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I downloaded and read volumes 2 through 10 of the manhwa Let Dai by Sooyeon Won after finding volume 1 during a de-cluttering campaign in my house. I had bought the first volume a while back and had been utterly annoyed by it. My main problem was the totally stilted language that I think was trying for poetic and lyrical and completely failing. Is it a failure of the translation or is the original Korean total crap? In any case, the other big problem was that I didn't sympathize with the characters at all. But I didn't want to completely give up on the series because I rather liked the art. I'd forgotten about it until the other day, and I wavered between cutting my losses and selling the volume or bothering to seek out the other volumes and seeing if it got better. I didn't want to spend my money and buy the later volumes on a maybe, so I decided to search for downloads. If that failed, I figured I could tachiyomi at the local bookstore. Luckily, I found downloads and grabbed them all. I made myself actually read every volume, sequentially, instead of simply skimming through quickly. I got to the end of volume 10 with mixed feelings.
First off, I realized that the language in dialogue wasn't too bad--it flowed naturally. It was in such things as in internal monologues when my gag reflex would be triggered. Luckily there was a lot more talking than not. The characterization did get better, but it was uneven. Frankly, the females were much better realized than the males. They were more sympathetic, complex, and NOT LAME. It's sad the main two, Dai and Jaehee, were more annoying than anything. Even Jaehee's mother was more sympathetic. Dai came off as very one-dimensional, even as we learned more of his messed up family life (though I don't understand the inclusion of his brother in this story--Is he some kind of foil to Dai to show that a person can turn out normal and decent coming from the same place? Too bad he's bland beyond all belief...). He just didn't seem real in any sense of the word, especially in his interactions with Jaehee. They didn't really seem helplessly drawn to each other--I felt like the artist kept pushing them together when they really didn't want to be put together. Jaehee is just...Lame. I had such a hard time caring about him vomiting whenever he thought about Dai. I mean, hello, his suffering is pathetic and soooo self-absorbed compared to the rather compelling story of Eunhyung (or even her sister!). The ups and downs of Eunhyung's struggles were, while overdone, still the most touching part of the whole thing.
I understand that there are 15 volumes total. I doubt that Dai and Jaehee are going to magically become amazingly interesting and sympathetic characters in five volumes, and yet I kind of want to know how things will end. I'm hoping for the artist to just go all out and give them the big, explosive, tragic ending that she seems to be heading for. Otherwise it'd be even more lame. I don't think I'll be spending money to find out how lamely this anthem to teen angst wannabe ends.
First off, I realized that the language in dialogue wasn't too bad--it flowed naturally. It was in such things as in internal monologues when my gag reflex would be triggered. Luckily there was a lot more talking than not. The characterization did get better, but it was uneven. Frankly, the females were much better realized than the males. They were more sympathetic, complex, and NOT LAME. It's sad the main two, Dai and Jaehee, were more annoying than anything. Even Jaehee's mother was more sympathetic. Dai came off as very one-dimensional, even as we learned more of his messed up family life (though I don't understand the inclusion of his brother in this story--Is he some kind of foil to Dai to show that a person can turn out normal and decent coming from the same place? Too bad he's bland beyond all belief...). He just didn't seem real in any sense of the word, especially in his interactions with Jaehee. They didn't really seem helplessly drawn to each other--I felt like the artist kept pushing them together when they really didn't want to be put together. Jaehee is just...Lame. I had such a hard time caring about him vomiting whenever he thought about Dai. I mean, hello, his suffering is pathetic and soooo self-absorbed compared to the rather compelling story of Eunhyung (or even her sister!). The ups and downs of Eunhyung's struggles were, while overdone, still the most touching part of the whole thing.
I understand that there are 15 volumes total. I doubt that Dai and Jaehee are going to magically become amazingly interesting and sympathetic characters in five volumes, and yet I kind of want to know how things will end. I'm hoping for the artist to just go all out and give them the big, explosive, tragic ending that she seems to be heading for. Otherwise it'd be even more lame. I don't think I'll be spending money to find out how lamely this anthem to teen angst wannabe ends.
