13th Boy, Vol. 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

SangEun Lee (Creator)

Book Description

Series: 13th Boy | Publication Date: June 9, 2009

It was love at first sight. The moment Hee-So's eyes met Won-Jun's she knew it was meant to be. Their relationship took off when Hee-So confessed her feelings on national TV, but less than a month later, Won-jun is ready to call it quits without any explanation at all. Hee-So's had a lot of boyfriends - Won-Jun is number twelve - but being dumped is never easy. She's not ready to move on to the thirteenth boy just yet. Determined to reunite with Won-Jun, Hee-So's on a mission to win over her destined love once more.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Yen Press (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759529949
• ISBN-13: 978-0759529946
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,608,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shoujo and Sunjeong Fans are Encouraged to Stay Tuned, November 23, 2009

By 

GraphicNovelReporter.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 13th Boy, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Everyone knows that Hee-So is in love with Won-Jun. Everyone. She confessed to him on national television, in front of the entire student body, after all, and she is certain that this twelfth object of her affection is for keeps. Unfortunately, Won-Jun has other ideas, and he is ready to call it off before it has even begun. Does his reluctance have something to do with their classmate Whie-Young? And what is up with Whie-Young, anyway--why does he seem so determined to butt into Hee-So's life?

Yeah, whatever...another sunjeong manhwa (Korean for "comic for girls") romantic comedy, right? It is the classic setup: The destined lovers Hee-So and Whie-Young start out seeming entirely wrong for each other. But veteran creator SangEun Lee (Love or Money) knows better than to write a story that is quite so tired. So what is the twist? Well, for starters, Hee-So has a pet cactus. A pet cactus named Beatrice that walks and talks (vulgarly). Beatrice appears on the scene early in the first volume of 13th Boy, no explanation of its existence on offer whatsoever. One thing, though, is abundantly clear. This isn't just another boring romantic comedy--this is a supernatural romantic comedy spiced up with just enough otherworldly questionable elements to make it good enough to justify coming back for more.

Lee knows her target audience and plays to it very well. The character of Hee-So is the archetypal sunjeong heroine; she is irrepressible, not too bright, often unsuccessful in romance--and unwittingly gifted with some unspecified magical power that, among other things, brings cacti to life in her presence. Her power, naturally, makes Whie-Young interested in her--he has powers of his own--and the storyline could take a number of interesting directions past volume one as their relationship gets more complicated. Of course, there is also a bit of "yaoi" fanservice as Hee-So wonders if perhaps Won-Jun dumped her because he is actually in love with Whie-Young.

The artwork is solidly produced and well sequenced according to the asymmetrical panel layout style first pioneered in Japan. Lee has published dozens of volumes of manhwa in Korea, and her illustrations, particularly her pastel-shaded full color pages, are instantly recognizable to those familiar with the genre. She has, however, improved dramatically with experience, and 13th Boy, as a relatively recent work, reveals a mature artist at the height of her draftsmanship powers. Visually, the first volume reads so fluidly and naturally that the technique used itself seems to disappear. Like an ice skater who makes a triple flip look easy, Lee's naturalistic hand is often underrated.

It's easy enough to figure out who the "13th Boy" will be--heck, the reveal happens on page seven--but the happily ever after destination isn't as important as the road taken to get there. By the end of the first volume, the plot has thickened considerably, and the appearance of a number of new supporting characters adds to the developmental complexity. In short, Lee is making the trip enjoyable, so shoujo and sunjeong fans are encouraged to stay tuned.

-- Casey Brienza

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute & funny with a sci-fi twist!, June 18, 2009

By 

ChibiNeko "Sooo many books, so little time!" (Whereever I go, here I am.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: 13th Boy, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Fans of Sang-Eun Lee's other work "Love or Money" will rejoice at having another of her works brought to the US. Those who aren't familiar with her will also be pleased as Sang-Eun Lee's work is quite good & is easy to get into even if the reader isn't familiar with Korean manhwa!

The story starts as Hee-So both gains & loses the guy of her dreams, the mysterious Won-Jun. The breakup is made even more humiliating because a month before she'd subjected herself to a reality dating show in order to confess her love to him. Giving her no reason as to their breakup, Hee-So is determined to win him back. The path to true love never runs smoothly & Hee-So soon discovers multiple road blocks in her path to true love- one of which involves an irritating (yet equally mysterious) classmate who seems to want to both help & hinder the poor Hee-So! With talking cacti, telekinetic love interests & a deep mystery, this manga is sure to please most readers.

Now onto my personal opinion of this manga. I love it! The character of Hee-So is easy to commiserate with despite the occasional bout of irritating character syndrome. The love interests in this manga are both equally fun to root for, even though most of us could probably guess who she'll end up with.

In fact, the only flaw I truly saw in the first volume was that the manga didn't quite know what it really wanted to be. The predominant story is one of romantic loss & gain, but there seems to be a backstory of supernatural powers that threatens to change the tone of the entire manga. It's a bit superfluous at this point in time & actually makes the tone of the manga a little bit awkward. It's an interesting premise, but it just isn't necessary at this point in time. My only word of caution to any potential readers is that the supernatural angle could change the entire tone of the manga too abruptly, causing many to lose interest. It's not a bad idea to include the supernatural powers, it's just not being incorperated all that well right now & lead to an overly awkward shift in plot devices.