TOP 3 OMEGAVERSE BL THAT MADE ME HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART

You know how sometimes not liking a specific genre or a trope becomes your brand? Not as in actively and vocally hating on it, but your brain tells you you HAVE to casually squeeze your dislike in your blog posts or conversations now and then. This is me with isekai and Omegaverse, both of them are not my cup of tea. See? I had to squeeze isekai in. And while I don’t go out of my way to specifically look for these works, I still check new releases out, just to give them a chance. And here I am today, to talk about certain Omegaverse titles that made me act out of character.

For the ones who aren’t familiar with the Omegaverse or A/B/O dynamics, here’s what Wikipedia has to say:

Omegaverse, also known as A/B/O (an abbreviation for “alpha/beta/omega”), is a subgenre of speculative erotic fiction, and originally a subgenre of erotic slash fan fiction. Stories in the genre are premised on societies wherein humans are divided into a dominance hierarchy of dominant “alphas”, neutral “betas”, and submissive “omegas”.

Source

In addition to that, omegas can get pregnant regardless of their secondary sex and they regularly go into heat, releasing pheromones that entice alphas. This subgenre has been around since 1960s so naturally there’s more depth and detail to it, but these basics should be enough. Without further ado!

I Love You Anyway, Mr. Kasahara by Omaru

I picked this one having no idea what it was about. The only thing I knew was the cover and that I LOVE those intense blushes. When I found out it was an Omegaverse work, I sighed in defeat, to tell you the truth. However, it turned out to be one of the cutest volumes I’ve read in a while! It tells the story of Akiyama, who is a smart and competent alpha but is tired of having to keep up with everyone’s demands at work. That’s where Kasahara comes in: he’s sweet, a good listener, and the best drinking buddy Akiyama could ask for. Except, he’s an omega, keeps pestering Akiyama so he’d bite his nape and bond with him. 

I talked a little about it when I’ve read the volume, so you can see some screenshots there if you’d like, but overall, it’s a sweet and funny read that I greatly enjoyed! Can’t wait for the continuation, 15/10 would pinch both Akiyama and Kasahara’s cheeks (and maybe tease them a little from time to time to see that pinkish-red flush because it’s the most adorable thing). 

My Destined One by Hansode

My Destined One is among this week’s releases and I had to add it to my list. It was also the title that gave me the Omegaverse list idea. It’s not a surprise that even if you don’t like a genre, there’s a possibility of liking works that subvert or improve its usual tropes and that’s the case with this title. The main character Izumi is a beta who’s really popular amongst alphas and his meeting with an omega, Hanasono, feels nothing short of destined. 

To be honest, I can’t put my feelings into words as to why I loved this title this much, but I did. Especially the art style swept me off my feet! I immediately looked for other works from the artist but My Destined One looks like the only commercial BL they have for now. Hoping to read more from them! 17/10 would visit the bar Hanasono works at, totally for drinks and not for staring at his beautiful face for hours. You won’t catch me slipping. 

Alpha Squadron Al-Ranger by Hiraduka Town

This manga is a lot of things. It is both a parody of Omegaverse dynamics and the sentai genre. It’s also the contender of the title “funniest BL I’ve ever read” in my heart. Not an easy feat to work all of these together, but the artist manages to blend them together brilliantly. When the Omega Forest, home to omegas, was burned down by alphas, Homura, Satsuki, and Minato swear on taking revenge and they finally form a group called Dark Omega but of course, with Alpha Rangers in the picture, it won’t be easy to execute their plans so easily!

Alpha Squadron Al-Ranger is ridiculous in the best possible way and a fresh breath of air from the usual tropes of BL. Some of the jokes might fly over your head or make you uncomfortable if you’re not too familiar with Omegaverse tropes but there’s a lot more to enjoy. 4729363848/10 would gift you a copy on Christmas if we were neighbors. Too bad that we’re not, but the first chapters of Futekiya titles are free to read, so you can give it a chance yourself!

Bonus: Total Submission by Tsushiko

The interesting bit I learned this year is that Omegaverse is a concept that emerged from the Western fandoms who engage in slash fiction and later on made its way to the East. I got to know the dynamics through BL manga and doujins so I assumed it was a product of their fandoms. Pleasant surprise! What they did, however, and this dynamic is my recent favorite, taking inspiration from Omegaverse, they created the “dom x sub universe”. These characteristics are treated as the second sex, just like in Omegaverse, and being either a sub, dom, or a switch is a part of human biology. 

Ever since I’ve read that Total Submission was the first commercial BL to incorporate dom x sub universe, it was on my radar, although I’m not sure how credible that bit of information was. Still, I was over the moon when I saw Futekiya taking it up! Kikuma is the ‘if looks could kill’ delinquent in high school and being the rebel he is, he isn’t stoked when he finds out he’s a sub. His new roommate and upperclassman, Takasumi, is responsible for keeping Kikuma in check, and Kikuma, in turn, is about to explore an unknown part to him. 13/10 would recommend if you’re up for a new setting, some steamy action, and if ‘taming the delinquent’ trope is your thing. It is totally my thing. The only aspect of Total Submission I didn’t like was that it felt too ‘educational’ about the dynamics of the universe. Bonus points go to Takasumi for practicing kendo and being a kind and caring cutie.

I said top 3 in the title, but to be honest, these are pretty much the only Omegaverse titles I came to enjoy a great deal. What do you think about A/B/O? Is it a subgenre that you enjoy, or do you tend to stay away from it like I do? Any of my recommendations caught your interest? Let me know in the comments, otherwise, see you next week!

Header: My Destined One by Hansode

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