Korean manhwa

[elffingqueen]

We were talking about vampires and the lack of good new vampire movies etc with Lisa not too long ago and I recommended her one amazingly beautiful Korean manhwa, that amongst other supernatural creatures includes vampires. Tattadaa, since most of my manga favourites at the moment are actually manhwa, I thought I could share some example pages and summaries about the series^^ (At least to Finnish readers these should be familiar but I don't know how widely popular they're for instance in US, since I'm nowhere near being an otaku and thus not that interested in statistics, etc.)



k2: KILL ME KISS ME
(story&art: Young-You Lee)

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K2 Kill me Kiss me is a comedic romance, Korean manwha/manhwa about a girl that switches places with her male cousin to get close to a model in his class. What makes this series unique is the well-entwined storyline, art, and characters. One thing to note is that "kill me" shouldn't be taken literally. In Korean, the word for kill ("jooguh") also means to beat up, so when someone says "jooguhsuh!", it can simply mean "I'll pound you!").
~source~

I was slightly skeptical about the storyline (school gangs fighting constantly) and art at first, but after the first volume I had to face the truth: I was lusting for more. Beautifully drawn, addictively written, überly funny chibis, handsome main characters.. all in all, a pleasure to read.
The second volume is a tad bit disappointing; the story changes dramatically, leaving the leading characters of the first novel behind. The new focus is on a girl that develops a crush on the male cousin of the first volume. However, when the story really sets off and you understand that the rest of the books are about this new girl and her messy (love)life, the story becomes a lot more enjoyable. Includes the cutest of gay couples I've seen in manhwa/manga ^__-

The text is edited off from the scanned pictures because they're my icon material and I didn't feel like re-scanning them. Pictures from volumes 1&4

THE TAROT CAFÉ
(story&art: Sang-sung Park)

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I'm simply amazed. I could've scanned the entire volumes one and two, that's how greatly one's eyes love the art. Gothic, swirly, detailed to the point one's mind pretty much refuses to see everything because of saving itself from exploding, sad, breathtaking. All of the men are strikingly gorgeus, the women are like dolls made of glass.. wow. I have been staring at the art countless of times, hoping I could create something like that.

The actual story starts off at the end of the second volume; before that we see several "short stories" which introduce us to the wicked world of Pamela, a girl who's able to tell the future from her Tarot cards. She is often accompanied by a mysterious Belus, a self-confident, cocky cafe-goer, who has as many concealed secrets as the beings that visit the café not because of the coffee but the café owner herself.

Sang-Sung Park's previous works: Les Bijoux

Pictures from volumes 1 and 2

MODEL
(story&art:Lee So-Young)

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About the story and characters: See Model's Wiki page

Not quite as intoxicating as TTC is but not far behind, either. The strong Korean style is very captivating. Dark, romantic, sexy -what a good vampire story should be like, ne? I haven't yet decided who I like more, Michael or his son Ken, since they both can be such disgusting characters every now and then, but that makes reading more fun^__^ it's a sign of a good series that the development of the characters can't be told beforehand. I'm smitten by this fantastically crooked world of vampires, bats and rose pedals, and I hope more people would find this beautiful work of art.

PLUS... a couple of non-Korean mangas.

ONE PIECE
(story&art: Eiichiro Oda)

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Story, characters, other info

*lol* Yeah, this series doesn't need introducing.. but this was too a delicious excuse to post pics of Ace to pass x)

One Piece, my all-time manga favourite, cracktastic and tear-jerking both at the same time.. masterpiece. Including Ace, my one and only fictional "imaginary lover" *smirk*

PRINCESS AI
(sotry&art: Ai Yazawa, DJ Milky, Misaho Kujiradou&Courtney Love

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Story, characters, other info

I pretty much disliked the art of Princess Ai when one of Paula's friends bought and showed it to me. I ignored it for months, then returned to it when realizing the connection between Courtney Love and the Courtney Love. As a Cobain addict I had to read it. I didn't have a clue she's interested in manga industry, and, to my surprise, it isn't as a strange combination as it may sound. The finished goodie is a delicious two-thumbs-up^^

The story's base is quite non-creative (runaway princess, protecting those you love, lost memories and so on) but the Ai saga is actually brilliantly built when all the ingredients are put together. Hilarious characters, touching moments and mind-arrestingly drawn stage outfits remind me of the vocalist of Hole and the widow of Cobain in a remarkable, yet weird way. I recommend with my whole wide fangirl heart^_^

I'm leaving for Amsterdam in about.. 48 hours, yey!! :D I'm hoping to meet Essz there, it depends on how strict dad's trip plan is (I'm aware of our visit to the tattoo museum and Van Gogh museum, and then there's this miniatyre land somewhere outside Amsterdam.. and the famous red lights, of course *lol*). I don't afford to make any big impulsive purchases because I ordered some new albums yesterday (AnCafe, Gazette, Gackt), but if I run into any good clothing/CD stores, I will definitely take a good look around. My bus will leave at 02.25am (Wed-Thu night), so I probably keep myself awaken till that by surfing around in the Internet or watching doramas, expect me to update before I go.. wheeee, hey, anyone wanting a postcard from Holland? :D Drop a line here and if I don't have your address, email it to me: elffingqueen@gmail.com

xxx