The Breaker: New Waves

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The Breaker will be considered the prequel and New Waves the sequel.

Martial arts has always been intriguing and looking at stories where characters who are weak, wanting to get stronger is a journey of self discovery. In some ways, media that projects this topic is relateable to viewers because most of us want to follow our bliss and find a path that truly fits us. For The Breaker, Shi-Woon is the young boy we follow to search for his path of self discovery. This review reflects the series as a whole rather than just this sequel.

I'll do my best without spoilers for the prequel ... or this, but the story seems to follow a linear path for the predecessor, where as prequel opens the world up to other factions within the Martial Arts community(Murim). The Breaker does a great job fleshing out it's story with giving us the perspective of other factions, but the same cannot be said about New Waves. The premise is run of the mill and seen elsewhere, but the series has an edge with the awesomeness of Chun Woo. The dude is a beast and is the most feared existence within the story and his effect on the plot and characters are executed well. While it is a broken record by the end of the series, his existence brings meaning to each character. At the end though, the series leaves a lot to be desired mainly because of inconclusive ending and some plot holes(eggs).

Characters are a mixed bag, most development comes from Chun Woo and Shi Woon. Nothing is wrong with that though since they are probably the only interesting characters within the series and the oldhead in New Waves. The first season handles Chun Woo and Shi Woon with care and we see both of them blossom, whether it is a good or bad thing. However, I did feel like the flash back memories that we see are out of place and always come up in convenient times. Not only for these two, but for other characters as well. It is not the best way to go about justifying the character's actions and beliefs and seems a bit forced. Also, New Waves becomes awfully stagnant in character development. There is a limit to how naive some can be and to push that limit creates a repetitive vibe.
The side characters are very forgettable, I mean all they do is contribute to the plot. It's what their there for but at least give them some characterization instead of sexualizing the females and showing us how emo some of the male characters are. Some female characters I have in mind are definitely useless to the series as a whole. A LOT of plot convenience and flash backs drive some of these characters and I wasn't fond of that while reading The Breaker and New Waves.

Art is pretty cool, really brings out the characters emotions and action scenes are well defined. Picturing the scene in my mind with the SFX already seems really intense. Wasn't expecting in this series, but fan service was existent and probably was the only form of comedic relief which was eh.

Overall, The Breaker has more ups than downs. Obviously all reviews are subjective and people are titled to their own beliefs and enjoyment, but the inconsistent flow of The Breaker can turn off people. It is an enjoyable, action shounen read. Looking for a good cast of characters, you may or may not find it with this one but there are certainly some interesting characters in this series. The story was OKAY; it deviated from what I thought was gonna be and went into bumblefuck direction honestly. Give it a read if you like a protagonist in search of self-discovery.

~This series just keeps on getting better and better from the very first chapter. Now, this MANHWA (korean manga) is at a point that it is on my fav. list. Before, I start reviewing I need to say 2 things.

1. This is a sequel so make sure to read "The Breaker" its prequel before reading this.
2. I will try to be less plot revealing and make it more temptating, so you guys can read it.

Plot 10/10- If you thought the prequel was good then the sequel is just even more awesome. I mean just name even 10 stories where sequels were good as or ... even better than the prequels! Surely, The Breaker:New Waves is in that list. It picks right after where the prequel ends. All that bully that Shi-Woon faced in the prequel is back because his ki-center is destroyed his enemies no longer fears him even though his Ki-center is shattered he still remembers all the basics and fight his way through from the brink of death that's the best thing about our main lead Shi-woon he never gives up. I think I have said enough about the plot and Trust me, The best part is yet to come, He goes master level later for that you have to read this gem. This series have that unbreakable pace that makes you want more chapters every week, Since this is a manhwa creators tend to take 2-3 months break to gather enough source material and this sequel is on my on-going list from last 3 years.

Art- The art is just so beautiful, It feels like you are watching an animation (though I would love to see an anime version of this). The epic and detailed fight scenes in the series is something that gives this series high re-read value.

Characters- Needless to say anything, If you have read the prequel All characters are back with some new characters that fits perfectly right into the story as for our main character Shi-Woon goes through all different kind of hardcore situations that gives him badass personality development in this sequel.

Enjoyment- If you have read my review till now, It may sound exaggerating, but it clearly fits the hype!

So I was surprised when I went to my manga reading site to find that this manga, sequel to one of the my favorite manga's ever, had a 'Completed' tag. As a loyal fan that read the weekly release I feel a sense of duty to review the sequel, having already done the first entry.

(*DISCLAIMER*I HIGHLY recommend that you read the prequel 'The Breaker' to have all the necessary knowledge going into this one.)

The short version:
(+)The majority of the characters are well done.
(+)Story leads in well with the prequel.
(+)Fight scenes are the best of they're kind.
(+)Arts gives great emotion weights when it's needed.
(-)The MC ... doesn't change. At all.
(-)The story does drag in parts.
(-)Those without prior knowledge of the series will have many questions.


THE GOOD: Being a 200 and bit chapter manga about martial arts, you are going to need many good things to present to the reader to keep the coming back every week for your story. That said, there are two things that The Breaker: New Waves has in spades, a good art style and good action segments.

One of the things that this manga never failed on for me was to show the reader just how emotional these characters were in the situation they were in, when they're joking around with each other outside of the actual fighting, you can tell. When someone important to the characters in question has been killed in front of their eyes, you see that impactful shock, and when the sadness hits soon after the amount of tears and snot running down their face Just shows you how much they cared for that person, but the moment that I enjoy the most when it comes to the art is when you see someone, normally the MC, get really angry, you get that same feeling from the picture that you would if you happened to piss off someone like Gilgamesh or Guts for example, and the Black Origin Threshold is still as terrifying as when I first saw it.

The action is one of the key stones in any fighting, second only to the story, because the story lends tension to the actual fight scenes so you're even more invested in it, failing that the fights still need to be good, even if they only serve as spectacle. I'm glad to say that the fights in this manga are similar to a firework show, they're built over a couple of chapters and then when the moment finally comes you are gifted with a very satisfying, and occasionally frightening BOOM. Some of the fights do go for more chapter that other's, but fights in martial arts manga are like games, you spend a lot of time on the smaller fights to make sure you're ready for hen the boss finally comes around to destroy you, they pace the fights in a similar manner.

The story continues more or less straight from where The Breaker left off, with only a couple months worth of time skipped and for the ones that jumped straight in after reading the prequel, you settle back into the whole world and feeling that the first entry gave you within a couple pages, this is why myself and everyone else recommends reading the prequel because if you start with this one you're going to have plenty of question that won't be answered anytime soon like, "What's a ki center? Who the nine arts dragon? the fucks a Murim? What's the S.U.C?" But when you've properly enter the Breaker world, you will feel right at home with everything going on.


THE BAD: Now let me get off that the characters, for the most part, are not bad, there's just some that kneel-cap the rest of the group. The MC for example, after having his ki center smashed, and after all the shit he has seen, is still persisting with his "I shall save everyone and make everyone love each-other." view on the martial arts world, granted is working so far, but after close to 300 chapters of following this guy around across two mangas, his outlook hasn't once changed. In my mind he has become a static character, like in a lot of shounens, his opinion never, ever changes, no matter how much he sees, or how much he losses he sticks to that belief. I know it's for the whole purpose of showing the other characters how determined he is, but we've already seen that, it was called The Breaker, just be a bit more dynamic dude please. Also he apparently has some sort of shield protecting his romantic virginity because, like with the prequel, he doesn't become romantically involved with any of the chicks, granted there is one that he will PROBABLY get with, but until I see that I'm sticking to my guns.

Another thing with the characters is that, from memory, some of them straight drop off the map, they don't appear later in the manga, they just *poof* into smoke, like one of the MC's old bullies joins up with the 'bad' guys and they fight once then *poof* that character disappears. Other guy that had a SWEET pair of gauntlets had about three or so scuffles with the MC then I never saw him again for the remaining 60 chapters.

The story also tended to drag a bit, but I thinks that's more to do with the fact I had to wait a week for the next 20 pages of story to happen, but read one after the other with no interruptions, it only got the point where I thought, "Come on let's make something happen." Then lo and behold the next page made something happen. Still I felt the story did slow down in places.

THE VERDICT: The Breaker: New Waves is a solid sequel to it's predecessor and I look forward to the third entry. While I started to loose faith in the MC as a character and a few characters turned into magicians on me, the rest of the cast, fight scenes, story and art all scored high enough in my charts to keep me coming back for more every week. After reading The Breaker I highly recommend that you move straight on to this one. Go. Fly, FLY MY PRETTIES!!

Goodbye my brethren, see you in the next one.

(Edited as of 8/23/2013)

Okay decided to edit my whole review after updating myself with it (haven't read it for more than a year)

I did say New Waves kinda disappointed me abit compared to the first one. I really really love The Breaker so I was expecting something really good with this one. At first I think the story kinda drifted off from what I was expecting but after reading it up to the latest chapter, I can say that "Finally! This is getting good." Thrilling factor is still there of course.

Art is very good. For me I think it improved alot. In the The Breaker, ... the art at first was really "manly" though in the last few volumes, the art "softened" a bit. But here I think the artstyle totally "softened". Well it's good for the eyes so nothing wrong with that.

Character are.. well there are lots of new characters here (mostly females) and in my first review I don't know why I said I kinda don't like them.. but now I can say I really like them. Came to like Shioon more. But lack of Goomoonryong. And not to mention that it's like he turned into the main vilain here or something. But we will see.

Overall it was still a good read! But still slow pace of story. I'm not really sure why I said in my previous review that the fanservices bothered me so much but now.. well it's okay. Anyway! If you're an avid fan of The Breaker, then don't miss this! It will get better in the later chapters!

I'll keep this short and simple.

The premise of the story is amusing, very unique and enjoyable. It surpassed my expectations, at first it was really annoying how Shi-Woon (MC) was defenseless, naive and weak; I thought it would be Tokyo Ghoul-esque battles all over again. However, Geuk-jin brings back focus on Shi-Woon again with him being somewhat competent in the series.

The art was satisfactory for the most part. While detailed and attractive to the eye, the only problem is that it's monochromatic. I haven't read much manhwa, but the ones I've been exposed to have been poly-chromatic. Doesn't hurt the manhwa itself but the ... artistic potential was deterred, I feel. Jin-Hwan, great job.

The characters themselves are fine, and that's what saved the manhwa for the most part. Except the character development was kind of poor, it always appeared to me that Shi-Woon had extreme bipolar tendencies, not sure what to make of that if it was intentionally written in the script by Geuk-jin. It introduced many countless new characters that are mediocre, most of them stayed the same through out the manhwa. I won't forgive the lack of Goomoonryong in the first part of the manhwa though. What the actual fuck? Geuk-jin seemingly deleted the single most interesting character in the series for around 120 chapters in favour of "character development" by the end of the manhwa, which if I may reiterate, is virtually non-existent. It stretches to the bipolar MC that gets his ass smashed every other chapter of the first half and it's agonizing.

The lack of a sequel is self-evident of the mistakes of the authors. While flawed, I thoroughly enjoyed this during my teenage years, so the sentiment is high. But none have been portrayed in this review, I hope.

The Breaker NW is a Korean manga or manhwa and if you're unlucky like me and read the mal description before finishing the original then you're probably really curious about this one.
well NW isn't over yet at the time of writing but it looks like its heading towards a conclusion and thought id just write some stuff i had to say about it, (ill probably update this once the series is over) so lets jump right in:

Story: when i had only started reading NW i had somewhat mixed feelings about it, the original ended very well in my opinion but at the same time it ... sort of set things up oddly for its successor(if you've finished the original, or once again, unlucky like me and read the description you probably know what I'm talking about), and that's not really a bad thing, it helps gives a sense that NW has its on structure as a complete series rather than being built entirely around the original and just being a continuation of it. and while that's all good it does give the series a sense of slow progression, don't get me wrong there's always action and the plot constantly moves forward its just that the plot device that was set up by the original makes it feel slow, but maybe that's just me. other than that though the story is great, the series does a great job(NW and its predecessor) of creating a world and you really feel like the murim are on one hand people but on the other hand this different race who have their own rules and code and are an entire society built in parallel with regular society with constant struggles and conflicts to maintain what is clearly a fine and delicate balance between the two. there are also plenty of clans and styles of martial arts that help expand the murim world even more and keep you at the edge of your sit wondering what the next move will be. i will say this though, and you cant take this as a good or bad thing but NW seems to often depend on not "suspension of disbelief" but rather "suspension of belief" in which no matter how many times a character does something insane of extraordinary the others just cant seem to accept it and are shocked anew each time, I personally liked this, the series knew how to make it work and did a good job setting the intervals between each time this happened.(oh and p.s the main character went through so much shit that he has transcended just zombie or badass)

characters: OK this is one aspect in which i had to debate with myself a bit, again, when i had only started reading NW i had mixed feelings, one of the reasons for this is the new characters introduced, most of the main cast has been replaced and i didn't know how to feel about the new characters, with some feeling like they were recycled or copies of characters from the original and some just feeling like the show had gotten a little bit lost in fan service, don't get me wrong I'm not opposed to strong female characters but i don't think that the panty shots were necessary, but luckily for me NW eventually set me at ease and the characters grew on me after developing beyond their first impressions and i while never felt there was much back story in the series that didn't stop me from liking them, on the contrary, that means i liked the characters based solely on their actions and personality during the present events(which is harder to pull of than it sounds and there are show that just try to give the characters a tragic past rather than making him interesting during the events).

art: OK this one should be a no-brainer, NW continues the original manhwa's tradition of having amazing art that's very detailed, but most importantly turns the fight scenes from something in between the plot into the main course and does a great job of setting the tone of the situation and expressing the characters emotions. I really have nothing more to say about it, its absolutely spectacular and i think you need to see it to believe.

so final thoughts: in case you haven't noticed i went through 189 chapters of NW in just 3-4 days and why is that? because 'The Breaker: New Waves' is awesome, its thrilling, its exciting and you don't really need all these details when it can be summed up in one sentence: the more i read, the more i want. and so with that i can honestly say there isn't a person i wouldn't recommend this series to(the same applies to the original, obviously) and regardless of how it concludes it is definitely worth reading.

Updated ( 10/6/2013)

A lot has changed since my previous review of New Waves. Let's get started.


Story 8/10
The story of New Waves is that Shioon, after the events of The Breaker, has to cope with life without martial arts. However he is still be targeted for being NAD's ( Nine Arts Dragon) disciple. During one of these encounters Shioon meets the fiery red head Jenee, who is ordered to protect him by the people of the Sunwoo clan. Later it is revealed that the Sunwoo clan wants Shioon to be their new leader, and thus begins the story of New Waves.

The overarcing plot of New Waves ... if that of Shioon trying to cope with being in a world of martial arts, without the ability to do martial arts anymore. For those that have read The Breaker ( all of you reading this review I hope ), this seems like things have gone full circle, to how things were in the beginning of the The Breaker. This can make the plot seem like it is moving slowly, and that "nothing" has happened over the course of 10 chapters, but let me tell you, the slow build up has MAJOR pay offs ( especially around chapter 50+ ). Overall I would say, while the story is very " basic" it does well with building up, and keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen in the next chapter.


Characters 7/10
While the plot may have its moments, outside of a few characters, the cast of New Waves, is very sterotypical, with many characters not given time to flesh out their personalities, or not having very redeeming personalities to begin with. Most of the villains are just " I want to take over xxxx, I am right you are wrong " sort of thing, while there are a few exceptions to this rule, for the most part it holds true.

The main characters all develop nicely, and get plenty of time to build up their characters, making the main cast very likeable, and makes you really get into events that revolve around them.

Overall I would say the characters, while generic, are redeemed by the main cast of characters being unique and their character development.

Art 10/10
One of the best drawn action series ever. The fights are easy to follow, the characters look amazing, and the backgrounds are really well done. The art conveys moments of action so well it makes your blood pump, moments of sadness so well it makes you cry, and moments of the funny so well it makes you laugh, just off the art alone.

Enjoyment 9/10
While I will admit the start of New Waves is very slow, and it takes a while for the payoff to come, the series, once it picks up, makes you not want to put it down. Be it from simple fights, to clan wars , the series has it all, and never makes you want to put it down. I am currently up to chapter 131.

Overall 9/10
I would recommend New Waves to anyone who wants a well drawn out action series, with a great main group of characters, and edge of your seat action making you wish the next release would hurry up.

Hello this is my first review so please give me pointers because this review will probably be trash.

Story 10/10

Where do I begin nothing I say can do this masterpiece justice. This manga or manhwa is the pinnacle of story telling I don't want to spoil anything but let me tell you this much this story is a thrill ride from start to finish and I just could not get enough of it.

Art 10/10

The art in this manhwa was stunning. It is the first time that from just looking at the art I could tell how the characters felt without looking at their facial expressions. ... The way the art flowed made it feel like I was watching an anime rather than reading a manhwa. It was beautiful and stunning but also chilling and shocking at the same time. Never before have I loved looking at the art of a manhwa or manga as much as i did with this one.

Character 9/10

The characters in this manhwa were for the most part perfect but some of the supporting characters could use a bit more explanation.

Enjoyment 10/10

I enjoyed reading this more than anything else that I have ever read and that includes many every book I have ever read. This manhwa was enjoyable on all levels and when I had finished it I felt like I was missing a part of my life.

Overall 10/10

This manhwa was perfection in all senses of the word. It is a must read for any fan of manga. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for something to do.

(Read The Breaker before moving on to this) - 129 Chapters as of writing.
*TL;DR versions underneath the long ones :P

After I finished The Breaker in about a week and loving it I moved onto New Waves with a hopeful expectation it would live up to the original story. For me, it's done more than that.

Story - 10

The story carries on directly from The Breaker, with Shi-Woon losing his Ki Centre (allowing him to control the flow of his Ki, allowing him to use Murim-esque abilities).

After Goomoonryong's departure Shioon is trying to adjust to a normal life once more, although due ... to him being the infamous disciple of Goomoonryong he is targeted by vengeful Murim members and as the holder of the Phoenix Medallion (Given by Sosul) Shioon still holds major ties to the Sun-Woo clan, meaning avoidance becomes increasingly impossible.

Aside from Murim-in's there is now a new major group - Soldiers Under Command, its members follow Goomoonryong as he if were god and are intent on starting a new world by his command, the information revealed about this organisation is really scarce which really increases the anticipation for even slight revelations.

TL;DR- It picks up where it left off. Shioon is trying to live a normal life once more but he can't as Murim-in's target him and the Sunwoo clan respect him due to Sosul giving him the Phoenix Medallion. Also a new group called Soldiers on Command - Stating they follow Goomoonryong appear and become the main antagonistic group (so far) in this manwha.

Art - 10

I really, really love The Breakers artwork. In other manga/manhwa sometimes I have trouble seeing what's happening in fight scenes, or getting confused on which supporting character is which (E.g. Witch Hunter). But I've never had any problems when reading this, the fight scenes are clear on whats happening and the characters all have really unique looks which helps express their personalities too!

TL;DR: Really good, characters easily defined by their unique aesthetics and great design.

Character - 10

I think this is where New Waves excels over The Breaker. Any thoughts of the negative effects of Goomoonryong or Shi-Ho were quickly dispelled for me. And minor characters/organisations (E.g. Sun-Woo, S.U.C) now take a much larger role, with many, mainly younger (hence the title New Wave) characters being introduced as main characters. Interaction feels much more informal with Shioon too as they are younger, rather than older characters who usually treat Shioon like a child which is pretty refereshing. The doubt over whether or not Goomoonryong is a antagonist really builds the anticipation for when (I'm assuming) Shioon finally meets him once more.

As the new characters aren't Goomoonryong it gives a better sense of the power ranking too
(Goomoonryong just destroys everyone pretty much in The Breaker).

TL;DR- Loss of Goomoonryong and Shi-Ho aren't too big due to the amount of new characters who appear in New Waves. As they are mostly younger it gives more time to show a more natural side of Shioon rather than the formal rapport between him and Goomoonryong.

Conclusion - This Manhwa is fantastic, even better than the original. If you've read the first and enjoyed it then you truly need to add this to your collection too, this was more than a cut above everything else I've read so far. 10/10

TL;DR - Read this.

First you must read THE BREAKER as this contains a lot of information that will help you understand the problems Shioon is facing. I accidentally read this one first and had to go back because A) slightly confused on what was happening & B) THE BREAKER was a great read and gave me new insight and info on the sequel.
The story is fine but all it really is about is Shioon having to relearn to use his powers though it has taken an interesting turn as he may have found a way to fix his broken core. Kinda takes a History's Strongest Disciple ... approach as he has to train and work hard to regain skills although it is in my opinion much more serious.
The artwork always stuns me. Honestly i love the artwork and wouldn't change it. It got a 9 b/c i haven't seen anything anyone said is a 10 before so i would know if it was higher. Really takes you into the Manhwa and the scenes are great.
The characters are actually a bit worse then THE BREAKER. it's bad to compare them, but i think since it more focused on Shioon you don't get to see as much into the others although i think Jin-le Kwon is a great addition in this one. Unfortunately you don't see to far into the characters past ( Jin-le Kwon and Jae-kyu Kwon, grandpa are the exception as you'll see a major development from past experiences.) Shioon is a great focus be he somehow seems to have only one gear. Once he goes to do something nobody can stop him and makes him seem almost invincible at points and while i like it it seems like he will never lose.
OMG i loved this. You can really read this over and over in fact just writing this is making me want to reread it. You can't get tired of it b/c it really doesn't ever go into repeating patterns as the author has thrown in twists and different obstacles. Not saying you wont see him doing the same kick-ass moves it's just you cant get vored of them cause you see them so rarely.

Highly highly recommend you red if you want some action a lil bit of romance and love martial arts related stuff. Find yourself a nice cozy spot to read and sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Story 5: Breaker: New Waves' biggest downfall is in this regard, where the prequel, The Breaker featured a unique and strong narrative format this one...doesn't. It kind of meanders about, without much direction until a sudden, almost out of no where plot development appears progressing the narrative for all of half a chapter before meandering again. Whats bizarre is how little the story actually develops over a long period, its to the point where a large portion feels like filler, which really hurts the series as a whole.

Art 8: The strongest point of the manwha, the art is absolutely on point. Where its predecessor had ... issues with portraying motion and action in its fights scenes this one has no such problems. It also features more unique designs, stronger shading, and a lot of variety in body types and postures among the cast which are utilized to the fullest in the fights, giving great visual presentation.

Character 6: The characters for the most part aren't too bad, with a couple being surprisingly solid with variety of character's that shift sides dynamically with their motivations giving them a nice sense of growth as the series continues onward. the main protagonist on the other hand is really poorly written over all and pretty much acts as a blank slate for the reader to impose on. In the predecessor, he was relatable because his views reflected the trauma that he endured and in turned helped him grow to be a well rounded figure. However, in this one he's got as much depth as wet cardboard with the word "chivalry lives" written on it. He doesn't change and doesn't grow and god he is just beyond my comprehension.

Enjoyment 7: This was a fun experience when viewed as an individual story and not as a successor to the previous series, The Breaker. It has excellent art, strong character variety, and still has solid lore detail that is intriguing, but the themes, character depth, and stakes are just not present.
Over all it makes this feel a bit too shallow to be as satisfying as the original. It has needless filler, and a lot of plot threads just don't go anywhere or serve any real purpose to the story as a whole.

Overall 5: If you want a fun martial arts action romp than I highly suggest this series. The art and over all design of the series creates an atmosphere that is both enjoyable and intense. However, if you want an emotional under dog tale with a lot of depth then you'd probably best avoid this one, which is a shame given how much better the original was.

I just going to put it out there... New Waves is not as good as it should be
No, I was not held back by my expectations, i read eagarly through 150 chapters in a sitting, but i felt that Shi-Woon was just a punching bag for about 100 of those chapters...
In terms of his progression as a character, he hasn't gone far. He is still the strong willed fighter, nevering giving up.
However, when he becomes teh elader of teh Sunwoo clan he seems to have attained leadership qualities. BUt to me it just seems like cockiness. Also his "brave" "leadership" traits are wasted when he ... interacts with Chun Woo, he doesnt fight him and acts like an invalid.

As you may also have noticed Shi is continuously underplayed, giving teh notion that he is "weak" that he has a reason to be in the current state of patheticness (chp. 150). But we must remmeber that Shi is special in that he took a dan pill got invigorated with Ki, then became the student of the most badass martial artist, also somehow wins over the phoenix pendent which allows him to become the leader of the Sunwoo clan. Yet he's still so pathetic, his martial arts have made little progress and his character is still weak when faced with a real challenge (when he can fight Chun). In every single fight the opponenet of Shi lets him off beacuse they belive that he has speical "recovering powers" or "they want to see him reach full potential". Really as a martial artist and character overall he hasn't changed much.

I think they have used his life too cheaply in that Shi is always putting his life on the line announcing how he is willing to die all the time. I believe as a martial artist you should not always have the mind set to be willing to die, it does not make you strong.

The romance between Jin-le was really nice early on however i think that the introduction of Sera was a bit much.

In The Breaker, the edgyness was taken off with the chibi illistrations of Chun. This was really nice, since i cant stand watching a Shi covered in blood for 50 chapters. The chibi style drawings have dissapeared in New waves, which means that the authors want to maybe make the story more serious. This is oh-kay, but since this manga originated with a mixed style they should've kept it since it was a good aspect.

Another thing that bothers me is that since this is a martial arts manhwa, i think there needs to be more realic progression in combat. As in, iron fist style, there are more eloquent and useful techniques than just "ran at opponenet and grab concrete". Sigh.

I know Chun is like the 9 something dragon, most OP martial artist. However if he can "take over Seuol" then shouldn't there be other people like him around the wrold. I mean, come on, there isn't just like 9 schools of martial arts... I mean theres boxing, muay thai, sambo and others more. Also later one i feel asthough the manhwa is trying to take the storyline and action to an international level, this is wh i feel that teh diversity in combat is lacking, it's aiming to get bigger but with so little a base for construction.

The fact that other asian country's have a strong standing in martial art's, then why hasnt the manga introduced them? I mean if a guy can come into a country run around killing hundreds of people and still be able to escape wouldnt it make international news? wouldn't other martial artist around the world come to kill him? or challenge him? (CHun)

Overall i think this manhwa is an 7.5-8/10

I really wanted to like this one...

The Breaker: New Waves is the sequel to The Breaker launched in 2010, the same year the latter ended. I'll be blunt: it under-delivers. It's bad. There isn't much I feel for it next to apathy. Majority of its ups stem from my appreciation for the first breaker; the very same appreciation I got robbed of when finishing New Waves.

It does deserve a few compliments. Thou slow, the beginning and its premise are good. Once you step into Murim you are part of Murim, simple as that. It's also a throwback to one seemingly insignificant, but in hindsight very ... consequential moment in the first part, which is great. Next to that we have the entire cast of the first, alongside many new faces. The art is still really good. There are some interesting arcs and hard-hitting moments...

That's probably as far as my praise goes.

First off, why are we introducing so many new characters? You have already formed this huge repertoire by the end of the first part which it could barely handle. New Waves is twice as long as the first; shouldn't we focus on fleshing out the already existing ones? The answer is: no. In fact, it's worse: all of the already established cast you've grown accustomed to will get side-lined in favour of the new one.

Of course, the new cast is not horrible; there is Ji-Nie, Elder Kwon, Ji-Gun, Sera, Cool guy, Ghost Hands Divine Healer... So, the manhwa focuses on them? It does... As long as they are in the spotlight. Things happen only around Shi-Woon; the moment they move away from him (which they inevitably will) they turn into immobile chess pieces so that others can get into rotation. Having so many characters alongside this abysmal treatment of their makes the pacing devolve into some weird flavour-of-the-month structure which makes me numb to any enjoyment I could foster.

But let's forgive that too. So, you put them to the side? Fine. That leaves most of the resources dedicated to the cast under the spotlight. I have to ask then: why aren't they doing anything? The villains stand there as bedrock waiting to be penetrated, continuously reminding you why they are standing there in the first place. Allies are no better: they appear when necessary and obey what they have been told. Although, they do one thing consistently: talk. Oh, and do they talk a lot. It makes reading New Waves a chore. By the end, barely will any character get enough time, let alone will that time be used well.

Oh, and every relevant female character will devolve into the "I secretly find the protagonist cute" type who's only job is to commentate on the situation and praise the protagonist's "might and resolve", while being castrated of any characteristics that made them interesting, let alone value to the overarching story (by the end it feels like the only purpose they serve is to be on the cover). Of course, Shi-Woon doesn't feel anything towards them; he doesn't even notice it, so we can't even call those characters love-interests. Which brings us to Shi-Woon.

Shi-Woon is as bland as it gets. He doesn't change. You may argue he does, but you know you'd be lying. He only gets accustomed to the circumstances and pushes on in his ways; his beliefs and philosophy stay the same. He always fights for the same reasons, he does everything he generally does, his aims and motivations are never challenged... He is constantly rewarded for being himself and nothing pushes him in any new direction. In the review of the first Breaker, I listed it as his charm, so where is the issue? The issue is that there is nothing to be put against him as contrast in this supposedly vicious world, that now all of a sudden seems to value this vanilla good boy. It genuinely grinds my nerves.

That is not restricted only to his character. In the first part he is a talented novice with a few good moves but is ultimately reckless and will get beaten by anyone capable of dodging or countering. By the end of New Waves, he... He is the same, but now he is winning. He learns a whole of two new moves which, although cool, are barely used. Rest of his development is the work of lazy Deus Ex Machina. His fighting style is bound to mindless fist-flailing until he magically sees an opening and lands a blow. Even thou there are multiple "breakthroughs" in his training, there is legitimately no change. Some of the weakest character progression I've ever been a witness to, if I can even call it a progression.

Power scaling in this world is already very loose and context based, so you can imagine how having someone like Shi-Woon always winning completely annihilates any concept of strength hierarchy. I have no idea if there is any plausible explanation for him not ending up in a body bag when he, with a broken ki centre, decides to take on those stronger than he ever was in his prime. That happens multiple times, by the way. There are no stakes and risks. Consequences don't matter, being in actual danger is a myth. Some characters get the short end of the stick, but even then, it's because they wanted to sacrifice themselves. The entire motive of Shi-Woon persisting through his sheer will and lack of any fear to hold him back now feels like some of the shittiest protagonist privilege one could come across.

The entire story is simply a mess. There is no sense of direction. The twists are cheap. Bizarre moments which gave the first Breaker charm now don't land. Characters are done both dirty and poorly. And, of course, all of the previously mentioned has copious amounts of empty talk to go along with. It's a bad movie that tries to pull the audience's attention with basic shock value.

However, my main gripe with New Waves is its length. This is a 20-volume read. That's 200 chapters. Now, I agree; manga knows to be numerous times longer. But there are so many works you could have read instead of this which are not only shorter but offer more entertainment and sentimental value than this. Length should be justified, and New Waves does not have any reason to be this long considering its contents.

And here I am, having written over 1000 words of critique concerning this title. Do you think I am glad about that? Know I am not. I will always enjoy a good read, and I wanted to like this work as much as the first, if not more. I remember how eager I was to hop onto reading it. There are foundations of something that could be great, there are occasional strong moments, there are lovable characters, there is potential... And yet I can't help but view this read as a waste of time.

As I've noted in the previous review, the first Breaker has the same issues as the second, but the second has way more time for those issues to grow noxious and without that novelty and dynamic of the first to prevent it. I can't even look back on the original without seeing those glaring flaws.

Who knows, maybe you will enjoy New Waves. I know I didn't. I doubt I will read The Breaker: Eternal Force, which at the time of writing this review is very much young. Maybe in the future if I ever stumble upon it being finished. Even then, I will think heavily whether I am willing to put up with estimated 400 chapters of mediocrity when these 200 have already proven difficult.

Thank you for reading up to this point. I wish you all the very best. Kind regards.

The Masterpiece is back...

The Breaker: New Waves is a sequel to the manhwa "The Breaker", and is in my opinion even better than its father manhwa.

A good warning to everyone, there might be some spoilers in this review, so if you haven't read The Breaker, i recommend that you stop reading this review right now, you have been warned.

The Breaker: New Waves keeps following our old main character, Yi Shi-Woon now with his Ki-center broken by is own master, in what seems to be Yi Shi-Woon back to his every day ordinary life... But ofcourse having the great Nine Arts Dragon, the strongest and most ... godly person in the murim world, as your master has its own sets of drawbacks ... The story picks up after the events at the roof and Yi Shi-Woon recovery, and Yi Shi-Woon thinks is life as a member the murim world his over, but he is being targetted by a new threat, he is also (unknowingly) the gajuu of the Sun-woo clan since he got the medallion from So-Sul during her rescue missing, proving he is the leader of the Clan, and so we keep the story Yi Shi-Woon in the murim alive. Not wanting to spoil the story, i'll stop here, but trust me when i tell you it gets SO GOOD.

The art, like its predecessor, is still amasing, the level of detail in the background and the characters just make you think the drawer is someone very near the level of god in his respective field of art, and sometimes you get treated with really beautiful and realistic drawings of close ups from characters that just make your eyes cry from hapiness.

We are also introduced to some new characters, like the super smart super beautiful super cunning Kang Sera, the current head of the Mil-Yang Clan, and Kwon Jin-le a member of the Sun-woo clan and granddaughter of one of its elders, entrusted with its new gajuu protection. Great character development for this characters, Yi Shi-Woon and some others who i wont spoil will ensue, with the return of some other memorable names from the past like Han Chun Woo also known as the Nine Arts Dragon overall make for a entissing and great story.

As you can see from most of this review, i complety love reading and following this manhwa, its currently my favorite work (and i doubt very much that that will change anytime in the future), so it goes without saying that i recommend this work of art to anyone and everyone who read the prequel, and if you're reading this and haven't, go check it out before you read this one or you might not understand everything.

Overall, the breaker: new waves is a gift from god to us humans so that we can rejoice in happiness from great story telling and unbeliable art work, i hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Though "The Breaker", that is the prequel to this series, was way better, being to me a great manhwa, "The Breaker - New Waves" is still worth reading. You may get bothered by the story pace, that is sometimes slow, there's also and the novel about the girls around the main character and how you never know if he likes any of them or who he really likes. Other than that, the action and fighting scenes are great, and the relations between the organizations envolved in the plot are really convincing. Therefore, if you didnt read "The Breaker" I would not recommend this manga at ... all, but if you did, you already have a opinion about this sequel. If you got here wondering if you should read this or not, then read "The Breaker", cuz its fucking awesome.

way to ruin a good story . tbh when i read the prequel i was so intrigued(I completed first part in 1day and other in 1 and half day) and had my expectations up but what i got was just slow ass shit . in first 100 chapters mc was nothing but sand bag . then something happened (spoiler) i thought thhe past 100 ch as the build up everything was going good for nearly 25 chapters but after then nothing happened seriously nothin . they ruined the good characters and killed good characters for nothing . just what can i even say ... . this part is nothing but TRASH

The manga as a whole is very interesting. With some interesting twists but to understand the situation of the main character you have to read the The Breaker. Read the first manga to get a feel of the situation that Shi-Woon is facing. At first it starts off with the main character as helpless as ever having lost his fighting ability. So he decides to live a normal life. But problems arise and he dragged back into the world he was thrown out of. Having to fix himself to enter back in the world. He sets out to make himself stronger. In a different status ... then in first manga. Now is a leader or Gaju of a clan. He learns new things and gains more strength and eventually learns about his master.
Now going on about the plot the plot was interesting as it involved trying build the main character back to his original strength. There were new enemies introduced. Now matter how much he tries to escape that world it comes right at him. I gave the plot or story a 8 the art a 8 as well since I felt that the characters well well drawn out and it was better looking that most Manhwa's I've seen. The characters had interesting back stories and development so i gave a them a 7. I enjoyed reading the manga and seeing as the story progressed but i also enjoyed the fighting scenes. 60% of why I enjoyed this manga was because of story and 40% was because of the fighting scenes in the panels. It is very well drawn and it a very exciting martial arts manga. Overall I gave this manga 9. If you have the time you should sit down and read this manga.

I know the plot from this one better than the back of my hand. Five times. I've been stuck here, waiting, expecting for the new part to arrive someday. How does it fair after the last read I'll give it?

Masterpiece. No other words, or adjectives, to describe it. As the second part of the series, it chronicles a new beginning for every character. If the beginning was an intense ride or die situation, this one feels much more like the consequences. It couldn't be the same, not after our main character became the most infamous human being to grace this particular action world. So much ... effort, sacrifices, and tears were shed just to keep the status back to square one, and none of it mattered. Placing Shioon in an even worse situation than ever before, it feels like an urgent need to reach for the stars.

The first part identified itself more as a roller coaster. The actions taken had a natural, inevitable quality to them. Every moral compass clashed, and created this narrative for itself. However, “New Waves” is more of a self-imposed, multiple choice narrative. It's the moment it could've changed for good, one way or the other. The main character takes us to his story, not his teacher's. He messes up, comes up with solutions by himself, takes extreme risks to advance the plot, while still being the metaphorical Mcgufffin of the world. It's INCREDIBLE.

The story sends us in a path of no return for the forced maturity of Shioon. I wouldn't call it a coming of age story, or a one of adulthood for that matter. That happened in the previous one, and surprisingly, it takes more on the themes of love, family love. Love for those who motivate you, for those who took a risk for you. In a world filled with hatred, fights, or the constant of death at every confrontation, a wholesome guy destroys the conceptions of hatred by doing all he knows… his best. It's so powerful to see a monstrous, old, and routhless leader, corrupted by politics, revenge, and family quarrels, crumble in front of a kid who protects those he cares about with the utmost honesty. Again, he's the only, and most perfect protagonist for this story. His actions speak louder than his words, his loses scream as much as his victories, and his wins feel so rewarding because of his progress in a hostile world he doesn't originally belong to. It's all about his decisions, and how he uses everything around him to make everything a better place for those he cares about. Love, without being corny, without needless drama, but with actions that ripple throughout this world.

Characters are another piece of the perfect puzzle. So many of them, new, involved. The old ones develop even more, serving as human beings, rather than obstacles to overcome. The past is much more important in this series, since this isn't a beautiful, cute world. Tragedy will always follow those who're old. Tragedy is always at the doorstep of the young. Everybody suffers so much, in such an organic way, but again, Shioon steals the spotlight for unyielding will. Imagine, in a world of talent, prestige, sacred bloodlines, hierarchy. The rules are brutal, but this one, a kid, who searches for the best of those around him, changes EVERYTHING. I said it before, but I'll say it again. He's the domino piece that changes this world, and those he affects become such a big part of the story that you can't imagine the amount of connection you'll feel by the end.

I call this a perfect narrative, and an improvement in what I already described as a perfect story. Every action matters, there's not a single chapter, or page you can skip. Effective in storytelling, perfect in execution, with some of the best character writing in the medium, and the art is something that's only getting better. It stopped using those beautiful perspective-bending panels, which is a small shame, but the fights retain that brutality we love. The art takes a much more emotional approach, rather than a subjective view of what's happening. Scale increases, we get more environmental damage in every picture. Not the same, but just as great for what it achieves.

10/10. There's no doubt in my mind. This belongs in the golden road of martial arts media. Perfect in every way, even if the authors constantly doubt their craft (they comment a lot about messing up in omakes, humble mfs).

Unlike the other reviewer who only read 1/10th of the series(21/201 chapters). My review is based off the entire series(2nd Season-New Waves). Spoilers from here on.

~SPOILERS~

Shi-oon is now a clan head. Then he eventually gets his Ki center restored and is stronger than ever. Fights S.U.C. which is like minions under the Nine Arts Dragon(NAD), fights some of the lieutenants, fight a sub-boss then his master. Bunch of masters die. Then the next cliff hanger which won't be resolved till 2017 at the earliest Shi-ho wakes up.

Now short manga reviews are also too short to be allowed so here we go again. OMFG these reviews ... just say it's too short and not what qualifies what is the proper length.(3)

So, the Breaker Part 2. I binged the first one and this one in a week. That alone should tell you it is good. But it annoyed me a lot as well. Let's get into things:

Story (8): The story is well written, suspenseful, intense, dramatic, and overall well done. But it only gets a 8, because I didn't enjoy the story it told. To elaborate, Breaker 1 was fun action and drama, and really intense. But New Waves forgot to include one of those: the fun.

The main character grows as a character, beats villains, and occasionally you get a good rush of fun from a ... villain getting punched... but it almost completely lacks the comedy and all the light hearted elements that made the first one so great. Instead, it wears down on you with constant tragedy, cliffhangers, and dark tones. I entered it expecting to have a fun time... but by the end, while I still wanted more, I left more tense than I entered the story. Their is no resolution, just constant buildup.

Overall, the story was 10/10 for writing, 10/10 for immersion, 10/10 for making me want to continue... but a mere 6/10 for actual enjoyment.

Art (10): Art is great, and unlike many action mangas, it manages to convey the motion fairly well, and you can picture how the scenes would look as an anime. Very good, perfect score from me.

Characters (8): The characters are more complex than in the Breaker 1, but they lose some interest when all humor is stripped from them. Everything is serious and dark, and that leads to a drop in how much I like the characters. It's hard to like people who have no fun in their lives.

Enjoyment (6): Pretty much as I said in Story. I didn't enjoy this, really. I put a 6, because it kept me reading, and I didn't leave it hating the author. But man, it is dreary.

Overall (8): Great story, great art, good characters, but completely dreary and draining.