Aaa! It’s a swarm of Bs! Michelle reports on the sixth and final volume of Hissing (Yen Press) as well as the fifth volume of Monkey High! (Viz), a Shojo Beat romance about an unlikely couple; Melinda reviews volume four of the adventurous Legend (Yen Press); Phil enjoys volume two of the amusing OEL offering, The World of Quest (Yen Press); and Chloe praises the growth of manhwa romance You’re So Cool (Yen Press) in its third volume.
By Kang EunYoung
Yen Press, 176 pp.
Rating: Teen
Ten years ago, when Sun-Nam’s father and Da-Eh’s mother had an affair, the result was Da-Hwa, their half brother. In high school, Sun-Nam and Da-Eh began dating without being aware of their family connection, but in volume five all of that came out into the open. Da-Eh reacted badly, saying some nasty things to Da-Hwa that she immediately regretted. When he was hit by a car and hospitalized, his family rallied to his side.
Volume six picks up with Da-Hwa’s awakening in the hospital. Da-Eh makes good on her vow to treat him more kindly and fusses over him in a major way. It’s very sweet to see all of his siblings get together and lavish attention on him, though he is still so eager to please that he tells them he feels fine even when he’s in pain. The scenes of all of them together are happy indeed but so fraught with tension that I had to flip ahead to see what was going to happen.
As far as final volumes go, this is a very satisfying one. There’s a good balance between humorous and more emotional moments. Every subplot is resolved, but not in a way that feels too tidy. The only complaint I could make is that Sun-Nam’s irritating brothers made it all the way through the series without contributing much of anything to the story.
I started off disliking Hissing, but by the end I kind of loved it. That’s pretty amazing.
Volume six Hissing is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Kara & Woo SooJung
Yen Press, 176 pp.
Rating: Teen
Modern-day student Eun-Gyo Sung is saved from a fall on the subway tracks by the mysterious and attractive No-Ah, who tells her that his sister has been kidnapped. She agrees to help him find her, and is soon swept into the past on a quest to recover the seven fragments of the legendary Seven Blade Sword.
In volume four, Eun-Gyo, No-Ah, and their recently acquired companion, Ho-Dong, encounter a mansion in the wilderness. They are invited to stay the night by its beautiful mistress, who turns out to be an enemy sent to kill No-Ah or otherwise separate him from Eun-Gyo. Fortunately, No-Ah is able to see through the girl’s nefarious plot, and though he is badly injured, he manages to survive thanks to a surprise rescue by a cryptic young man whose true identity is not revealed until the end of the volume.
Though Legend shows promise, its success at this point is still somewhat shaky. The characters are all interesting and fun to read, the art is extremely cute, and there are enough twists and mysteries in play to keep the story at least moderately compelling. Unfortunately, the obliviousness of the story’s heroine is extremely difficult to swallow, and this damages both her believability and the credibility of the tale overall. Eun-Gyo is repeatedly addressed as “mistress” and “princess” by the various characters that turn up in the story, and is quite obviously vital to the recovery of the Seven Blade Sword, but even after four volumes she seems to have not caught on. The story’s pacing is weak as well, and though by the end of the volume things seem to finally be picking up, it may be too little, too late for some readers.
That said, there is enough here to compel most readers into the next installment, which will hopefully move Eun-Gyo’s character forward along with the story as a whole.
Volume four of Legend is available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
By Shouko Akira
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: Teen
When reserved, intelligent Haruna transferred into a new high school, she never expected to fall for the most chipper and scrawny guy in her class. That’s exactly what happened, though, and she and Macharu have now been dating for a year.
In this volume, some difficulties arise in the lead characters’ relationship. It’s not as if they fight in dramatic fashion, but because they see the world differently, they sometimes have trouble understanding each other. Macharu is very open and optimistic while Haruna is neither of those things (she doesn’t even have any internal monologues). She seeks to protect herself and in, so doing, occasionally gives Macharu the impression that she doesn’t care about things that are important to him. Add in the complication that Macharu’s best friend, Atsu, actually sees and understands this side of Haruna better than Macharu does, and you’ve got an interesting romantic triangle forming.
On the negative side, in five volumes of the series, nearly every chapter has centered on the kind of event that veteran manga readers will have seen dozens of times before: a date to an amusement park, a trip to the beach, a summer festival, major holidays, et cetera. It grows quite tiresome. Too, while the art in general is good, some pages are so slathered with screen tone that they are positively grey.
Still, even though I can already predict that the next volume will prominently feature Valentine’s Day in some capacity, I’m looking forward to seeing how the drama plays out.
Volume five of Monkey High! is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Jason T. Kruse
Yen Press, 143 pp.
Rating: All Ages
Stick two polar opposites on an adventure together, and it’s a pretty safe bet they’ll be friends by the end. But sometimes it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters, and in The World of Quest that journey is pretty entertaining.
Quest is a warrior with a fierce reputation and a protection spell that can ward off nearly any attack. However, a second spell renders him obedient to Prince Nestor, scion of a recently conquered kingdom. Now Quest must begrudgingly protect the prince, and in volume two, does most of the heavy lifting in the death-defying escape and monster-slaying department. But Nestor does prove useful for something, showing puzzle-solving skills at a critical point.
As an action-adventure story, The World of Quest doesn’t offer anything new, but its pluses are a breakneck pace, lots of sight gags and funny dialogue. Be forewarned: if you prefer your hero’s quest played with maximum earnestness, you may not like this series, which is unrepentantly droll. Put it this way, at one point there’s a sign posted for those about to enter the haunted Forest of Edj, which reads, “Remember: Limbs are a Privilege.” If you just rolled your eyes in a bad way, maybe this isn’t for you.
There’s also a chance The World of Quest won’t be your cup of tea if you’re expecting Barry Windsor-Smith artwork. Jason T. Kruse employs a relatively simple-looking art style, but he has a gift for character designs, even if they’re so imaginative and colorful they occasionally transcend their setting for the realm of video games. Still, thanks to an enormous jaw that’s roughly half the size of his body, there’s no confusing Quest with anybody else, and the same could be said of this fun series.
Volume two of The World of Quest is available now.
–Reviewed by Phil Guie
By YoungHee Lee
Yen Press, 208 pp.
Rating: 13+
Despite a disappointingly middling second volume, You’re So Cool’s third installment proves an amusing and eminently likeable contribution to this quirky little series. The ever unflappable protagonist Nan-woo gets plenty of face time opposite the dark and brooding Seung-Ha, with common filler tropes (read: birthdays, sports festivals) used as a cover for relationship development between the leading pair. Finishing out the volume is the obligatory meet-the-family bit, a moment of levity seemingly poised to act as prelude for a darker exploration of Seung-Ha. It’s nothing new, but the combination of a more tolerable dynamic between the two and overall quality increases across the board make this volume a sort of haute cuisine rendering of the same old shojo comfort food.
Lee’s art even seems to have improved accordingly, with a noticeably better grasp of figure placement and expression coupled with occasional moments of detailed delicacy, especially on splash pages and full-page opening or closing art. The humor-oriented paneling here is razor sharp, and the primary contributor to several genuinely funny moments peppering the volume. Lee’s side plot is also noticeably thoughtful and well developed, as it seeks to examine one character’s complicated realization that he may have feelings for Nan-woo’s brother. It’s enough to elevate the standing of the series significantly, and if the quality continues to grow in the same manner, You’re So Cool could become one of the more enjoyable shojo series currently available.
Volume three of You’re So Cool is available now.
–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson
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