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Bride of the Water God #1
A vízisten menyasszonya 1.
Az elszegényedett, kétségbeesett falu, ahol Szoa eddigi életét élte, úgy hiszi, ha feláldoznak egy szép lányt Habeknek, a víz istenének, a kis közösség megmenekül, és végre eljön a rég áhított eső. Ennek érdekében vízbe veszejtik Szoát. A fiatal lány nagy meglepetésére azonban ahelyett, hogy megölné, Habek megmenti, ráadásul varázslatos királyságába invitálja, ahol egy izgalmas, új élet vár rá. A legmeglepőbb azonban maga a víz istene, és hogy mennyire különbözik attól a szörnyetegtől, akinek Szoa képzelte. A vízisten menyasszonya varázslatos és romantikus történetével, lenyűgöző rajzstílusával 2006-ban Korea legnépszerűbb szundzsong, lányoknak szóló manhwája volt.
196 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2006
126 people are currently reading
4183 people want to read
About the author
Mi-Kyung Yun
33 books188 followersName (in native language): 윤미경
Associated Names:
Mi-kyung Yoon
Юн Ми Гён
尹美庚
Mi-Kyung Kun is a Korean manhwa artist. She is the author of Bride of the Water God series (original title: 하백의 신부).
She received the Silver Medal for Seoul Media Group's "Shin-in-gong-mo-jeon" ("New Artist Debut Competition") for Na-eu Ji-gu Bang-moon-gi (The Journey of My Earth Visit) in 2003.
She received a "Shin-in-sang" ("Best New Artist") award from the Dokja-manhwa-daesang organization for Railroad in 2004.
Fan Forum: http://cafe.daum.net/winkalryd
Associated Names:
Mi-kyung Yoon
Юн Ми Гён
尹美庚
Mi-Kyung Kun is a Korean manhwa artist. She is the author of Bride of the Water God series (original title: 하백의 신부).
She received the Silver Medal for Seoul Media Group's "Shin-in-gong-mo-jeon" ("New Artist Debut Competition") for Na-eu Ji-gu Bang-moon-gi (The Journey of My Earth Visit) in 2003.
She received a "Shin-in-sang" ("Best New Artist") award from the Dokja-manhwa-daesang organization for Railroad in 2004.
Fan Forum: http://cafe.daum.net/winkalryd
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 378 reviews
August 12, 2017
Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
When Soah’s desperate village sacrifices her to the Water God Habaek to end a long drought, they believe she will bring much-needed rain. Not only is she rescued by the Water God, she’s a welcomed guest in his magical kingdom!
I totally picked this up because there is a K-drama of this manhwa running right now!! It is set in modern times while this is set in historical times when they believed sacrificing a person could bring the weather change they need to survive.
Art/Illustrations>⭐⭐⭐⭐
THE ART!! WOW!! It is truly breathtaking! It's better with color but the black and white are still gorgeous... It hearkens back to an older art style when manga first became popular and were still incredibly detailed. This is a manhwa and they like this style a lot. The problem with the style and why manga became more streamlined is because it's not always clear what is happening in a frame. When you feel befuddled about what is going on you start to come out of the story and get more and more frustrated. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. Their names aren't used a lot so it makes you feel lost. The look of the characters is compelling and I know the men are different just not who they are! Soah's face is rather expressive and really helped keep me grounded in the art.
Story/Plot>⭐⭐⭐⭐
The plot is COMPELLING! I love this kind of old-fashioned story and adding in gods and goddesses and all that power play between them is quite compelling. We meet a BIG player here in the first volume as well as the gods that surround Habaek. I liked the twists surrounding Habaek and that seems to be the central plot point besides meeting the other characters and getting some details about the world. Nothing is really explained!! It makes it feel like a rather formless plot. As there seems to be little reason as we flit from scene to scene and there are few transitions as we abruptly pass between interactions. Combined with the uncertain art it can be quite confusing! In a first volume you aren't going to learn much, its all about being intrigued and that I AM!
Chapter Endings>⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's hard to tell where these even are! It doesn't say a chapter number like in manga so you just flow from page to page, there is no break. I searched out a couple and they are compelling endings but they are about adding to your questions at this point not revealing anything. I'm sucked into the story but it's a rather formless feeling like exploring something new and not having near enough answers.
Main Characters>⭐⭐⭐⭐
Soah - The bride of the Water God. I really like her. She is rather passive compared to modern girls but hey that is how it was back then. Women had little power and anyone who'd allow themselves to be sacrificed to the Water God is not big on rebelling. This may irritate some readers. I'm more compelled by the fact that she wants to get along and live in the water kingdom!
Habaek - The Water God. Talk about a random little sneak! I feel like he has A LOT of history and we don't know but the minutest of things. TONS of it is hinted at in this volume and i'd say most of the plot will be coming from his back history. I wish I understood at least one of his motivations so that I had something to root for or hold onto about him. At this point he seems random even though I know he's not.
Together they have chemistry and I am rooting for them to fall in love even though there hasn't really been enough to say that I think they are starting to yet... I feel like Soah just met the real Habaek! So I'm still out on whether to ship this couple of not!
Side Characters>⭐⭐⭐⭐
Relationships>⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a MASSIVE number of characters to meet in the first volume! I went back and took a picture of everyone in the volume to become familiar with them and I realized each was quite compelling and added real depth to the first bit of story but it was A LOT to grasp... You don't really know the purpose of everyone yet but you are starting to get a sense of their natures. My favorite at this point is Tae-eul-jin-in because he loves to push Habaek's buttons... There is an obvious bromance between Habaek and Hu-ye but also some history too... I'm probably most intrigued by these two besides our lead couple!
Hu-ye - The commander of the Water Kingdom.
Mura - The Witch of Chung Yo Mountains in love with Habaek.
Ju-dong - The God of Fire.
Yo-hee - A goddess who is fond of Soah.
Tae-eul-jin-in - A doctor and inventor in the Water Kingdom.
Suh-wang-mo, Yanghee - The Queen Mother of the West and the Goddess of Death, she is Habaek's mother.
Yook-oh - A grandfatherly butler who serves the Water God.
Banwing - A masked messenger who serves the Emperor.
Overall, I was quite compelled by this volume and I am looking forward to the next couple that I have picked up... I an already starting to see the connections to the K-drama having read this volume (and learning the names of each character!!) I do want a better delineated plot and better reveals at the end of chapters.
BOTTOM LINE: A gorgeous manhwa that looks to be very political and romantic.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...
When Soah’s desperate village sacrifices her to the Water God Habaek to end a long drought, they believe she will bring much-needed rain. Not only is she rescued by the Water God, she’s a welcomed guest in his magical kingdom!
I totally picked this up because there is a K-drama of this manhwa running right now!! It is set in modern times while this is set in historical times when they believed sacrificing a person could bring the weather change they need to survive.
Art/Illustrations>⭐⭐⭐⭐
THE ART!! WOW!! It is truly breathtaking! It's better with color but the black and white are still gorgeous... It hearkens back to an older art style when manga first became popular and were still incredibly detailed. This is a manhwa and they like this style a lot. The problem with the style and why manga became more streamlined is because it's not always clear what is happening in a frame. When you feel befuddled about what is going on you start to come out of the story and get more and more frustrated. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. Their names aren't used a lot so it makes you feel lost. The look of the characters is compelling and I know the men are different just not who they are! Soah's face is rather expressive and really helped keep me grounded in the art.
Story/Plot>⭐⭐⭐⭐
The plot is COMPELLING! I love this kind of old-fashioned story and adding in gods and goddesses and all that power play between them is quite compelling. We meet a BIG player here in the first volume as well as the gods that surround Habaek. I liked the twists surrounding Habaek and that seems to be the central plot point besides meeting the other characters and getting some details about the world. Nothing is really explained!! It makes it feel like a rather formless plot. As there seems to be little reason as we flit from scene to scene and there are few transitions as we abruptly pass between interactions. Combined with the uncertain art it can be quite confusing! In a first volume you aren't going to learn much, its all about being intrigued and that I AM!
Chapter Endings>⭐⭐⭐⭐
It's hard to tell where these even are! It doesn't say a chapter number like in manga so you just flow from page to page, there is no break. I searched out a couple and they are compelling endings but they are about adding to your questions at this point not revealing anything. I'm sucked into the story but it's a rather formless feeling like exploring something new and not having near enough answers.
Main Characters>⭐⭐⭐⭐
Soah - The bride of the Water God. I really like her. She is rather passive compared to modern girls but hey that is how it was back then. Women had little power and anyone who'd allow themselves to be sacrificed to the Water God is not big on rebelling. This may irritate some readers. I'm more compelled by the fact that she wants to get along and live in the water kingdom!
Habaek - The Water God. Talk about a random little sneak! I feel like he has A LOT of history and we don't know but the minutest of things. TONS of it is hinted at in this volume and i'd say most of the plot will be coming from his back history. I wish I understood at least one of his motivations so that I had something to root for or hold onto about him. At this point he seems random even though I know he's not.
Together they have chemistry and I am rooting for them to fall in love even though there hasn't really been enough to say that I think they are starting to yet... I feel like Soah just met the real Habaek! So I'm still out on whether to ship this couple of not!
Side Characters>⭐⭐⭐⭐
Relationships>⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a MASSIVE number of characters to meet in the first volume! I went back and took a picture of everyone in the volume to become familiar with them and I realized each was quite compelling and added real depth to the first bit of story but it was A LOT to grasp... You don't really know the purpose of everyone yet but you are starting to get a sense of their natures. My favorite at this point is Tae-eul-jin-in because he loves to push Habaek's buttons... There is an obvious bromance between Habaek and Hu-ye but also some history too... I'm probably most intrigued by these two besides our lead couple!
Hu-ye - The commander of the Water Kingdom.
Mura - The Witch of Chung Yo Mountains in love with Habaek.
Ju-dong - The God of Fire.
Yo-hee - A goddess who is fond of Soah.
Tae-eul-jin-in - A doctor and inventor in the Water Kingdom.
Suh-wang-mo, Yanghee - The Queen Mother of the West and the Goddess of Death, she is Habaek's mother.
Yook-oh - A grandfatherly butler who serves the Water God.
Banwing - A masked messenger who serves the Emperor.
Overall, I was quite compelled by this volume and I am looking forward to the next couple that I have picked up... I an already starting to see the connections to the K-drama having read this volume (and learning the names of each character!!) I do want a better delineated plot and better reveals at the end of chapters.
BOTTOM LINE: A gorgeous manhwa that looks to be very political and romantic.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...
July 7, 2022
3.5 stars
Knowing a bit of Korean folktales will help with this manhwa, as it's based on the legends of a water god (sometimes in the shape of a sea dragon) that takes a human girl given as a sacrificial offering to him as a bride in exchange for rain or prosperity. It is a tale that has variants in Korea, Japan, and China, and lately seems to be attracting a lot of attention for YA fantasy and retelling authors.
Mi-Kyung Yun makes to concessions to the readers here, it's confusing to follow the plot at times, and you're always trying to guess who is this person or that other. And although you're not left wholly in the dark, if you're a Westerner with no understanding of the water god/sea dragon myth, you're likely to feel a bit lost. A glossary at the end would've helped with this confusion with names and places.
The plot is similar to other stories tackling this myth: a beautiful girl from a village is thrown into the water to appease the Water God so he'll end up a drought that's killing the population. But the girl doesn't die, and instead is taken to the abode of the Water God, who turns out to be a child. He's under a curse that forces him to be a weak and powerless child in the day and only recover his true form alongside his powers by night. Why does this happen? We don't know yet, but you can guess there's someone amongst the gods that's holding Habaek hostage. He never tells Soah, the girl, though, and this secrecy basically drives the plot as she mistakenly believes he's a different person. I didn't like that this seems to rely heavily on the Big Misunderstanding trope, but it could also be part of the curse that he doesn't reveal who he is, as sometimes the curse includes a clause about not being able to disclose details. I'd hope it's the latter, because I really don't like this trope.
The artwork is beautiful, very beautiful, although also stiff. The author does facial expressions better than anatomy, and hopefully she improves in later volumes and the character's movements and gestures become more fluid.
Knowing a bit of Korean folktales will help with this manhwa, as it's based on the legends of a water god (sometimes in the shape of a sea dragon) that takes a human girl given as a sacrificial offering to him as a bride in exchange for rain or prosperity. It is a tale that has variants in Korea, Japan, and China, and lately seems to be attracting a lot of attention for YA fantasy and retelling authors.
Mi-Kyung Yun makes to concessions to the readers here, it's confusing to follow the plot at times, and you're always trying to guess who is this person or that other. And although you're not left wholly in the dark, if you're a Westerner with no understanding of the water god/sea dragon myth, you're likely to feel a bit lost. A glossary at the end would've helped with this confusion with names and places.
The plot is similar to other stories tackling this myth: a beautiful girl from a village is thrown into the water to appease the Water God so he'll end up a drought that's killing the population. But the girl doesn't die, and instead is taken to the abode of the Water God, who turns out to be a child. He's under a curse that forces him to be a weak and powerless child in the day and only recover his true form alongside his powers by night. Why does this happen? We don't know yet, but you can guess there's someone amongst the gods that's holding Habaek hostage. He never tells Soah, the girl, though, and this secrecy basically drives the plot as she mistakenly believes he's a different person. I didn't like that this seems to rely heavily on the Big Misunderstanding trope, but it could also be part of the curse that he doesn't reveal who he is, as sometimes the curse includes a clause about not being able to disclose details. I'd hope it's the latter, because I really don't like this trope.
The artwork is beautiful, very beautiful, although also stiff. The author does facial expressions better than anatomy, and hopefully she improves in later volumes and the character's movements and gestures become more fluid.
July 20, 2014
The setting is interesting. Soah is given/sacrificed to the water god Habaek as his bride, in hopes of getting rain. She finds herself in a city of gods or supernatural beings, maybe under the water, it isn't clear, married to a small boy who mostly ignores her. But not much happens plotwise and the characters are pretty flat.
On a similar note, the art has very pretty decorative motifs and nice backgrounds, but the drawing f the people is not very pleasing to be. They are all pointy and attenuated, like the artist was a student enamored of Aubrey Beardsley but not sufficiently skilled to pull it off. Too busy working in a hundred locks of flying hair to study anatomy.
I'm picking up the next volume only because this one ended with a total cliffhanger (grr).
On a similar note, the art has very pretty decorative motifs and nice backgrounds, but the drawing f the people is not very pleasing to be. They are all pointy and attenuated, like the artist was a student enamored of Aubrey Beardsley but not sufficiently skilled to pull it off. Too busy working in a hundred locks of flying hair to study anatomy.
I'm picking up the next volume only because this one ended with a total cliffhanger (grr).
May 14, 2012
I'm a dedicated fan of Japanese manga, but even I have to admit the Koreans take the cake for beautiful graphic art. I always think that since the stories of manga/manhwa are static the drawing style is very important. This manhwa is delicately drawn and absolutely gorgeous. There is a certain openness to it, countered by the grand and detailed costumes and characters (they are divine after all). It's a good thing that this manwah has a quietness. It's full of pregnant pauses, giving the reader the opportunity to stop and admire the pictures.
I don't mean to suggest that beauty is all this story has going for it. Soah is a strong, if initially pitiable, girl who accepts her fate. Be it being sacrificed by her village, or being rescued by the Water God. The Gods, themselves, all have their own aloof characters. They're almost immortal (if not immortal) and a definite sense of frustration and boredom seeps through. You can sense that the mores they abide by aren't quite the same as on the mortal plane.
The story has love, drama, intrigue, and sacrifice. I've read up to volume 14 and am still enamored with the story. I'll definitely be reading on. Highly recommended.
I don't mean to suggest that beauty is all this story has going for it. Soah is a strong, if initially pitiable, girl who accepts her fate. Be it being sacrificed by her village, or being rescued by the Water God. The Gods, themselves, all have their own aloof characters. They're almost immortal (if not immortal) and a definite sense of frustration and boredom seeps through. You can sense that the mores they abide by aren't quite the same as on the mortal plane.
The story has love, drama, intrigue, and sacrifice. I've read up to volume 14 and am still enamored with the story. I'll definitely be reading on. Highly recommended.
October 29, 2016
The art was beautiful, but everything about the story and characters was unremarkable. Even though I read it, if anyone asked me what it was about, I wouldn't be able to tell them much more than what the title already proclaims: "It's about a girl who marries the water god."
Soah is a dull character with very little personality. She's pretty and she can get lost anywhere, but there's not much else to her. She shows a hint of emotion when she yells at Habaek about having not given the village rain yet and when she sucks up to Habaek's mother, but that's it. Also, when it's hinted that bad things have happened to past brides of Habaek, she asks one character who tells her next to nothing and she's satisfied with that and doesn't bring it up again. I'm not sure if it's because Bride of the Water God is a Korean period piece, but Soah has almost no emotion.
Habaek is the cliche "I'm a god so deal with it" kind of character. He acts tough, but it seems he'll do what Soah asks. I find his transformation an interesting quality, but otherwise he's pretty typical.
What's sad is, I could probably describe the side characters better than I can the main two. It's not like they've shown up nearly as much, but in the short times they appear, you see far more of their character than Soah and Habaek show in a whole volume.
As for story, there isn't one. It's seriously just, "Girl marries water god." Soah and Habaek are just so... lacking in character that the usual plot lines that can arise from girl meets god can't happen (learning to get along, discovering something in the other person, falling in love, etc). And as it is, there isn't anything that has been introduced that HINT at a story differing from the usual ones.
In short, poor story, side characters are more interesting than the main, and pretty, pretty art.
EDIT: After a reread, I've decided to give one more volume a shot. I think part of the problem is that I know next to nothing about Korean mythology and religion and such. I can't shake the feeling that I'm just clueless and that's why I don't "get" it.
My earlier opinions still stand, but I figure I'll give another volume a shot.
Soah is a dull character with very little personality. She's pretty and she can get lost anywhere, but there's not much else to her. She shows a hint of emotion when she yells at Habaek about having not given the village rain yet and when she sucks up to Habaek's mother, but that's it. Also, when it's hinted that bad things have happened to past brides of Habaek, she asks one character who tells her next to nothing and she's satisfied with that and doesn't bring it up again. I'm not sure if it's because Bride of the Water God is a Korean period piece, but Soah has almost no emotion.
Habaek is the cliche "I'm a god so deal with it" kind of character. He acts tough, but it seems he'll do what Soah asks. I find his transformation an interesting quality, but otherwise he's pretty typical.
What's sad is, I could probably describe the side characters better than I can the main two. It's not like they've shown up nearly as much, but in the short times they appear, you see far more of their character than Soah and Habaek show in a whole volume.
As for story, there isn't one. It's seriously just, "Girl marries water god." Soah and Habaek are just so... lacking in character that the usual plot lines that can arise from girl meets god can't happen (learning to get along, discovering something in the other person, falling in love, etc). And as it is, there isn't anything that has been introduced that HINT at a story differing from the usual ones.
In short, poor story, side characters are more interesting than the main, and pretty, pretty art.
EDIT: After a reread, I've decided to give one more volume a shot. I think part of the problem is that I know next to nothing about Korean mythology and religion and such. I can't shake the feeling that I'm just clueless and that's why I don't "get" it.
My earlier opinions still stand, but I figure I'll give another volume a shot.
October 11, 2010
The story is interesting so far, a lot of mystery and if it were a movie it would be a 'silent' film, in the sense that there is a sort of quietness and ethereal quality to it. The cinematography would be amazing because the artwork is just stunning.
Reminds me a bit of Psyche and Cupid, which is one of my absolute favorite myths.
Reminds me a bit of Psyche and Cupid, which is one of my absolute favorite myths.
April 6, 2019
1.5.
--
Man, I was so excited to get this volume in at the library. I was certain, based on my own reading preferences (monster romance, court intrigue, hidden/split identities, mythological setting, etc.) that I would love it.
But ultimately, a few things went wrong. The first was my own fault: I failed to realize that Habaek's "beast" form was not an actual beast but . . . a little boy. -_- This was monumentally dumb of me because it's literally right in the description of the series, but there you have it. It didn't work for me at all, and I was immediately put-off.
The other faults are faults of the actual story construction and art style.
First, the plot was rushed beyond belief. There was no build-up to Soah's sacrifice to the water god, nor any time spent in her village establishing a sense of tension/terror around that impending sacrifice. We see flashes of Soah's distress as the volume progresses, but these are abstract at best. The characters as a whole were hollowly constructed, their interactions stilted and choppy.
The art style worked for me . . . and it didn't. What I mean by that is, the scenery and background was often stunningly drawn and intricately detailed. But the characters had such strange, beanpole construction. The proportions of their bodies were so weird that I found myself vaguely repulsed by them, despite the narrative stating clearly that they are all inhumanly beautiful.
Considering only one library in my network has the full set, and there's no way to request the next volume, I'm going to tap out on this series. I know there's a K-drama of the same name out there; if anything, I'm going to check that out to see if it does more justice to the concept.
--
Man, I was so excited to get this volume in at the library. I was certain, based on my own reading preferences (monster romance, court intrigue, hidden/split identities, mythological setting, etc.) that I would love it.
But ultimately, a few things went wrong. The first was my own fault: I failed to realize that Habaek's "beast" form was not an actual beast but . . . a little boy. -_- This was monumentally dumb of me because it's literally right in the description of the series, but there you have it. It didn't work for me at all, and I was immediately put-off.
The other faults are faults of the actual story construction and art style.
First, the plot was rushed beyond belief. There was no build-up to Soah's sacrifice to the water god, nor any time spent in her village establishing a sense of tension/terror around that impending sacrifice. We see flashes of Soah's distress as the volume progresses, but these are abstract at best. The characters as a whole were hollowly constructed, their interactions stilted and choppy.
The art style worked for me . . . and it didn't. What I mean by that is, the scenery and background was often stunningly drawn and intricately detailed. But the characters had such strange, beanpole construction. The proportions of their bodies were so weird that I found myself vaguely repulsed by them, despite the narrative stating clearly that they are all inhumanly beautiful.
Considering only one library in my network has the full set, and there's no way to request the next volume, I'm going to tap out on this series. I know there's a K-drama of the same name out there; if anything, I'm going to check that out to see if it does more justice to the concept.
March 30, 2017
The drawings in this Manwha (Korean Manga) story are just so lovely and detailed. The story of a God who is a child during the day and an adult at night is an interesting plot line. The problem I had was that at times the characters seemed very interchangeable. In that I had a hard time distinguishing them. Still and all, it was interesting enough for me to want to read the next book in the series.
February 23, 2015
I can't get through volume 5. I've been trying all night, but I'm just not into the story. I'll post a review for vols 1-4 in a bit.
2/19/15 - At the end of volume 4, the author says a reader wrote her a letter saying that the epilogue was more interesting than the actual story. Yes, precious reader. This series is just not well written so far and the story is incoherent and boring. I have the next 3 volumes so I'll read them, but if the story hasn't picked up by then I'll be marking this DNF and simply reviewing what I've read so far.
Read the first 3 volumes and I'm still getting into the story which is a little...sluggish and inconsistent in some way. Nice art though.
2/19/15 - At the end of volume 4, the author says a reader wrote her a letter saying that the epilogue was more interesting than the actual story. Yes, precious reader. This series is just not well written so far and the story is incoherent and boring. I have the next 3 volumes so I'll read them, but if the story hasn't picked up by then I'll be marking this DNF and simply reviewing what I've read so far.
Read the first 3 volumes and I'm still getting into the story which is a little...sluggish and inconsistent in some way. Nice art though.
January 27, 2018
While I am only giving this manhwa 2 stars, I will be continuing on to see if the story improves. The artwork in this is absolutely stunning and if I was rating on artwork alone it would 5 stars. The concept is good - a young girl is sacrificed to be the bride of a water god by her drought-stricken village. The problem with this was the execution. The story is all over the place with barely any plot or conflict. The characters are stock standard and dialogue awkward. This is a debut by Mi-Kyung Yun so I look forward to continuing to see if her storytelling abilities improve with practice.
November 26, 2015
This is a review for the whole manhwa, or up to whichever point I abandoned it.
It began well enough: a girl named Soah was sacrificed to become the bride of the Water God in order that rain would fall again on the village, and the Water God turned out to be a little sulky boy. It is a romantic comedy with the usual formula of the hero and heroine quarreling with each other, then slowly growing closer, and finally falling deeply in love. But as more characters are introduced and the story progressed, everything starts to crumble.
The Water God turns into a full-grown man at night and maybe because readers may see something pedophilia-ish about a kid-groom with an adult bride (think Black Butler, Vol. 1), the adult Water God has more appearance than the child-form. Then what is the point of having that cute kid if in the end you do away with him - the story will proceed just as well. It is pointless accouterments.
And if you are looking for a strong heroine, you will not find it in Soah. She got some spunk in the beginning, but then she slowly becomes diluted into this passive tear-shedding damsel-in-distress. Still, she is not the main problem.
There are many characters and they have their own stories, their own pasts. Which is not a problem, if only the author knows how to tell them! Other manga or comic or novel will mix around everyone's narration so you get a bit of a taste about each. But this manhwa will bang! Give you the past about characters A and B which goes on for a few looooong chapters, or maybe even more than a volume, until you either forget the main characters are supposed to be Soah and the Water God, or you just lose your patience and scream dammit like you care about these side characters!!!
At most I will recommend the first volume. The drawing lacks identity, I cannot tell Mi-Kyung Yun's style from other shoujo manhwa manga out there. The anatomy is screwed up with the characters' limbs being too long, and the focus is given more to the costume and ornaments (which are beautiful but do not make up for everything). And worst of all the characters look so alike.
It had been a dull, insufferable read.
It began well enough: a girl named Soah was sacrificed to become the bride of the Water God in order that rain would fall again on the village, and the Water God turned out to be a little sulky boy. It is a romantic comedy with the usual formula of the hero and heroine quarreling with each other, then slowly growing closer, and finally falling deeply in love. But as more characters are introduced and the story progressed, everything starts to crumble.
The Water God turns into a full-grown man at night and maybe because readers may see something pedophilia-ish about a kid-groom with an adult bride (think Black Butler, Vol. 1), the adult Water God has more appearance than the child-form. Then what is the point of having that cute kid if in the end you do away with him - the story will proceed just as well. It is pointless accouterments.
And if you are looking for a strong heroine, you will not find it in Soah. She got some spunk in the beginning, but then she slowly becomes diluted into this passive tear-shedding damsel-in-distress. Still, she is not the main problem.
There are many characters and they have their own stories, their own pasts. Which is not a problem, if only the author knows how to tell them! Other manga or comic or novel will mix around everyone's narration so you get a bit of a taste about each. But this manhwa will bang! Give you the past about characters A and B which goes on for a few looooong chapters, or maybe even more than a volume, until you either forget the main characters are supposed to be Soah and the Water God, or you just lose your patience and scream dammit like you care about these side characters!!!
At most I will recommend the first volume. The drawing lacks identity, I cannot tell Mi-Kyung Yun's style from other shoujo manhwa manga out there. The anatomy is screwed up with the characters' limbs being too long, and the focus is given more to the costume and ornaments (which are beautiful but do not make up for everything). And worst of all the characters look so alike.
It had been a dull, insufferable read.
December 20, 2018
This shizz is cheesy and cliched af. I'm enjoying it.
May 23, 2021
Soah's village is desperate to end a long drought, so they decide to sacrifice her to the Water God, Habaek. Instead of just drowning, Soah wakes up in the land of Suguk, where she learns that Habaek is a child. What she doesn't realize is that the child she sees is only one of Habaek's forms - for some reason, he must spend days as a child but grows into an adult form at night.
I don't know how I feel about this series yet. The story was very slow to get going - all this volume accomplished was introducing several gods I tended to mix up, plus Habaek's mother, the goddess of punishment and torture (how's that for an intimidating mother-in-law?). Also, it appears that there might be a love triangle. Soah initially mistook Huye for Habaek and was relieved that he was good-looking. Also, Habaek might find himself in competition with himself later on in the series, depending on when he finally tells Soah the truth: when Soah first saw him in his adult form, he told her his name was Mui and didn't correct her assumption that he was Habaek's older cousin.
Yeesh, the character relationships are already a bit complicated. At any rate, I own three more volumes and am willing to see where this goes, although the series' out-of-print status makes me hope that it doesn't work for me overall.
The artwork is pretty enough - I particularly like the full-page illustrations. I'm not always a fan of the way the author draws people, though, very long and bony.
Extras:
A couple full-color pages that are so lovely I wish the entire volume could've been in color, plus an amusing/cute 2-page comic-style afterword by the author.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I don't know how I feel about this series yet. The story was very slow to get going - all this volume accomplished was introducing several gods I tended to mix up, plus Habaek's mother, the goddess of punishment and torture (how's that for an intimidating mother-in-law?). Also, it appears that there might be a love triangle. Soah initially mistook Huye for Habaek and was relieved that he was good-looking. Also, Habaek might find himself in competition with himself later on in the series, depending on when he finally tells Soah the truth: when Soah first saw him in his adult form, he told her his name was Mui and didn't correct her assumption that he was Habaek's older cousin.
Yeesh, the character relationships are already a bit complicated. At any rate, I own three more volumes and am willing to see where this goes, although the series' out-of-print status makes me hope that it doesn't work for me overall.
The artwork is pretty enough - I particularly like the full-page illustrations. I'm not always a fan of the way the author draws people, though, very long and bony.
Extras:
A couple full-color pages that are so lovely I wish the entire volume could've been in color, plus an amusing/cute 2-page comic-style afterword by the author.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 8, 2018
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...
Just a quick review on this one. Bride of the Water God is a Korean manga about a girl named Soah who is sacrificed in order to alleviate a drought in her hometown. She is sent away to marry the water god, Habaek. And by “marry the water god,” we mean a polite euphemism for drowning. But Soah doesn’t die, and instead is taken to the realm of the gods, to *actually* marry the water god. When she gets to his world, Soah quickly realizes that the water god Habaek is not who she thought he was. She was expecting a powerful but mercurial god, and instead, she found a little kid! But Habaek is also full of secrets, and there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Bride of the Water God has gorgeous artwork and a fairy tale plot. Habaek is not entirely likable yet, but still sympathetic. And Soah is in way over her head, but she’s going to adapt well to being in the world of the gods. It’s a cute story so far with lots of intrigue, which is good, because I have Volume 2 sitting on my shelf.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/20...
Just a quick review on this one. Bride of the Water God is a Korean manga about a girl named Soah who is sacrificed in order to alleviate a drought in her hometown. She is sent away to marry the water god, Habaek. And by “marry the water god,” we mean a polite euphemism for drowning. But Soah doesn’t die, and instead is taken to the realm of the gods, to *actually* marry the water god. When she gets to his world, Soah quickly realizes that the water god Habaek is not who she thought he was. She was expecting a powerful but mercurial god, and instead, she found a little kid! But Habaek is also full of secrets, and there’s more to him than meets the eye.
Bride of the Water God has gorgeous artwork and a fairy tale plot. Habaek is not entirely likable yet, but still sympathetic. And Soah is in way over her head, but she’s going to adapt well to being in the world of the gods. It’s a cute story so far with lots of intrigue, which is good, because I have Volume 2 sitting on my shelf.
February 7, 2017
Synopsis:
"When Soah’s impoverished, desperate village decides to sacrifice her to the Water God Habaek to end a long drought, they believe that drowning one beautiful girl will save their entire community and bring much-needed rain. Not only is Soah surprised to be rescued by the Water God — instead of killed — she never imagined she’d be a welcomed guest in Habaek’s magical kingdom, where an exciting new life awaits her! Most surprising, however, is the Water God himself... and how very different he is from the monster Soah imagined."
Bride of the Water God is without a doubt the prettiest
The gorgeous illustrations were what captured my attention, and that synopsis was what convinced me to give it a read. I love myths and stories based on Asian elements, so those bonuses didn't hurt either. However, while this manhwa was a feast the eyes, storytelling-wise, it was all kinds of confusing. The plot was all over the place, which made it difficult for me to really get into this world. That was definitely a letdown.
I did really like the artstyle of this series, though, so I'll give it a couple more volumes to redeem itself before I completely cast it aside as a lost cause.
June 11, 2010
Well, this thing is gorgeous. Even if the story were total crap, I'd still read it, engrossed in the pictures.
It is much like the other manhwa I have listed, Goong. In fact, the plot is damn near identical. Girl-in-forced-marriage-thrown-into-a-palace-with-lots-of-goings-on-behind-the-scenes. All of these people have really great hair.
Despite problems with the story, it's definitely got its ups. Soah is easy to feel for. She's forced into her situation, she's all alone in a potentially dangerous setting, her mother-in-law is the goddess of torture and punishment--awesome. She also retains something of a backbone and a personality. It's atmospheric, I guess, dream-like. Sure, you don't have any idea what's going on sometimes, but whatever. PRETTY.
It's an entertaining read, actually; enough that I buy it.
It is much like the other manhwa I have listed, Goong. In fact, the plot is damn near identical. Girl-in-forced-marriage-thrown-into-a-palace-with-lots-of-goings-on-behind-the-scenes. All of these people have really great hair.
Despite problems with the story, it's definitely got its ups. Soah is easy to feel for. She's forced into her situation, she's all alone in a potentially dangerous setting, her mother-in-law is the goddess of torture and punishment--awesome. She also retains something of a backbone and a personality. It's atmospheric, I guess, dream-like. Sure, you don't have any idea what's going on sometimes, but whatever. PRETTY.
It's an entertaining read, actually; enough that I buy it.
May 29, 2015
Mmmm, not really for me.
It sounded interesting. A girl is sacrificed to the water god so he will bring rain to the village. She finds the water god to be a good guy and presumably, they have some adventures.
There wasn't much of a drowning death scene. Not sure she even drowned. She's on a boat, it capsizes, she swims to shore and it's the home of the water god and various other gods. They don't take much of an interest in her. Reading the back of the book, it seems her relationship with the gods gets better.
She misses her mother. She's a little scared of her mother-in-law, goddess of torture and punishment and love and desire.
That's about it. Not planning on reading an more in the series. I found it boring.
It sounded interesting. A girl is sacrificed to the water god so he will bring rain to the village. She finds the water god to be a good guy and presumably, they have some adventures.
There wasn't much of a drowning death scene. Not sure she even drowned. She's on a boat, it capsizes, she swims to shore and it's the home of the water god and various other gods. They don't take much of an interest in her. Reading the back of the book, it seems her relationship with the gods gets better.
She misses her mother. She's a little scared of her mother-in-law, goddess of torture and punishment and love and desire.
That's about it. Not planning on reading an more in the series. I found it boring.
December 23, 2012
This is so, so pretty. The art is often breathtaking, with long stretches of silent panels that do more to set the mood than anything else. The story I'm reserving judgement on. It seems rather slow and hazy, almost dream-like. That may be intentional, since it is set amongst the gods. The character of Soah has rather more backbone than I'd been expecting, and I do find myself interested in her. But the current state of the romance is leaving me cold, and I honestly care about the story far less than about seeing more of the pretty, pretty art.
September 19, 2017
I watched the Korean Drama based off of this manhwa, so I was excited to find the library had a copy of this so I could read it, too. It is not much like the drama, but still enjoyable. I hope to continue with the next book in the series.
January 20, 2018
in the over all, i liked it, but not really in to it!
the drawing are cool. I like it when a manga is very deep, and i didn't find that it is the case in this one, but i will read the rest of it, since i enjoyed the story line <3
the drawing are cool. I like it when a manga is very deep, and i didn't find that it is the case in this one, but i will read the rest of it, since i enjoyed the story line <3
August 24, 2019
I don't like the art. The characters are too pointy chined and have pointy talon like fingers and their whole bodies are just not in proportion with their heads
Forgettable due to the art style and shapeless plot.
Forgettable due to the art style and shapeless plot.
September 30, 2012
GORGEOUS art!
January 28, 2016
Read this so I could determine a rating and sorta check for content. It's got really nice artwork and the story is interesting, if rather slow-moving.
May 14, 2019
I was in the mood for manga so I picked that at random, but the first volume left me a bit confused.
Let's see if the second one clears things up...
Let's see if the second one clears things up...
May 9, 2017
It was a nice read, liked the concept of the story. But the illustration can confusing and all over the place to read at times...
January 18, 2019
So interesting!
August 3, 2024
ok, so I got volume 12 of this series from an old bookstore (and it was only like 1,76 dollars ☠️) and I decided to look it up to see how I like the story.
What can I say, I really am intrigued, can't wait for Soah to find out about Habaek (you know, how he is during the night vs during the day- can't say anything else bc those would be spoilers)
I've also seen that there's a more recent k-drama that's based on this manhwa? That's cool
Anyway, I like Hoo-ye and I really REALLY like Ju-dong and Tae-eul-jin-in (he's a doctor, what did you expect; also, I had to copy paste his name 'cause ain't no way I'm remembering that after reading just the 1st volume☠️)
Overall, I like the story until now, let's see how it goes 🤩
What can I say, I really am intrigued, can't wait for Soah to find out about Habaek (you know, how he is during the night vs during the day- can't say anything else bc those would be spoilers)
I've also seen that there's a more recent k-drama that's based on this manhwa? That's cool
Anyway, I like Hoo-ye and I really REALLY like Ju-dong and Tae-eul-jin-in (he's a doctor, what did you expect; also, I had to copy paste his name 'cause ain't no way I'm remembering that after reading just the 1st volume☠️)
Overall, I like the story until now, let's see how it goes 🤩
February 17, 2019
Dropping in the middle of chapter 2.
May 27, 2013
The set-up is pretty intriguing but poorly executed, mainly because the plot is very confusing and seems to overwhelm the storytelling efforts of the author. (Plus I'm not sure if I remembered right, but um, did the villagers offer the bride because they were experiencing a drought? I don't even get how they managed to dump her into a rushing river when they were experiencing a supposed drought?)
The characters feel very flat as well. I feel like the psyche of the characters are not drawn out very well, so they feel like paper dolls acting out whatever they were supposed to act out, instead of being living, breathing characters. Although they are beautifully drawn, they look too alike sometimes.
Last but not last, I understand that the story is inspired by Korean folklore, but as the folklore shares similar origins to the Chinese one, it gets extremely frustrating to read because of the way the author re-depicts some traditional Korean (and Chinese) folklore characters.
And yes, the ridiculously lavish garbs of the characters annoy me too. It's like the AUTHOR JUST WANT TO DRAW PRETTY FACES instead of tell a story, you know? And she didn't even take the time to do some proper research on what those characters were supposed to wear. I'm assuming the story is set in one of the olden-day Korean kingdoms (such as Shilla), but the characters are wearing things that look more Chinese than whatever Koreans would wear at that time. Coupled with the fact that the author took huge liberties in changing a lot of the original folklore characters' story arcs, it just doesn't feel right.
The characters feel very flat as well. I feel like the psyche of the characters are not drawn out very well, so they feel like paper dolls acting out whatever they were supposed to act out, instead of being living, breathing characters. Although they are beautifully drawn, they look too alike sometimes.
Last but not last, I understand that the story is inspired by Korean folklore, but as the folklore shares similar origins to the Chinese one, it gets extremely frustrating to read because of the way the author re-depicts some traditional Korean (and Chinese) folklore characters.
And yes, the ridiculously lavish garbs of the characters annoy me too. It's like the AUTHOR JUST WANT TO DRAW PRETTY FACES instead of tell a story, you know? And she didn't even take the time to do some proper research on what those characters were supposed to wear. I'm assuming the story is set in one of the olden-day Korean kingdoms (such as Shilla), but the characters are wearing things that look more Chinese than whatever Koreans would wear at that time. Coupled with the fact that the author took huge liberties in changing a lot of the original folklore characters' story arcs, it just doesn't feel right.
September 5, 2011
This may be my 4th time reading this. I own it and I have to re-read it whenever a new volume is released.
Bride of the Water God is an unique love story (in my humble opinion) between a human girl and a water god. It takes place in a land where gods live, as well as random other beautiful and dangerous creatures. The heroine was sacrificed to the water god, Habaek, in hopes of rain. She discovers a pint size water god as her husband and his full-grown good-looking and mysterious "cousin" Mui. As a human, she has to navigate through the world of the gods, trying to understand what she's gotten herself into and how to survive it.
Artistically, this book is a feast. It's gorgeous in execution and the colored pages are a delight. In fact, I bought it for that reason alone.
The story, unfortunately, is much more confusing. It deals with an obscure Korean legend, along with some exotically stylized scenes and characters, that I often have trouble understanding the real plot of the book. Honestly, I believe there is some plot, but its mainly the art that it sells by.
Overall, I think its a good read. I think its artistry compensates for the confusion. Plus I believe that slowly we will be more clear about the plot.
Bride of the Water God is an unique love story (in my humble opinion) between a human girl and a water god. It takes place in a land where gods live, as well as random other beautiful and dangerous creatures. The heroine was sacrificed to the water god, Habaek, in hopes of rain. She discovers a pint size water god as her husband and his full-grown good-looking and mysterious "cousin" Mui. As a human, she has to navigate through the world of the gods, trying to understand what she's gotten herself into and how to survive it.
Artistically, this book is a feast. It's gorgeous in execution and the colored pages are a delight. In fact, I bought it for that reason alone.
The story, unfortunately, is much more confusing. It deals with an obscure Korean legend, along with some exotically stylized scenes and characters, that I often have trouble understanding the real plot of the book. Honestly, I believe there is some plot, but its mainly the art that it sells by.
Overall, I think its a good read. I think its artistry compensates for the confusion. Plus I believe that slowly we will be more clear about the plot.
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