A village desperate to break a drought decides to sacrifice a beautiful maiden, Soah, to Habaek the Water God. Soah goes to her death expecting to meet a monster, but not only does Habaek save her life, he is only a little boy! Soah tries to settle into life in Habaek’s palace, but she doesn’t understand the many facets of palace intrigue, where all of the gods seem to be conspiaring against each other. She’s also torn by her feelings for the handsome, but mysterious Mui, a man in the palace. What Soah doesn’t realize is that Mui is Habaek’s true form!
Yun’s manhwa is visually stunning. From the very first color pages of Soah dressed in her red wedding gown in preparation for her sacrifice, readers will be amazed by the level of detail and beauty in this series. No panel is unadorned; no bit of clothing left plain; no building neglected. There are sumptuous color pages and stunning full-page spreads. The women are gorgeous and the men are handsome, all with a slightly sharp edge to their profiles to alert readers to their devious natures. Unfortunately, Yun is not quite as successful at drawing emotion as she is at drawing figures. Her characters all seem slightly flat, as if they were merely puppets.
But the main problem is with Yun’s storytelling….
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Bride of the Water God, vol. 1-5
Mi-Kyung Yun
Volume 1: ISBN 978-1-59307-849-2
Volume 2: ISBN 978-1-59307-883-6
Volume 3: ISBN 978-1-59582-305-2
Volume 4: ISBN 978-1-59582-378-6
Volume 5: ISBN 978-1-59582-445-5
Dark Horse Comics, 2007-2010
