Recommended for: Fans of psychological seinen, Go Nagai completionists, and those who enjoy "ugly" realism in their dramas. Avoid if: You want a sweet love story, idealized character designs, or stories with a morally righteous protagonist.

This paper examines the archetype of the “love junkie” as depicted within the raw, underground comics tradition. Moving beyond mainstream romantic narratives, raw comics utilize gritty linework, fragmented panels, and unvarnished confession to portray romantic obsession as a form of chemical dependency. By analyzing visual metaphors of the “fix” and the “withdrawal,” this study argues that raw comics provide a unique medium for representing the phenomenology of love addiction—one that resists sentimental recovery narratives in favor of stark, unresolved truth.

Right after graduation, Yewon begins a passionate but forbidden affair with a charming married man, Han Ju-eon.

(2025). "Raw comics" refers to the original versions of these stories in their native languages (Japanese or Korean) before translation. Love Junkies (Japanese Manga) Written and illustrated by Kyo Hatsuki