Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is My Gently Raised Beast. Read on for the review of Volume 3 of the manhwa. (For reviews of other volumes, click here.)
Back Cover Blurb
All it took was a brush with death to get her there, but Blondina finally realizes her true feelings toward Amon. It’s more than just friendship―it’s love! And so begins her quest to win over the handsome divine beast. But first things first―she’s curious to see how he looks in human form, all grown up. Luckily, Amon’s been waiting for her to ask: “…Think you can handle it?”
The Review
Amon’s now the leader of the Divine Beasts. Therefore, he has the authority to pursue the romantic relationship he’s desired with Blondina. As for Blondina, she’s finally stopped seeing Amon as a cute kitten and fallen hard for his grown human form. Sounds perfect, right? They’re both into each other, and nothing’s stopping them from getting together…except their own misunderstandings.
I’m not averse to romances where couples misread one another, but the way things play out between Amon and Blondina is more frustrating than titillating. Blondina especially seems stone-blind to what’s happening. Amon’s never made advances on Lucy, yet Blondina is stuck on the idea he’s in love with Lucy despite the fact that Amon’s paws and tongue are all over her. When he switches to human form and gets handsy with her, she attributes it to his “innocence,” and when he kisses her, she chalks it up to “mating season.” Blondina did not lead a sheltered existence. Far from it, she’s well aware that humans and Divine Beasts have sexual urges. So her behavior doesn’t make much sense, and it winds up dragging the plot.
While the developments between Amon and Blondina make me want to slap them both, the developments with Blondina’s half-siblings are much more engaging. Lart, who is now pretty much Blondina’s friend thanks to his crush on Lucy, takes steps toward actually courting the object of his affections. Adellai, on the other hand, remains as cold toward Blondina as ever and still harbors ambitions of stealing the crown from her brother. Now she gets an ally. Philip, the nobleman’s son who took an interest in Blondina before leaving to study abroad, returns. But after Amon interferes with Philip’s plans to woo Blondina, Philip teams up with Adellai in her search for the golden-haired, golden-eyed individual who can subdue Divine Beasts.
In Summary
With the ghosts of Blondina’s past dealt with and the leadership of the Divine Beasts in Amon’s paws, it’s back to the palace, where Amon starts making romantic advances toward Blondina. Unfortunately, she’s ridiculously slow to understand his intentions, so these potentially heart-throbbing moments left me annoyed instead. Thankfully, in the palace faction department, things get interesting with Lart stepping up his game in order to court Lucy while Adellai gains a valuable ally in her search for the person who can subdue Divine Beasts. All we need now is for Blondina and Amon to get on the same page with their relationship, and this story can really get going.
First published at the Fandom Post.
Keeping It In Canon ...mostly 