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SOTUS (manga) #1

SOTUS, Vol. 1 (SOTUS

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SOTUS is an educational system in which upperclassmen impose “trials” upon underclassmen. Arthit, leader of the engineering seniors, plans to put his new juniors through a harsh training regimen to earn the symbol of their major—the gear. However, a first-year named Kongpob causes new headaches for Arthit when he declares he’ll snatch the gear from him: “I’ll make you my wife!” 

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2023

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BitterSweet

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5 stars
141 (31%)
4 stars
153 (33%)
3 stars
113 (24%)
2 stars
28 (6%)
1 star
18 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
Profile Image for hope.
505 reviews335 followers
September 3, 2024
i watched the series years ago so this was super nostalgic from me 🥺

there is just something about the arrogant asshole bully, arthit, (who is also an upperclassman) getting put in his place by, kongpob, a freshman student. plus if the bl series is anything to go by, we know arthit actually gets so shy and flustered with the one he loves 🤭🤭🤭

"those fifty-four people left me. a single person, with their hearts and courage. to fill the hole left in my heart...when i gave my everything to you arthit."

also, the art is gorgeous. i was giggling at the emphasis on their size difference 🤭🦋
Profile Image for Rebecca.
4,365 reviews69 followers
March 26, 2023
I don't pretend to know how school-sanctioned hazing works in Thailand, or if it even really exists as presented here. I also think the book may be trying to point out the problems with it, and there is mention that the departmental hazing is optional. But the book still left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm definitely not reading more.
Profile Image for Agne.
457 reviews16 followers
April 22, 2023
It just felt good to be back in Kongpob and Arthit world. I already knew the story from TV series I have watched back then it came out. And I really enjoyed it. I know it can be seen as probematic, but... I love the art work. Maybe because I still know the plot from the show, reading the manga I knew things that were't included in manga, so I kind of filled out the blanks myself. Ecxited for volume 2.
Profile Image for Lid.
1,047 reviews465 followers
June 23, 2025
Espero que este sistema no exista de esta manera en Tailandia 👀

Este es el primer volumen de 3 de un manga tailandés que cuenta con un dorama bajo el mismo nombre: SOTUS: The Series.

SOTUS es el acrónimo de un sistema por el que los veteranos se encargan de instruir a los novatos. En este caso, de hacerle bullying. Porque sí, son unos capullos y aquí el líder se lleva porque son unos capullos y el líder se llena el puesto ganador. Pero hay un novato que no está nada de acuerdo con este sistema y la forma en la que lucha contra él es muy graciosa.

En serio, el primer par de veces le da unas contestaciones que me reí lo más grande. Es absurdo a nivel asiático con sus “te haré mi mujer” y me hace mucha gracia ese rollo tan diferente.

Empieza muy a saco con este sistema tan peculiarmente malvado, pero hacia el final te va dejando ver un poco que tal vez no es la mejor forma de aplicar el sistema, que al capullo se le haya escapado mucho la mano pero que interamente no es tan malvado. Lo deja un poco sin terminar de descubrir bien a este personaje y tengo ganas de saber cómo va a evolucionar esto.

En cuando al dibujo está bonito pero si que las caras se me hacen muy parecidas y a veces me costaba diferenciar secundarios 🥴
Profile Image for havies_tea.
103 reviews24 followers
November 5, 2025
Hmm, I'm not sure how to describe my thoughts on this volume as I know there's going to be character development in vol 2. I didn't hate it, but it's also leaving things to be desired, in my opinion. I think it's pretty fair with a three or four star rating
Profile Image for Fanni Varga.
29 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2024
it’s not my favorite book but I have to read it every summer to stay sane
Profile Image for Knigoqdec.
1,189 reviews190 followers
October 11, 2024
Хм, колебая се дали да не обявя, че оценката на тази история е с някакви стотни по-ниска за мен, но карай. Артът е достатъчно хубав, за да осигури нужните точки.
Това е първата тайска манга, на която попадам на хартия. За тайците знам, че хората правят сладки игрални сериали като цяло (макар че имат и големите бози, като навсякъде по света). Не съм виждала обаче какво представлява сериала, правен по конкретното заглавие. Сега вече сигурно ще имам... изисквания спрямо външния вид на героите, след като вече имам манга представа за тях. Ще видим дали ще стигнем до там.
Тук става въпрос за стандартните отношения тип "закачаме се до припадък". Основното раздразнение, което получих, беше самата система Sotus, която звучи и изиглежда крайно нереалистично. Става дума за университет, т.е. това са малко или много пораснали хора... а системата е "големите стягат по-малките" на практика като в казарма и то някаква откачена, безумна версия на казарма... изобщо не ми се върза с реализма, ако изобщо е имало такава цел. Не вярвам някъде из Тайланд да има дори бледо подобие на такова нещо. Е, може би си помагат с лекции или по-големите въвеждат зайците, или нещо подобно, но чак пък казармата, ехееей, къде отидохме. И понеже историята се върти около това, не мога да кажа, че ми допада на абсолютния макс. Героите са сладки, да, изградени са прилично като за конкретния свят, с радост бих видяла края на приключението им, но, ако може, да се виждат повече извън университета, а?
Интересно беше да се види и донякъде различния поглед - манга е, но понеже знаеш, че не е японска, някак ти се струва, че традиционните похвати в жанра са леко изменени и различни. Или пък си въобразявам, кой знае, що годе съм свикнала с поведението на тайците на екран, така че не беше чак толкова особено различно, само някакви нюанси.
Profile Image for candy.
16 reviews4 followers
September 17, 2024
Being guided isn't easy, and trying not to hate the guy who makes your daily life hell takes a lot of effort, but can he actually be a good guy? I really enjoyed their dynamics and how Arthit only explains when its absolute necessary for Kongpob to understand what he's doing wrong and where he's coming from.

An adorable senior vs a stubborn freshman.
Profile Image for Daniel Bosé.
Author 4 books43 followers
June 20, 2024
Me sorprendió porque hay muchas diferencias (muy interesantes y frescas) a lo que yo conocía de la serie de TV. El estilo de dibujo es muy bonito PERO por momentos muchos personajes (M, Arthit y otros personajes) se parecen físicamente mucho lo cual puede ser un poco confuso.
Profile Image for haispeace.
113 reviews
August 3, 2025
Una maravilla volver a esta historia después de que hubiera marcado tanto mis inicios en las series BL. El manga es súper cuco y súper conciso y da gusto sumergirse en la historia contada de esta manera. 100% recomendable.
Profile Image for Jacquie Stewart.
2,659 reviews74 followers
January 4, 2026
A sort of bully Thai BL is a different flavor for me. Got all 3 so in locked in
Profile Image for Michelle Easton.
606 reviews35 followers
February 13, 2023
This was a super adorable start to what is clearly an enemies-to-lovers story. Not to mention it’s senior-junior aspect as well. The hazing system seems very similar to those in America, which just goes to show that picking on underclassmen is a norm everywhere. I can’t wait to see Arthit ‘become Kong’s wife’ as he put it.
Profile Image for Ylva.
457 reviews15 followers
February 23, 2023
Having watched the drama twice on YouTube, there were no surprises. I did like the art style and I'm a bit surprised at how closely the show has followed the story so far, while I haven't read the book there was dialogue in the manga that practically marched the show word for word.

Initially, I was disappointed when I realised it was not the novel, but I enjoyed this.
Profile Image for Corinna Cornett.
63 reviews10 followers
February 19, 2023
Wow! Been a while since I’ve read an enemies to lovers story that grabbed my attention in such a way that I didn’t want this volume to end. Can’t wait to read volume 2 when it releases.
1,549 reviews51 followers
September 2, 2023
I liked this way more than I was expecting. I'm not a fan of bullies, and frats and hazing and things along those lines have never made any sense to me, so I was anticipating a fair amount of grimacing as we went through "this guy is horrible to the other main but they fall in love anyway."

But there's actually...none of that, really. While Arthit, as the head hazer, quickly clashes with freshman "hero" Kongpob - who readily steps up to push back on the hazing and defend his classmates - it doesn't take long for them to establish an odd sense of mutual respect.

It helps that Kongpob periodically sees Arthit in other settings, when he's more relaxed and kind, with a weakness for sweet drinks and a ready smile. But Arthit treads a pretty decent balance between his hazing duties and the power trip it could turn into. He forces Kongpob to eat spicy food, for example, which is a mean but not really harmful trick (it was a meal Arthit had been intending to eat himself), and he then quietly pays for Kongpob's portion.

There's a brief and more angry fight later on between another freshman (who isn't participating in SOTUS at all) and one of the other hazers; at first I'd thought they were siblings, based on how badly they were bickering, but I wonder if that's going to turn into a secondary pairing instead. Regardless, it served as a counterweight to Arthit's and Kongpob's confrontations; the two of them quickly stepped in to cool down their angry classmates, showing that at the end of the day, there's no actual bad blood between the two of them.

It's also interesting how Kongpob gave a pretty well-rounded and thoughtful answer about SOTUS during his Star & Moon interview. He could've been a lot harsher with his opinions - which likely would've made him lose the competition for the rest of his class, so you could see this as him just playing hero again, through diplomacy. But he seemed to really mean it, and to see the good and bad in the system.

We'll see where it goes from here, and if there's more thoughtful dissection of the social and societal impact of SOTUS (a real-life collegiate hazing ritual in Thailand). I definitely find it interesting and have been challenging some of my own assumptions.

Loved the last chapter, though, and the final scenes with the Sun/Moon metaphors. There is basically no movement on the romance front so far, which I don't mind; it wouldn't make sense for the two of them to fall into anything just yet, but you can see the respect gradually building, and the strong hints of mutual attraction - although I'd say Kongpob is much more aware of it than the flustered Arthit is.

Can't wait to dive into the second volume, which isn't really something I'd thought I'd be saying!
Profile Image for Kate.
Author 15 books900 followers
July 5, 2023
Arthit is the head hazer in his department, and begins to butt heads with Kongpob, a first-year who seems to outsmart him at every turn. Meanwhile, Kongpob just wants to impress Arthit, which seems impossible.

The description of this sounded like a good enemies-to-lovers story. As an American, I was expecting more of the fraternity hazing rituals that happen here, while this was more of an institutionally-sanctioned hazing for all incoming students. Some of the back-and-forths between Arthit and Kongpob get very sexual for being full-out in front of the student body (for example, Arthit tells Kingpob to stand up in the cafeteria and announce that he likes to "take it up the ass"). And yet, if this was something that was meant to humiliate him, nothing of the sort happens. There's no emotional fallout from these interactions other than Arthit getting more and more angry. There's also this strange artistic convention similar to when in manga characters turn into chibis of themselves, only in this case it was Arthit turning into this ultra flamboyant version of himself, I guess putting on this act to make Kongpob uncomfortable? It made me uncomfortable, anyway, and I hated anytime it happened.
Profile Image for Mia.
12 reviews
December 30, 2024
The misogyny is rampant in this one.

It doesn't take a genius to figure that out though, just by reading the back cover. The implication that there is a man and woman role in a gay relationship is just wow no. What's more, is that there is a clear implication that submission and bottoming are womanly things to do and that being the "woman" in the gay relationship is embarrassing and as I've said, submissive, so this whole story is a HUGE fat no for me.
Another thing I find quite frustrating is that no one else seems to see this problem. Have we as a society completely just accepted misogynistic ideas and bottom shaming in media? It's even worse that it's in a gay book. Jesus.

I'm so disappointed in this because the series was not this bad, so I was not expecting such horrendous bottom shaming and misogyny.
Profile Image for Raxia L. Lavoisier.
362 reviews5 followers
June 25, 2025
🎓 Tensión, universidad y enemigos con chispa: llega Sotus



Si os gusta el tropo enemies to lovers con sabor a tensión universitaria y toques de drama emocional, Sotus es vuestro siguiente vicio. Este manga adapta un drama tailandés de muchísimo éxito, y lo hace con una estética limpia, ágil y muy directa 💥📘

Tenemos a dos protagonistas enfrentados, con un tira y afloja continuo que no tarda en rozar lo tóxico —pero del que engancha, del bueno. Si sois de lxs que disfrutan del conflicto que esconde pasión, este BL tiene todos los ingredientes. Relaciones intensas, miradas afiladas, y ese ambiente universitario donde todo está por explotar 💫

Gracias a Norma Editorial por traer esta historia que promete dejarnos con ganas de más. ¿Ya lo habéis leído?

#Sotus #BLManhwa #NormaEditorial #EnemiesToLovers #DramaUniversitario #LecturasBL #ManhwaEspaña #TensiónRomántica #BLRecomendado
Profile Image for Brooke Goodwin.
Author 6 books18 followers
August 23, 2023
I know nothing about high school hazing, much less to this extreme but I can’t lie, this was entertaining!

There was a lot going on, though it was explained nicely and didn’t feel like info dumps. The relationship between Arthit and Kongpob oozed rivals to lovers vibes and I’m here for it! Plus, that side relationship between two other characters…

The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was Kongpob’s name. For some reason I just don’t like the combination of letters together. It’s probably just me though. I didn’t give the book 5 stars because it just wasn’t a 5 star read for me - not because of the name thing to be clear.
Profile Image for ferdi 🍉.
369 reviews2 followers
August 30, 2023
sotus was one of the first ever thai BLs that i’d ever watched, it’s literally what introduced me to thai BL. so of course, i had to get my hands on the manga as soon as i found out abt it 🤪🤪 i cant even begin to explain how much i loved this first volume—it rlly brought me back to 2020, watching sotus on netflix in between online classes.

kongpob is such a little shit and arthit is so easy to piss off, i just love seeing their dynamics with each other all over again and how they slowly start to fall for each other.

also that last line about the sun?? and arthit smiling up at the moon after kongpob won the contest???? ASLDKWLDFGHLLAJJKLK AAAAAHHHHH

15/10
Profile Image for Brittany Walker .
620 reviews50 followers
September 20, 2025
2.75 stars

Love this take on the Thai SOTUS system that I've seen in many Thai dramas. This manga & the drama adaptation are probably go into the most detail about the system.

I hate hazing, but the reasoning they put behind it does make a strange kind of sense. Other than the shouting vulgar things for upperclassman signatures, that was unnecessary.

Character designs were very plain, and the art style was good, but didn't do a lot of backgrounds.

The romance is in the flirting stage (more like bullying), but it feels like it will be very sweet in the end.

I have watched the drama, and as of this first volume, it's a loyal adaptation.
Profile Image for K..
Author 5 books13 followers
September 9, 2023
I was curious to check out the manga since I've watched the show, and I wondered how it would be portrayed. I liked it, but I did find it tricky to tell the difference between some characters. There was also a moment where one character appeared pretty much without an introduction - I only knew who he was because I'd watched the show - so in that case it wasn't the best for people new to the SOTUS storyline.

I'm curious to see the romance develop, however, so I'll be reading the second volume!
Profile Image for ricardo.
269 reviews2 followers
December 19, 2023
A late night quick read.
I love the show and decided to pick these up. It's almost word for word but I still enjoy reading it a lot more than the show (maybe?) and I watched the show like ten times already. There are some scenes that I don't seem to remember from the show (and I know the books probably came first) that gave some insight. I really liked learning the meaning of Arthit's name.
Profile Image for Jezreel D.
10 reviews
February 2, 2026
⚙️ 🍊🥤
OMFGGG I LOVEEE HOW ARTHIT IS OLDER AND SHORTER THAN KONGPOBBBBB AHHHHHH
Kongpob is so cute omg like he will do anything for that man 😭😭 (plus he is so sweet like 😭😭)
ugh the way they met before but Arthit doesn’t remember 🫩💔
BROOO HE CALLED HIM HIS SUN?!? LIKEEE UGHHH (ik that his name is sun in thai but STILL.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for lindsey.
293 reviews25 followers
June 27, 2024
*3.5 stars!

listen i am quite biased towards this story because it was the first thai bl drama i ever watched so it will always have a place in my heart 😔 objectively though, this manga adaptation is just fine! had a lot of the same scenes that i remember and again it's just nostalgic for me lol
Profile Image for Lit00qia.
26 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2025
What can I say? I love the TV series version, and the manga made it even better!
I’ve always loved P’Arthit, such a cute little baby who loves his pink milk! 🐥 Kongpob was so handsome too 🥰 Both of them are absolutely gorgeous.
The artist did such an amazing job capturing their charm!
Profile Image for Melanie M..
245 reviews
December 6, 2025
Realmente no es que sea la mejor historia del mundo pero es muy bonita y fue uno de mis primeros BL tailandeses y donde me volví fan del Peraya! Así que este manga siempre va a ser especial para mí. Y el dibujo es una belleza total.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews

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