i absolutely love this manhwa, its one of my all time favorites!!!
despite my biased opinion (and obsession) though it really is a good story with an actual plot and characterization. if you haven't checked it out yet i must insist that you stop what you are doing right now and go do so! you won't regret it!
i am sooo glad i decided to read the dj years ago. after reading it, which gave me so little of the actual plot, i went to find the original and boy did i get a nice surprise.
and there are a few things that irk me but yeah, every story has its quirks. despite the cliches and more weaker elements of it, totally captivated is still really good. i love the story not only because it was unique and different from the mainstream yaoi, but also because of the characters itself that were created. so awesome X)

... Last updated on July 18th, 2012, 6:53am

Read it for the smut! ^^
Korean mafia is a great setting, the two main characters are yummy, just enjoy the show!

Some plot points were a tad too full of cliché drama (like the whole 'went to the same school as children=>unresolved drama' story)
And toward the end, the whole situation with the old guy was, imo, extremely unpleasant and disgusting.

But if you put that aside, the story isn't bad, and more importantly the smut is HOT ! <3

... Last updated on May 31st, 2012, 6:57pm

before, i don't read boy's love manga coz i just thought it was plain weird and then i stumbled upon this.. then i became a rabid yaoi fangirl! hahaha..i guess the complaints about manhwa were valid but what really hooked me in was the humor.. the smuttiness in the story was not overt to the point that it was.. i don't know.. disgusting perhaps? but rather.. it was erotic.. haha.. anyways.. thumbs up!

I really liked the character relationships in the story. I loved seeing how a situation completely reversed and I may be biased in my rating because I have a thing for possessive lovers. The first 3 volumes and about midway into the 4th volume held the kind of story I'm addicted to. Then something happened and the author decided to make it more dramatic and in the end, it just didn't complete into any sort of masterpiece. Also, Ewon's story keeps changing and you can tell the author was aiming for some huge, traumatic experience which never reached fruition, ending in something cliche. A cliche scenario isn't bad! It's how an author decides to portray it that it can become heart-wrenching or stale.

And Mookyul's "foster father" and their relationship, though is greatly emphasized in the beginning despite Mookyul denying it throughout the entire story, is irritating and does NOT come to any conclusion. In fact, it was such a half-assed wrap up. Overall, the story focuses a whole lot more on Ewon than on Mookyul. I'd say maybe 75% Ewon and 25% Mookyul (and that 25% is all between the relationship between him and his "father.") It just ends so sloppily and it's such a pity for a story with all the aspects that I really like!

Volumes 1 - 4.5 I'd give an 8 for a yaoi story. It had the comedy I was looking for. The art is decent, but their facial expressions barely change. Not necessarily the face, but the eyes... the expressions from their eyes aren't as powerful as I'd want. The author tries to focus on drawing them handsome and seems to forget how to do facial expressions.

Volumes 4.5-end+DJs, I'd give it 2.5. Honestly, that's how disappointed I was reading the last few volumes of the story. I did admire their passion they were able to convey to each other, but story-wise, it just failed to deliver.

Don't let the 2.5 rating deter you though. In an overall perspective, it's a great read and some people can easily gloss over some annoying hitches that I catch (I'm just tedious like that). At least read up until the middle of the 4th volume. It's great before it falls flat and you can determine whether to continue reading or not.

Those who throw in faulty fallacies such as, "let's see you do it better," are only portraying themselves in a small limelight of emotion in which he or she cannot back up their statement and therefore throw back an argument that does not add or contribute to the original argument at all. See: ad hominem. I don't mind plot issue debates and I respect other readers' opinions as long as they provide logical arguments--not logical fallacies.

... Last updated on July 29th, 2012, 3:01am

There were so many moments where my heart felt like it would burst. When your heart does that, then you know you have a good story in front of you

One thing that this story has that stands out from the rest is the sex appeal. Very very sexy, especially the characters and how they are drawn. The way Mookyul sat and took off his clothes are just some of the examples I mean. While on the Mookyul topic, he is seen as this strong leader but he needs love and is this fragile character that needs to be sure of Ewon's love. I love my semes to be just like him And Ewon was so hilarious and cute! I burst out laughing many times due to his crazy outburst and sayings.

The love story was also very sweet. They do belong together and look so good together. Both look like movie actors. The overall plot revolved around their love story, which was splendid.

Very good yaoi read

... Last updated on January 13th, 2012, 7:19pm

This is bound to become a classic of the genre if it isn't already: Highly recommended, even for people not "into BL".

It starts out as this really funny, light-hearted read with Ewon -- the (for once) very personable and highly likable main character -- getting what was coming to him for being too much of player. Progressively the story gains depth and your heart starts doing unhealthy things: without realising it, you've found yourself caught up in this crazy, beautiful romance, much like Ewon and Mookyul.

The pacing of this story is so amazing that you don't even realise when you fell in love with them or exactly when they fell in love with each other, you just know they're meant to be, and that your heart will ache if something comes to disrupt this!

And it will ache, because the angst is delicious like that, and aside from a bout of excessive drama in the last chapters, it never feels like a clunky device there to spice things up but rather that the difficulties are present from the start and arise naturally from who and what they are, that shit was simply bound to happen.

Before you get there though, you'll have chapters and chapters of slowly rising, lovely UST (no easy "love at first sight" deal here) and great character development: background stories, unveiling of personalities, it's all very and well done and makes the characters three-dimensional. Because Yoo Hajin doesn't do clichés, or rather, she does them her way and that changes everything.

She put such an interesting spin on

Spoiler (mouse over to view)

the seme/uke and 'childhood friends'

tropes. I usually hate those clichés but here I didn't mind And that give and take is part of what makes the dynamics and chemistry between Ewon and Mookyul so awesome.

She wasn't able to totally escape all the clichés on two instances in the end, and that's why I didn't give it a 10.

The art was a bit off sometimes ( but after all, what is anatomy? ) but the stylised aspect was neat and efficient, if not beautiful. I don't usually care for clothes but damn were some of the outfits gorgeous, and likewise some shots of Mookyul (and of Ewon come to think of it) simply took my breath away.

In the end, between the emotional twists and turns, the angst and very sweet (but never sickeningly fluffy) moments, the humour with the adorable chibi faces, the characterization and exceptional talent for story-telling and pacing, this is without a doubt one of the best yaoi, nay, manga, I have ever read.

... Last updated on November 5th, 2011, 6:27pm

Overall, I'd recommend the manga, if just purely for the art, so be it. I have to say that the drawing is sweet~ It's like having a spoonful of eyecandy shoved down your throat, or would that be cornea? That said, the plot's not half-bad. Personally, I'd give the manga a 9, but you see, the problem that lies with me is the very fact that I'm shallow and frivolous enough to enjoy silly, ridiculous things of which others claim to lack in substance, so on that note, I'm not an exactly reliable source.

Onto the topic of character development, I must now admit that this makes me a worse source since my friends tell me that I'm (rather regrettably) totally sick in the head. Let's just say that I really hate perfectly good personalities and leave it at that. So yes, I'm a huge fan of Asami in the Finder series, he's manipulative and callous and it took him all the way to the top, so I respect that. Same thing for Mookyul here, I honestly wouldn't care if he was more morally flawed than he is now, it makes him utterly real to me.

I like people with self-preservation, I like people with the brains and the guts to do what it takes to claw their way to the top and come out smelling like a rose. I respect those people. I like people who knows how to protect what's theirs' and keep what's theirs. And if all that that makes me immoral, then I say so be it. And getting past all that, I also have a fondness for Ewon, because he's insecure and he's a coward, and I can empathize. We can't all be almighty and fearless.

The only downside to this manga that I can think of is the fact that it's an emotional rollercoaster. One moment, the world's all sunny, everything's good and bright and cheerful, the next, a thundercloud comes rolling in and you didn't anticipate it to bring an umbrella. It's like what Ewon says, he's happy one moment and then, he's thrown into the pits of hell. Trust me when I say he'll drag you with him. In any case, I think it's a pretty good manga, of course if you're the type to preach about morals and all that, and if you're not quite so much of a sadist (my friends tell me I am) then maybe it isn't for you.

... Last updated on September 30th, 2011, 10:49pm

I couldn't stand Jiho. Such a girl! Mookyul was a little too violent for my taste. Other than that the main story was good an I felt my heart go "bathump" when

Sooo romantic
The art was ok. I usually love Manhwa's artstyle but in this one I only liked the faces, the bodies were a little too stiff.

... Last updated on October 5th, 2011, 2:23am

Well, this surely did captivate me..halfway that is. This is a very angsty manhwa, and if you're looking for a fluffy shoujo-yaoi then you won't like this. Reading this, it reminded me of View-finder, which i never finished nor liked. This is less harsh than view-finder, and although this is categorized as 'yaoi' they don't actually show any sex scenes.. only hints and kisses.

Anyways, i thought this was good, but then nearing the end (chapter 40-49), it got played out-- too dramatic and the main character started to become wimpy going through the whole "its all my fault" thing and how the main guy needs to be "saved". At this point, i lost intent and wasn't hyped to finish reading the manhwa. Because of that i took off a point.

Also, the artist focuses a lot of the character's faces, and less on the other aspects. Additionally, i felt that the two main characters could have been better developed.. Somehow after i finished reading this manga i felt that it was lacking.. It could have been better. There wasn't much of a plot. The only thing the manhwa had going was the angst and emotion.

Well, i really enjoyed the first half or so of the manga, so I'd say give it a try.

edit:~ okay i just finished reading the three DJS and i have to say that i enjoyed those better than the original even though they were much shorter! I think its a must need to read the DJS afterward or you'll be missing on A LOT (huge emphasis).

... Last updated on August 5th, 2011, 1:55am

Love or hate it, you can't deny the fact that it's not like most of the yaoi out there. It is a kind of series that you place on the shelves among Usagi otoko tora otoko, BrotherxBrother, or even Viewfinder. To me, yes it's that good. The character's? totally relateable, I mean of course we may not be as bad-ass, or handsome, or rich, but they hold the essence that most people can identify with: the need to love. Sounds cliche? well there may be some splatters of cliche every now and again in the plots, but it also have angst, passion, comedy, all the roller coasters of emotions you just can't get with every average joe of yaois. To those who think Mookyul doing it with the old fart is gross, that's the kind of stuff most Korean dramas consist of, and trust me it can get pretty intense. I liked that Ewon has a strong sense of and at times, lack there of morality. eg defending his friends when Mookyul was about to give em hell. The touch of infidelity adds a type of dark chaos to their relationship, yet in the end, their love triumphs. This kind of manwha crosses borders, explores areas not touched because of our yaoi fantasies for the semexuke to be lovey dovey and totally committed to each other, with the exception of several incidents of misunderstands far in between. Maybe it's not the most loved yaoi out there, but it is one of the most unique and well developed. My two cents.