About the Mangaka
Couldn’t find anything on YoungBin Kim or Hyun You sorry
About the Manga
Laon took me by surprise in a big way. I first saw it as a preview in an issue of Yen Plus and my initial thoughts were “naff”. However the volume really took me by surprise by it’s changes and developments, and I now find I wish this was in Yen Plus proper so I don’t have to wait for the next volume.
The cover design is definitely unique, and while I find it has grown on me some I wasn’t to keen on it originally. Partly I think because of the colouring used, it makes the art look worse than it really is.
The art of the volume is pretty inconsistent, ranging from crap to okay. What’s really weird is tends to change from page to page which makes it very annoying, not to mention unsatisfying to look at.
That said I did like the colour pages at the beginning, I thought they set up the volume with a great atmosphere which gets better as the volume goes on. Also those pages meant that the next few pages, which were sample pages, make a lot more sense.
For me though, while the art is a bit of an issue, it’s not as a big a one as it would have been. Mainly because the story and developments in the volume are amazing.
Laon is a really fun lead character and through out the volume I found I was growing more and more attached to her. The way she acts was funny, and the darkness she shows occasionally, compared with her cute and childish side, really makes for an excellent combo.
I do hope we get to see more of the first character we were introduced to as well, Yu-Jin was a really interesting and likeable character. My initial reaction was a throw away character, the usual spoiled brat with a chip on her shoulder, but as the story progressed I really warmed up to her. While she does have the usual elements, I liked how she was and was sad to see her and Laon part.
The new partners we get for Laon, so far at least, haven’t really grabbed me. Tae-Ha really doesn’t feel right for me, I think part of it is the way he’s been drawn. Everything about him screams criminal, and then when he kidnaps Laon and finds out she’s a girl, well, he looks all the more like a pedo.
The other characters all have their own issues as well. Gyu-Jin is probably the designed out of the lot, but his personality is so flat and weak you forget about him as soon as you leave the panel. Young-Shin wasn’t in long enough to leave any sort of impact, but he feels like the generic womaniser, and finally Sung-In, who is definitely the best drawn character in the entire volume. That’s pretty much all there is to say about her, since she wasn’t around for much.
As usual Yen Press did an excellent job with this release, a nice smooth translation with nothing feeling out of place. The choice of fonts for the editing was well done as well, I especially liked Laon’s angry fonts. We also get a load of translators notes at the end, which are needed since as always Yen opt to leave the localizations alone.
Overall I found I loved this volume, yes it has it flaws, and it’s characters aren’t the best. However Laon, so far, is able to carry the series on her own. Though I am hoping that the other characters grow over the next volume or two. Though, as it stands now, I have no qualms about adding it to my essential read list.
Where to Buy
but thats one of the reasons why i love this series, it’s weirdness and the potential it has. I really wish this was in Yen Plus it’s going to kill me waiting for the next volume to be released
January 29, 2010 @ 21:41.
Laon was previewed in Yen Plus? Seriously? I have no memory of it at all. All the more odd because lately I’ve been hearing more & more about Laon and becoming more & more interested in it. I was really close to picking it up last night. Based on your review, maybe I should have.