Savage Garden

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Despite positive initial impressions, the dark ambience and uniquely dark tone can only take you so far with an ending that drops out of nowhere like a lead balloon (don't worry, I'll spare you the gory details - AKA spoilers). Disappointment? Yes. Raging fangirls? I count myself in their numbers. Grab your torch and pitchfork, because if you have stuck with this manhwa since the beginning, you probably have a bone to pick with Lee Hyeon-Sook considering the subpar ending that was delivered. But watch your step, there are plot holes everywhere.

With a plot that does not deliver, Savage Garden strangely starts off with some ... promise. Initially we are introduced, just as the synopsis describes, to a school that, despite housing the well-to-do, has incredibly harsh hierarchy. Gabriel enters, impersonating her deceased childhood friend, and taking on the persona of “Jeremy.” Led by the promise of riches, “Jeremy” tries to lay low without invoking the wrath of some the more prominent – and cruel – noblemen that she dorms with.

As you can well predict, she inevitably lands herself in trouble and becomes tangled up with two brothers. The premise is a little misleading, however, because it eventually becomes a derailed train that crashes and burns.

In regards to the aforementioned plot holes, the author blatantly omits a lot of information in the latter half of the story, as we are suddenly thrust into the ending without any preparation. There is no leading up to it, no real resolutions in terms of the climax of the story. It just lands in our lap, incomplete and ill-conceived. My suspicions are that the author came to an impasse, with no motivation left for continuing, and decided to end prematurely. As a result, many questions were left unanswered and the ending left you wondering if you were still reading the same series.

The characters, who are both interesting and intriguing, are vaguely explored through the story. Once again, this is where the potential really shined through but inevitably fell short. Gabriel suddenly became the traditional damsel-in-distress whereas she had been a heroine with some measure of self-sufficiency in the beginning. Her desire to reclaim her pride from her status of fallen nobility, as a driving force, is far more realistic than the shallow reasons seen in other gender benders.

But, just as with Gabriel, the other characters either dropped out of the picture or were poorly utilized approaching the ending. Rather than feeling like real people, they felt like a means to an end – as though, rather than seeing through the story with the characters she had built and developed, the author used them as a tool to bring things to a close without considering the quality she was losing in doing so.

As for the art, it seems a bit more detailed and a step up from her previous works, which is definitely a positive. Among manhwa, her art stands out as well-proportioned and, in simple terms, very “pretty.” Even compared to many manga, Lee Hyeon-Sook has a very unique style that captivates. There is plenty of good eye candy.

So what is Savage Garden ultimately? A manhwa that initially stands out amongst its fellow creations but inevitably falls short as an underwhelming read with a disappointing ending. As much as it dispels age-old shoujo cliches, it wallows in its own depressing undertones and flickers out like an unnoticed flame.

One of the greatest pleasures in reading Savage Garden is the eerie and mysterious ambiance it gives. Compared to the other gender benders I've read, I personally find this really unique with its darker portrayal of such genre.

Artistically, I was captivated. The characters are pretty and the settings look peaceful. It was indeed the perfect combination with such an intriguing plot.

Setting aside the fact that this was a shoujo fantasy, I find the story quite original. We have messed up characters who are living in an era where there's plenty of political intrigues and where most of their fates were already decided - and ... with this, our heroine (Gabriel) is no exception.

Since Gabriel an orphan from a fallen noble family, it was already long decided that she's to become a maid. But due to some twist of events, she ended up becoming a replacement for her friend (Jeremy) and entered an elite school for nobles. We find out later that Gabriel isn't only trying to cover up her guilt but also desired to live the illusion of being a noble. However, through Gabriel's perspective, we see that illusion crumble down. The place was nothing ideal and was actually filled with people who cared for nothing but their own greed.

Personally, I like Gabriel's inner strength. There is no guarantee that she will live by doing such a risk - yet, she still managed to show her inner person: spunky, selfless and kind-hearted. Her actions against the nobles' wrong doings is really admirable and therefore, I don't question why some of the guys were interested with her.

As for the romance - I think I'm part of the minority who likes the budding affection between Gabriel and Ray. Gabriel was drawn to Ray more than Euan because they're very similar. Both of them suffered a huge trauma from their past (which is for you to find out) and because of this, they can understand and sympathize with each other better.

(It doesn't mean that I didn't care about Euan though. In fact, he has the best character growth out of all the protagonists. But saying anything more about him will spoil the story.)

Since Gabriel and Ray were both living in the past, it makes sense that they don't have any future goals nor any motivations to work upon it. Certain factors were supposed to trigger them to change the way they live - and this, I think, is what the manhwa's originally trying to accomplish.

However, we didn't get to see any of that cause we arrive to a rushed and inconclusive ending. I don't really need answers to my questions but it would be nice if I get to see what have become of their lives after all that sufferings they went through.

Nevertheless, it's quite a surprise that we get a "not so tragic" ending from this artist + I really enjoyed reading this manhwa - so I'm still somewhat satisfied.

At first the manga seems deep with all the main character’s self reflections and all the mysteries and love triangles in the school, however they are never fully fleshed out. In the first few chapters, I’m left confused with the almost lightning speed pacing of the story. In particular, the MC’s actions and dialogue are all over the place and it just doesn’t seem real. The multiple men around her literally look all the same as well. The story is absolutely horrible as it’s confusing and certain actions are never explained in a logical order. The writing seems all over the place and character motivations ... are not really well explained or at least I think they’re not logical enough. In the first place, it seems like such a hassle to get a girl to take Jeremy’s place. All of a sudden all the male characters also seem to be interested in the MC just because. However the art is pretty good.