The Great Merchant Kim Manduk

Description

The Great Merchant Kim Manduk portrays the story of a poor young girl who, despite the misfortunes she had to face in life, made it to become the best merchant in Joseon. We will see her undergoing many troubles and hardships, as well as finding true love when she least expects it.

Original Webcomic

Type

Manhwa

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

Geosang Kim Man Deok

Geosang Kim Man-Deok

Guhsang Kim Man Duk

The Great Merchant

Wealthy Merchant Kim Man Deok

거상 김만덕

Groups Scanlating

Easy Going Scans

Latest Release(s)

c.25-28 (end) by Easy Going Scans 13 years ago

c.24 by Easy Going Scans 13 years ago

c.23 by Easy Going Scans 13 years ago

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Status in Country of Origin

28 Chapters (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

N/A

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

0 topics, 0 posts

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User Rating

Average: 7.9 / 10.0 (135 votes)

Bayesian Average: 7.61 / 10.0

15%

19%

33%

16%

10%

Last Updated

November 2nd, 2024 4:44am PDT - 6 months ago

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Genre

Drama Historical Josei Romance Tragedy
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Categories

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Recommendations

Akagami no Shirayukihime

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Naver

Serialized In (magazine)

Naver Webtoon (Naver)

Licensed (in English)

English Publisher

N/A

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #757

(-24)

Monthly Pos #1706

(-152)

3 Month Pos #2240

(-1070)

6 Month Pos #5301

(+212)

Year Pos #7071

(-164)

List Stats

On 314 reading lists

On 351 wish lists

On 291 completed lists

On 30 unfinished lists

On 218 custom lists

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User Comments [ Order by time added ]

Recommended

by PrincessVera
15 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

Now, having finished this, I can give it a just review:

The plot is based on the true story of a heroic female merchant who had been a prostitute in the past... this is Kim Manduk, the main character. The story has a bit of adventure, a dramatic romance, and antagonists. But it is really, as the last chapter says, about Manduk becoming a 'person', that is, becoming a fully formed human being through her trials and suffering (as well as her joys). As the tags say, it is a tragic story; fans of tragic, dramatic Korean romances will like this.

The story is well-done, dramatic, and not too hard to follow (as long as you're paying attention). Several moments could have been fleshed out in another chapter or two - the people who were the antagonists were just simply not well-developed, and the political plot that leads to an important death near the end is really confusing if you don't remember everyone's family names.

I suggest reading this all within a few sittings or a few days. Why? Because it's a great story, but it is SO easy to get confused. If you don't keep track of faces and family relations, and you forget important details (such as the fact that women cannot leave Jeju Island), then you will end up scratching your head multiple times.

As before, the artwork is clear and concise, and the colors are fittingly mild, sort of like a soft pastel. The characters are distinct and expressive, although as a whole things are not incredibly detailed.

The translation is very clean, and since this comes from a webcomic, the images are also very clean--all in all, a pleasant reading experience.

I do recommend this series... and I do wish it had been longer. But it's a good and fairly short read, so go ahead and check it out!

... Last updated 12 years ago

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Good story average execution...

by panos
14 years ago

Rating: 6.5 / 10.0

I don't know.When i started reading this one i thought that it would be more close to seinen/josei genre and since the plot seemed a bit out of the ordinary and i was searching A LOT of time for a story like this,i said what the heck,let's read this one.But Until chapter 8 unfortunately it's kinda more of a shoujo.Not to also mention that it's also bloody confusing at times.For the moment i am not that impressed.Sth bothers me with the execution,probably the character development(Minuscule at least for the moment, i still don't understand when the protagonist managed to fall in love with that guy in the first place.Their initial meeting wasn't almost presented at all!) and the pacing(too fast).Not to forget to mention the diabolical coincidences...

This series had potential for sth really really great,but the way that it is going due to the author's storytelling i don't think it can reach that level.At least,I hope it will get better on latter chapters.If anyone knows anything similar to this or to "Memoirs of a Geisha" pm me.

... Last updated 14 years ago

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Read it when...

by milkgreentea
11 years ago

Rating: 8.3 / 10.0

You want to read something different. The story reminds me of other K-dramas set in a Korean historical time period. But this story is a lot simpler since it's so short. The art is soothing to look at, and the plot is alright. I like how it's based on a real person, but only vaguely.

But one thing that puzzles me:

Why did the granny take little Manduk back to Jeju island even though she knew the women from that island can not leave without permission from the king? If they hadn't gone to Jeju and had to stay there because they can't leave, then the ending won't be so tragic!

This might have been done so that the story would follow the life of the real Manduk more closely, but that really annoys me because the granny is probably a fictitious character and the author should have come up with a better reason to go back to that island.

Other than that, it's a slightly above average story. Probably won't reread this in the future though.

... Last updated 11 years ago

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Beautiful

by SoaRin
13 years ago

Rating: 9.8 / 10.0

A worthwile read. I love the subtleness of the story-telling, realism and the character interpretations, which all formed a well-balanced and thought-evoking story. This was very humane and gentle with a touch of something classical. I admire the author for not making this cheesy and being able to tell the story with colours and expressions just as well as with words and the plot. Of course, this is nothing like a grand, majestic work for the masses. On the contrary, The Great Merchant Kim Manduk feels very personal. It is certainly not for everyone but those who seek something light and romantic but at the same type realistic and not overdone will simply love it.

... Last updated 13 years ago

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Very enjoyable!

by energizerbunny
15 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

I agree with PrincessVera's comment. This is really progressing quite nicely so far and I'm looking very forward to continuing this. The art, as stated before, is lovely, and the author incorporates all the characters with their POVs and the situations well.
The story reminds me of the Korean drama which aired a while back called "Dae Jang Geum." If you've ever watched it and enjoyed its basic plot (putting all the cooking and doctoring aside for a moment), I can almost guarantee that you'll like this manhwa. Happy Reading!

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I honestly regret reading this...

by GruntZone360
6 years ago

Rating: 2.0 / 10.0

The main character gets shit on the entire read and never catches a break... The characters are all retarded and even

saying that it's "fate" that made things the way they are when it's the retarded character's fault for what happened and how we ended up with the ending we got... The prostitute lady or whatever the hag's name was... never felt regretful from her actions nor did that one character that was our main's friend at one point... but ended up being a bitch trying to drag her down... The guy she loved got himself killed because she left the island for a deal she had to win... Simply put the entire story is full of retards >,> There's plenty of other things I can complain about that show's how stupid all the characters are... but the main problem I have with the story was that the ending felt flat with her ending up alone and mourning over all the events that transpired throughout her life...

... Last updated 6 years ago

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History comes to life.

by Yankee-chan
12 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

This webcomic is a nice change of pace for all those, which can't stand those generic plotlines or fantasy/action packed stories anymore. I was searching for something quiet to read in-between and this one didn't made me regret giving it my time, so it's worth it's while.

The coloring and drawing style is appealing, being focused on pastel (soft) colors and impacts being thrown in, when they are needed. The characters can be differentiated easily and the panels give off the right atmosphere, while the backgrounds show some beautiful landscape aspects of one of Koreas most popular nature spots - Like Jeju island. Kkk.

The storyline was bound to the biography of a merchant Kim Man-Duk, which has been going through a hard life, including being a Gisaeng and having to face the hardships of the pasts daily life. Even though the story deals with many dramatic and tragic issues, they are - Aside from a few shortcomings, because of the length maybe - well executed. It's told in an interesting way and it won't make you regret taking another look, even though romance isn't the main focus.

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