I Ship My Rival x Me 4

I Ship My Rival x Me 4 by PEPA

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The ship volume meter is back with highs and lows, though it alters pretty drastically and very quickly (in the most hilarious way possible as usual). Wei is determined to keep Gu by his side, resulting in some rather hilarious antics and causing Gu to get rather jealous when he suspects others may earn the same treatment from Wei. Things go much farther than anticipated with a little liquid courage added into the mix, though thankfully both boys are entirely aware of what is happening. Gu's internal panic over being a good boyfriend when he thinks he's completely failed to be a good sponsor is another highlight, and one of the few pieces we get from Gu's perspective rather than Wei's given Wei typically narrates most of the series. The series isn't over yet though, nor is filming, which thankfully means we're likely to see a lot more shenanigans and drama as these boys slowly figure things out and hopefully get on the same page sooner rather than later in a more official capacity.

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I Ship My Rival x Me 3

I Ship My Rival x Me 3 by PEPA

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wei's imagination runs wild while Gu is determined to be a good partner and they both are hit and miss flirting up a storm while still completely oblivious to how close they are and what they're relationship looks like to others outside of the company fanservice requests. Gu is determined to protect Wei and do right by him while Wei analyzes his own feelings and realizes just how close he is to crossing a line he may have already crossed when he wasn't aware. The ship meter from volume one is back again as well, and is as hilarious as ever. Wishing the next volume was already available, but looking forward to the next 2 releases already scheduled as this has been a very enjoyable and fun series with beautiful colored artwork.

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I Ship My Rival x Me 2

I Ship My Rival x Me 2 by PEPA

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wei continues to enjoy the ship community, but is starting to realize some potential conflicts given their roles in the ship and Gu's complete lack of knowledge of the community. It seems like their agency has picked up on some of the turning commentary and are now actively asking for fanservice, not that Gu is willing to pick up the order unless Wei is also okay with it - all without actually talking about it all. Something about Wei's phone call drastically changes Gu's perception of their relationship and his role in it, which is somewhat confusing, but also potentially pretty solid groundwork for more if they continue to get along the way that they have and get closer. It'll be interesting to see how things progress given their work together and this strange blooming relationship.

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I Ship My Rival x Me 1

I Ship My Rival x Me 1 by PEPA

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a very pleasant read with a good amount of humor and upbeat storytelling without getting too graphic, though there are a fair share of jokes with shipping fans. Wei and Gu are both about the same age when they start acting under the same company. As a result, they are automatically labeled rivals while marketed very differently. As a result, neither one seemed to know what to expect when they met on their current project. Wei insists he's straight, but he loves the positive atmosphere of the ship community he found online featuring the two of them, and ever since then, he's adored his rival. Gu seems to think Wei is cute and charming, putting him at ease enough that he's laughing and unintentionally feeding the shippers as he sticks close to Wei in an effort to show their good relationship off to their fans. Every now and then, Wei's filter runs away without him, and he ends up saying something that while true, sounds hilarious and very out of context in the moment. So far Gu has seemed to either ignore this or found it amusing, but it may only be a matter of time before he figures things out, especially as they grow closer and Wei keeps slipping up more and more while it's jus the two of them.

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