Manhwa Bookshelf

Manhwa Monday: Review Round-up

September 13, 2010 by MJ 3 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday! After several weeks with very few manhwa reviews to share, things are finally picking up!

My pick for this week is David Welsh’s look at volume one of There’s Something About Sunyool (NETCOMICS) at The Manga Curmudgeon. Though NETCOMICS hasn’t offered any new chapters of this series since the end of June, there’s still some buzz around the series’ debut print volume, which will hopefully lead to many more! Here are some tidbits from David’s review:

The title of Youngran Lee’s There’s Something About Sunyool (Netcomics) is accurate, though it takes a while to figure out what that something is and if you’d like to see more of it. By the time I’d finished the first volume, she had gone from blandly quirky to confidently madcap, and I was very much in her corner.

… I always feel a certain resistance to arranged-marriage comedy, particularly when it isn’t a period piece, but Youngran Lee approaches it with such a bemused smirk that it’s hard to get too bogged down in my western perceptions … I’m looking forward to seeing her refuse to suffer new fools and roll with life’s nastier punches as the series progresses.

Read David’s full review here, and check out the comic at NETCOMICS.com.

At RocketBomber, Matt Blind posts the latest manga ratings, including his new manhwa breakout. Volume six of Bride of the Water God (Dark Horse) has the best showing this week, by far, coming in at #48 in the rankings overall.

This week brings a couple of new reviews of Sirial’s One Fine Day (Yen Press), with Danica Davidson weighing on on volume two at The Graphic Novel Reporter and Chris Zimmerman checking out the very new volume three at Comic Book Bin. Here’s a quick quote from the latter: “One Fine Day is closer to a slice of life tale than it is a fantasy, though there is a healthy intermingling of the two. Despite its length and overall lack of any real development of a plot to speak of, the series delivers on its promise of adorable characters experiencing what it means to live. Those in search of uplifting moments as a means to brighten their day need look no further.”

Zimmerman also reviews volume three of Laon (Yen Press) this week, offering up one of the most positive reviews of the series I’ve seen so far. “Laon doesn’t fall into any one classification. While it remains firmly steeped in the paranormal, it can just as easily switch to horror or action. While some might find this to be jarring, the fact that the series can branch into so many genres adds to its appeal, keeping the audience guessing while it continues to tell a unique story.”

Finally, at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson has little positive to say about the latest volume of Jack Frost (Yen Press). “I was hoping for an improvement with this volume, but unfortunately was denied … After two volumes, nothing has changed or improved in Jack Frost. It’s still a barely average title with no discernible direction.”

That’s all for this week!

Is there something I’ve missed? Leave your manhwa-related links in comments!

Manhwa Monday: September Preview

September 6, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday! It’s fairly quiet on this holiday weekend, so perhaps it’s time to look at what’s coming for the month ahead.

Yen Press is the only American manhwa publisher with new releases planned for September–all new volumes of continuing series. My pick of the bunch is volume three of One Fine Day, Sirial’s whimsical look at the domestic life of three pets and their magical master. (Click here for my review of volume one.)

Also this month, Yen releases volume nine of Legend (click here for reviews) and volume three of Laon.

NETCOMICS is conspicuously silent on the print front this month, though regular updates of their online series have finally resumed in earnest, including the release of volume four, chapter seven of The Adventures of Young Det just last week.

At Rocket Bomber, Matt Blind posts the latest round of manhwa rankings, this time for the week ending August 29th. The usual contenders remain strong, and NETCOMICS’ BL one-shot U Don’t Know Me moves up even one more notch to first place in manhwa this week (and 158 in “manga” overall).

It’s been a very quiet week for reviews, but at PopMatters, Oliver Ho posts a thoughtful review of one of my favorite manhwa, Byun Byung-Jun’s Mijeong (NBM/ComicsLit). Meanwhile, at Slightly Biased Manga, Connie finally checks out volume one of Sarasah (Yen Press), though she’s not pleased with what she finds.

That’s all for this week!

Is there something I’ve missed? Leave your manhwa-related links in comments!

Manhwa Monday: Webtoon Update & More

August 30, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday! We’ve got a couple pieces of news and some reviews to look at today.

First, soon-to-be webtoon publisher, iSeeToon has some updates on their licenses, including mention of a new series they are going to try to obtain for release, Unusual Romance… between Serial Killers.

It so happens that I’ve seen some of that series (in Korean), and though the subject matter is certainly dark, it’s pretty compelling stuff, even if you don’t read the language. Check out the iSeeToon blog for more.

Continuing from last week, Matt Blind has posted another round of sales rankings, including a full list of manhwa rankings for the week ending August 22nd. Angel Diary (Yen Press) is still on top for manhwa this week, though U Don’t Know Me (NETCOMICS) has moved up a notch to second place (go Yeri Na!), with the latest volume of Jack Frost (Yen Press) coming up in third.

Speaking of Jack Frost, Otaku no Video has posted a new video review of volume one–kind of a fun way to look at the series.

In other reviews, Michelle Smith goes all out, with a review of volumes 1-5 (the full series) of Sugarholic (Yen Press) at Soliloquy in Blue. She also talks about volume 8 of Moon Boy (Yen Press) in the most recent edition of Off the Shelf, here at Manga Bookshelf. And at Anime Salvation, mouseycou shares a short recommendation for Angel Diary.

That’s all for this week!

Is there something I’ve missed? Leave your manhwa-related links in comments!

Manhwa Monday: Hitting the Charts

August 23, 2010 by MJ 3 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday!

As most of you probably know, Matt Blind is the guy we manga fans look to for weekly analysis of the Consolidated Online Sales Rankings over at his blog, Rocket Bomber. Recently he added some new analysis to mix, the Manhwa breakout, for the week ending August 8th.

It’s a pretty interesting list, and though most of the manhwa doesn’t really rate all that high, what’s surprising is what’s ranking, and in what order. The top three are not shocking at all (new volumes of Angel Diary, Jack Frost, and Bride of the Water God), but then things get a little weird, or at least unexpected.

It’s thrilling to me to see U Don’t Know Me next on the list, a boys’ love one-shot by Yeri Na (working under the pseudonym “Rakun”) and a particular favorite of mine. There are actually quite a few there from NETCOMICS and Tokyopop, despite the fact that some of the volumes were published as long ago as 2003.

Check out Matt’s blog for the full listing.

This week in reviews, Lu at Regular Rumination talks about Kim Dong Hwa’s The Color Trilogy (First Second). Despite being confused about Korean name order, she hits upon some of the things that bothered me about the trilogy as well, so it was a bit gratifying to see that come from outside the usual circles.

Elsewhere, at TangognaT, Anna reviews volume one of There’s Something about Sunyool (NETCOMICS). At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie checks out the final volume of Pig Bride (Yen Press). And at Comics Village, Amy Grocki takes on volume two of Sugarholic (Yen Press).

That’s all for this week!

Is there something I’ve missed? Leave your manhwa-related links in comments!

Manhwa Monday: Review Round-up

August 16, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday! We’re running late this week, but we’ve got some great review links to share.

First off, at Soliloquy in Blue, Michelle Smith reviews volumes two and three of There’s Something About Sunyool, available now from NETCOMICS online.

“In the end, There’s Something About Sunyool offers a lot of crackalicious drama that is extremely fun to read. Volume two is a bit slow, as all of the bickering grows tiresome, but don’t let that dissuade you from continuing on to volume three, which is much better and ends on quite a cliffhanger. ”

Volume one is available in print now, with volume two set for release in September. Check out Michelle’s review for more.

Elswhere in reviews, at Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie takes a look at volume four of Sarasah (Yen Press). At Comic Book Bin, Chris Zimmerman reviews volume three of Jack Frost (Yen Press). Both Kristin Bomba (Comic Attack) and Charles Webb (Manga Life) check out Time and Again …

Manhwa Monday: August Preview

August 9, 2010 by MJ 2 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday! With August already underway, it’s time to take a look at this month’s anticipated manhwa releases.

Dark Horse makes an appearance this month with volume six of Bride of the Water God, one of the prettiest manhwa series around. For a little background, check out Kate Dacey’s review of the series’ first five volumes at The Manga Critic.

With NETCOMICS remaining quiet in terms of print releases (and even web updates, lately) and most of Udon’s series on seemingly indefinite hiatus, the rest of the month goes to Yen Press. Yen does their best to fill the void with new volumes of a number of popular releases, including Goong, Sarasah, Moon Boy, Black God, and the dramatic final volume of One Thousand and One Nights.

For anxious readers, reviews of some of these volumes have already started to turn up online. At Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie deems volume 8 of Moon Boy, “… the best installment so far,” and states that she’ll be “counting the days until Volume 9 hits stores.” …

The Color Trilogy

August 8, 2010 by MJ Leave a Comment

At Manga Bookshelf’s Off the Shelf, Michelle Smith and I discuss Kim Dong Hwa’s Color trilogy (The Color of Earth, The Color of Water, and he Color of Heaven) published in English by First Second. Here’s an excerpt from the discussion:

MJ: Let’s get right to the meat of things. There’s been a lot of discussion among critics about whether or not this series is inherently sexist. Michelle, I’d like to start with bringing up a statement you made in your recent review of The Color of Heaven:

“I know that the limited scope of life for a woman in this time and place is historically accurate, and that for a mother to say, “There is nothing better in life than getting married” reflects a period where marriage provided the ultimate in protection for a woman … To be honest, I think a large part of my ire is due to the fact that The Color Trilogy is written by a man. If a woman wrote these things, I’d still be annoyed, but coming from a male author I can’t help but read such statements as downright condescending. Try as I might to view these attitudes through a historical lens, I’m simply unable to get over my knee-jerk reaction.”

First of all, I wouldn’t characterize your reaction as knee-jerk at all. I think what you’re reacting to (and I mentioned this in comments, but I’ll reiterate it here) is not the story’s historical context, but the author’s own sexism which he reveals in the way he portrays the realities of the period. My immediate thought upon finishing the series was that I found it inexpressibly sad. Ehwa’s mother spends almost the entire series teaching her daughter about what a woman’s life is in their world and helping her learn how to endure a lifetime of waiting and heartache that can only be relieved by the companionship of a beloved man. And I suspect there is quite a bit of historical accuracy in this sense of utter helplessness and lack of worth placed on a single woman in that period.

But despite the bleakness of their circumstances, Kim portrays it all with a loving nostalgia. Even when expressing the sadness and longing felt by Ehwa and her mother as they wait for their men, he portrays it all as beautiful and even romantic. This isn’t matter of being true to the period. These are Kim’s own values being revealed here, and that’s what we’re reacting to. The same story could be told without that veil of fond nostalgia and it would read very, very differently. If this series had actually been written during that time period, that would be different matter as well, but Kim is a contemporary writer, and as such, he’s responsible to contemporary readers for the story he’s chosen to tell and how he tells it.

Read the full discussion here.

Otakon 2010: Rise of Manhwa

August 3, 2010 by Ed Sizemore 24 Comments

When Ed Sizemore mentioned to me that this year’s Otakon schedule included a panel about manhwa, I leapt at the opportunity to ask him to write a guest report for Manhwa Bookshelf. And since Ed is a great guy, he kindly agreed. Here it is. Please enjoy! – MJ

Looking over the Otakon schedule this year, I was surprised to see a panel named “The Rise of Manhwa.” Since I didn’t know much about Korean comics, I decided to check it out. Unfortunately, the Otakon programming schedule doesn’t list the name of the panelist and the panelist didn’t introduce himself, so I can’t tell you who ran the panel.

Things got off to a poor start. The previous panel ran over and some of the audience was lingering around, socializing. The manhwa panelist had to ask them to leave, which seemed to put him a belligerent mood. Thankfully, about five minutes into the panel, his mood began to improve, but it wasn’t the best way to begin. …

Manhwa Monday: The Webtoon Cometh

August 2, 2010 by MJ 3 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday!

Last week, Manhwa Bookshelf contributor Hana Lee introduced us to the world of Korean webcomics, or “webtoons” as they are known in Korea. Though only a handful of webtoons have made it into English translation so far (all published by NETCOMICS), more are on the way (at least for iPhone/iPad users), thanks to a new Korean company, iSeeToon.

As a response to both Hana’s post and some extensive conversation on Twitter, iSeeToon representative Kim Jin Sung has posted a number of posts in the company’s blog over the past week, including some general information about iSeeToon, descriptions of several potential properties, and some musings on the difference between Korean webtoons and western webcomics.

For more information on iSeeToon, check out their official website or follow them on Twitter. …

Run, Bong-Gu, Run!, Dokebi Bride, Time and Again

July 30, 2010 by MJ Leave a Comment

At Manga Bookshelf’s Off the Shelf, Michelle Smith and I discuss three manhwa series, Byun Byung-Jun’s Run, Bong-Gu, Run! from NBM/Comics Lit, Marley’s Dokebi Bride from NETCOMICS, and JiUn Yun’s Time and Again from Yen Press.

Here’s an excerpt from our discussion:

MICHELLE: How about with Run, Bong-Gu, Run! by Byun Byung-Jun? I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this one since I finished it. For those who aren’t familiar with it, this is a simple story of a boy and his mother who travel from a seaside town to Seoul in search of the father/husband who went to the city in search of work and who hasn’t been heard from in some time. While there, they meet a kindly old man and his granddaughter, rescue a bird from a building, and bemoan the difficulties of life in the city.

While low on plot, Run, Bong-Gu, Run is high on atmosphere, with a dreamy yet deliberate way of portraying the actions of our protagonists as opposed to the near faceless mob of Seoul-ites who go whizzing past them. Our smalltown heroes have not lost the ability to see others in pain, be they homeless humans or endangered pigeons. They manage to do a fair amount of good on their visit simply by noticing those around them and providing what help they can offer.

MJ: It’s true there isn’t much to the plot of this little manhwa, and for me that’s definitely part of its charm. I love the simplicity of the story and its characters, and Byun’s manner of presenting them. I like, too, that it’s not just the smalltown visitors doing good, either.

The old man they meet there is as kind and helpful as they are, and obviously has been helping out the woman’s husband while he’s been in the city. There’s this big, faceless city, but once you get down to the individuals, they are just people like anyone else, and I love that about this story. I think it’s significant that the old man is first seen in the story panhandling on the subway. That person–a begger on the subway–is the easiest for most of us to brush off in our lives as someone on the outskirts of our own experience. Yet he turns up later as a fully-realized character.

In a way, Byun portrays Seoul exactly as I think of big cities in general. They can seem intimidating–as though they might swallow your individuality whole–but when you really spend time in one, maybe even live in it, you realize that a neighborhood is a neighborhood, no matter where you live in the world. A city is just a dense collection of small towns with no official dividers between them.

I like your description of the atmosphere as “dreamy yet deliberate.” That’s the perfect way to describe Byun’s artwork and writing style. And it’s nice to see it used for a warm, simple story like this one. Run, Bong-Gu, Run! lacks the sheer bleakness of Byun’s melancholy anthology, Mijeong, and though some of those stories perhaps have more to them, this one is much more soothing for the soul.

Manhwa Monday: Welcome, Hana!

July 26, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday! Today, I’m very pleased to introduce a new contributor to Manhwa Bookshelf, Hana Lee. Hana will be providing reviews of untranslated Korean manhwa as well as manhwa news from Korea. She’s begun today with An introduction to Korean webcomics, where she discusses Korean webcomics as a whole–their scope and origins–and provides short reviews for two popular comics as well. It’s a wonderful post that you all must take a look at.

Speaking of origins, here’s a short bio for Hana that will soon appear on our “About” page:

Hana Lee is a biology graduate student living in California. By day, she experiments with yeast; by night, she spends her time knitting and eating good food. She is also a longtime fan of anime and manga, as well as an avid reader of books. Hana is proud to call herself Korean-American and maintains her fluency in Korean by watching K-dramas, reading manhwa …

An introduction to Korean webcomics

July 26, 2010 by Hana Lee 15 Comments

What are webtoons?

South Korea is widely known as being the most wired nation in the world. The majority of Koreans have near-constant access to high-speed Internet. Consequently, the Internet has become a vehicle for new artists to make themselves known to a wide audience. Bestselling novels often originate in online serials, top actors can be discovered through personal blogs—and many of the latest hit manhwa make their start as webcomics.

In Korean, webcomics are called “webtoons” (a portmanteau of “web” and “cartoons”) and are available for free viewing on major portal sites, who pay the manhwa-ga to update once or twice a week until the storyline reaches completion. Some are professional manhwa-ga who have already made their name in the industry, such as Huh Young-man, who published his latest series, Kkol, online.*

Others are unknowns with separate day jobs who create manhwa in their spare time. For example, Shin Eui-cheol’s popular webcomic, Schoolholic was based on his daily experiences as a teacher.

Korean webcomics have grown immensely popular in recent years. Several series have garnered sequels or spin-off series due to their success with online audiences; others have subsequently been published in print or adapted for the screen as Korean dramas or movies.

New form creates new function

Korean webcomics cover a diversity of genres—anywhere from science fiction to horror to humor—and push the boundaries of the medium in many ways. Typically, each chapter is published as one long continuous vertical strip, extending beyond the dimensions of a print page. Some series use traditional panelling but others have taken advantage of the scrolling navigation to experiment with different layouts.

For example, as the viewer moves down the page, the blue background in the prologue to Mt. Hyeon Arari begins as an underwater scene with fish and becomes a cloudless sky with birds.** The scrolling allows the manhwa-ga to imitate a camera panning effect as the viewer’s eye descends through the sky to end with a view of a mountainous island, toward which a boat is sailing.

Moreover, since webcomics are usually drawn by tablet and colored with computer graphics software, the range of artistic styles can range from black-and-white line art to photorealistic paintings. Most series are available in full color for every chapter. The online format also permits manhwa-ga to insert multimedia features to accompany their art, such as the background music in the prologue to Monsoon.***

Popular series gain large fan followings, and the online format allows manhwa-ga to read their viewer’s reactions and even interact with their fans through the forums. Series that are ongoing at the same time will occasionally hold mock competitions for viewer ratings or showcase cameos from characters in other series.

Where to find webcomics

Webcomics can be viewed for free on almost all the major Korean portal sites. The two largest portals boast the widest collection:

Webcomics are also available at these portals:

However, not many webcomics have been translated into English yet. Among the English-language manhwa publishers, only NETCOMICS has published webcomics:

The Great Catsby (originally serialized at Daum under the Korean title 위대한 캣츠비)
X Diary (originally serialized at Paran under the Korean title 남자친9)
Almost Highly Classified (originally serialized at Ecomix under the Korean title 2급비밀)

The start-up company iSeeToon plans on releasing Korean webcomics in English as iPhone/iPod apps. (They are also on Twitter at @iSeeToon.) The first series they’ve licensed will be made available in late August.

Reviews

Sunjeong Manhwa, by Kang Pool

The release of this series in late 2003 made it one of the first Korean webcomics. Its popularity is largely responsible for setting off the webcomic boom on the Korean Internet. As one can guess from the title, the series focuses on the love story of two couples, featuring slice-of-life moments from their romance. The protagonists are a second-year high school girl and an older salaryman who lives in the same apartment building, as well as another high school student who is similarly in love with a much older woman.

Although I originally felt dubious about the large age gap in both couples, the manhwa soon won me over. The age difference is not brushed aside but features as one of the main sources of conflict in the series. One of my favorite scenes occurs when Suk calls out Ha-yeong to go walk in the first snow. Ha-yeong wants to discourage Suk’s determined attempts to woo her since he is much younger than her in age. She tries to squelch the romantic mood by saying that she doesn’t like it because the snow is too thin. She tells Suk that she prefers snow that piles up and crunches under her feet.

Undaunted, Suk reaches down and starts making small mounds of snow with his bare hands. He tells her to walk on the mounds so that it will feel as if the snow has piled up thickly beneath her feet. Ha-yeong reluctantly walks forward and hears the snow crunching at her footsteps. The perspective switches to Suk, who watches Ha-yeong walking towards him and feels incredibly happy.

Moss by Yoon Tae-ho

This horror webcomic finished last summer and developed such a large fanbase that the award-winning director, Kang Woo-suk, acquired the rights to produce a live-action movie adaptation. The movie will be released later this summer, and the trailer can be viewed at the official website.

The story starts with the death of Ryu Mok-hyeong, who left his family in Seoul to live in the country. Upon his death, his long-estranged son, Hae-guk, who has recently divorced from his wife and lost his job, decides to make a new start by moving to the village where his father spent the last years of his life. This news is not welcome to the village’s inhabitants, who try to convince him to return.

Moreover, there seems to be some mystery about his father’s death, as Ryu Mok-hyeong was only 67 and did not appear to die from any illness. The villagers, and in particular, the sinister-looking village foreman, seem bent on discouraging Hae-guk from finding out anything about his father’s life in the village or the circumstances surrounding his death.

The art is highly stylized and detailed, featuring strong lines on top of a dark and desaturated color scheme. The overall effect is gorgeous and well-suited to the horror genre. In the panel to the left, Hae-guk wakes up to find one of the villagers snooping outside his window, after he had mentioned that he had found a pile of documents belonging to his late father.

* 꼴 or kkol is a word that literally means one’s “look” or “state”. It’s often used in a negative context, e.g. “What a [pitiful] state you’re in!” or “Get out of my sight!” It’s also a pun for “goal”. (↑)
** 아라리 or arari is a Buddhist term coming from the Sanskrit alali. It’s used to mean a wide natural landscape where there is no sign of people. (↑)
*** 장마 or jangma literally translates to “long rain” and refers to the summer monsoon season in Korea. (↑)

Manhwa Monday: Poll, Part II

July 19, 2010 by MJ 5 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday!

It’s another slow week in the manhwa blogosphere, so following up on last week’s poll, we’ll take a moment to ponder this year’s continuing manhwa series. But first, a look at the week in reviews.

Raiders (Yen Press) gets the most attention this week, with reviews of volume one from Liz Reed at Manga Life and volume three from Kate Dacey at The Manga Critic. At Comics Village, Lori Henderson takes a look at volume eight of Goong (Yen Press). And at the Tompkins County Public Library’s In My Opinion (IMO) Teen Book Blog, reviewer Emme talks about volume one of The Tarot Cafe (Tokyopop).

Far in the lead in last week’s poll for best new manhwa series of the year (so far) is Sirial’s One Fine Day (Yen Press). This week, let’s take a vote on continuing series. …

Manhwa Monday: Mid-Season Poll

July 12, 2010 by MJ 13 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday!

It’s a slow week in the manhwa blogosphere, with only three reviews for me to pass along. First, at Good Comics for Kids, Lori Henderson reviews volume one of One Fine Day (Yen Press). At Manga Life, Charles Webb gives us a first-timer’s look at volume nine of Black God (Yen Press). Lastly, at TangognaT, Anna talks about the first four volumes of Goong (Yen Press).

With such a small bounty to share this week, it seems like a good time to check out the (nearly) equally short list of this year’s new manhwa series. Though we’ve seen quite a few new volumes of continuing series this year, new series have been scarce–just four by my count as of the end of June.

Yen Press is this year’s overachiever so far, with two (count ’em, two) new series since January began, One Fine Day and Laon. …

Manhwa Monday: July Preview

July 5, 2010 by MJ 3 Comments

Welcome to another Manhwa Monday!

It’s a fairly quiet month for manhwa releases, with the only new print volumes coming from Yen Press, including the final volume of Pig Bride. Other releases include volume twelve of Angel Diary, volume five of Sugarholic, volume three of Jack Frost, and my personal pick of the bunch, volume three of Yun JiUn’s collection of ghost stories, Time and Again.

Time and Again has gotten quite a bit of attention this past week, beginning with the recent Off the Shelf column, in which Michelle Smith and I discuss the series’ first volume. Michelle later makes good on her promise to review volumes 1-3 at Soliloquy in Blue.

Then, at Manga Maniac Cafe, Julie takes a look at volume three, “Wow, this series really hits its stride with this volume. Each of the chapters held me enthralled…