Timey Wimey in Danmei

 

This is the first Meatbun novel I read, right after finishing all of MXTX’s books. I chose to start with this one because the title caught my attention—The Husky and His White Cat Shizun. In real life, huskies are often a threat to cats. Huskies have a high prey drive, and they are notorious for attacking smaller animals. While you can find videos on TikTok of huskies coexisting with cats, that's usually because they grew up together or are well-trained. Even then, I would never let my cats near a husky. Vets know this, too. I've been to clinics where they made us wait outside just because a husky was inside. Sometimes, they’ll even separate our cats into a closed room when a husky arrives.

That said, the novel's dynamic between Mo Ran (the husky) and Chu Wanning (the white cat, his Shizun) plays out similarly—the "husky" definitely attacks!

The novel begins with Mo Ran, now in his thirties, having claimed the title of emperor in the mortal realm after flooding the world with blood and gore, killing anyone who opposed him. Strangely, he ends his life by drinking poison and lying down in an open grave under a tree where he first met Chu Wanning. This is suspicious, considering Mo Ran supposedly hated Chu Wanning, yet even after his death (two years prior, when Chu Wanning sacrificed himself to save the remnants of the cultivation world), Mo Ran preserved his Shizun's body with spiritual power and continued to visit it. He even cried one day when he couldn’t wear his disciple robes anymore. For someone who claimed to despise Chu Wanning, Mo Ran’s actions scream otherwise. His motivation to live seemed tied to his Shizun’s death. Really sus!

After taking poison, Mo Ran wakes up back in his 16-year-old body, realizing he's been given a second chance. He believes this is his opportunity to save the person he loves, Shi Mei, and prevent his descent into becoming Emperor Taxian-Jun. However, things start to change. It seems someone else from his future was also reborn and is causing events to spiral out of control, leading to Chu Wanning’s death instead of Shi Mei's. This is when Mo Ran’s perspective shifts. As he embarks on a quest to collect the scattered pieces of Chu Wanning’s soul for Master Huaizui (Chu Wanning’s Shizun) to cast the forbidden Rebirth spell, Mo Ran realizes his entire life has been built on a misunderstanding. The cruelty he inflicted on Chu Wanning in his past life? Completely misplaced. And more than that, Mo Ran realizes he was never in love with Shi Mei—his heart belonged to Chu Wanning all along.

It takes Master Huaizui five years to revive Chu Wanning after Mo Ran collects his souls. When Chu Wanning returns, Mo Ran’s attitude toward him does a full 360. Eventually, after waiting out a calamity on an island, Mo Ran finds the courage to confess his feelings, though Chu Wanning remains skeptical, still believing Mo Ran’s heart belongs to Shi Mei.

By the time I reached volume two, I noticed how Erha (as The Husky and His White Cat Shizun is also known) blends elements of MXTX’s novels. For instance, the story features undead corpses controlled by demonic cultivation or forbidden arts, similar to Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. Mo Ran’s reincarnation echoes The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System. Then there’s a scene where Mo Ran travels to the Underworld to retrieve Chu Wanning’s earth soul, which reminded me of Heaven's Official Blessing—even a demon lord shows up in Erha, trying to claim Chu Wanning for himself! But really, it’s not a big deal. Both authors are Chinese, and with their shared cultural influences and mythology, some overlap is expected.

That said, a word of caution: Meatbun’s novels are not for the faint of heart. Erha includes rape scenes and is packed with Mo Ran’s...let’s just say, "physical reactions." His constant arousal, especially when he’s near Chu Wanning, gets a bit annoying. I mean, really? A slight touch and he's hard again? Not to mention, I’ve seen this book in the teen section of my local bookstore, which is wild considering how explicit it is. But who am I to judge? As a teenager, I was sneaking into my mom’s bookshelves for her steamy novels, too! Also, it’s surprising to me that this book became a New York Times bestseller. Given the content, you’d think it would spark outrage in today’s cancel culture, but here we are—it tells you a lot about people’s hidden desires.

Despite Mo Ran’s constant...distractions, the story is engaging. With all its twists, surprises, and emotional revelations, it keeps you hooked. The moral of the story? Communication is key. Mo Ran’s entire villainous life stemmed from a lack of understanding, leading him to destroy the one person he actually loved. The novel also delves into the survival of clans, politics, and betrayals, similar to other danmei works.

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun is set to have thirteen volumes, and we're currently on book six. Book seven is expected to release on December 3, 2024. Meatbun has already finished the story, and you can read it online, but as I’ve mentioned before, I prefer physical books. Plus, Seven Seas’ English translation is better written than the unofficial ones.

I can't wait for book seven!

#blessedbydabes

Honestly, the title of the book "Ang Nawawalang Barangay" (The Lost Neighborhood) is a bit misleading—or maybe it's just a language barrier for me. Even though I am Filipino and have lived in Manila for nearly two decades, Tagalog is not my first language. When I saw the title, I initially thought, "Could this be a fanfic about the mythical place in Leyte called Biringan?"

Turns out, it's not. It's not even about looking for a lost neighborhood. Instead, it's about finding the residents of a barangay who suddenly vanish into thin air. Our main character, Bree (real name Brigido), is at the center of it all. I didn’t notice any detailed description of Bree in the book. The only things mentioned are that she has long hair and is gay (something I only figured out after starting the book). Maybe a detailed description wasn’t necessary, since the book includes illustrations that depict Bree as the main character.

The story follows a barangay where its citizens begin disappearing one by one. Bree takes it upon herself to investigate because she feels the barangay officials and local police aren't doing anything about it. During her investigation, she meets Clyde, who becomes her partner in solving the mystery of their missing neighbors—and eventually, Bree's romantic interest (LOL, I accidentally picked up a BL book!).

Their investigation leads them to a local religious cult headed by a transgender person impersonating "Kinkee Balaj," who is described exactly like Nicki Minaj. This impersonator performs by rapping and dancing like Kinkee Balaj, and then gives a homily after the performance. Surprisingly, people fall for it. The cult gains such a large following that when they hold a "Swalla Big Night" (Swalla being the name of the cult), the crowd is as massive as the devotees of the Nazareno every January.

Bree and Clyde eventually discover that people are vanishing because of the heat. When a person reaches a certain temperature, they literally vanish into thin air. The symptoms include sweating, a cloud of smoke surrounding the person about to vanish, and an unexplained coldness felt by those nearby.

As for the ending—well, there isn’t one. It’s an open ending, with no clear resolution and many unanswered questions. But if you look deeper, the ending makes sense within the story’s context.

The novel is not just a mystery or a supernatural thriller; it is a reflection of the unresolved nature of many social and cultural issues that the book touches on. The disappearances in the barangay, for instance, could symbolize how people in society "vanish" or become invisible due to various reasons—whether it's because of economic disparities, the marginalization of minorities like the LGBT community, or the corruption in public offices that allows these injustices to persist. The lack of a clear resolution mirrors the way many of these societal problems remain unsolved, hanging in the air, much like the people in the story who vanished without a trace.

By leaving the story open-ended, the author seems to be emphasizing that not all mysteries in life are neatly tied up, and that some questions—like those Bree and Clyde grapple with—may never be answered. This ambiguity is what gives the novel its weight, making it not just about supernatural disappearances, but also about the many unresolved issues we face in real life. In a way, the story itself vanishes into thin air, leaving readers to ponder over the unexplained and the unresolved, just as Bree is left to wonder about the fate of her neighbors.

The novel is written in Tagalog. Although it's only 200+ pages, it took me five days to finish because reading in Tagalog was challenging for me. Some of the words were so deeply Tagalog that I had to reread entire sentences or paragraphs to fully understand. Honestly, I wish it were written in English so it could reach a global audience. However, the flow of the story fits the Tagalog language. There are certain words, sentences, or phrases that just sound better in Tagalog.

Would I recommend the book? Yes. It’s a good read. It reveals some of the uglier aspects of Filipino culture: how the LGBT community is viewed and treated, the body-shaming of fat people, the corruption of public officials clinging to the rich for power, and how the wealthy actually run the city. It also shows how deeply religion influences Filipino life.

The book also touches on how people cope with the loss of loved ones, exploring themes of mourning and grief. Various social issues are presented in the book, making it worth reading. I don't regret buying it, even though it wasn’t what I expected. Maybe the author left the open ending to make room for a sequel—but even if not, the ending still works as a powerful statement on the unresolved nature of many of the themes it presents.

I asked ChatGPT to draw Bree for me and this is what ChatGPT drew.