“One wish. Ever since they were kids, a single desire saturated every corner of Kanade’s life. I want to be with Munechika. Despite that, his dream was only a dream—any hope Kanade had of becoming Munechika’s was shattered the moment he found out he was a beta. After all, an alpha like Munechika needs an omega… But today, everything has changed.” (Yen Press)
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Tackling social issues through a light sci-fi tale, Sachi Maiki’s BL (boys love) manga “I’ve Become an Omega Today” is a single volume release that balances fantasy and romance skillfully. The premise, though admittedly absurd, reflects the tendency to label people, creating restraints on who can be with whom. However, the reasoning is down to the science of the world, with people assigned a ‘type’ that restricts who they can mate with while creating a power structure. Betas can only match with other betas, while alphas and omegas are free to be with each other but must not start relations with a beta (Omega being the apex mates). However, there are rare cases where a Beta can transform, and this instance allows a once forbidden romance to blossom. It is through working within these narrative parameters, that Maiki is able to tell a familiar tale of star crossed lovers with her own unique flair.
Notably, the playing around with a sense of yearning and confusion between two childhood friends that are suddenly allowed to express their love, feelings long hidden due to the social taboo of even approaching the idea. The change of one into a different class comes with its own medical problems, a severe debilitating sickness that is only curable through a willing mate. Complicating the issue, with an arguably masturbatory fantasy scenario, the illness is abated through sexual intercourse. As absurd as the concept is, it pushes the two life long friends in intriguing directions as sex mixes with feelings in a flurry. As such, the two struggle to confess their true feelings as the complexity of ‘necessary sex’ blurs their own feelings on how to approach a proper relationship – a silly forced premise but an effective one in crafting an emotionally driven drama.
The art of Maki plays in favor of the drama-heavy release, with a knack for capturing the awkward interactions of two college men being forced to explore their sexuality in such a pervasive manner. At the same time, the lack of defining panels or skill beyond focusing on physical features leaves the work feeling slightly empty. Overall, the aesthetic is ideal for capturing the dramatic elements but is uninspiring beyond that.
‘Boys Love’ manga is certainly a niche within manga, and one that will instantly attract or dissuade potential readers from the BL tag alone. Furthermore, “I’ve Become and Omega Today” is not a representative of the best the genre has to offer with its deviation into sci-fi taking away some of the human elements that come with stories focused on forbidden romance and the emotional distress it can generate. As a single volume release, however, the book is an intriguing read that plays with societal roles and romance in an inventive way that should appease existing BL fans.
