King's Maker

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"THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS"
Chapter 23 and 24 killed this piece of work so hard. I don't even know how to explain this, but I'll try:
I'll go straight to the point, its not about just being fucked up. I've read and seen worse, but its so poorly written that I felt disgusted and very uneasy. Without getting into specifics, King is a pedo and he has a particular chamber for his doings with his children harem.
Its a fucked up place, full of toys for children, drugs and wine that he offers to his victims. There is obviously rape - and extreme violence afterwards with ... another victim, then suddently romance between the protagonist and the victim that is younger than 15.
Ladies and gentleman, you don't greet a rape victim by furiously kissing him/her or being sexual at all, imagine doing so the minute after the victim has experienced the trauma.
The BL isn't even worth it. Don't waste your time, there's not a good plot nor charming characters with interesting backstory other than simple trauma.

“King’s Maker” first drew me in with its bright & shiny artstyle. The story is about a lost prince returning to avenge the people that we loves and to correct the wrongs of his father. What can I say, this story has everything that I look for in a medieval drama:

Story (8/10)
✅ adorable romance = but at the same time it doesn’t overwhelm the plot.
✅ intriguing revenge plot = right when you think that it's "by the numbers" they throw a curve-ball at you.

Art (10/10)
✅ Colorful but Intimidating = to capture the dazzling & grandiose appearance that covers-up the twisted power.

Character (8/10)
✅ ... political struggle = MC fighting a uphill battle make connections.
✅ legitimate frustrating angst = the MC learning to jump through hoops to get to his goals.
✅ corrupt monarch = the king's obsession distracts him from his duties and makes him a more disliked character.

Enjoyment (10/10)
✅ hints of humor = to lighten up the mood of all this angst and drama.

If there is anything to dislike about the story, it would be the King’s pedophilia, but that is part of both the characters' and the audience’s hatred toward him. Also if you're wary of mature themes like blood and sexual themes, I suggest that you read with caution, but it's not too overwhelming

Aside from that, it a good story of mind games with a side of BL romance. And now is a good time to catch up on it since the 2nd season hasn’t been posted yet in English. But from what I've glanced at, it’ll expand on the aftermath of this season in great ways.

The strongest point of King's Maker is probably it's story line, which is cliché yet unique. Who wouldn't enjoy some drama around the throne? But this time there are no maids or high-born ladies dangling around the main prince, but the king's boytoy. He is also the one who is determined to make the said prince king, instead of some power-hungry mom.
The story is well-paced with it's ups (climaxes/highlights) and downs (relaxing/funny moments). The writer is able to tell the story without rushing it in 37 chapters, and make the reader hold their breath every page.

The story starts with Wolfgang Goldenleonard, the 4th prince ... of his kingdom, being taken into the palace after having lived outside for years. He despises the palace and his father and refused any interactions untill he met Shin. Shin is one of the 'children' aka boytoys of the king (Wolfgang's father), and he shares Wolfgang's disgust for the current kingdom. Shin wants to change it, and he plans to do that by making Wolfgang the king.

The characters all have their unique parts, and the main characters undergo character development. The romance between Wolfgang and Shin is slow as to not lesson our focus on the main story, but fast enough for the reader to notice their feelings for each other early on.

The art is out of this world. The artist really has their own style, which is stunning and not basic. There's no such thing as too much gold!!! Sometimes I'm fangirling purely bc of the art.

Look, I don't normally write reviews or rate anything a 10. But King's maker definitely deserves it. Yes it's not some authentic masterpiece that blows away your mind, but it's very close to that.

At first I refused to read King's maker since I thought it was just another annoying BL manhwa without any context or plot to it. But nevertheless I gave it a chance after eyeing it for a bit and boy I did not expect what was about to be shoved in my face. (This is a pretty long review btw)

Let's start with the story.
I honestly thought I was going to drop it ... but I just couldn't stop reading. Though it isn't something outstanding that you'd never expect, it had no plot holes and the plot was simply well formed. I found myself so immersed in the whole thing that I couldn't put my phone down and I read it until 6 in the morning. It made sense and wasn't too overwhelmed by the romance. It was very well balanced, especially for a BL manhwa.

Art
Ah yes, the art. The art was absolutely beautiful. It isn't anything too memorable but it's certainly stunning. The anatomy was correct at all times (It was so perfect to the point that the artist remade the whole drawing since the ear was too big). And the element of the gold in king's maker is really something to remember and admire, it really gives it a nice touch.

Characters
There's not much to say but first, the villain. Man I love that they didn't give him a sad backstory to justify his actions. He was just so well made and explained that whenever I think of a good villain I think of the king from king's maker. Lastly, the protagonist. I really liked the character development with him. He learned to go through fires to reach his goal and I enjoyed that about him.

Enjoyment
I like the fact that they added some comedic effect to tone down the angst and drama in the manhwa. It's very well balanced and it wasn't too overbearing.

Overall I give it a 10/10
I loved king's maker so much. Yes it isn't perfect, but then again when have you ever read a perfect manhwa? It all comes down to opinions anyways. Great, beautiful art, likeable and well made characters, completely worth it. Sounds like a 10 to me.

Content warning.
One last thing. This manhwa is not for everyone. It's not some cute and wholesome manhwa you read to enjoy some fluff. Some people don't seem to understand that and full on hate on it. It has a fair amount of blood, mature themes, physical abuse, animal abuse, nudity, violence and sexual content. Not to mention the king is a pedophile. Again, not for everyone, but definitely worth a read. I highly recommend it.

Let me start off by saying that the King's Maker is one of best visual webtoons I've read. The art is truly wonderful as it takes you in a new era within a different time period. I was first captivated by the art alone before I'd finished chapter one. The setting and colours take you on an adventure. I loved how it has such a vibrant palette of reds, golds, and yellows as key tones throughout the manga.

The story line is actually very interesting and beautiful story. It's the tale of a boy who is the missing fourth son of the Great King and ... is determined to becoming the next king but has to learn what it takes to be a royal and lead a nation. The only person who is willing to teach him is his new friend Soohyuk, who happens to be the king's "favourite" children. I will warn this story has moments that are not for the faint of heart as they surround children in an adult world and does have a reference to sexual assault.

The characters are all wonderful and you really see them grow not only as individuals but with the relationships between each other. The main relationship we see blossom is between Wolfgang and Soohyuk. As they get older you see their relationshup grow and it just makes your heart like butter...ahhh!!

This story was an absolute pleasure to read and I was captivated from start to finish. I praise the art which takes you on a journey. The characters together just add to story and the take your breathe away. It certainly took mine away. The King's Maker does have a second season and I highly suggest it if you enjoyed the first one.