Art:
The first thing catching my eyes was the art. It is unique and is unlike anything I have ever seen, although it reminded me ever so slightly about the art by Kang-Won Kim (I.N.V.U) and Tomu Oomi (Midnight secretary). All the characters have feminine faces and masculine bodies, which can be very confusing when figuring out their genders. It took me around an hour to get used to the art. Honestly, first I thought it was quite horrible, but as time passed I saw it as beautiful in its own unique way. That it is a Korean manga (manhwa) does most likely have something to
...
do with the style.
The pages were beautifully shaded (quite rough at times, though - but it gave a good effect), but many times I was confused by the layout and speech bubbles. The manhwa is read the western way, but I was not confused in the beginning. It is easy to see the reading direction, but since the speech sometimes do not seem to go well together I was confused.
The background and small details were amazing! I mentally asked myself "Is there anything that woman cannot draw!?" - I am still doubting. Lee (the artist) is undoubtedly very skilled!
A thing bugging me is the layout. It is litterally impossible to see whether you are reading a flashback, a dream or pesent events. It also annoyed me that the scenes shifts so suddenly. One moment you are reading about something happening in the garden, and on the middle of the page you begin reading something in the basement - Fusing this and the confusing flashback-dream-present thing, this manhwa has the honour of being the most confusing comic I have ever read! So keep focus when reading, people!
Story:
I am in great doubt here. The story itself might be good, might not, and I am not sure. The layout confused me so much that I had difficulties in noticing whether scenes were dreams or background stories for the characters. It annoyed me greatly. This manhwa also has the title of containing one of the most confusing plots I have ever laid my eyes upon.
What annoys me most is all the "holes" which yet have not been filled. Even though a lot of threads are put to an end throughout the whole manhwa, there still are a lot of questions needing answers in the end. I guess something like this is more or less inevitable when throwing yourself into a comic like this.
You, as the reader, know technically everything happening, and it can be diffucult to remember who knows what, who do not, and who dreamt what - and if it is true. I gave up trying to get along in that part.
If you are sharp-witted and enjoy some mental puzzle, Model might be something for you!
Characters:
First of all, I like the concept of making Jae,the main character, an artist (like myself). It helped me in relating myself with her to fully understand her choices. You see, Jae is a very strong-willed and passionate artist who lives for art. When she one day ends up with a vampire, who critizes her drawings, in her apartment, they make a deal. Jae will show the vampire her passion for art if he will be the model. And so it all begins.
Something that (also) annoys me a little are some of the characters' sexualities. Michael, as the vampire is named, has the tendency to kiss both men and women. And he kisses a lot. I think I will be able to count up to 30 kisses through all 7 books. Not that it is a bad thing once he kisses the "right" person...
Back to main topic. I really like all the character designs; how every person has their own personality, and yet they share some traits.I especially like how every person has their own opinions and is stubborn. They all wish and desire for something, and it is good to see characters with such strong willpower.
Something that confused me quite a lot is that the characters' emotions and feelings change in a heartbeat. But I am grateful that we get such insight in their feelings because many things in the manhwa is very touchy and sad - and painful.
I counted 8 characters through the whole series, 4 of them being main characters, even though Jae is the most important one. She is also the one who tells the story, her thoughts being a kind of guidance to us, and yet we see a lot of scenes she is not a part of or knows of. Technically, there are two point of views... But nothing that has a bad influence to the story.
Enjoyment:
In the beginning, I thought "Why am I reading this? The art is horrible, the plot vague and the layout confusing.", but as time passed I began enjoying it more, even though the plot and layout became more confusing than before. I got to like or hate characters and have my own personal opinions about what would be best for them to do and say, and even though I was very confused all way through, my emotions followed along - and in the end I cried. I love and hate the end. I love and hate the characters, their choices and everything about them. In the middle of the manhwa, I considered giving it a 7, but in the end I was in no doubt; even though it was confusing it was certainly worth reading. I really enjoyed reading it and following the characters' personal developments. I stayed up all night to early morning just to read it, and I found convincing myself to go to bed quite difficult.
It takes a lot of time to read, and you will be surprised when you see the amount of pages in each chapter/book. 7 chapters with in average 100 pages each. A time killer, yes, but a good one. I do not regret having read it.
Recommendations: If you like love triangles, vampires, hurt/comfort, mystery and mental puzzle this might be something just for you!
Oh, and if you liked this, I recommend that you take a look at "Midnight Secretary"! :)
All (3)FriendsAlso Available atRSS Feeds |
Aug 6, 2009
Art:
The first thing catching my eyes was the art. It is unique and is unlike anything I have ever seen, although it reminded me ever so slightly about the art by Kang-Won Kim (I.N.V.U) and Tomu Oomi (Midnight secretary). All the characters have feminine faces and masculine bodies, which can be very confusing when figuring out their genders. It took me around an hour to get used to the art. Honestly, first I thought it was quite horrible, but as time passed I saw it as beautiful in its own unique way. That it is a Korean manga (manhwa) does most likely have something to ... |
