Hate Me, but Let Me Stay
The BL Omegaverse which tackles on some very real societal problems.
Disclaimer: This is a review of a mature 18+ series. This series is not suitable for minors. Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault, rape, and trauma.
At this point I think a lot of us have come across memes about omegaverse and mpreg (male pregnancy), but in the BL title Hate Me, but Let Me Stay by Hijiki these tropes are definitely no joke. This is a dark omegaverse which exposes some real life problems that both males and women survivors of sexual assault have faced. It is a hard read but one with so much heart and soul.
Genre: BL, omegaverse, drama
Age Rating: Mature 18+
Publisher: Seven Seas Boys’ Love Imprint
Status: Ongoing, three volumes out in English
Synopsis:
This omegaverse title follows Koga Naoto, a male omega, after he’s been assaulted by one of his classmates which led to his pregnancy as a teen. Due to his traumatic experience getting raped by a classmate and getting discriminated for being a male omega, Koga develops a deep fear and distrust of alphas. Koga is convinced that he’s going to live a life of hardship as a single father but tries his very best to give his daughter, Shizuku, as normal of a life as possible.
One day at his new job Koga meets a teenage alpha, Tsuchiya Hazuki, who declares himself as Koga’s “fated mate.” Although Koga initially distrusts Tsuchiya and believes that all alphas are inherently bad, Tsuchiya fights to prove himself to be a trustworthy person that’s worthy Koga’s love.
Favorite Things:
Heavy Topics: I think Hate Me, but Let Me Stay handles the heavy topics so well. I saw many parallels with how real life survivors are treated by society. The victim blaming portrayed in this story claiming the omegas were “asking for it” just for their mere existence, sounds very similar to how conservatives victim blame women who speak up about their assault. The treatment of omegas as a whole reminds me of the way conservatives have recently spoken about women and only value them as a way to bring more babies into the world. They don’t see women as valuable people, the same way an omaga’s value is tied to sex and giving birth.
Family life: Despite the way Shizuku (Koga’s daughter) was conceived, she add so much heart to this story despite being just a small child. You can tell how much she loves her mommy Koga and truly wants the best for him. The bond we see between Koga and Shizuku is honestly really beautiful and the family dynamic only gets more adorable in volume 2 with the addition of a second baby born under much more different circumstances. I also want to add that both Koga’s mom and Tsuchiya’s mom are amazing characters! They’re both incredibly strong and caring women who will do anything for both Koga and Tsuchiya.
Koga and Tsuchiya: I really have enjoyed seeing how their relationship has progressed throughout volume 1 and 2. Obviously with this being an omegaverse, a lot of the attraction falls under the mechanics of an omegaverse which do defy logic a lot of the times by being so tied to this animalistic instinct of wanting to jump an omega that smells good. I do think having Tsuchiya earn his trust and love was something I hadn’t really seen in an omegaverse before and it definitely added more to this relationship. I can’t help but root for both of them!
Communication: One of my favorite things about this series is the emphasis on proper communication. Whether it’s Shizuku demanding that her mommy Koga be more honest with his feelings and not lie in order to protect his daughter, or Tsuchiya communicating to Koga how much he wants to prove himself. I do also like seeing Koga’s journey to heal himself as he works on properly communicating his feelings instead of bottling them up.
Things To Watch Out:
Age gap: There is an age gap between the two male leads. Koga is a 21 year-old omega when he meets a 17 year-old Tsuchiya who’s an alpha. I will be honest, I do often forget that Koga is technically older since he does act younger than Tsuchiya, also Tsuchiya is written to be very emotionally mature. Also, volume 2 does take place in the future when Tsuchiya is now a college student.
Sexual assault: There are depictions of Koga’s assault in volume 1 and I think that some of the words his assaulter says could potentially trigger survivors of sexual assault. It’s definitely something to make note of especially if you suffer from any sexual assault trauma or are sensitive towards depictions of it.
Violence: There is a bit of violence in this series, mostly presented as self-defense though.
Rating: ★★★★★ / 5
Although this is a hard read because of the heavy topics, I do think they’re depicted well. If you are not well versed in omegaverse, don’t worry this story does explain the mechanics of their omegaverse system and also go into the different anatomy as well. I do think this is an omegaverse that people who aren’t into this genre would enjoy. I am definitely looking forward to picking up volume 3 and keep following this very cute family.
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