I just read the first 2 volumes of this Korean manga (technically it's a "
Manhwa" if I'm not mistaken) by Kim Jea Eun. And, I gotta say, I'm hooked! I'm used to alot of sci-fi fantasy comics, but it's very refreshing to read something so down-to-earth and true-to-life. It's kinda like a Paula Danzinger novel but much edgier and not as sweet.
I also like how the hip-hop elements are kept in the background and not made into the main theme of the series, like ALOT of crap these days. It works well as atmosphere, given the VERY urban setting (Like Ice-Cube's hilarious "Friday" movies), but thankfully doesn't take over the story.
In much the same way I like how while racial background (Kai is half-white half-Korean, his buddy Spike is half-black half-Korean, etc.) IS a theme of the story, it again doesn't take over the story. This isn't a comic about racism, though it DOES appear in the story (Kai takes racist crap from his own Korean realitives), they don't beat you to death with it.
Also, if you live in a small town (as I do actually), don't worry about not relating to the characters. These characters are set up so that most people can realate to them regardless of setting. Besides, as someone who lives in a small town and works in the ghetto, I can tell you they're not really all that different.
The only thing I don't really like is the main character Kangil "Kai" Lee. He's suppossed to be a "Bad boy" with a soft-side, but he's more like a total asshole who occasionally does something nice out of boredom. But judging by the way things are at the end of Vol. 2. I suspect the author is planning to have him "learn his lesson" over the course of the series.
So, has anybody else been enjoying Kim Jea Eun's masterpiece so far?
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