My (current) Top 5 Manhwa Guys
Today we're going to do something new. I'm going to pick my favorite 5 manhwa guys. As I was figuring out my list I realized I haven't actually reviewed ANY of these manhwa. I will need to fix that. But right now - on with the show. And just as a warning - I really like my dark haired Northern Dukes (look I have a type and no, I'm not going to apologize for it. Y'all should know me by now).
Emperor Cardan Zeon from I Became the Tyrant's Dishonest Adviser.
Tyrant, war hero, dangerous and allergic to the top three or so buttons on any shirt, Cardan is completely enjoyable to read. He is also, most of all, insanely clever and capable - which, if I have buttons to hit, are the biggest reddest buttons out there for me. This man is on the ball with his ability to observe and put the puzzle pieces together quickly and he acts just as quickly the second he does. He is a stunningly competent ruler and an expert at navigating his surroundings, whether that's court intrigue or out in the wilds. Competent men are my weakness. But he's also playing the roll of 'pretending to be one thing while he's another' which is delicious character reading and he's a very snappy dresser as well. Not to mention when he makes up his mind, he goes all in and he loves unwaveringly. Double bonus, this man is confident to the edge of arrogance but he's earned it and never fails to prove he's got a right to be that way. Flaws? 'Hurt you to spare you pain in the future' and a tendency to snap when pushed past his patience (which, too be fair, has been spread about as thin as a complaints department call-center worker on double shift the day after Christmas). Art? The artist understood this assignment. There isn't a single panel where this man looks bad. Double bonus? Hand scars!
2. Grand Duke Sylvester Regen, Lord of the North from Honey, Why Can't We Get A Divorce?
Sylvester was in my top spot up until Cardan showed up. He's got so many of the traits I adore. Clever, competent, confident plus he's the villain of the story and he really enjoys being that. He's the equivalent of an elegant mob boss and the fact that he's terrifying at that is delicious. So is the fact he absolutely adores his wife. You see, his wife is the character the story is centered around - the usual 'got dropped into the body of the villainess and I'm trying desperately to reform my image'. And Sylvester? Sylvester backs his wife up 110%. Does he have his own reasons? Absolutely. Does that change the fact that he tells her to stop worrying about other people and do what makes her happy? Not at all. He revels in her being a villainess and supports her no matter how horrible she is. And when she suddenly starts wanting to be 'good'? Well, he's suspicious of her motivation but he supports her there too. If his wife wants to rule the world, he'll back her up and if she wants to adopt an orphan he'll - be very suspicious but end up picking up one for himself as well. His wife's change of attitude absolutely fascinated him and he's cheerfully along for that ride. He's also one of those 'never loved by anyone before' characters and its so enjoyable watching him becoming more and more intrigued by his wife's new lifestyle. The opposite of 'God forbid women do anything' Sylvester is getting more and more happy to go along for her ride. Flaws? The reason Cardan passed Sylvester for top spot is that Cardan recognizes how he feels, deals with it, loudly announces his state of mind to the world and then acts on it. Sylvester is a lot slower on the draw in that area (as most guys in manhwa generally are). He's falling in love with his wife but good luck getting him to realize or admit it. Art? Sylvester has a pirate vibe under the gleaming refined exterior and the artist catches it well. Double bonus for the entire chapter that was just him pulling on his clothes that fascinated me even more than the plot that was going on while he was doing it. He also fully embraces the fur lined Northern Duke cloaks and the DTF half gloves. Double bonus? Pointy ears!
3. Belzeon (Velzeon) Basilian from The Baby Fairy is a Villain
Okay, this one may be a bit confusing and its why I specifically had to use 'guys' in the title instead of men. But I utterly adore Belzeon and he deserves his spot on this list. He's talking to his father in the above picture btw. So Belzeon is thirteen - and his father's obsessed with bringing back his dead wife, Belzeon's mother. Which means Belzeon is shouldering a lot of responsibility as heir. In other words - he's an oldest child with an unreliable parent who has to take care of the house plus his two, now three, younger siblings. Sound familiar? Because a lot of us had to step in and step up as kids because our parents couldn't be counted on either. Belzeon just also has to deal with an entire dark forest full of monsters only his bloodline can kill as well as the trying to keep an entire kingdom up and running. Which - I would already feel for the kid that's trying so hard to be an adult and fill the giant shoes he feels his father kicked off and ran away from. He's an incredibly intelligent kid, dangerously competent and he's trying so hard to protect his siblings from what he views as his father's madness as well as the way the rest of society fears and loathes them. So my heart was with him already but then - wow, recent chapters. That kid is viscous! I mean, in the way that only someone with a completely cold and calculating mind could be and it was to fuck with his dad and I was HERE for it!! Like, kid has a heart of gold that's constantly bleeding thanks to his father and when he decides 'fuck it, we ball' he is NOT joking around. He rocketed into one of my all time favorites and I now want a story entirely about him (which, honestly, may be coming, the manhwa is really hard to decide who's the ML). Anyway, Team Belzeon all the way. Art? I'm not a big fan of the bowl cut but kid can pull it off. Also for someone with such an intentionally straight face, the artist manages to pack a LOT of emotion into those eyes. The manhwa really knows how to play around with color and they use his red eyes magnificently. Double bonus? I just want him to be happy okay? Is that too much to ask? (probably)
4. Duke Raffaello Kidrey from The Villainess is a Marionette
This is, by far, the prettiest manhwa I've ever seen and I'm going to admit that its one of the reasons I enjoy Raffaello so much. He is darned pretty to look at. His costuming is by far and away the best too - we had one outfit with high boots plus DTF half gloves plus a harness plus a corset. Like - guy does NOT fool around when it comes to clothing options. He's another of those intelligent characters. This whole manhwa is all about the political intrigue - so much so that when they introduced magic I was annoyed because it seemed to pointless to the really important part of the plot. Raffaello is a Grand Duke trying to keep his land safe from scheming royals, having to chose which of the many sides he's going to align himself with and he's not stupid about it. As such, he starts off as a very standoffish and closed off character and yet he's never truly cruel about it. When he gives his loyalty though, he's all in and there's no holding back. He's not only the FL's partner but he also watches out for her emotionally in a way no one else does or even thinks to. He trusts her even when she doesn't tell him why and he doesn't try to take the lead from her. He's the perfect knight to her princess. He also doesn't hesitate once he realizes he's in love. I would have liked to see him given more chances to be bad ass in battle because its very obvious he knows what he's doing to. What puts him on this list though is his constant monitoring and caretaking when it comes to the FL's emotional needs. She may ignore them but he won't. He becomes her safety in the storm and its a job he's earned. Art? So pretty, gang. Just so, so pretty. I am going to buy this manhwa when it releases just because its so pretty. Raffaello absolutely shares this and he's ornamented and solid and the perfect counterpoint to the FL's more airy and ethereal vibe. Double bonus? did I mention the corset/harness/half-gloves? Dude knows how to dress to attract a partner.
5. Duke Rubellian Florence from Anyone Beats the Original
The last spot was a hard one. I had a lot of guys I liked but it was hard to find one that just stood out from the rest. I had to go with Rubellian in the end though. He's another of those competent, clever, dangerous characters so he matched a lot of the others but - Look, revenge is a really common theme in these types of stories. Usually its the FL that has the revenge plot but sometimes its the ML doing his stuff in the background and that's the case with this story. Rubellian has a serious and completely understandable and legit reason he's plotting his revenge. I full support his revenge. He deserves a little revenge - as a treat. But what puts him in the number five slot - is he's going to give up that revenge because it could endanger the wife he's just married. Something that's driven him since childhood and he's willing to set it aside and exchange it for his new driving goal. To make his new wife so happy she never regrets marrying him. She didn't have to persuade him either, he decided this entirely on his own. Twenty plus years of surviving just for revenge for a horrible crime and he is smart enough to realize that what he has in the present is too precious, and relying on him too much, to endanger it for the sake of the past. That kind of priority making puts him easily in the fifth slot. Wifely love FTW. Art? This man's got the hair that lives to be tousled and the artist knows it. Plus his expressive face, especially the way the eyes are drawn, speaks volumes with very little exaggeration. He's a 'still waters run deep' kind of guy and his deadpan faces are worth it. Double bonus? Man drinks his 'respect women juice' and his married couple team dynamics with his wife are pure joy.
bonus: hugs
feel free to reblog and make your own list or just comment on my own. Or request a top five list. I mean, go nuts. We're all just doing this for fun.
