This review was originally published by The Beat.

Seth is the lord of a prosperous desert country. He cares deeply about his people and often ventures outside of his safe palace to see them. Seth is also willing to sacrifice his body to make deals that would enrich his nation. Seth’s bodyguard Kyle, who has been with Seth for ten years, takes his job seriously and often inserts himself into Seth’s business in the name of “protection.” He prevents Seth from making shady deals, protects him from his carelessness when he journeys outside the castle, and harbors a great, secret desire for Seth. All of this comes to a head one fateful night when Seth is about to visit a guest for potentially risky dealmaking. Kyle stops Seth, essentially telling him “If you’ll sleep with anyone, why not sleep with me?” This starts a tumultuous relationship between the two. Does this desert butterfly really want to be caught?

That’s what’s a little confusing about this manga. Seth displays all sorts of feelings towards Kyle—affection, annoyance, teasing—but he also alternates between wanting sex with Kyle and turning him down (then giving in anyway). It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, while Kyle is much more obvious and consistent about his feelings. We do not know Seth’s true opinion of Kyle until a confession toward the very end of the book, and while it’s sweet, I can’t help but wish things were clearer much sooner. If I think of the manga’s title, it makes me wonder if Seth saw this all as a simple pursuit and he was quietly egging Kyle on because he “yearns to be caught.” I didn’t quite get that from the story.

I like the basic premise of the bodyguard loving the man he should protect. We learn that Kyle has been in Seth’s care ever since he was a boy, when Seth rescued him off the streets. This begins Kyle’s devotion and eventual love for Seth. I wanted to see more of this instead of Kyle being a bit gruff towards Seth and domineering in bed.

And Seth’s reaction to Kyle’s sexual advances aren’t always positive:

So the actual romance between them doesn’t always seem like romance. That kind of conflict can be compelling to readers who like the back-and-forth in a relationship, but with this manga, it made things feel unstable.

Overall, I wanted more. There are a couple of scenes where a mysterious man goads Seth into attending a ball to meet an associate who’s taken an interest in him, but we never find out more about the mystery man or the potential partner because Kyle stops everything. But I wanted to know more about these characters and get a better idea of the stakes.

I really enjoyed the scenes where Seth goes out into the streets to visit his people, but there’s a later scene where he is kidnapped and attacked, and it ties back to Kyle’s old life. It gets resolved quickly, and I wanted more—especially to learn about the attacker’s history with Kyle. We get a taste, but it just isn’t enough.

And while there are plenty of sex scenes, the payoff scenes that show mutual adoration and respect don’t come until much later. I wanted to see more of that and less questionable dalliances between the two leads. The sex scenes are pretty, though.

Honestly, I like this manga, but I want to like it more. There are so many interesting setups and ideas here, but they’re resolved really quickly or underexplored. It’s like expecting a full-course meal but only getting dessert—absolutely delicious, yes, but not satiating.

Aside from the issues I have with the story, the art is lovely. Seth is a beautiful man, and I love his costuming—it reminds me of some of the stuff I’ve seen in Palace of the Omega. And I’m a sucker for men with long hair.

The art is elegant, from the scenery and architecture to the depiction of lead and background characters. Faces are expressive, especially Seth’s, and his looks of loathing and lust are well depicted. I could definitely keep looking at these characters beyond the manga’s 200 pages.

My final verdict: The Desert Butterfly Yearns to Be Caught is a good BL manga. It’s gorgeous and has a solid relationship motif: the lord and the bodyguard. The manga is entertaining, but it just doesn’t go deep or far enough to be satisfying, though. While I’m happy with the ultimate ending of the manga, I’m left wanting more. For that reason, I actually hope this gets a sequel that will round things out. One can only wish.

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The Desert Butterfly Yearns to Be Caught is available in print and digital from TOKYOPOP and other online book and comics retailers. It was originally published July 22, 2025.