This review copy was kindly provided by Yen Press

About the Mangaka

Sadly I couldn’t find anything out about Lee YoungHee. If you have any info please drop me a line through the Contact Me page.

About the Manga

I wasn’t expecting much from this, but it totally blew me away!!

The art is a typical Korean, so much so I’m starting to grow immune to it I think. To be honest though I’m starting to get the impression that Korean artists all studied at the same school, and as a result all draw the same way. All the Korean stuff I’ve read lately seem to be drawn the same way, with only minor differences.

Lee however writes and excellent story, and by the end of the first volume I was hooked onto this series.

Like Very Very Sweet this was originally licensed by IceK, but never released, so Yen start off at volume one.

I like the characters that Lee has created. Nan-Wo is vibrant, full of life, the generic tom boy, though there’s something about her that makes her stand out from the generic cast.

Sadly those around her are all generic, her family seem to be the generic brain dead mother and sister. Though I think Jay is interesting in a way.

Seung-Ha is amazing however, the way Lee incorporates the two distinct personalities and manages them has me both loving and hating him. By day he’s the perfect class president, but out of school he’s a thug.

I love how he manipulates people and does it so easily. While I love the character, I hate him as well hehe.

Now, the confusing part. The cover of the volume lists YoungHee Lee as the mangaka, however according to the afterward at the back of the book it’s revealed that Lee was actually just the assistant on the series, and the real mangaka is called 202. I’ve shot Yen an email asking for clarification on this, once I hear back I’ll post a reply.

Yen came through with this release, once again leaving the colour pages intact. As with all of Yen’s releases it has some guttering problems, though not as bad as some of their earlier releases.

There was no discernable problems with translation, editing or formatting, and after Very Very Sweet, I went through it with a fine tooth comb. Though admittedly I can speak Korean as well as I can Japanese (in other words none hehe), the translation flows well and makes sense.

As with all of Yen’s Korean releases this one is oversized, is this a American thing for Korean titles, or is this the actual size they are in Korea? I’d be interested in knowing!!

At the moment, this title is on my Essential Read list. The way 202 (or Lee) handles the story makes it well worth picking up and following. I’m looking forward to volume two!!

Where to Buy

As usual, you can get this release from the Book Depository, Waterstones, or the Little Brown Store. Please note that Waterstones have the wrong price listed for this title. They have it listed as £7.50, when in fact it is £5.99