Odd alliances continue and Bi-Wal and Ryung have a quiet confrontation.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kara / Lee YunHee
Translation/Adaptation: Jamie S. Rich
What They Say
Queen Hong’s information about the union between heaven and hell has split the guardians into those who think Dong-Young should stay on Earth, and those who think she should return to heaven. To add to the the confusion, the princess herself must still determine what she should do, and whether or not her relatiopnship with Bi-Wal will survive.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Once the matter of Dong-Young’s identity had been settled, a new story arc took center stage, that of the relationship of the two brothers, Bi-Wal and Ryung, the king of Hell and his older brother. Since the revelation of their relationship a few volumes previously, much has been made of their loyalty to each other in the past and confirmed in the present, but belied by the confusing actions of Ryung and his demon cohort, Se-In. In this volume, Bi-Wal looks to confront his brother, who also wishes to meet and he allows himself to be found by Bi-Wal. Just as meaningful conversation is about to take place, the gravely wounded Se-In barges in and accuses Bi-Wal of not being worthy of being the king of hell, whereupon he disappears. This has the effect of silencing Ryung who will only speak with Bi-Wal about certain matters when Se-In is found.
However, Dong-Young is not to be counted out in this story. Though she has been dismissed by Bi-Wal, she still desires to help him, and in her search for Bi-Wal, she is the one to come upon an unconscious Se-In, whom she cloaks from detection by the many forces looking for him. Her attempts to heal him trigger dream sequences in Se-In that recount the occasion of the first meeting of Ryung and Se-In, scenes which go a long way in explaining the unusual bond between these two.
In closing, there is an indication that there is a conspiracy underway, and it’s not directed toward Bi-Wal.
Throughout the seven previous volumes, the motives and alliances of the many factions and characters in Angel Diary have not been easy to determine. In addition to shifting story line from missing prince/princess to a possible overthrow of the king of hell, the haphazard manner of releasing limited amounts of unrelated information has made resolving the puzzling relationships a chore rather than a challenge.
In Summary
While some artless juggling of plot threads hampered previous volumes, volume eight, in looking toward the conclusion of the series, is much more solid and comprehensible.
Content Grade: C
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 6th, 2009
MSRP: $10.99