Manhwa Review: My Gently Raised Beast Vol. 5

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is My Gently Raised Beast. Read on for the review of Volume 5 of the manhwa. (For reviews of other volumes, click here.)

Back Cover Blurb

Blondina is rescued just in the nick of time by Amon, and her safe return is greeted with much joy and celebration. But not everyone is happy to see her alive and well―when Adellai witnesses all the love and warmth around her half sister, something inside her snaps. Unhinged by jealousy, she redoubles her efforts to destroy Blondina…but not if Amon has anything to say about it! “I will never lose you again, Briddy.”

The Review

Amon comes to Blondina’s rescue, foiling Adellai’s plans. With this, the story plunges into full royal succession struggle mode. It doesn’t matter that Blondina harbors zero ambitions of taking the crown. She nearly got murdered, and things clearly won’t end there. Thus, sweet, mild Blondina quickly grows a backbone in order to confront first the Dehills and then Adellai. Blondina’s declaration, “What I need right now isn’t someone else’s power, but my own, so I can protect my people,” shows how drastically she’s changed.

In the meantime, Adellai doubles down on her efforts against Blondina and the Divine Beasts. She’s definitely painted as the villain here – not showing the slightest hesitation to eliminate foes and inconvenient allies alike. Although jealousy is at the root of her vehemence, she’s unfortunately starting to feel one-dimensional – spouting the same pompous line about taking back what was stolen from her whether she has the upper hand or in mortal danger.

As for the person at the center of this sibling rivalry, he’s behaving annoyingly out of character in this volume. After Amon returns Blondina to her family, her father suddenly gets a conscience. His very belated guilt over Blondina’s suffering doesn’t feel genuine though. He’s the king for crying out loud. Given his power and resources, he had a whole lot of options if he truly wanted to secure Blondina and her mother’s welfare. The lack of resentment in Blondina’s reception of his apology doesn’t feel genuine either. After all, this is the same gal who was happy to dish punishment to the abusive innkeepers. One could argue that her father’s abandonment was as bad as their behavior or worse. Not to mention, the king has not and still is not doing a thing to quell the hostility between his children. In a sense, he’s to blame for this vicious sibling rivalry, and the man is too oblivious or incompetent to stop it.

In Summary

The sibling rivalry intensifies! Although Blondina escapes the “stimulant incident” with her life, others involved in the plot do not. Adellai’s quick to kill attitude and maniacal eyes are starting to feel stale, but it is interesting to see Blondina develop into more than a victim who needs rescuing. And although Blondina’s not actually interested in the throne, Lart is. Things are bound to get a lot messier between the three siblings as the power struggle continues.

First published at the Fandom Post.

Manhwa Review: My Gently Raised Beast Vol. 3

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is My Gently Raised Beast. Read on for the review of Volume 3 of the manhwa. (For reviews of other volumes, click here.)

Back Cover Blurb

All it took was a brush with death to get her there, but Blondina finally realizes her true feelings toward Amon. It’s more than just friendship―it’s love! And so begins her quest to win over the handsome divine beast. But first things first―she’s curious to see how he looks in human form, all grown up. Luckily, Amon’s been waiting for her to ask: “…Think you can handle it?”

The Review

Amon’s now the leader of the Divine Beasts. Therefore, he has the authority to pursue the romantic relationship he’s desired with Blondina. As for Blondina, she’s finally stopped seeing Amon as a cute kitten and fallen hard for his grown human form. Sounds perfect, right? They’re both into each other, and nothing’s stopping them from getting together…except their own misunderstandings.

I’m not averse to romances where couples misread one another, but the way things play out between Amon and Blondina is more frustrating than titillating. Blondina especially seems stone-blind to what’s happening. Amon’s never made advances on Lucy, yet Blondina is stuck on the idea he’s in love with Lucy despite the fact that Amon’s paws and tongue are all over her. When he switches to human form and gets handsy with her, she attributes it to his “innocence,” and when he kisses her, she chalks it up to “mating season.” Blondina did not lead a sheltered existence. Far from it, she’s well aware that humans and Divine Beasts have sexual urges. So her behavior doesn’t make much sense, and it winds up dragging the plot.

While the developments between Amon and Blondina make me want to slap them both, the developments with Blondina’s half-siblings are much more engaging. Lart, who is now pretty much Blondina’s friend thanks to his crush on Lucy, takes steps toward actually courting the object of his affections. Adellai, on the other hand, remains as cold toward Blondina as ever and still harbors ambitions of stealing the crown from her brother. Now she gets an ally. Philip, the nobleman’s son who took an interest in Blondina before leaving to study abroad, returns. But after Amon interferes with Philip’s plans to woo Blondina, Philip teams up with Adellai in her search for the golden-haired, golden-eyed individual who can subdue Divine Beasts.

In Summary

With the ghosts of Blondina’s past dealt with and the leadership of the Divine Beasts in Amon’s paws, it’s back to the palace, where Amon starts making romantic advances toward Blondina. Unfortunately, she’s ridiculously slow to understand his intentions, so these potentially heart-throbbing moments left me annoyed instead. Thankfully, in the palace faction department, things get interesting with Lart stepping up his game in order to court Lucy while Adellai gains a valuable ally in her search for the person who can subdue Divine Beasts. All we need now is for Blondina and Amon to get on the same page with their relationship, and this story can really get going.

First published at the Fandom Post.

Manhwa Review: My Gently Raised Beast Vol. 2

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is My Gently Raised Beast. Read on for the review of Volume 2 of the manhwa. (For reviews of other volumes, click here.)

Back Cover Blurb

Time flies when you’re having fun with your talking cat, and Blondina is now a beautiful young lady! In fact, she’s right at the age to start hearing talks of marriage—a topic that makes a certain Divine Leopard very flustered… But speaking of Amon, when will he grow up? And is Blondina ready to see her dear little kitty mature into something beyond her wildest imagination?

The Review

As you might guess from the color illustration, there is a time skip in this volume. After 45 pages, which are mostly focused on the brash Prince Lart developing a crush on Blondina’s attendant Lucy, the book jumps ahead ten years. But other than the kids growing into adulthood, not much changes. The Emperor’s behavior is as inscrutable as ever, and no progress has been made in the search for the legendary individual with golden eyes and hair. Blondina’s status remains that of a barely tolerated royal, and memories of her past continue to torment her.

However, Amon’s coming-of-age ritual sets things in motion. He commands the Emperor to send Blondina to the ritual to serve as his witness. It is a momentous occasion for Amon and the two other leopards participating and provides our first real glimpse into the Divine Beasts and their forest home. Even so, this excursion from the palace feels more Blondina-centric than Amon-centric. She gets attacked by bandits hired by her half-sister Adellai. Then Amon, who is somehow able to sense Blondina is still haunted by childhood memories, takes her on a detour to her home village so she can both overcome her trauma and exact revenge upon her abusers.

Volume 1 gave a hint to Blondina’s pre-palace misery. Volume 2 fleshes out the details of her life under the village innkeepers, who could pass for Les Miserables’ Thernadiers. Except the Thernadiers didn’t have to face the wrath of a certain Divine Beast. Let’s just say Blondina and Amon get their pound of flesh.

Having resolved that, the narrative steers toward the romantic aspects of the story. In this, Blondina proves both astute and clueless. She recognizes her half-brother’s affections for Lucy. At the same time, she mistakenly believes Amon’s also in love with Lucy when he is actually in love with her. Which means she constantly misinterprets his behavior towards her. However, the close of Volume 2 hints that Amon’s going to end those misunderstandings very soon.

In Summary

My Gently Raised Beast has a lot going on–the Black Leopard’s sinister reputation, the Divine Beasts’ sway over humanity, the Emperor’s inscrutable attitude toward Blondina, the rivalry for the throne, Amon’s affections for Blondina. Unfortunately, all these elements feel disjointed so it’s hard to keep track of them. The story’s keeping my interest, mainly because character interactions are cute and entertaining, but it’s hard to tell what kind of resolution the narrative is striving toward.

First published at the Fandom Post.

Manhwa Review: My Gently Raised Beast Vol. 1

Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is My Gently Raised Beast. Read on for the review of Volume 1 of the manhwa. (For reviews of other volumes, click here.)

Back Cover Blurb

The orphaned Blondina lives a tough life on the streets, left only with a memento from her late mother—one that proves she is the child of the emperor of Ates. From the streets, Blondina moves into the royal palace where she lives a lonely existence…that is until she befriends a brash and surly cat named Amon. Not only can Amon talk, but he also turns into a cute boy! The truth is, Amon is no mere cat but rather a member of the Divine Leopard Clan, a group of powerful demi-humans often at odds with humanity. Will the two be able to stay friends despite all the conflicts?

The Review

11-year-old Blondina lives the miserable life of an orphan until a memento of her late mother reveals her to be the daughter of the Emperor! But her new life in the palace is lonely and difficult. Because of her commoner background, everyone views her with contempt, especially her royal half-siblings. Then one day, she happens across an injured black cat in the garden. She’s entranced by the cute animal, but it abruptly speaks to her, then transforms into a handsome boy. Thus begins the friendship between the ostracized princess and the divine black leopard Amon.

This manhwa gets off to a somewhat rough start with Blondina’s tragic backstory. Her blue-blooded father is searching for the legendary individual with golden eyes and hair who can subdue the divine beasts that hold humanity in contempt. Blondina’s mother was a commoner with golden eyes and hair but did not possess that special power. Even so, her father fell in love with the woman, fathered Blondina, and left to pursue the crown so that he could protect his lover and their child. But once he became emperor, he conveniently forgot about them, leaving his lover to suffer and eventually die in poverty. It isn’t until Blondina attempts to pawn the ring he left with her mother that her imperial heritage is revealed, and father and daughter are reunited. But having brought her to the palace, the Emperor treats her with an indifference bordering on cruelty. Blondina doesn’t manifest the golden hair and eyes of her mother; nor does she evoke any affection or nostalgia for him. Honestly, there’s no motivation to acknowledge his paternity at all. So it’s a wonder why the Emperor bothers incorporating her into his family when he could have easily denied their relationship. To add to that mess of a character profile, Blondina’s mom was supposedly so in love with the guy that she waited for him faithfully until her dying day eight years later. That might sound romantic to some; it makes me think she was a terrible judge of character.

As a result of this convoluted backstory, we have as our main character a friendless, commoner-turn-princess who is isolated on all fronts. Interestingly, we hear nothing about how the Emperor’s wife feels about her husband’s bastard kid joining the family. However, her son and daughter more than make up for it, becoming the chief antagonists of the story. Prince Lart is a bully of the proud, loud, and stupid variety. Princess Adellai is also haughty, but more sly. Having been told by the Emperor that he’ll name her as heir should she find the blonde, golden-eyed subduer of divine beasts, she’s secretly vying for the throne. Predictably, the half-siblings insult and mock Blondina any chance they get.

Fortunately, Blondina is not completely friendless. Lucy is a count’s daughter assigned to be her lady-in-waiting. Although other nobles snub the half-blood princess, Lucy harbors no such prejudices and embraces her role as Blondina’s companion. However, she has little to offer in terms of power and influence.

Amon, on the other hand, has power and influence in spades. He has an adorable feline form and the kitty cat tendency to play with yarn, but everyone (except Blondina) recognizes him as the most vicious of divine beasts, the black leopard. Yup, Amon is one of those divine beasts the Emperor seeks to eliminate. Like all divine beasts, Amon despises humans, but Blondina’s loneliness resonates with him. So he deigns to allow her to spoil him like the pet he appears to be. He is definitely a tsundere, with a sharp tongue and overweening attitude. However, when Blondina gets picked on, he immediately acts on her behalf.

His relationship with Blondina is kind of odd. Even though all other humans fall in fear when he appears, Blondina only ever views and treats him as her adorable kitty. On the other hand, when he is in human form, his good looks fluster her. Blondina doesn’t seem to have reconciled the two forms. In one scene, human-form Amon reduces her into a blushing, stammering mess by getting too close, but a second later, he reverts to cat form, and Blondina immediately starts petting his body all over as if nothing had happened. At any rate, Blondina is the one human who regards Amon without fear while Amon is protective towards her. Which means their relationship is bound to turn romantic eventually.

Illustrations are rendered in full color. The setting and clothing styles have a western fantasy flavor. Human and animal character designs are average, with a tendency towards cute, and expressions are often distorted to convey impact and emotion.

In Summary

When an impoverished girl discovers she’s the Emperor’s illegitimate daughter, her life goes from one kind of hard to different kind of hard. It’s a convoluted backstory that leads to stereotypical palace bullying. However, Blondina’s very unusual ally against her blue-blooded tormentors is at once an adorable little kitty and a creature that makes the strongest men tremble. This combination feels a bit odd, but if you’ve ever wanted a prickly male lead who’s tough, strong, and can’t resist playing with yarn, you can find him in My Gently Raised Beast.

First published at the Fandom Post.