I have completed this manga in a personal record amount of time, since i picked it up. In fact, i have finally registered on this site (which i have been using for years!) just because i really wanted to input some feedback and my strong lasting impressions of this very accomplished and fabulous manga.
Honestly, this is definitely one of the most memorable and best manga that i have ever read, despite being 17 volumes long, but you will really never see it coming, until it's already over. Don't agree? Read on... It is very fast-paced and there is really no pages or space lost, as every single page delivers new actions or emotions. It is an absolute pleasure to read. Don't get me wrong, it is NOT rushing through the story, but it certainly does not allow any slackening in the reader's interest. Shin Angyo Onshi has that single ingredient that so many other mangas have tried so hard to accomplish -- make the reader care for the characters. And this is beautifully accomplished in this story.
As the story unfolds, you quickly get pulled into this fascinating world and start to care about the characters, as you learn that neither of them have had an easy life before we finally meet them at some point where the manga's story starts. Don't worry, the author covers the past of each of these characters rather cleverly, whenever a particular character takes center stage in the story. So, this does not keep the actual story on hold, while going over the past of the main characters. There is an enthusiastic feeling of adventure and discovery as you follow the protagonists when they move on throughout their journey, meeting up with varied mysteries and it keeps getting even more gripping as the truth and solution is revealed. The authors could have really pulled this one for many more volumes, had they wanted to. There is always the possibility of having more side stories, but the story in this manga has been adequately sized to keep the main story going without losing focus on the ultimate final conclusion of the story. This demonstrates the great care and attention that have gone into the script, and the authors being Korean, makes that they have had to overcome bigger challenges than Japanese authors normally do, as they interestingly explain and justify the choices and logic in the story at the end of each volume.
As you might also notice, some of the scenes and creatures in the big battles, have struck me as having a rather close resemblance to the Lord of the Rings, especially the last sequel; The return of the King. However, that's about the limit of where you can compare this manga to any Hollywood movie ever made. In the final battle encompassing the last 2 volumes, the creatures and the story's setup, are very cleverly stringed together to give a vivid image of the battlefield. You can never really guess the outcome of each battle, as everything is spanned on the pages to give a real-time sort of impression, as the different main characters deal with their part of the battle.
I very highly recommend you read this. It is something that you will read and will not put down until you have ravaged every page of the manga, including its side stories, which have been all been completely translated into English (Huge Thanks to all the translators!).
The authors of this manga, particularly impress me, as it is obvious and clear that they have really been pouring all their time and efforts into this work. The story is one of the very best i have read, as it always manages to keep that last element of surprise, so you really never know what's going to happen next. New twists happening when you least expect it, and i was especially fond of Munsu's Sando, and his entertaining Bang Ja. The characters will mark you for a long time after you have read this manga. Sando especially. She adds a heart-wrenching/warming side to the story and you really get pulled into the whole Shin Angyo Onshi world. The planning of the story (which also combines various episodes of the main protagonist, as he and his followers explore the world) is extremely well written and illustrated in an equally clever way. My only little regret, is that in some scenes, Sando could have been drawn better, with more realistic curves, but maybe that's just me caring a bit too much 🙂
I rate this a perfect score.
The ending is great and unexpected as well, as is everything in this surprisingly good Korean manga.
I might re-read this, after i read the other works from the same authors. Just to take all my time this time and appreciate every little detail in the drawings leisurely, as the first read will probably make you turn the pages like crazy! 🙂
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