Model (Model), Vol. 1 [Paperback]

So-Young Lee (Author)

Book Description

Series: Model | Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Ji Ye is a Korean art student who comes to Europe to study. Her brushstrokes aren't going as well as she would like, but she’s determined to make it as an artist. One evening her friend brings a drunk man over to crash at her pad. That night she has bad dreams that the drunk is really a blood-sucking vampire. But when she wakes up, she realizes it wasn't a dream! Unafraid, she's suddenly bitten by the creative bug, and starts to paint his portrait. His beauty and alluring preternatural energy lets Ji Ye's artistic juices flow, and the two strike a deal: Ji Ye will allow the vampire to feed on her, and in return he will pose for her. This could be exactly what Ji Ye needs to finally succeed as a painter-- but at what price?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–This second book in the series has great appeal to those with very specific tastes, and not much to those without. A tale of vampire romance, it is primarily shoujo (for girls and women) and populated with bishounen (pretty boys). In the first volume, Jae, a young art student, meets the elegant, androgynous vampire Michael. He has agreed to pose for her on two conditions. One, that she lives with him in his gothic mansion, and two, that she allows him a taste of her blood. In this follow-up volume, Jae's interest in Michael (both romantic and otherwise) extends to his equally androgynous but arrogant son, Ken. Further complicating the love/hate relationship that forms between Jae and the enigmatic Ken is Eva, the cold housekeeper. Also on hand is a chic new guest (with some secrets of her own) who reveals Eva's own mysterious past. Secret histories and gothic passions are the mainstay of Model, and the characters, with their elongated bodies, brooding eyes, and flowing hair, are the quintessence of supernatural romanticism. Some readers may view the world of Model as clichéd and built on style rather than substance, but fans of gothic literature, especially Anne Rice's works, will find themselves right at home.–Douglas P. Davey, Halton Hills Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Appeals to fans of Demon Diary and Rebirth

A Classic Goth Story set in the modern day

Appeals to fans of Vampire shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: TokyoPop (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591827116
• ISBN-13: 978-1591827115
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is her art worth dying for?, June 4, 2004

By 

Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Model (Model), Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Desperately seeking bishounen? You might want to check out this series! Lee So-Young has crafted a gothic-style vampire series that is likely to appeal to many of the shoujo audience who enjoy a blend of horror and fantasy with plenty of sexy anime guys appearing on the pages. While the story is not particularly new or fresh, the art treatment is excellent and the overall presentation is bound to attract fans of manga who also like such shows as Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and anime like Night Walker.

Ji Ye is an artist studying Europe when the unexpected happens. She winds up with a drunken vampire in her apartment that drinks her blood. Rather than freaking out at this, Ji's dedication to her pursuit of art makes her decide that the beautiful male vampire is her perfect model for a portrait. The two strike a deal. Ji will allow the vampire to have her blood, if he will allow her to paint him. Of course, Ji's in for a dangerous time of it, the vampire's inscrutable motives for allowing her to live and paint him are puzzling. The complicated characters of the vampire, Michael, and his mysterious servants leave a mystery that is too irresistible for Ji Ye to leave alone. Ji is perhaps the most refreshing character in this story, her obsession and fascination with painting tempered by a stubborn curiosity and a refusal to simply give in to the moody and threatening vampire. I enjoyed the overall story, although at times the plot was a bit too predictable or cliché for my liking.

The artwork shows the true strength of Lee So-Young's craft. She creates rich, textured backgrounds that evoke the mood and themes of this story beautifully. Old castle-like mansions, elegant clothing, and atmospheric touches all pay homage to the traditional vampire stories. The two main male characters featured in this first volume are extreme examples of bishounen art. Both extremely effeminate in appearance-too much for my personal taste-they do convey an air of unworldly beauty and alien motivations; separate from the world of Ji Ye and her peers.

Overall, this series will probably fit best with those readers who like paranormal romances, with overly romanticized vampires. There is little violence or nudity to contend with, but the subject matter and relationships are not necessarily appropriate to younger preteen audiences. A good manga with a decent storyline and creative, stylized art work that melds well with its chosen subject. A definite recommend to the shoujo vampire fan!

Happy reading! ^_^ Shanshad

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great vampire manga., May 19, 2004

By 

Tia (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Model (Model), Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Jea has graduated and moved to Europe to pursue her dream to become an artist. She's been living there for four years and one day her boy-magnet girlfriend Melissa comes knocking at her door with the most beautiful, drunken young man you could ever see begging her to let him stay the night at her house as he has passed out. She gets totally pissed off at her for leaving him there to go see her boyfriend, especially considering she was flirting with him all night beforehand.

She's unable to sleep that night on behalf of there being a complete stranger in her house and then has a dream of him pinning her to the bed and biting into her neck. She wakes to believe it was all a dream and when she steps out of bed to go get a glass of water, already feeling paranoid enough as it is, steps on his arm outstratched from underneath her bed to realize he actually had bitten her, and after stepping on his arm he gets up on her bed and bites her neck again still drunken all this time.

After waking up from having passed out she finds herself inspired and begining to sketch him...until he wakes up and detests it! He blows his top about her having undressed his upper have for the purpose of the sketch. He's mad that a mear mortal dared to touch his body.(*cough Narcissist.*cough, damn those allergies!)

She goes on to tell him that she considered them even for him haven drank her blood, and not having realized he had drank her blood from being intoxicated, he throws up. Although realizing her blood isn't "Tainted", he admits to liking her "Type" of blood and they strike a deal. "Quid Pro Quo", he poses as her model in return for her blood and the story begins.

I'm still reading through this first book of it that I got earlier today, but I find it to have quite beautiful artwork and a very interesting story so far. If you like vampires (*cough He's hot too.*cough) as much as I do, you should definitly buy this first book. If you do I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Catching but hard to follow, August 20, 2004

By 

Sarah Lane "Sarahbeare" (California!) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Model (Model), Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I borrowed this book from my best friend before she even had the chance to open it. After reading it, all I wanted was to get my hands on the second book as quickly as possible. It gave me manga fever!
The artwork is divine, I throughly enjoyed it. However, I think the author sometimes gets ahead of themself. There are... leaps... in the book, holes. Where two characters will be talking together and then all of a sudden on the next page it will be a completely new character in a new situation. A couple of times I had to re-read the same pages about five times to understand what happened. That's why I took a star off, otherwise I would have given it a full five.
Overall, the characters are likeable and the story is believeable. Sometimes, though, I mistake the woman and the man with one another. Hehe. No, c'mon... he's cute...