Manhwa Review: Antique Romance

Name: Antique Romance
Author & Artist: KIM Mi Jung
Chapters: 27 - finished
Genres: Drama, Historical, Mature, Romance, Shoujo
Plot:

From Esthétique: "I am a human, but a doll... Feelings are not needed. Physically alive, but not mentally. I am a painting trapped inside a rusted frame. The cold skin of a statue. Like a stuffed bird-- Killed and set for display. I wonder... I wonder, on whose display I will be placed..." Includes extra story, The Dancing Marionette (Vol 3).

Review:
It seems like most of the manhwas that I end up and enjoy reading are the ones set in with darker mature themes which are inevitably coupled with tragic elements.
This has all the drama in a European ambient setting.

Some warnings before picking this up would include themes of prostitution and rape which are basically red flags that indicate that this ain't some fluffy shoujo.

There's also a certain scene that is horribly cryptic. It's not horror in a supernatural sense but the monstrosity of what humans can do to each other. It parallels closely with reality despite cliches and plot devices.

Manhwas vs. Webtoons

There's this common misconception that Manhwas and Webtoons are the same since they are both Korean Language comics. Let me rebut this and say this is not completely right in my opinion. Many people use Manhwas interchangeably with webtoons and although it's not technically wrong it bothers me how they are classed as the same thing.

I feel like one of the major factors are how the medium is presented. I'll shortlist some of my observations on the given genre (correct me if I'm wrong):

1. Manhwas are presented in paperback book form or in magazines. This greatly restricts target audience (whether it's a tween, older teen or young adult magazine) which in turn feels like the author must meet the demands of what the audience wants. It's a good thing sometimes but generally the author should really be in charge of the story's creative direction. They also have editors, both a good thing and a bad thing, it stops the author from writing anything to choppy but again, restricts them from creativity.
   
   On the other hand, Webtoons are obviously posted online, free for anyone to view. Traditionally when hosted on sites like Naver, they get money based on hits and popularity I'm assuming. It actually gives the artist more freedom in writing the story and the audience is not restricted. The demographic is anyone that has a computer and likes comics.

Shoujo Manga Cliches: My Top 7 Favourite Cliches

There are just some cliches that I love, if done well of course.
I've read a lot of mangas under these categories and I don't know why I like it so much.

1. Really, Really sweet guys - You know the ones that make you realise you'll probably never find a guy like that? And make you scream kawaii at the top of your little lungs? Example of really kawaii guys are Suwa from Orange by Takano Ichigo.
   
2. Bromance - My love for bromances is a bit unhealthy. Friendship is really a sweet thing. Friendship between girls is nice. Friendship between guys is too. Friendship between hot, nice guys. DAMN I'm already on the bandwagon. A good one is from Strobe Edge with Ren and Takumi.
   
3. Jealous Lovers - Jealously is the main instigator for guys to take action. Yup, just cos you're hot it doesn't mean she'll stick around. Faster than a Kiss has a lot of those jealous moments.
   
4. Tsunderes - Tsunderes are so typical but they are so sweet. I guess it's just my personal preference. Youko x Boku SS has a Tsundere female who throughout the story, tries to counter her mean tendencies.
   
   
5. Older Male x Younger Female - I feel like these types of relationships cos I like the male who seems dominant have a girl 6 years younger drag him along at her own pace. 7 Jikanme Rhapsody, also a teacher x student relationship.
   
6. Tall Guy x Short Girl - Maybe I like it cos I'm short myself but I like the idea of a guy being tall, like a protecter of the girl. Hilarity is ensured it the short girl is dominant in the relationship. Narabuna Kiken is a oneshot that puts a bit of emphasis on the height.
   
7. Arrogant Guys - Yeah I know they aren't really attactive. But the nice arrogant ones are hilarious to watch. Sir Tiger's Table has a pretty lol-worthy male lead who's dresses funny and is somehow rich as hell.

My Latest Fix: Nobody Knows

I'm renaming my recommended manga segment to my latest fix. I think it just sounds better. Basically it's just manga I'm enjoying recently but they haven't released enough for me to determine whether the overall story is good.


Name: Nobody Knows
Author & Artist: Lee Hyeon-sook
Status: Ongoing
Chapters: 14
Genres: Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural
Plot:
The “self bully” Ban has a normal enough life, and where divorced parents aren’t that uncommon, her life becomes shadowed in mystery when her mother, Eun-Joo, suddenly brings their “distant relative” Jin-Whan home to live with them. Ban’s mother would always avoid the topic of her family, so who is this strange boy? Are they really relatives? What torturous secrets does her mother’s past hold? And what do the sudden strange happens that follow in Jin-Whan’s wake mean? Would a better question not be who is he, but what?

Overview:
I think it's definitely worth a read and I really dislike manhwas (korean comics). They are generally overdone and melodramatic like k-dramas. I guess I just have a prejudice against them but I know I shouldn't generalize Although the good ones I've read tend to have a dark ambient to them, being a wuss in horror I find it weird how I like crime, thrillers and dark ambient things, I just find them intriguing.

Recommended Read: Cheese in the Trap

Name: Cheese in the Trap
Author & Artist: Soon Kki
Status:  Ongoing
Genres:  Comedy, Josei, Mystery, Romance, School Life, Slice Of Life, Webtoons
Plot:
Hong Sul is a ordinary college student. Yoo Jung is the school's most popular upperclass man. He's good looking, rich, smart, and even nice. However, Hong Sul thinks there's more to Yoo Jung than what meets the eye..
Comments:
I have to commend this author for this really good manhwa. It's not really romantic but involves a lot of psychological stuff which is really interesting. Yes, I know this is josei manhwa (korean comics) but it's really entertaining and makes you think. I generally don't read much manhwa probably because I haven't come across good ones but I'm pretty familiar with the culture. The characters are pretty three dimensional and the story doesn't have many cliches. Ohh and before you start reading here are some tips that might make it less confusing:

• Black borders= Past Events
• White Borders= Present Events
• It's a webcomic scroll down a lot
• Read it slowly, it's hard to get if you skim throught it
• Noona= How a guy addresses an older girl
• Unni= How a girl addresses an older girl
• Dongsaeng= Kohai
• Sunbae= Senpai
• Oppa= How a girl would addresses an older guy
• Hyung= How a guy would addresses an older guy
• Soju= An alcoholic drink commonly drunk in SK
• And remember to read from normally (left to right, I sometimes forget >.>)

Sorry I haven't been posting, gahhhh so many tests and assignments DX