Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Rosy's scrawled manhwa recommendation: A Fairytale For The Demon Lord by Kim Yong-hwan

A Fairytale For The Demon Lord
Kim Yong-hwan


Blurb
A Demon Lord spirited the Princess away, and cursed her with eternal sleep. Countless knights sought to save her, only to die in vain by the Demon Lord’s hands. But then, a Nameless Knight arrived to vanquish him and save the Princess, ignorant of what fate had in store for him.

Alternative Names
Picture Book for the Demon Lord, 마왕을위한 동화

Seasons
Season 1, 34 editions including an afterword, is complete.
Hopefully there will be a season 2.

Sites for reading online (free)
Manga Fox, Manga Reader

Manhwa
In short, a Korean version of a Manga. There are many similarities in the writing style and art but different cultural references do apply.

Rosy's scawlings on A Fairytale For The Demon Lord
This story is beautifully illustrated in full colour, the tones and grading of which match the tone of the story perfectly. Not to mention the choice of font. I have to say that after reading many mangas and manhwas that this one stands out from the bunch simply on artistic merit alone. Reading it was thoroughly addictive not just for the story but for seeing so many well presented artworks that really sunk me into the world of the unnamed knight. Oh, I should note that Kim Yong-hwan didn't just pen the story but also created the art.
From the outset all relations to the our world are cut off, leaving the world of this fairytale as claustrophobic as the dark setting and twisted emotions. I believe that if there was any connection to our world though, that this story may have been utterly ruined. As this wasn't the case I felt like I'd tripped over a new and completely undiscovered dimension that I just had to explore. It was enough that I ended up addicted and reading well past midnight, to the cost of my focus and ability to think the next day. Never mind. It was well worth it.
I really, really don't want to give any spoilers for this story as if you read it you will well and truly hate me for doing so. I will say this, the story is captivating and reminiscent of all fairytales but in particular those written before PC and child-coddling became the rage. The story is Dark with a capital D and stunning for it. And, like the best of fairytales, I doubt you'll have trouble relating or sympathising with the unnamed knight and his woes.

I'd suggest this manhwa to: Anyone at and over the age of accepting violence and tragedy in their stories. Luckily, this means the vast majority of teen and adult readers. Luckily, as this is one tale well worth sharing.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.

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