Mi Young Noh

This review was originally written for the website ListerX.com, which is now defunct. It can also be found on my blog, The Graphic Librarian.

Cover
Once again, bright vivid colors practically dance across V.02's cover. To some artists, using almost every hue in the rainbow would be considered a death wish, yet there's something oddly pleasing about Noh's illustration. The poses are excellently rendered and somehow manage to look both relaxed and tensed for action all at the same time. The cover also seems to confirm that Atan Hadas, the nameless girl from the end of V.01, will begin to play a much ore important role from now on. The title font and back cover have remained the same. The only significant change is that the red background design has turned forest green, most likely to keep the red from overpowering the already warm-hued image.

Artwork
To be honest, my opinion of the artwork hasn't changed too much from the last volume. The hair still bothers me and the speed lines still do little more than get in the way; however, the body proportions are still fabulous. There's only one new annoyance, although it may just be my copy, several pages look as if they didn't run through the printer properly and appear extremely washed out. On the plus side, there are several well-rendered fight scenes and the chapter breaks have some amazing full-page illustrations. Another thing that I really have to admire are the costumes. While I don't claim to be even vaguely familiar with 13th century Korean fashion, Noh does a very nice job of creating a multitude of costumes which, although different, all work well with each other.

Plot
**Possible Spoilers Warning**
This volume opens almost exactly where V.01 left off, with Atan Hadas dressed up as a boy so she may compete in an archery contest which will give the winner a high standing in the Mongol army. However, it's hard to believe she's fooling anyone; the girl is well-endowed to begin with and even dressed as a boy her chest seems more than obvious. Anyway, as expected, she competes, wins and is quickly discovered. Nevertheless, since the prize has already been promised, she earns the title of Chiliarch, which gives her command of 1000 soldiers. Unfortunately, there's a stipulation due to her sex - she must take a husband. So, right then and there her hand is given to Sali Tayi, the young and handsome Mongol general who's been charged with conquering Koryo. Interestingly, he's no happier with the arrangement than she is and the reason isn't entirely clear. Nevertheless, Atan is given the task of sneaking some of her troops into Koryo under the guise of merchants. While they are allowed entry, a close watch is put on them. We also learn that although Atan wishes to be acknowledged as a warrior, she does not believe in unnecessary killing.

Briefly, we also see that Moon Bin is quickly becoming more attached to the people in Sa Kyung's household, especially his counterpart's mother. All of this seems to stem from the fact that Moon Bin has never had anyone to care about him the way these people do about Sa Kyung. Despite this, the displaced young man is still seeking answers, so when a cryptic old monk appears who seems like he might have some, Moon Bin follows blindly behind and winds up running headlong into none other that Atan Hadas. . . who's in the middle of bathing! Their meeting is brief, but according to the monk, Fate has had a hand in it.

Meanwhile, Sa Kyung's father is alerted to Atan's ruse when some expertly slain bandits are discovered buried in the woods. He immediately sends a troop to hunt them down with orders to kill only if necessary. Atan Hadas and her men are, or course, found and the slaughter begins. However, Fate once again intervenes and Moon Bin arrives on the scene just in time to save Atan from a very gruesome demise, though not before she receives a compromising chest wound which Moon Bin has to help her bandage. She swears to repay him one day and then leaves to return less than gloriously to her husband's camp. Sali Tayi intends to use here failure as an excuse to leave his new wife behind, but Atan is still one step ahead of him, and she's found the perfect way to make things go her way.

Content Warnings
Language = Yes.

Violence = Yes - All of the fight scenes have some blood, but any major graphicness is only hinted at, never shown.

Nudity = Lots of suggested nudity, but most of it is covered in some way. Also, there is a profile of Atan's nipple during the bathing scene, if that sort of thing bothers you.

Sexual Situations = One 'almost' situation, but it doesn't pan out, so to speak.

Ratings
Cover - 7/10 - It shows skill and competence, but is not one of my favorite covers for this series.

Artwork - 7/10 - Not much new here from V.01 - same basic pros & cons as before. The artwork is nicely done, but there are ways it could be improved.

Plot - 7/10 - The scene is still being set, but this story shows a lot of promise and with 11 volumes total, I'm hoping I won't be disappointed.

Overall - 7/10 - So far I'm really enjoying this series. The characters are interesting, the story is entertaining, and I'm definitely interested enough to want to read V.03 when it comes out.… (plus d'informations)

This review was originally written for the website ListerX.com, which is now defunct. It can also be found on my blog, The Graphic Librarian.

Cover
While Tokyopop has probably had better covers (the kind that evokes a "WOW" response) there's nothing truly wrong with this first volume's layout. The color scheme is vibrant and Moon Bin's pose cuts smoothly across the page. The rough, blood-hued design in the background behind him does well to evoke the ancient, yet turbulent times in which most of the manhwa is set. I also found the title font to be especially fascinating, as it takes two different sized word strands and intertwines them, much like Moon Bin's life intertwines with his counter part, Sa Kyung's. The back cover's design imitates that of the front and contains a single side image of an intricate sword unsheathed in front of its scabbard.

Artwork
The body proportions are very well done in this volume and the artist seems to like showing off that fact, not that I'm complaining. Noh is definitely not a stranger to the workings of human anatomy. The backgrounds are also nicely rendered, enhancing rather than detracting from the overall look of the manhwa, which can be difficult when switching back and forth between two different time periods. My only real complaints about the artistry are almost completely objective. First is the characters' hair, which is stylistically more typical of Korean art than Japanese. It looks like the artist went out of her way to try and draw each individual strand, which is not at all what I'm used to. While it works most of the time, there are occasions where the strands seem to take on a life of their own, giving their owners an odd appearance similar to that of Medusa. The other thing that quickly began to bother me was the apparent overuse of speed lines during many of the action sequences. They seemed to be everywhere, often taking the place of real backgrounds. Some may enjoy this technique, but I found it to be a bit distracting. Otherwise, all of the action is nicely rendered and flows smoothly from panel to panel. The artist obviously knows her stuff and it shows in nearly every aspect of her work.

Plot
**Possible Spoilers Warning**
Well, one thing's for sure, this manhwa certainly isn't slow getting started. The story opens almost in the middle of things and although your left wondering, "What exactly is going on here?" things quickly shift to the story's real beginning and a young man named Moon Bin. He's been having nightmares about the ancient country of Koryo (aka 13th century Korea) and a beautiful woman who wanders there. The nightmares seem to be getting worse and other strange things begin to happen as well, such as sightings of strange people and visions of long forgotten battles.

Everything coalesces one day during swim class, when Moon Bin is pulled under the water by the woman from his dreams, which causes him to lose consciousness. When he awakens he finds himself in his dream world and this time there doesn't appear to be any way to return home. Moon Bin has mysteriously slipped into the life of Sa Kyung, the son of a very prominent Koryo general. As he explores his new world, it disturbs him to find that he continuously come across familiar faces from his other life, where, unbeknownst to Moon Bin, his own body now lies in a coma. Overall, he seems to be taking his situation rather well with the most difficult adjustment being the fact that his parents actually care about him in this new world, something the teenager has absolutely no experience in dealing with.

Things step up a notch when Moon Bin discovers that Sa Kyung's sister, who has been trapped in a deep coma for many years, is the same mysterious woman who pulled him into Koryo. Shortly after this discovery, his father is summoned to the palace because war is about to break out with the Mongols. He places Moon Bin in charge of protecting their family and gives his son a sword which has been passed down for generations. I suppose it's not really surprising to find that Moon Bin is quickly starting to feel attached to this new world and its inhabitants.

The focus suddenly jumps to what I can only assume will be the female lead in the series, who remains nameless in V.01. She's furious because she wants to fight in a contest that only the Puruneree (aka Mongol Lords) can enter. Although her blood is just as pure, she is being denied the privilege because she is a woman. Dressed as a boy, she decides to risk discovery and her father's dishonor to enter the competition. However, she may get far more than what she bargained for.

Content Warnings
Language = Yes.

Violence = Yes - a bloody fight scene or two, but nothing too graphic.

Nudity = Well, there is one small scene, but nothing's really shown, it's only suggested.

Sexual Situations = Not really.

Ratings
Cover - 8/10 - I've seen better. . . But I've seen MUCH worse, too. Bright, vivid colors may appeal to some, but not others.

Artwork - 7/10 - The distinctly manhwa flavor or the art may not appeal to some, but overall it's nicely rendered.

Plot - 8/10 - Things happen so fast in this volume and you're left with lots of questions - all of which will hopefully be revealed before the series' end.

Overall - 8/10 - The manhwa is a very nice introduction to what looks to be a fun & action-packed series. I'm looking forward to reading future volumes.… (plus d'informations)