Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Rosy's scrawled manhwa recommendation: Chunchu by Kim Sungjae

Chunchu
Kim Sungjae

Blurb

Cursed from birth, Chunchu is the holder of the demon stone which renders its host invincible. Abandoned by his father and raised by a people not his own, the young man, whose name becomes synonymous with bloody massacres, arouses only fear and hatred wherever he goes. He has however decided to try to understand why such a destiny was reserved for him, but his twin brother is having none of it.


Alternative names
천추
Cheonchu
Chonchu
Chunchu The Genocide Fiend

Status
Ongoing

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Here, Manga Anime

Rosy's scrawlings on Chunchu
Chunchu is a manhwa of a little boy lost. Not just lost though, but humiliated, rejected, tortured, vilified and terrorised to the point of insanity. But Chunchu is a survivor so despite what's thrown at him or what cuts him he comes through with a will to live. It's an insane drive emphasised by the demon part of him, the results of which are gory battles leading to massive body trails. The number of people he killed when he first completely snapped is enough to make him a terror in anyone's eyes but unfortunately for Chunchu he already is one.
The story so far is simple, revolving around who is really the demon's child and Chunchu's efforts at survival, but it is enthralling in its goriness and for the small glimpses into Chunchu's past that we are afforded. There is a promise of the story becoming more complicated as Chunchu's brother negotiates taking over vast swaths of territory, usually by force, and attempts to hide his own demonic problems. There is a big clash or two to come between the brothers and while they're at it a several clans and countries are likely to fall. Death surrounds them both but only Chunchu bears the brunt of being told all the deaths around him are his fault. So far.
The art, by Kim Hyung-Jin, of Chunchu is one of the most appealing aspects of this manhwa. It is dark and at times splattered. The demonic faces pulled by Chunchu and his brother are striking and the actions scenes are fluid. The style used to portray bloody battle scenes and old world landscapes is brilliant and engrossing. The dark depths of the art make you want to know more about the boy with his head hanging low in the middle of a battle, the demonic marks and just how crazed Chunchu can become.
Also of note is the distinct lack of care when it comes to portraying the physical body realistically. There are many mangas and animes out there with unrealistic body-types and this manhwa follows the same trend, though thankfully not to its extremes. Six packs conceivably become eight packs, shoulders so heavy characters should fall over, but that's all no never mind once you get used to it.

I'd recommend this manhwa to: those interested in gory action, demons and historical fighting methods. I'd say that anyone who likes gory action movies would likely enjoy this manhwa.

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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