Dec 6, 2014
Cheese in the Trap takes a common shoujo premise: popular, aloof guy who has it all suddenly starts paying attention to a "normal" girl and comes to her rescue in various ways (with bullies, studying, etc), and shows what would happen in real life: Sul is suspicious of how Joon's seemingly randomly decided to become her friend and she's often got more important things to worry about then him, issues of family and friendship that can't just be handwaved away by some random rich guy. The story is funny, heartwarming and full of mystery.
The Good:
Characters: The cast of characters is amazing! The main character, Sul,
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is intelligent, introspective, and very perceptive, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have her flaws. Joon, on the other hand, on the surface appears to have it all: money, good grades, and a friendly personality that has everyone on campus dying to be his friend or girlfriend. Sul's quick to catch on that Joon's not as friendly as he seems, however, and during the first chunk of the series you spend a lot of time veering back and forth between wondering if Sul's overthinking things to wondering if Joon is in fact a villainous sociopath. The side characters are just as fleshed out as the main characters. They don't feel like props used to move the plot around; Sul's friends have their own troubles and even many of the characters that are antagonistic to Sul have sympathetic aspects to them, even if they don't justify their actions. There are characters you hate and characters you love and each one feels like a person you could meet in real life.
Story: With flashbacks being interspersed with the present day, the mystery of Joon keeps you on the edge of your seat, but no matter what you're always cheering Sul on. But while her relationship with Joon is one of the main plot points of the series, that doesn't mean Sul's life revolves around him. She spends just as much, if not more time worrying about her family's financial struggles, her relationships with friends and family, and her school life. Anyone who's attended university will be able to relate to Sul's struggle to prepare for life after college (maintaining good grades and figuring out her future and getting work/volunteer experience? It's a lot to do!) and interact with coworkers and classmates who are sometimes slackers or annoyances or just outright don't like her. Her problems might not be world-ending, but they still have you celebrating each small victory and cussing out the unfairness of the world when things go wrong.
The Bad:
Nothing to say here.
The Meh:
Art: On the one hand, I occasionally feel like the perspectives or proportions are a little off (but that might just be because Sul is so short!). On the other hand, while the artwork isn't necessarily "beautiful" (you aren't going to find sweeping landscapes or intricate detail) the artwork is unique and does it's job: you certainly won't have trouble distinguishing the characters and the facial expressions capture emotion perfectly, showing everything from wry amusement to exasperation to stilted smiles. With everything else about the comic being so amazing, I would say that the artwork seems average in comparison––not bad, but not the reason I recommend it.
In conclusion: Want to know why I gave this series a ten? Because not only is it one of my absolute favorites, but I honestly can't think of a way this webtoon could be improved.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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