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(c) 2025 TOKYOPOPWails of the Bound: Return, Volume 1
Story and Art: Keri Kusabi
Publisher: TOKYOPOP (Print & Digital)
Imprint: LoveLove
Translation: Christine Dashiell
Retouching and Lettering: Vibrant Publishing Studio
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Rating: Mature 18+
Genre: Boys Love, Omegaverse, Manga
Keisuke Takaba (Alpha) is the work subordinate to his boss and mate, Miyabi Karasuma (Omega). Despite their positions at work, the two have overcome unbelievable challenges (especially from Karasuma’s past) to become a loving and devoted couple.
(c) 2025 TOKYOPOPThis manga is a continuation of the storylines in Wails of the Bound and Wails of the Bound: Beta. Characters are reintroduced (including Shingo Utou and Sumito Sasabe from the Beta series) and readers get to see an update on their lives. And if it’s been a while since diving into each series, in Wails of the Bound: Return, there’s a reintroduction of the characters along with the rules of the omegaverse, so readers are armed and ready to read.
Return spends more time on the original couple, Takaba and Karasuma, and continues their story now that the two are living together. New challenges arise: Takaba gets transferred to an entertainment division where he must work with two idols who are reuniting after a ten-year separation. One of them happens to be Karasuma’s younger brother, which shocks Takaba. The other member of the duo is someone who tries to manipulate Takaba and introduces him to the concept of “alpha syndrome” and identifies Takaba as stricken with it. Will Takaba succumb to the dangerous impulses that come with alpha syndrome?
(c) 2025 TOKYOPOPAs a reader of omegaverse, this is the first time I can recall learning about alpha syndrome, and it’s an interesting concept—there’s more aggression to it and a greater loss of control in the alpha, whether he is mated or not. Takaba has had some rough encounters with Karasuma during sex, so he wonders if he is afflicted. The manga ends on a cliffhanger posing this very question to readers, and I was both annoyed (because I am impatient) but also engrossed in what was happening.
That’s the key word here: engrossing. This volume starts off establishing lovey-dovey normalcy, but the conflict appears as soon as Takaba and Karasuma’s lives are upended by Takaba’s promotion. Then characters from the past are presented to further add fuel to the fire, there are new mysteries to propel readers through the story, and then, the cliffhanger.
While I would say the manga starts a little on the slow side, it quickly ups the pace and the tone becomes a little darker and more urgent as it progresses. The past has always played a major part in the series, and it’s hard for our characters to escape and overcome. Return introduces new issues related to the past that can draw the reader’s curiosity in–haven’t these men been through enough already?
The art is beautiful. Keri Kusabi elegantly depicts the men in the manga series. Long limbs, long torsos, lovely faces. And speaking of faces, Kusabi does a wonderful job with facial expressions. This one in particular makes my heart flutter because you can see the character is clearly in love:
(c) 2025 TOKYOPOPSo what’s my final verdict? Wails of the Bound: Return Volume 1 is worth your time and attention, with one caveat: I do think you need to read the original series and the spin-off Beta to get a fully enriching experience. Return makes sense without reading the originals, but you’re missing out on the struggles the characters endured and how hard it was for them to find love. You might be ok with skipping Beta as that couple doesn’t figure in Return Volume 1 all that much, but you really need to read the first Wails of the Bound to see how far Karasuma and Takaba have come…especially for Karasuma’s tragic story.
The complete Wails of the Bound series consists of the original, the spin-offs, and the sequel-in-progress:
- Wails of the Bound
- Wails of the Bound: Beta Volume 1
- Wails of the Bound: Beta Volume 2
- Wails of the Bound: Beta Volume 3
- Wails of the Bound: Return Volume 1
Again, you don’t need to read them, but I strongly recommend it to get the fullest sense of the characters and their story.
This addition to the Omegaverse is a worthy one, with devoted couples, steamy sex scenes, conflict, and more. With refined art and detailed character expressions, Wails of the Bound: Return Volume One is a gorgeous start to a series sequel.
Wails of the Bound: Return Volume One is available digitally from a variety of book retailers, and available in print from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, and more. You can order a print copy directly from TOKYOPOP as well in support of the publisher.
English (US)