EN Title: Omega Megaera
JP Title: オメガ・メガエラ
Author/Artist: Maki Marukido
Publisher: Kodansha
Publisher Rating: Mature
EN Publication Status: Ongoing (10 Volumes total)

Content Notes: Male pregnancy, use of female terms for male omegas (mainly mother), topics of rape, pedophilic releationships, sexism, etc.

Omega Megaera is the only work from mangaka Maki Marukido that is not a BL. However, I believe it is a story that BL fans would enjoy! I also can see some BL elements in it too.

Story Overview
Saimon, an omega, lost his standing in the Hanabusa family when it’s found out he cannot have children. Believing in being true mates with his husband Seijuro, he longs to have the relationship they once had. When his father-in-law Zenjiro tasks him to find his illegitimate child, Saimon finds Mamiya, also an omega, and strikes a deal. If Mamiya pretends to be an alpha, he can live comfortably in the Hanabusa household, and Saimon can become the first wife again. Having been a researcher on omega suppressants in the past, Saimon is confident he and Mamiya can pull it off. Thus begins a grand scheme.

Review
I know I am biased as a fan of Maki Marukido, but I have been extremely excited for this title. As a fan of omegaverse, I do love it when stories really dig into societal attitudes of the secondary genders and overall worldbuilding. I know not all will enjoy the sexist and patriarchal attitudes that in a way reflect reality at times, but I do think the omegaverse setting is such a perfect sandbox to explore a variety of ideas and themes.

Volume 1 primarily sets the stage of this story and introduces readers to its cast and gets the ball rolling for the fight to become the next Hanabusa heir. From the get to there are mysteries, lies, and existing conflicts that will get more tangled up as the story goes on. I’ve enjoyed the way Maki Marukido’s ability to write complex characters and relationships from her other works, so I look forward to learning about all of the Hanabusa family as the story continues. Mamiya and Saimon truly are an unlikely duo, so it’ll be interesting to see how far they’ll get in hiding Mamiya’s true secondary gender. Outside our main characters Mamiya and Saimon, I am most excited to learn more about Reiko! As Maki Marukido mentions in the afterword, alpha women characters aren’t often spotlighted. She already seems like the main rival to Mamiya for the position, so I look forward to seeing her story arc! I am also rooting for Kayo and hope she gets to further her education. Iori too is interesting, as he seems to have a good heart underneath it all.

Omega Megaera overall has a promising start with an interesting cast of characters and suspense. It is a series I would only recommend to those who are either familiar with the omegaverse genre or willing to learn about it. It’s themes and topics are deep and do relate to things seen in reality as well, making it even more compelling.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for having the DRC available.

PS: To be honest, I took a peek at volumes 2 and 3 in Japanese, thanks to them being free digitally on different ebook platforms! And without spoiling, I can confidently say the story gets even more interesting. I also have a sense something may be brewing between Mamiya and Iori…?