In-Wan YounKirja-arvosteluja

great characters great plot great art the best manhua ive read so far

Hello Fellow Readers!

So like everyone else I've heard of this being adapted to Netflix and before I dive into that I wanted to read the Graphic Novel. The premise of this sounds amazing, and it was...to a point. The first thing I would say is that it sort of starts and ends abruptly. I was looking to see if this was going to continue as a series or if this was a one-off but unfortunately, I can't find anything anywhere. If this was a series I would have rated it higher, because then I know I would be getting a conclusion to Yi Moon and Jae-ha's story.

I really liked Jae-ha and I really wish this was longer so I would be able to understand his character more, He definitely has the potential to be such a complex and great character, his banter with the other characters in the novel was one of the highlights. I also really like the way they created the undead in this, as well as showing the fact that in order to really stop this you had to heal the famine and resolve the war. This story had a amazing potential and if it was continued it could have become a favorite of mine.

The illustrations were also very good, I wished they would have been in color but it doesn't take away from the artwork that is just personal preference.

The bonus story was good, but a little too short for me to really give a rating on. It had a lot more violence and action than the first story, but I still found it interesting and would be willing to read more if it came out.

Overall, if this story had a conclusion or was a continuing series I would have rated it much higher, but as it stands I would need more

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased review*

Hello Fellow Readers!

So like everyone else I've heard of this being adapted to Netflix and before I dive into that I wanted to read the Graphic Novel. The premise of this sounds amazing, and it was...to a point. The first thing I would say is that it sort of starts and ends abruptly. I was looking to see if this was going to continue as a series or if this was a one-off but unfortunately, I can't find anything anywhere. If this was a series I would have rated it higher, because then I know I would be getting a conclusion to Yi Moon and Jae-ha's story.

I really liked Jae-ha and I really wish this was longer so I would be able to understand his character more, He definitely has the potential to be such a complex and great character, his banter with the other characters in the novel was one of the highlights. I also really like the way they created the undead in this, as well as showing the fact that in order to really stop this you had to heal the famine and resolve the war. This story had a amazing potential and if it was continued it could have become a favorite of mine.

The illustrations were also very good, I wished they would have been in color but it doesn't take away from the artwork that is just personal preference.

The bonus story was good, but a little too short for me to really give a rating on. It had a lot more violence and action than the first story, but I still found it interesting and would be willing to read more if it came out.

Overall, if this story had a conclusion or was a continuing series I would have rated it much higher, but as it stands I would need more

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased review*

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

The Kingdom of the Gods by In-Wan Youn is a book that I tried to write a review for about 3 times. I really struggled with what to say about this book. Because things happened but then not enough happened at the same time. This volume is only 4 chapters long, with the bonus story Burning Hell that is also 4 chapters long, so it just cracks the surface of the story by introducing the characters and the Living Dead Curse.

I thought this volume/book was a really good start and introduction to the story, characters and the world. But it also wasn’t the easiest to understand at times, the pacing felt a little off to me, possibly because some things got a little lost in translation from the original Korean to English making some of the dialogue and the flow of the story feel a little off.

I liked the characters, I especially like the dynamic between Doctor Su-Jeong, Jae-Ha and the Prince. I don’t remember his name or remember if his name is even mention honestly. It probably is but I just can’t remember it.

There was definitely some very creepy moments; abandoned villages, cannibalism, the zombies themselves. The art style definitely upped the creepiness factor to this story. I do think that it has some very good visual horror elements to it. But I didn’t feel much suspense while reading this story. Nor did I fear for the characters that much. By this I mean I wasn’t scared that they were going to die during this volume.

I enjoyed reading this book but I wasn’t 100% gripped by this story. For me, I found that it was just an easy, quick read that wasn’t that memorable. Definitely a good start with a decent amount of intrigue, and a different take on the whole zombie plague by setting this story in the Joseon period (1392–1897 Korea, the exact date isn’t stated when this is set) and calling it the Living Dead Curse. I liked that it wasn’t the typical way that such a virus spreads. Rather than it being air born and being bitten or scratched by a zombie this is spread in a pretty horrific way. I’m not going to say how exactly it’s spread because that would definitely spoil it.

Also, I liked that the zombies aren’t active the whole time. It’s only at night, when the sun is down, that the dead get up, walk or run (yeah these are fast zombies) and eat people. It’s not great for one of the characters that can’t see when the sun goes down. They can’t see at all and it’s hinted that has been caused by past trauma.

Overall, I found this book interesting. I liked the art style but sometimes thought that there was a little too much detail at times. More so during action scenes where there was just a lot visually to take it. I think that it’s a good start to a story but I don’t know if I found it enjoying or memorable enough for me to want to read the next one.

Bonus story: Burning Hell

Blurb: In ancient times, Japan and Korea would send its criminals to a penal colony called “Kyokudo”, situated in the channel between the two nations. There the cannibal Juu was sent for murdering over a thousand warriors while in Edo. Yet for an island meant for criminals, there was but one Korean medic, Han, exiled from Korea for killing and dissecting over a thousand people.

There is also a bonus story included in this volume, which I actually found more entertaining than The Kingdom of the Gods. I think this was probably because it had a slightly more lighthearted feel to it. There was humour there and it didn’t take itself too seriously.

It is a story about convicts that get sent to an island between Korea and Japan. They have no outside contact and are stuck there. Events lead to just two convicts, one from Korea and one from Japan, being the only living convicts on the island. And they want to kill each other.

I actually forgot that there was a bonus story included, so I was initially a little confused about why it was there.

I found the fights between Juu and Han to be pretty entertaining. And a little weird. Especially as they somehow seemed to communicate and talk to each other without either knowing the other’s language.

This isn’t a self-contained story, there’s a very open ending as if there should be more. From what I have managed to find about this story is that it was originally released in 2008 and hasn’t had any news or new releases since.

One thing is though is that if you get this volume of The Kingdom of the Gods you get a bonus story lifts the mood after you finish it.

A very good horror/action manga. A must read!

I liked it at first, then I didn't like it, and then I liked it again - it just took it a bit to grow on me once and for all.

March Story is fascinating, eye-catching, and intense, but it is definitely shelved in Adult Graphic Novels for a reason: there is some nudity. I did not continue on to the second volume because I just wasn’t drawn in by the story of a demon-hunting demon, but it seems like something older teens will like. Especially for fans of D. Gray Man, Dance in the Vampire Bund, etc.

Gorgeous artwork and a chilling storyline. March travels across 18th century Europe hunting demons known as Ills, but the hunter's story turns out to be more horrifying than any of the Ills' victims.

4.5/5 stars!

I'm a volume behind (I still have to read volume 3), but the great thing about "March Story" as a series is that for the most part, one can dive right in at any time in any volume and still manage to understand what's going on. This volume is mainly based off of the tale of Countess Bathory, and retells her story with a ball, the blood of virgins, and March, hunting her down. With absolutely gorgeous, over-the-top eye-popping art, this volume in the series just cannot be missed. Warning: there are spoilers for this volume involved, so you've been warned.

Along with this retelling of the gruesome tale of a real-life woman, we also get more on March's origins - how her family was murdered by the Ill (specifically, who did it), and how she gained her abilities as apart of the Ciste Vihad. This is a pivotal volume if you want to know more about March (and Lady Janjaghee, the retold version of Bathory) and how she came to be involved with the Ill-hunting organization. While in volume one we get a short briefing on her activities and abilities with fighting the Ill, we don't get the full story. Until now. There's a lot of lies and betrayal involved, and I have to say, that Kim really knows how to weave a story - especially involving a real life character. Excellent work here.

There's also the cause-effect relationship between Janjaghee and March here that we've never seen before - apparently, Janjaghee, after murdering March's family, didn't get off very lightly at all. Apparently even she has nightmares of March, just as March has nightmares of her. Janjaghee was supposedly murdered by March's Ill Thorns, but that's all moot, now that she's joined the Cirque du Rouge in order to keep feeding the Ill inside of her with virgins' blood. This volume is definitely not one for the squeamish - the scenes where Janjaghee takes her victims are pretty gruesome, but the art is breathtakingly gorgeous. Kim has truly done a beautiful job here.

We also have March's identity as a girl outed to Belma, who comes to save her at the last minute, and I can't say I enjoyed watching March, who's one of the strongest manga/manwha heroines I've had the pleasure of reading about, having to get saved. But I guess that happens sometimes, right? Nevertheless, all in all, I really enjoyed this volume, even with my nitpicks aside.

As I haven't read the original, I can't really comment on how faithful the translation is. However, some of the localization changes did make me cringe ("Dream on, Pee-Wee!" was one of them), and I kind of wish that they'd nixed that in the final edit (and since this is an ARC copy, hopefully they will before final publication).

Final verdict? If you've read the other volumes in this series, you simply must continue your journey with March, Jake, Belma, and the rest. If you're new, you can dive in here, and then backtrack if you have to. "March Story: Volume 4" will be out from Viz in North America on October 16, 2012, so be sure to check it out then! It's highly recommended, and one of my favorite series.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)

I decided to read this one one day on a whim whilst strolling through Barnes and Noble, since I’d been hearing hype online about it before it hit the shelves. The jacket image caught me – what can I say? I’m most definitely a sucker for gorgeous art – and what seemed to be an interesting story. It wasn’t just interesting. I wanted the second volume right away.

This series is being released in North America under Viz’s SigIkki line (as apart of their partnership with Japanese publisher Shueisha and their imprint of Ikki Comics), so it’s a little more pricey. But if it’s paying the translators, it’s money well paid. I haven’t yet read the original version of this, but I have read other titles under the SigIkki imprint along with their source material, and the translations have been top-shelf for most of the time.

As for the story and the art – both are well-paired, and March’s story as she makes her way through an alternate-history Europe, hunting these cursed objects haunted by these well-named demons, the Ill. The fact that March’s own story and experience with the Ill was inserted in the plot early on really helped me get comfortable with the story. This story itself isn’t unlike “D. Gray-Man” with the Innocents and the Exorcists, so if you’ve read both titles, you’ll see how getting the main character’s backstory early on really really helps when they’re hunting these beings down.

But as much as you compare both stories, “March Story” breaks the mold with their fearless attitude with having a female lead and showing her as female, not just as a featureless figure with convenient censorship. What always disappointed me with “Gray-Man” was the overwhelming male to female ratio with the characters and how little power the girls were given compared to Allen Gray and his associates. Having March and her scene in the bath as she recalls the curse put upon her by the Ill she consumed is a particularly powerful image – a curse like “Sleeping Beauty” but with the sexuality fleshed out both with the physical picture of March’s body and the words of the curse given by the Ill inside of her. It was incredibly refreshing to say the very least.

I can’t wait for volume two to come out in the states – I have no idea if this is the last in the series (since I can’t seem to find much information on it), and I sincerely hope it isn’t. “March Story” is an underappreciated series by two very talented authors, and I hope it gets some more of the love it most definitely deserves.

(crossposted to goodreads, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)