Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kwang jim
Translation/Adaptation: Kakao Entertainment, Micah Kim
Lettering: Shirley Chen
What They Say
Saeroyi’s yearslong plan has finally come to fruition, and he is now the proud owner of a pub in Itaewon. The only problem? He barely gets any customers! Enter Yiseo Jo, social media star, sociopath, and all-around teenage genius. After the two run into each other—literally—on a serendipitous night, Saeroyi lands himself in the hospital…and forms a life-altering connection. Because when Yiseo returns to Honey Night, she brings not only business—but trouble too, and heaps of it! With an underage pub patron, a tip-off to the police, and a brawl involving one of his employees, will Saeroyi be able to handle the heat?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This volume takes a step back from the big picture of the first volume to focus on the small pieces that can make this manga great. The first volume suffered from having to create the big picture and also concentrate on the small pieces. This volume corrects those mistakes as it seeks to establish the past, present, and future all in one go. The first volume took a slow, painful walk so that this volume and future volumes can run at full speed.
The big picture is put just the right amount in this volume that it still lingers in your mind. You never know who your friend is. That is a lesson that this volume is setting up to make clear. Saeroyi is still chasing after his dream. But despite the lesson that he learned in the first volume, he still blindly puts his faith in others a bit too easily. The friend of yesterday can become tomorrow’s enemy with no fault of your own. It doesn’t make him a reliable character to follow along but it sure as heck makes him an interesting one. The journey through life and dreams is a complicated one and Itaewon Class is putting that on clear but painful display. Dreams are easy to have but going after them is a complex affair.
The co-stars are just as important as the leading character. They can make or break a series even more than the lead. The rest of the cast for this series is being developed wonderfully. Each of them is given wonderful traits that are spicing up the story. The first volume took quite a stumble when spending a significant amount of time on a character that seemed irrelevant at the time. I still feel that part was a mistake and could have been done in this volume. But that character, Yiseo, is on the road to playing a crucial role in this story. Her appearance in the volume elevates her status and puts her front and center. It feels earned as her history becomes clearer and easier to connect with Yiseo.
In Summary:
Itaewon Class is finding its footing and heading towards new heights. The second volume learned from what worked and what didn’t work from the first volume for a better experience. The blocks have been established for this series to be even better. Everything in this volume is more coherent as it flows smoothly from beginning to end. It is easier to understand how some of these characters are going to play a significant part in Saeroyi’s life and this story.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Ize Press
Release Date: July 23, 2024
MSRP: $20.00 US/ $26.00 CAN
