TIL the pornhwa, "Close as Neighbors" was actually good. While I enjoyed what I read while was ongoing, I dropped it for a while to let more story accumulate for my next reading session. Turns out it wrapped recently, so I binged it from the middle (which was actually very impressive) all the way to the end.
There's a lot of ads for it, much like "Brawling Go", He Does a Body Good", or "My Stepmom", so it's easy to dismiss as just another pornhwa. Surprisingly, that's not the case; while it's not "4-Cut Hero" or "G'Day", it's got rather capable storytelling. There's no silly plots like magic dongs, or becoming somebody's stepmom just to get back at their family.
It's that rare balance of story and smut, my favorite genre.
A brief synopsis: What begins as a series of extremely goofy misunderstandings balloons into a love septagram as Theo and his neighbors discover love and work through old traumas together.
Yes, you read that last bit right. There's actually more going on in this story just than cuties getting the D. Normally, "adult" fiction places an overemphasis on carnal activity or sombering themes, just because they can. "Close as Neighbors" comes off as more sophmoric and organic, more so than the usual for this genre. A lot of the characters deal with internal conflicts that come from very real, very relatable places. It ultimately makes for a better read, as a good chunk of the cast actually come off as rather grounded, though things tend to progress faster than usual in certain regards, but that's par course for any ero-story.
Funnily enough, it even outdoes the mainstream series "Gamers!", another rom-com about misunderstandings, only "Neighbors" has actual character development and backstories.
I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this read as much as I did, and though it was short, it felt just right. I haven't enjoyed a pornhwa like this since "Secret X-Folder", which is another excellent example of writing and art, and even boasts amazing page composition for a webtoon.
