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Review: Goong (Vol. 03)


Manhwa-ga: Park SoHee
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis: “ChaeKyung and Shin return to their separate quarters at the palace, but the crown princess can’t shake the feelings aroused by her new husband. Try as she might, there’s no denying it — she’s completely fallen for him! When ChaeKyung lets a confession slips, she braces herself for the prince’s rejection. Instead, he doesn’t even acknowledge her! Though the suspense is killing ChaeKyung, does she really want to know what Shin has to say?”

Shin the man-beast is still at it, working his royal charms, if only to drive Chae Kyung crazy! The more something makes her happy, the more he wants to ruin it for her. He seems to have some kind of insane complex where if he can’t have something, he doesn’t want anyone else to have it, even if it’s something as simple as happiness. He’s still growing as a man, and being subjected to a girl like Chae is definitely changing the way he looks at things.

Chae, however, can’t seem to keep her head straight. One moment she hates his guts, the next she’s fawning over his sexy, sexy back. This newfound attraction to him seems to be the source of distress for the poor girl, but it can’t last. If she’s going to stay stressed out over finding her husband sexy, then I am wasting my time with this series. There’s so much more she can freak out over! Like Yul for example; that boy has some serious issues.

This brings us to my next consideration. Who’s more evil, Shin or Yul? Shin is a horrible man-beast, who revels in Chae’s unhappiness and seems to be more than glad to be the cause. But Yul… Yul is a schemer and nobody likes schemers! It’s curious to me who’s going to come out on top, the evil husband or the dirty schemer, but then we have to look at the other side of the story. Every bad guy has a sob story to tell and the possible villains of Goong are no different. Yul lost his father and his crown. Shin gained a crown he never wanted and has never known what family really is. All this and more has weight on who I think is more evil, but every time one of them does something to tip the scales, the other counters it with something equally as sinister. I’ve some to the conclusion that there is no defined bad, or “more evil” guy yet, but I’m sure there will be… eventually… maybe.

Getting the chance to know the manhwa-ga, SoHee Park, is pretty fun part of the series too. I personally enjoy the cute blurbs she puts at the end of each book, almost as much as I enjoy the random character commentary on her artwork. It’s a funny trait she’s kept running through all the books so far, and though it distracts you from the story just slightly, it’s a nice reminder that there is a real person hiding behind the art and words. Hopefully we’ll get to know her even better as the series continues along.

Review written December 7, 2008 by Marsha Reid.
Book provided by Yen Press for review purposes

Marsha Reid

About the Author:

Marsha Reid is a self-proclaimed manhwa nut – "It’s my not so guilty pleasure and my one true love." She has a group called Anime@ Large, which has become much like a full time job to go along with her full time job at a local theater. Marsha likes fluffy animals (even though she's allergic), manga/manhwa, anime, and make Lolita costumes in her spare time.



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One Response

  1. […] vol. 1 of Togainu no Chi, Gizmo reads vol. 1 of Higurashi When They Cry, and Marsha Reid reviews vol. 3 of Goong. Ed Chavez has audio reviews of vol. 1 of Pumpkin Scissors and vol. 8 of Suzuka, and Mangamaniac […]

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