About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Trap? Trap!.
Trigger Warning: There may be references to agoraphobia, sociophobia, unhealthy eating habits, depression, hoarding, homomisia, bullying, abuse, sexual assault, violence, suicidal ideation, PTSD, panic attacks, gaslighting, blood, and manipulation, as it appears in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Baekyeon hasn't left his apartment for years. After being bullied, harassed, and assaulted throughout high school, Baekyeon developed an intense fear of people and the outside world. Thankfully, with his writing talent, he has supported himself while working from within the confines of his home as an adult novel writer. Unfortunately, under the imposing and obsessive eye of his editor, Soohyun, Baekyeon has no motivation to leave, clean, or do anything beyond writing.
That is until he finds some unexpected guests living among the refuse that has slowly built up around him: cockroaches. There is nothing in this world that Baekyeon hates more than bugs. Unable to do anything until his uninvited guests are evicted from his home, Baekyeon begs Soohyun to call an exterminator. Begrudgingly, Soohyun does, but that means Baekyeon will have to face his greatest fear: a stranger in his home.
Thankfully, the exterminator who comes over is Junghyuk, a kind and extroverted man who just happens to be Baekyeon's type. Maybe strangers aren't so bad after all.
Review:
The art is rough. It can be very, very cute, but it also has this plastic-y and cartoony quality to it, which makes their smiles and smirks a bit creepy. Proportions can get a little wonky, and there are some hilarious facial expressions. Baekyeon, unfortunately, suffers the most, in my opinion, due to his expressive nature. However, it does get better as the series goes on, and the side couple especially looks great at the end. Part of that is due to my biases, as Yul is probably my favorite design out of all the characters (Baekyeon being a close second). However, they all suffer from an overbite when they turn to the side or are drawn at an angle, which is unfortunate. It is generally cute, though, and some of the sex scenes are really great.
Story-wise, this gives me some Home Alone Together vibes, which is great. It's not nearly as dark, which I think is partly due to the art style, but it has similar themes with someone suffering from anxiety due to trauma and having a love interest assist in recovery. It's not as well-paced as Home Alone Together and doesn't have as much depth in the characters' backgrounds, but it's fast-paced. It will certainly keep you engaged. However, because of the story's breakneck speed, it doesn't give you a chance to catch your breath or learn anything about the characters. The romance feels pretty superficial because it goes from strangers to lovers within a couple of episodes without much emotional build-up, but it's packed full of stuff, so there's never a dull moment.
Unfortunately, this translation isn't great. There are a lot of extra spaces, duplicated sentences, words outside of the speech bubbles, grammar issues, etc. It's not the worst I've seen, but it's pretty consistent with how much it occurs. It needed another couple of passes through an editor's hands just to clean those up, and it would flow much better. It's perfectly legible, though. It's not as bad as a Google translated scanlation or anything like that. Just note that it's not always smooth sailing in that department.
However, I have to say the dirty talk in this is terrible. Granted, I typically don't like reading dirty talk anyway because it always feels awkward and corny, but it is particularly bad in this series. Thankfully, the dirty talk isn't as prevalent after the main story, and this is where the story really shines. We get to see Baekyeon explore the world alongside Junghyuk. There's still lots of smut, but Baekyeon seems much more alive now that he isn't confined to the small world he created. It's not all smooth sailing, though. Baekyeon is still working through his fear of people and the outside world. He gets frustrated and defeated, but that in itself is great. I love that we don't end with a wholly unrealistic view of recovery. It takes time. Ultimately, in the special episodes, the art is better, the story is more well-paced, and it's much more uplifting than what we get in the main story. It was a perfect way to end.
Results:
This is cute and smutty. It isn't perfect, but it's a fun little story to pass the time while waiting on your ongoing comics. I still find myself returning to the special episodes occasionally and giving them a re-read. It's worth reading the main story just for the special episodes. You won't be reading a masterpiece, but it will be a sweet little experience.
Have you read Trap? Trap!? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!