sugarholic

Sugarholic, Vol. 1 | By Gong GooGoo | Published by Yen Press | After the house she lives in with her mother and grandmother is destroyed in a landslide, twenty-year-old slacker Jae-Gyu is sent away from her rural hometown to live with her older brother in Seoul. With little money and even less optimism, she gets off the bus in the big city, only to lose her money and make an enemy (a good-looking but arrogant guy whose shirt she accidentally tears) right off the bat. Things get no better once she finds her brother, who is obviously engaged in shady business and really doesn’t want her around. She does find some refuge in her best friend, Hyun-Ah, whose family moved to the city a few years back, but even that is marred by the re-emergence of Hee-do, a childhood playmate Jae-Gyu bullied repeatedly, who is now an up-and-coming pop star harboring a long-held crush on her. Then to top things off, she gets embroiled in the middle of some kind of dangerous family trouble involving the torn-shirt guy (a martial artist named Whie-Hwan) who insists they pretend they are in love with each other in order to save himself from being sent out of the country.

From the very beginning of its first volume, Sugarholic is the perfect example of the girls’ manhwa formula at work. A plucky, outspoken heroine is thrust into unfamiliar territory with a couple of good-looking but complicated guys, at least one of whom she initially despises. At least two other manhwa series I’m currently reading (both Goong and Comic spring immediately to mind) have roughly the same setup, for the most part. Thing is, despite the formula, each one of them is wholly engaging and a lot of fun, and Sugarholic is no exception.

Jae-Gyu is slovenly and unfocused but also unconcerned with her appearance and utterly without guile, which makes her an extremely appealing heroine. Her relationship with Hee-do (the childhood playmate) reveals some of her particular quirks, for though she’s terrified of the “revenge” she’s sure he’s planned for her the one thing that never occurs to her is to apologize (at least not sincerely) for all the awful things she remembers doing to him. She is also completely oblivious to his feelings for her, both past and present, which admittedly he has never expressed with much skill. Still, the most touching scene in the entire volume is a memory of their childhood in which Hee-do, heartbroken over seeing Jae-Gyu cry, attempts to comfort her by kissing her on the forehead. Hee-do’s awkwardness is nearly pathetic (in preparation for confessing his feelings, he inexplicably finds it necessary to balance his latte on Jae-Gyu’s head, causing an inevitable mess for her and thwarting his efforts completely) yet unexpectedly believable and quite sweet. It’s hard not to root for Hee-do, in all his blundering sincerity, though Jae-Gyu seems indifferent to his adorable personage (which, paradoxically, makes her more interesting and likable as well).

The obvious trouble brewing, both for Jae-Gyu and Hee-do, is the situation with Whie-Hwan who has managed to convince Jae-Gyu (or at least himself) that she actually owes him on some level. Though the volume ends without resolution, it seems likely that Jae-Gyu will find herself going along with his fairly insane proposition, whether by choice or otherwise. Though Whie-Hwan’s backstory is definitely compelling, it’s difficult to like him much at this point in the story, especially when it seems unavoidable that he will end up getting in the way of whatever chances Hee-do (who is much more sympathetic and appealing) might have with Jae-Gyu. That said, he’s also likely to provide some of the story’s best conflict and future plot twists, so it’s valuable to have him around.

Gong GooGoo’s art is very much in the typical style for this kind of manhwa, with the characters’ exaggerated lips, “floofy” hair (as Jae-Gyu describes Whie-Hwan’s), and heavily-outlined eyes, along with its shojo-style backgrounds and panel layouts. There are many who profess a distaste for manhwa art, but I must say I have quite a strong affection for it. There is a solid feel to manhwa art I can’t quite put my finger on that draws me in consistently, and Sugarholic absolutely achieves that feel.

Ultimately, the best recommendation I can give for Sugarholic is that when I finished this volume, I immediately wanted to read the next. The characters are attractive and idiosyncratic, the story is engaging despite its predictability, and above all, it is just a lot of fun. If you love girls’ manhwa, Sugarholic is a must-read.

Volume one of Sugarholic will be available in August of 2009. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Sugarholic, Vol. 2 | By Gong GooGoo | Published by Yen Press – Thanks to the power of guilt and her desperate need for cash, Jae-Gyu finds herself being reeled in by Whie-Hwan’s proposal that she pose as his girlfriend for a month. Meanwhile, childhood “friend” turned pop idol Hee-Do is dreamy-eyed over a photo of himself with Jae-Gyu, snapped by a fan during their recent encounter (to the extreme dismay of his handlers). Unfortunately, things continue to be difficult for Jae-Gyu in this volume as she faces her new life in the big city. First, she is easily lured into a quasi-prostitution scenario by some unscrupulous coworkers of her friend Hyun-Ah. Later, her brother’s borrowed apartment falls through, leaving her on her own. With all circumstances leaving her more and more dependent on Whie-Hwan for her survival, Jae-Gyu begins to feel a bit attached, but is she in over her head?

Nothing earth-shattering or even truly unexpected happens in this volume, yet the story’s characters remain quirky, charming, and generally fun to read about, which is definitely its primary draw. Jae-Gyu’s childlike tactlessness and oddly random sense of responsibility make her a unique heroine even within a common manhwa mold, and Whie-Hwan’s frequent loss of cool keeps him from fully becoming a genre cliché. It is Hee-Do, however, who provides true mystery in this series with a personality that, at least at this point in time, is just too weird to unravel. This is not a liability by any means. Though his single-minded devotion to Jae-Gyu (who is apparently still anticipating some kind of revenge) is undoubtedly a tad creepy, it is also inexplicably sweet. Lingering over the cell phone photo of himself with Jae-Gyu running away from him he muses over how little the photo does her justice, thinking, “You’re the kind of person who sparkles most when you’re moving.” He’s a character who lives so completely in his head it’s astounding that he’s able to function in the world at all, let alone as a public figure, which may be the secret to what makes him so fascinating.

Further insight into Whie-Hwan’s past is still too vague to be quite compelling in this volume, though it certainly promises future intrigue. The same could be said for the brief sidestep into the story of Jae-Gyu’s brother, which fades into the background all too quickly. Yet, even without major plot development, the volume maintains momentum, thanks to its messy, likable characters.

Though so far lacking the heavily addictive quality of Goong or One Thousand and One Nights or even the fantastic strangeness of 13th Boy, Sugarholic remains a fresh, fun addition to Yen Press’ lively lineup of girls’ manhwa titles.

Review copy provided by the publisher.