When one is in love it can feel like there is magic in the air- though in the case of 13th Boy that may literally be the case.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: SangEun Lee
Translation/Adaptation: Natalie Baan
What They Say
Hee-So’s gone through 12 boyfriends tying to find “the one.” She thought Won-Jun was finally the boy she’d been waiting for, so she confessed her feelings on live TV! But even after all that, she still got dumped! Is this the end of the line for Hee-So? Or will 13 be the lucky number in this schoolgirl’s quest for love?
Technical:
For the release of 13th Boy, Yen Press uses the larger than manga size typical book template that they have used for a number of their releases, including a good deal of their 4-koma ones among other Korean Manhwa releases. The down side to this is the trade off of bigger pages generally means a chapter or so less material per release compared to other titles but other side of the coin is that the artwork has some expanded role to show off so that some of the lines or dialogue don’t get shrunken down to a fine print like status.
In the case of this series I like the extra space as SangEun Lee’s art work reminds me a lot of some of the shojo manga I love with its ability to have flowing character lines with really impressively detailed characters while interspersing far less detailed ones used for comic effect or to set the mood when the story calls for them. In keeping with this type of style the background artwork can swing between also being detailed to absent but this was pretty much a staple of the genera at one point in time and it clearly has influenced the author in some pretty impressive ways.
The pages themselves use a decent though not spectacular paper that is a kind of almost dirty white not uncommon in the world of print releases. Unfortunately the paper here isn’t particularly adept at blocking bleed through and spots where there are large black backgrounds can be seen on the other side of the page, especially when the other side uses a mostly white background there. It isn’t a major downside as it is a common issue in many mass market releases but it is worth noting. On the other hand the binding itself comes off as solid and tight and Yen went all out on the cover as they present a full color wrap-around image that has the three main cast members in summer clothing at a beach (well, as summer wear as the cut off tee pirate shirt and hat one character wears can count as anyway) along with a mysterious cactus that plays a role in the series and it also includes four color pages at the start of the book.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The book starts off on kind of a down note as Hee-So has just found herself dumped by Won-Jun, the boy she had found herself enamored with. She is so crushed by this that she collapsed on the step on the busy street right near where it happened and has been (not so quietly) crying for over an hour, much to the chagrin of the venders nearby and passersby on the street. She is so lost in her own emotions that she totally missed when a raven haired boy leaves some carp shaped bread right near her, though eventually the smell breaks her out of her revere.
As she quietly munches on the treat (while staying blissfully oblivious that the boy who left the treat is watching over her from nearby) she makes the decision that she refuses to let things end this way and she has decided Won-Jun is her fate and she will fight for him. To this end she recalls how it was they came to be a couple in the first place as she had set her eyes upon him and even managed to get her confession aired on a popular Korean TV show due to sending in so many letters. Despite Won-Jun seeming like a stereotypical “not interested” character he agreed to go out with her- until now anyway. Granted some of the reason that Hee-So won’t accept the break up may be related to the fact that Won-Jun didn’t give her a reason, but regardless she will launch her plan to get him back- a plan which probably counts as stalking in much of the world and will have her performing actions that are definitely criminal though she commits them more because she is misguided than malicious.
It turns out meanwhile that the boy who left the treats is named Whie-Young Jang and is someone who Hee-So believes she cannot stand and she recognizes that Whie-Young is Won-Jun’s only friend at school but the feelings aren’t exactly mutual between Whie-Young and her. On a number of occasions Whie-Young helps bail out Hee-So (though she of course completely fails to notice) and he even tries to confront his “friend” in private about Hee-So but the tension in the air gives sign that not is all as Hee-So imagines it to be between the two.
While this set up falls under the banner of somewhat typical the book also adds its own twist- there is something between Whie-Young and Won-Jun that is far outside the realm of normal and hints are given it has something to do with the fact that Whie-Young has a certain level of magic ability that allows him to disappear and unlock doors at least when he wants to. But that isn’t the only surprise as Hee-So has a cactus named Beatrice that she talks to- and who talks back to her, though Hee-So can exhibit more than a small amount of cruelty to Beatrice when Beatrice’s words strike too close to home. While there are clearly secrets galore swimming around, will Hee-So find she can control destiny and make Won-Jun hers or might destiny have other plans in store?
The genera of Japanese comics that gets labeled as shojo is one that I tend to have an affinity for. Now this isn’t an across the board thing as some titles are superior to others and some titles just do nothing for me but I am always prepared to give a series at least a chance if it catches my eye. Much to my surprise it turns out that the Korean author SangEun seems to have been inspired by some of the same aspects I love in many shojo titles as I found a striking resemblance and resonance in her work which even some of the Japanese authors I have sampled haven’t quite managed to give me.
Thing is, not everything here is going to probably resonate the same with everyone as some of the themes have been done quite a bit over the years given the cool, almost dispassionate boyfriend and the overly energetic and easily leaping to conclusions would be girlfriend who misses some of the more obvious things going on around her. The magic angle isn’t exactly new either but it, along with a few panels that have some leading looks and dialogue, set up the possibility that this tale will be able to introduce some elements of its own to spice up a tale that gives some basic, and at times somewhat cliché, set up but has just enough mystery worked in to leave the reader pondering where things are going to go in the future.
In Summary
It is kind of hard to get a feel for where the story is going from this first volume as some rather cliché moments are interspersed with some fantastical and unique moments. While on the surface it appears the story could be somewhat generic in its unfolding there is also a potential that it could become a rather unique one as well from some of the hints that are present. As such it is hard to judge the volume because it presents so many ideas but for now I am more than willing to continue with the series as its art style and pacing are ones that really appeal to me and the idea that there might be some surprises down the road- as well as present in some parts here- definitely make me curious to see how things unfold in this odd appearing love story.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 30th, 2009
MSRP: $10.99
