Genre: Action, Drama, Romance, Supernatural
Author: Hwang Mi Ri
Volumes: 24 (Nice and chunky)
Ha Ji Kang used to be picked on by her brothers who would use her as a practise dummy for their martial arts. Running to her friend for help she is told to stand up on both legs and fight her own battles, otherwise people would look down on her as a dog that needs to be looked after. Having taken this advice to heart she is now the leader of a gang and has whipped her brothers – as well as others – into submission. All of this changes, however, when she smashes straight into a truck during one of her gang’s bike rides. After waking up in the body of the ever so feminine and delicate Aram Han, Ha Ji will be facing many different obstacles ranging from bullying to attempted murder.
If there’s one thing in the world that I know, it is that this series had me hooked from the very first volume. Granted, the opening premise isn’t exactly the most original, but there isn’t much that is these days. Ha Ji’s character is something that always had me chuckling to myself while I was reading; her almost unconditional trust in her friend Han Seo Jang is cute and reassuring, but unfortunately that blind trust is something that throws her and the other main character involved into a horrible messy circle of revenge and cruelty. Most, if not all, of the characters present a fantastic representation of how everyone in society is hiding behind a mask, and it’s interesting to see what happens when these masks are broken, which is what the entire series seems to be exploring.
Maybe it’s just the way that it’s printed or something, but Manhwa has always looked quite grainy to me, not that I’m complaining. Even if you don’t like it it’s easy to ignore as it all comes together into one nice set of pictures, but I suppose that’s just the difference in styles when compared with Manga, which tends to use slightly thicker, more solid outlines to paint the picture.
I love it to bits regardless of the art style, but sometimes it can be quite hard to get used to, not to mention the overabundance of names and families. Sometimes Manhwa has so many different characters with too many names to remember that I’ve had the strong urge to just put it down and walk away, but if that was enough of a reason then there’s a lot of great series that I wouldn’t have read by now. Funnily enough this series doesn’t present so many names that differentiating between them is like trying to pick out a wasp in a swarm of bees. Sure, for me it took a little time to get used to who was whom and what was what, but I got there eventually, and if I can do it then there’s no way in hell you should be complaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It carries on for 24 volumes but I never got tired of it as it constantly ducked and weaved its way through the plot beautifully from start to finish. Relationships often switched around multiple times and various plot twists allowed a fresh start for many of the characters and their place in the series. One thing I especially liked was how people acted behind the poker faces they’d made for themselves compared with how they spoke to other people, and how getting too used to using that poker face could sometimes screw them over. There are multiple points in the series where the stories just suddenly stops and makes a sharp turn in direction, so you can be sure that you’ll never be bored with it, and it’s great for questioning your trust in certain characters and presenting you with doubt only to take it back. Something else that I like is that this series constantly reminds you that no matter who it is, everyone has a wicked, selfish side to them. Even if it’s small and insignificant, it still exists.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this series, but I have been told that it is very similar to her other works, so if you’ve read some of the author’s other series you may end up the same regurgitated character types and plot twists. If you enjoy duality and opposing personalities clashing then this series is most certainly for you, and after some time it will have you asking yourself who has the best poker face, and who is truly the most wicked of them all.
