Hyperventilation Review

Please be advised I received a digital advanced reviewer copy of Hyperventilation by Bboong Bbang Kkyu from Tokyopop. Also, note this review contains light spoilers.

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The Thing About Manhwas

Is this a safe space? (looks around) I know many manga readers have no problem reading webtoons and manhwas, but it has been really hard for me to do so. The reason? I don’t like colored pages! I know, I know that sounds insane but hear me out! As someone who has been reading manga since I was 10, I just love the stories being in black and white. Colored pages always distract me and take away from the story. 

I’m happy to say that now while I don’t always read manhwas and webtoons, some stories are just too good to pass up and I put aside my dislike of colored pages and get into it. This is the case with Bboung Bbang Kkyu’s Hyperventilation.

Discovering Hyperventilation

I learned of Hyperventilation after seeing a gif from the animation and instantly knew I needed to consume whatever this was in its entirety. The animation did not disappoint and while it is very rated R (smirk) it manages to capture the story without making it just hentai. Then I learned they made it into a manhwa and more so, TokyoPop was publishing it! You already know, Lisa Preorder De La Cruz RAN to Amazon and added it to my cart. I won’t get the physical copy till October 11th,  but I was able to read an early digital copy, and baby, I was NOT ready.

While Hyperventilation is, unfortunately, a one-shot, I promise you, there is material for so much more. (Cough cough Bboung, give us more!) However, as short and quick as the story feels, it managed to completely take up all the space in my head. 

Long Lost Lovers

Hyperventilation is a love story that takes place in the present and in the past. Woven through flashbacks, we learn that our two main characters have longed for each other since high school. Myeong, a sickly teen with lung issues seemed to be the class outcast, while Seonho was the class president, and clearly popular.

A single event that transpired between them seems to haunt them both, leading them to the present where they both attend a high school reunion. While Myeong has decided to not make a move and leaves the reunion without speaking to Seonho, Seonho decides he is not missing this second chance. 

Seonho chases after Myeong, and they end up spending the night together. The night is passionate and sexy, full of lust, love, and longing. In between their lovemaking, we flash back to their high school years where we can see the initial attractions bloom for both of them. The flashbacks just add so much more to the present. You can’t help but feel just how much they both had been wanting this day to come for the last 9 or 10 years.

Wanting 

This has to be the most satisfying one-shot I have ever read, but at the same time, it has me in SHAMBLES. I want MORE! I want to see what comes next for Myeong and Seonho as a couple because there is no other way. You don’t have the best night of your life and just go on like it never happened. I can’t go on like it never happened. I am not okay.

The anticipation and the longing are what make this story as remarkable as it is. In just so little time, the story manages to entice you. The little details we have are the most important ones and you can fill in the rest in your head. Hyperventilation is a perfect example of how sometimes less is more and with the right storytelling, you don’t need to do too much.

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Get Hyperventilation below: (The link below is an affiliate link, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase using the link.)

Amazon

The animation is available for purchase on Vimeo (not an affiliate link):

Vimeo