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<\/a>I was \n or Korean manga. This first chapter in the trilogy by Kim Dong Hwa
\ncould be classified (in Japanese) as shojo, since the coming-of-age tale
\n of a young Korean woman may appeal most to female readers. (And this is
\n fabulous\u2014I applaud any and all efforts to increase the amount of
\ngraphic literature with appeal for young women, especially now that Minx
\n is defunct.) My understanding from the foreword is that this tale is
\nbased on the life of the author’s mother, a sort of tribute to her
\ngrowing-up years in a rural Korean village. The artwork reflects this,
\nillustrating with sensitivity and vividness, remaining simple and
\nexpressive throughout, yet unafraid to add flourishes and whole spreads
\nrendered in exquisite detail when called for by the storytelling.<\/p>\n
The
\n story opens with Ehwa as a very young girl, living with her widowed
\nmother the tavern-keeper. As she grows older and into young womanhood
\nover the course of the book, we see her gradually gain insight and
\nunderstanding into not only her own growth and maturity, but also
\ninto her mother’s life as a single female tavern-keeper, subject to all
\nsorts of racy gossip while also leading a relatively lonely existence.
\nAt the same time that we get a window into traditional Korean culture of
\n the somewhat recent past, it’s the universal elements of the story that
\n will make it really resonate with Western readers\u2014curiosity about one’s
\n own growing body, the opposite sex, and the lives of the surrounding
\nadults; loneliness and companionship and love.<\/p>\n