SEMI-SPOILERY REVIEW BELOW

TW on this manwha for sexual abuse, childhood trauma, and non-con.

Let me start out by saying that this story did not go the direction I expected it to go. At every turn, Waje did something completely unpredictable that caught me off guard. Adding a magical stone element to the storyline was a pleasant surprise that was a bit confusing at first, but eventually became so vital to the plot that I couldn't imagine the story without it.

STORY: A Guy Like You's pacing is amazing in the first fifty or so chapters, but gets a bit long and drawn out during the Lu Xuan Run kidnapping arc. There were times where I was holding my breath hoping that Siwon and Kang Jinha would finally get together, but there were also times where I got very frustrated being left in the dark on what was actually going on with Kang Jinha. Waje's tendency to hold off on letting the reader "in the know" makes the story confusing to follow at times, especially during the last 20 or so chapters. Despite the slow pacing towards the end and occasional confusion, the ending is satisfying and I'm very happy with the extra epilogue Waje threw in at the end.

CHARACTERS: The characters are pretty trope-y overall, but I enjoyed them. Some of them have disturbing backstories, but their struggles make the story very real (despite the use of magic, of course). I highly dislike using terms like "seme" and "uke," especially for boy love stories, as they are binary and rather degrading. However, I will say that Go Siwon and Kang Jinha take on many of the traits of main couples stereotypical of boy love works like Junjou Romantica and Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi, but they each develop their personalities in ways that eventually set them apart from the trope. Lu Xuan Run is an absolute joy and a fantastic yandere, but I felt that his storyline wrap-up was a bit anticlimactic. I felt that his plot dragged on for too long, and I also felt that his change of heart was rather abrupt. I was hoping for a change of heart that gradually happened over time. Also, the epilogue didn't do him justice. I was hoping for more information about his life after kidnapping Siwon. Finally, Donghyun added depth to Siwon's character and was also probably my favorite character in this manhwa. I wish we saw more of him, and I also wish there were more characters in general. This manwha is particularly lacking in female voices.

ART/STYLE: It is incredible to see Waje's style change so much throughout this manwha. In the epilogue, she includes panels from the first few chapters and the contrast between the two art styles surprised me. She not only improved immensely, but her style took a bit of a digital turn. Rather than looking more traditional, her lines became smoother and round rather than sharp and angular.

Overall, A Guy Like You is a very enjoyable read that I will hopefully re-read whenever I have the time! While trope-y, the cast of characters is well-mixed and keeps one rooting for them all at one time or another. SCORE: 88/100