Low Tide in Twilight

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Holy shit if this isn't the most messed up yet somehow amazing story I've read in a while.

The abuse was hard to take at first, I mean it's ROUGH. Hardcore non-con turned romance. The humor had me laughing so many times, even my kids were asking what was so funny, especially in chapters 30-36.

The hatred that Euihyun has for Taeju for most of the story is volitile and I love it. The Mangaka does a great job illustrating the realistic level of anxiety, depression and nonstop thinking of the "what ifs" one would have in his situation.

Taeju's ability to take every puch, kick and attack ... of any kind from Euihyun in stride, even make a joke out of it makes it so much easier to laugh through the emotional rollercoaster that is this manhua (ex. Euihyun shoving a spoon down Taeju's throat)

A commenter made a good point that Taeju is really good at distracting Euihyun from his own negative thinking either with dirty jokes or random topic changes.

Their relationship started out absolutely disgusting. However, and this is a big "however", the fact that the Mangaka was able to demonstrate the moment of realization of Taeju and his feelings so well and provided so many moments of his attempts to try and redeem himself, while also sneaking in some intrusive selfish/controlling/manipulative thoughts to get what he wants at what ever cost, all the while his efforts being rejected time and time again but him never once giving up, made this a worthwhile read.

Euihyun carried this story and Taejun made it terrible and funny. If you can't do non-con then absolutely do not read this story but if you think you can get through it then this is a must read.

**TW** Contains: SA / Non-Con / Dub-Con / Mentions of Suicide
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Disclaimer 1: Taeju is fictional & can't hurt you. If real, DO NOT romance! Stay away from motherf*cker and report to police!
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Disclaimer 2: This is OMEGAVERSE. If you don't know what's that, google the basics before or some things will look way scarier!
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As always, check tags and if don't like it, don't read it. — Now, let's get to it!

"Low Tide in Twilight" is a manhwa that washes over you with its emotional depth. Euja weaves a captivating story about two souls brought together by fate, each carrying their own burdens. And soon you realize ... Euihyun's is heavier than Taeju's BY VERY FAR.

Kim Euihyun is a man suffocating in a melancholic fog. Life has dealt him a harsh hand, leaving him feeling lost and hopeless. Enter Yeo Taeju, a charismatic and enigmatic figure who offers Euihyun a lifeline - a chance to rebuild his life but with a hidden (and bad and high) cost.

The beauty of "Low Tide in Twilight" lies in the way Euja portrays the characters' growth. Euihyun's journey is one of rediscovering the will to live through his little brother's happiness. We see glimpses of his past struggles, yet Euja skillfully avoids making him a victim. Instead, Euihyun emerges as a resilient SURVIVOR, slowly learning to trust and open himself up again.

Taeju, on the other hand, is a delicious revenge to read, after all, the hate for him is instantaneous. There's a cloud of darkness beneath his charming exterior that clashes with his sharp wit and alluring aura and keeps you guessing. As the story unfolds, Euja masterfully peels back all the layers, revealing a thug who with a knee-jerk reaction to manipulate and is struggling to stop that and who just might have found home in a traumatized omega that he himself... bullied.

The dynamic between Euihyun and Taeju is a highlight. Their initial toxic interactions slowly (slowwwly) evolve into an addicting banter of unspoken emotions and one-sided venom jabs, where Euihyun is this close to hitting the alpha and Taeju shrugs it all off with smirks and an armor of bad jokes that makes us actually laugh, but the second Euihyun turns his back, we see how Taeju is affected or hurt. By doing that, Euja creates a tension that keeps you glued to the page, eager to see where their unique bond will lead.

This manhwa is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a slow-burn romance with a punch of intrigue. With its beautiful artwork, relatable characters, and a story that tugs at your heartstrings, "Low Tide in Twilight" is a captivating journey that will leave you wanting more.

I felt compelled to make this review because the only ones currently up are high ratings and recommendations. Do I consider this a good manhwa? No. Would I recommend this to literally anyone? Also no. And before anyone assumes it's for the same reasons everyone hates on BL manhwa, my beef with this particular one is mostly because of how the story ended.

Anyone who is aware of the ending will probably be confused because it is definitely a "happy" ending and is devoid of tragedy. This however, is my issue with it. I genuinely feel like it should have been a tragedy; similar to Killing ... Stalking's ending.

The ending is with the main two characters getting married and having a kid together; this is a staple of a typical, happy ending for a romance. This story was just too dark for that though in my honest opinion. There was comedy sprinkled in and some confusingly timed "comedic" moments, but it remained a mostly depressing story. It started off with literal abuse and the main character is blatantly suicidal. Yet, it ends with the "power of (toxic) love" fixing the main character of his mental illness. I seriously despise this trope.

The main character, Euihyun, is extremely mentally unstable and for good reason as his life is one of the worst I've seen a character have in a BL manhwa. I did however, enjoy his hardheadedness and defensive personality. You don't get to see that quite often in these kinds of stories, so I found myself genuinely wanting him to find happiness. But I just can't get over how he "falls" for the other main character, Taeju, and it seemingly just fixes his mental instability. I mean he tried to literally murder suicide with his kid brother in the first chapter, yet by the end we're supposed to believe he is suddenly mentally qualified to be a father and get married? Absurd. I am not, by the way, saying people with depression cannot be parents or anything, I just don't appreciate how it gets swept under the rug by the end.

The psychological aspect was one of the central reasons I wanted to read this story until the end, and I expected it to be a tragedy because of it. I would have also taken the problematic things that happened far better if the story was self-aware and ended appropriately.

Taeju is so well liked by the fandom and I don't understand why. He definitely isn't the worst love interest I've seen in a BL manhwa, not by a long shot, but he pissed me off in other ways than the traditional toxic love interest usually does. His logic really was so self-centered and he was the type of person that didn't deserve Euihyun even in the slightest. The soft boy neighbor was preferrable to him, and I didn't even really like that guy all that much either. What confused me is that from what is shown of his family, except for his bitch cousin, the others didn't seem all that bad; so why was he so terrible? I know that the simple answer is probably that he was spoiled because he is the youngest, but I don't understand how his parents would have allowed him to be so scummy considering how (mostly) decent they seem. I seriously hated how self-pitying he was by season 3 and the fact that he just "wins" Euihyun back to him after treating him atrociously for the past two seasons really doesn't sit right with me. If Euihyun was still visibly unwell mentally by the end and only went back to him because of a trauma bond or something, I would have accepted it because it would have been far more sensible given the plot.

The mature scenes also clearly romanticize the abuse and there are almost no scenes that are not non-con or dub-con at best. Killing Stalking also used these kind of scenes without being offensive because it was clear you weren't supposed to root for the main two, but this story clearly wants you to find it as a passionate and intimate encounter almost every time it happens (except for the one at the end of season 2 for some reason as if that same thing didn't basically happen throughout the entire story).

As for the younger brother, Euiyoung, I genuinely feel like he should have stayed with the biological father, at least until Euihyun was mentally well enough to take care of him. I'm not forgetting how he almost killed him in chapter 1. He needs to receive proper treatment before raising a child again. I also found myself really annoyed at how the biological father was extremely villainized in the story. Did he abandon his child? Yes. But did he do it out of any malice? I don't think so. I mean he obviously deserves judgement for that, but let's not pretend like Euihyun is suited to take care of him at that point in the story. Because he is not. The biological father seemed to be rather young when he gave birth and was clearly in an abusive relationship. Should he have abandoned his child? Probably not, but I really hate how this story completely overlooks his circumstances. He also did come back when he was mentally and financially stable enough to raise a child, something that Euihyun should wait to do. The story was so clearly biased in Euihyun's favor that it really annoyed me. I also found the kid brother annoying, but that's probably because child characters usually annoy me.

The art is alright, but relied far too much on those 3D assets that are extremely overused in manhwas. I liked the duller color scheme, but it started to become too repetitive for my liking.

The story was also lacking some closure by the end. What happened to Euihyun's dad? Will Euiyoung never see his dad again? Why did Euihyun suddenly fall in love with Taeju and accept almost out of nowhere? Why was Taeju never really punished? Why did we barely see anything of Taeju's family when family is such an important part of this story? What is the gender of their kid? What is even the name of their kid? Why the fuck is there a brothel just being run in town? Why the fuck didn't the neighbor call the police a blatant abuse situation? Why the fuck did Euihyun marry the guy that literally assaulted him??????? Why do abusers get no real consequences in this????????????

This series really just lost me by the end and I find it frustrating that people treat it as if it is so romantic. Like I said earlier, I would have been far less critical of the concerning dynamic between the main two if the ending simply didn't end up being all "sunshine and roses". If there is a spinoff, I will probably read it though. It will (hopefully) be less problematic than this one considering that all the possible characters it could follow (the kid brother, the cousin, or the newborn) will have less disturbing storylines. I'd personally like a GL omegaverse since I've literally only found one, so I hope if they do make a spinoff it follows a woman x woman romance instead of man x man (because this one was a dumpster fire). Seeing the main act all lovey dovey as if nothing bad happened in the background of it will definitely piss me off though so I'll just have to suffer through that. Peace <3.