Threads of Time

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I wasn’t too sure about the series when I first picked it up, and at first it was a bit boring. But, the story is actually quite enjoyable and original for a time travel story.

Story: As I said before, the story is original for a time travel plot. It takes awhile to get into it, but once you do it’s simply amazing. I’m pretty sure that most of the history is actuate in the story, save for a few things which are mentioned in the last book. The whole plot is a rich tapestry of excitement and sorrow, but always pulling you along with ... the characters and allowing you to understand just what there are going through. It has been said of many series that they can make you feel as if you are part of the story. While the story is spectacular, Threads of Time is just not one of those books. Instead of standing beside the characters during their struggles, it seems as if their emotions are more emphasized and therefore you feel more for these characters than many other stories.

Art: The art in Threads of Time starts out like many series. The author is not yet use to drawing the characters in their settings and plot, but it gradually becomes better as the author gains more experience with the characters. I’m not saying the art in Threads is bad, not by a long shot, and thankfully it doesn’t change too drastically throughout the story so that the characters look completely different at the end than what they did at the beginning. It’s very wonderful, but the beginning could be better, especially the parts set in modern Korea.

Character: The character development and their relationships with one another in this story is absolutely phenomenal. You end up feeling amazingly close to at least one character because their personalities are so well defined, even the ones that don’t stick around for very long. The best thing about this series is its characters. They are just so wonderful that I really can’t say more than that.

Enjoyment: Once you get through all the necessities at the beginning the series is wonderful. If you’re into action and/or romance then you’ll love this series. That’s another good point of Threads. Even if you don’t like action, you can still enjoy it because of the romance, and vis versa. It’s an incredible series. I think I’ve reread it about four times now and I’m still enjoying it.

Overall the series is an undiscovered gem. It’s sad that not many people seem to even know it exist but that’s how it is with many of the best manga unfortunately. This is one of the few series I have given a 10, just because it is so deeply moving and was able to affect me in such a monumental way.

Nightmares are one of the most unpleasant experiences one can have while asleep. But what these dreams, visions of a thousand years ago, abruptly becomes a reality? Suddenly being transported back in time is a common topic in fantastical settings, and Threads of Time is no exception. It is a manhwa that conveys a great, albeit stereotypical message about human life, or rather, exploration of oneself. While it certainly was a very enjoyable read, it does have some issues, in the execution as well as narrative of the story.

The story revolves around a rich and delinquent student by the name of Moon Bin Lee who ... consistently dreams about the past, chasing a dark-haired girl into the abyss. Soon enough, he is overwhelmed and abruptly finds himself as Sa Kyoung Kim, son of a prominent warrior family in Mongolia. Furthermore, the very people he now lives with, are physically almost identical of his present day life. Not to mention that it is in a period of territorial conflicts, involving the protagonist in the battles that happened admist the crisis. Luckily for him, he is very skilled in kendo, a useful ability in such times - naturally. The various battles that actually take place are interesting, but it must be mentioned that it can get a bit too excessive in violence; regardless, war is not the main focus of the manga.

The manhwa starts out strong, conveying the setting as well as the main cast of characters appropriately; it maintains a steady and logical progress through the difficulties he experiences in his current position as a modernized teenager. However, there is a problem that emerges as the story progresses: the smooth and logical narrative gets lost, and in turn readers see an increased pacing which results in various conflicts either lacking in execution, or in coherency: in other words, it creates a rushed feeling. It also has some interesting display of what the teenager is experiencing, lightly touching upon what is to come through the art and dialogue presented. Still, some of said scenes were arguably wrongly placed, interrupting the story, rather than enhancing it. In addition, when not read carefully, it created the illusion of him being transported back and forth in time, when that was actually not the case.

Threads of Time is primarily a character driven story, and mainly focuses on three characters, one being the teenager, and the other two being of the Mongolian camp, the General Sali Tayi and the granddaughter of the Khan, Atan Hadas. Kim Moon Bin is quite a generic character at first: rich, spoiled with a broken family relationship, and on top of that a delinquent. Nevertheless, readers observe the gradual changes the protagonist experiences through the environment and supporting cast: the fact that he finds himself in constant struggle in such a foreign environment is good to see, as opposed to other works where the characters adapt abruptly to the new environment.

The other two characters play an important role in developing both themselves, as well as the protagonist, Atan Hadas being the most noteworthy one. She is a smart and a strong, independent woman who strived to be a warrior, yet was accepted as a commander through carious circumstances - learning the ways of war, as well as realizing whom she loves, moves this character forward. This could not really be said about Sali Tayi, who is primarily a villain, yet his motives are rather weak for the atrocities he commits. Fleshing out of said character is observed.

Concerning the art style of the manhwa, it is as a whole well done, with some clear discrepancies in the begging: it is clear that some of the character models, as well as their expression vary a bit too much. This improved over time, together with some backgrounds, which were detailed in most cases. There were here and there some panels with either a lot background detail, while others were simply done.

Threads of Time was overall a very enjoyable read, yet suffered from a number of issues that sadly hindered the immersion in the story quite a bit, as well as feeling rushed. It must be noted that although it has some minor warfare, it is not the likes of similar manga such as Kingdom or the Ravges of Time. However, through the narrative and its characters, the message contained within is certainly worth the read on that basis alone.

Thank you for reading.

I, who likes historical/action/adventure mangas, found this manga and I was so dragged into the story I read it in 3 hours flat, non-stop. The plot is amazing, man were the twists unexpected, good amount of romance (not too much for my taste :D). Lol one of the most important thing for me in mangas are the guys. Personaly I think the guys are really hot. Anyways, the ending was perfect for me. The story was not too long and it just kept to the point.
I highly recommend this manga to those who like mystery, twists, historical, war, romance, action, adventure oh and of course ... supernatural :D
I gave this full rates because everything falls to my taste.