The first volume of this Korean manhwa
series is, well, very Korean—even readers accustomed to the look of Japanese comics may be confused, not just by its cultural references, but by its storytelling techniques. In Ye-Ri's hands, very different drawing styles butt up against each other. Any given character may be drawn as a realistic, glamorous-looking teenager in one panel and as an impish, cartoony kid in the next, to underscore his or her psychological state. And there's plenty of psychological flux going on. Protagonist Mi-Roo Yoo has a heavy burden to bear for a 15-year-old entering high school: her father's a salaryman facing layoffs at his company; her twin brother, Ma-Roo, is a lucky but lazy slacker (and Mi-Roo might have a little crush on Ma-Roo's best friend); her sister, Na-Roo, is an overworked, stress-crazed manhwa
artist; and Mi-Roo's pretty much the only one keeping her household going. There's not much more to the plot than mild domestic friction and social jockeying in school, and the story's wild fluctuations in tone are jarring. Also, for a major character, Mi-Roo is strangely blank; though big-hearted and resilient, she doesn't have a very distinct personality. Still, there's some entertaining material, particularly a goofy scene with Na-Roo and her fellow cartoonists frantically trying to meet a deadline. (Aug.)
