English: Love in the Mask
Type: Manhwa
Volumes: 32
Chapters: 134
Status: Finished
Published: Not available
Genres: Action, Comedy, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life, Gender Bender
Authors: Han, Yu-Rang (Story & Art)
Serialization: None
This manga is just too DEPRESSING!!
The first thing I did when reading this manga was cry. This manga was for me heart-wrenching and very depressing. This poor girl has had unfortunate upon unfortunate thrown upon her. Her little brother died in her arms then she had to become a heartless body guard. After 9 years of trying of what I can only describe as a half-hearted darkness she falls in love but she can't reveal it. Then to top it all off the has to spend another 9 years as a heartless gangster all the while having to pretend to be a boy.
I read this manga thinking it would be fun but instead I was tortured by this poor girl's life so much that i want to cry. Personally I like heavy mangas but this one is just too much heavier for me. I managed to complete it. But will I recommend it? I dont think so. Trust me its very very very depressing, you would't wanna read it and the characters.. sometimes get on your nerves.
Suh Hyun-bin. She’s had a rough start in life. Watched her little brother die in her arms without being able to do anything. Was later picked up by a wealthy man who needed a bodyguard for his granddaughter. It was either be a guy forever or be on the streets. She chose what anyone would have chosen. Used and abused by everyone for everything. Even Yae Ha, who is suppose to be her friend manipulates her for her own benefit. Hyun finally falls in love only to be taken away and taught a lesson on the reality that she isn’t suppose to feel anything for anyone.
Yun-ha Lee, a boy with a tragic past. Lost the girl he liked and his brother is in a coma. Only has his dad. Made his own gang and was willing to leave everything for the person he loves. Even though he is mean to Hyun and hate him protecting yae-ha he is still devoted and sincere. I am willing to overlook that he’s the one closest to Hyun and hasn’t figured out he’s a she. His character is the one that has given and given to Hyun expecting nothing in return but to see her smile
Yae-ha, I'm not sure if her character is suppose to be a manipulative, self absorb, rich girl or if that's just the way the mangaka wants her to be perceived. She has no redeeming qualities. Even her good qualities at the beginning were to satisfy her narcissistic personality. She’s spoiled and deserves a beating, maybe I‘ll make a poll to see how she should be beat…
The truth about her was told to her face by no other than Ji-Woong, “You don’t know anything about love or the act of loving another.”
Chi-ho, he’s a follower of Hyun, to the point that he stalked him to the bathroom and harassed the girl out of him. He loves her deeply. Even confessed when he thought she was a guy. He was the top in Lee’s gang before Hyun got there and took his spot as the better fighter.
Kang Ji-woong was the best addition to the manga. Abandoned when a child by the people he cared about. He gave up on love and hates when people love. But somehow Hyun got under his skin. He was the only character that automatically saw her as a girl. He got extra credit points just for that in my book.
Art: The fighting scenes are good. They get cleaner as the manga progresses then reverts to it's former state. There’s no suave way of saying it so here goes, I like knowing how one person gets beat up and you don’t miss anything with this manga. Also, the characters expressions are not the best towards the middle, I’m not sure why I noticed. Just somewhere along the way their expressions were always sullen. It could also be that the mood of the manga shifted.
My opinion on the characters are pretty consistent with my version of their description above. I have to note thought that though Hyun is the protagonist I feel that she would have better off she if she told someone of her circumstances instead of hiding it and suffering in silence.
Then things just took a downward spiral. Don't get me wrong. It was great for a while, but soon things just got so dragged out to the point where it seemed as though these romantic conflicts wouldn't conclude. And then of course as we need the end soap opera-like occurrences begin to pop up
This is the first time I'm fully engaged in a manhwa, and the different style it has from manga is very obvious that it took me a while to get used to it. In the end, I still love the art. I didn't give it a 10 because there were times I didn't know which character was which.
After all is said and done this was one manga that was worth reading until the end if you start it but I am just letting you know forth that this is very sad manga.
