styles to tell the story. If anyone is on the hunt for a fluffy and spicy BL, they should read Paws & Claws on Lezhin! ⸺ HL
Deepest Confession is a short eight-chapter BL with three side stories created by ZK. If you’re looking for angst (but not too much of it), Deepest Confession will certainly sate your angsty desires.
Dohun has been in love with his best friend Yejun since high school and believed that they would be together forever, if not as his lover, but as his friend. But when his friend suddenly gets married, Dohun can’t bear the heartbreak and cuts all ties with Yejun, hoping the distance will heal the pain. The years pass and although he and Yejun haven’t talked since Yejun was engaged, Dohun can’t forget about his first love. Dohun gets ready to go on a last-minute trip to Jeju Island, intended to finally heal his heartache, when he finds a drunk Yejun on his doorstep who recently got divorced after three years of marriage.
I love the whole trope of where one person thinks they’ve been harboring an unrequited love when it turns out the other person has been in love with them for equally as long. It definitely does make you grind your teeth when you realize they could’ve saved each other the heartache if they properly communicated instead of skirting around the topic, but when they do finally come together, you can’t help but cheer while simultaneously facepalming. ZK managed to create a story that didn’t feel rushed, with fleshed-out characters and personalities, and a beautiful and satisfying romance in just a few chapters.
Deepest Confession can be read on Lezhin. ⸺ HL
Falling ⸺ A lesbian’s biggest conundrum, you might ask? A pretty and kind woman whom she has to be close at all times. Especially when she isn’t supposed to be catching feelings.
Seungji is one such lesbian, one whose line of work requires her to get her hands dirty, to say the least. She wants out but needs to save up money before she disappears so the gangsters won’t be able to tail her. She takes on a smuggling job and the boss’ niece who’s supposed to upstart the business in Busan is this tiny, cute, doe-eyed woman who’s only 21! Seungji planned to get her hands on the money she needed, no matter how many backs she was supposed to stab. But the more time she spends with Yeongwon, the more she’s conflicted.
Falling is a recent, mature-rated Girls Love VSC added to Tappytoon’s library with only 16 chapters available. The story brings two young, adult women who’ve been through a lot and places them in a circumstance where they have to be tough and do whatever it takes to survive, to kill before getting killed. Forming an honest, vulnerable relationship in such an environment is almost an impossible task. But we’ll have to wait and see how these two will fare!
Crime and lesbians were all it took for me to give Falling a chance, because, we all shall Be Gay and Do Crimes. However, the beautiful character designs, action scenes and intrigue keep the story going. If you are a fan of pairings where the tough-looking softy tries their best not to fall but the oblivious cuteness of the other shatters their barriers, and you prefer at least one of the characters to be openly a lesbian in your GL, you might want to give Falling by DOG, Eunsu, Gyechasooyeol a go on Tappytoon! ⸺ MG
Come back next month for more Monthly Manhwa recs! Click here to check out every entry of the column.
