Comments on: Netcomics: Dokebi Bride, Can’t Lose You, Boy Princess, Not So Bad, Madtown Hospital

By: ChiChiBlanche

ChiChiBlanche — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:37:16 +0000

uh… i think the original reviews are a tad harsh?? i mean i really loved the first “Can’t lose you.” I’ve read the second “Dokebi Bride” (haven’t found the first one yet ^^) and i liked that, too.

well as far as i knew shonen-ai and yaoi were pretty much the same thing?? but i don’t know that much either… and i’m not really interested in reading shonen-ai, either…

pointy chins? well japanese manga does that too, it’s all up to the individual style of the artist. I also totally agree with Haru, i don’t see why people are so critical when it’s unlikely they can do better.

But maybe i’m just too much of a manhwa/manga fanatic to be picky?? who knows.

By: Naomi

Naomi — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:27:28 +0000

I’ve read all of the manga mentioned above and I have to agree with your reviews. Dokebi Bride is the best by far when it comes to a refreshing style and story plot.
Boy Princess disturbed me for several reasons. I didn’t like the art because the guy not only seriously looked like a girl, but acted like one. What’s the point in him being a boy when being a boy doesn’t come into play at all? They should have gone ahead and made him a girl. The story would have been that they just switched sisters which going by the story plot would have worked just as well.
Like it’s title, Not so Bad wasn’t so bad…but it could have been much better. At least the uke looking one didn’t behave all submissive or brattish, but then again there wasn’t much of a romance going on either.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 16:02:45 +0000

I suspect you have a lot more knowledge of the subject than some, which may be why you’re seeing subtle distinctions that may not be as obvious to those less familiar with the genre/works.

And yes, it can be frustrating the 100th time you’ve heard the joke. :)

By: Haru

Haru — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:37:50 +0000

Well, I guess so. ^^ I’m gonna try and calm down, I guess? But it’s just that when I hear someone say “OH this and that look like Michael Jackson” it kinda gets me annoyed, coz they ALWAYS say that over and over. Yea.

Well, that’s true….lolz, but I don’t think they should make their comments too harsh, coz it is a bit mean, i guess? ^^

Maybe I’m being a bit too sensitive because I’m Korean? I dunno. Well, anyways, the reviews were cool.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:15:54 +0000

Thanks for commenting, but I don’t think anyone was particularly rude before. I also don’t think that you have to be able to draw in order to comment on how effective or well-done the drawing is (good thing, too, since it’s been a while since I last painted).

I’m glad you’re enjoying the titles and the reviews.

By: Haru

Haru — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 01:35:02 +0000

Thanks for the summaries! I’m personally have read many manga. I also read a few manhwa like Boy Princess, which I loved. Gosh I loved that manhwa.

Anyhow, to me, those people who posted before were extremely critical and rude, and I would like to say that if you’re giving out false info, DON’T LEAVE A COMMENT. There. Shoune-ai can be spelt with the “u” or without the “u”, it’s just a Japanese thing. And Shounen-ai does not contain hard-core sex. Also, Korean manhwa have their own style, and they are unique. STOP saying that the style looks like Michael Jackson after surgery. Now, let’s see, can YOU draw a complete perfect manga or manhwa? Nah-uh, I don’t think so! So there, stop being so rude and respect the style. I actually like the style for Boy Princess.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:21:20 +0000

Ah, thanks for the language lesson.

By: Kevin Lighton

Kevin Lighton — Wed, 17 May 2006 01:51:31 +0000

And shonen-ai isn’t porn, not the ones that I’ve seen. Yaoi could be termed that, but not shonen-ai — I thought that was the distinction?

Sorry, I wasn’t quite clear enough there. Shojo can refer to a porn genre, while shÃƒÂ´jo doesn’t (which is why this was the first place Viz acknowledged elongated Japanese vowels), but I’m not sure whether the equivalent usage of shonen is common enough to make it worth making the shonen/shÃƒÂ´nen distinction (the latter being the one in shÃƒÂ´nen-ai).

By: Lyle

Lyle — Tue, 16 May 2006 16:32:07 +0000

And shonen-ai isn’t porn, not the ones that I’ve seen. Yaoi could be termed that, but not shonen-ai — I thought that was the distinction?

From what I’ve seen, there are different camps using that the different terms with different meanings. It’s been infuriating trying to figure out the specific meanings of the terms.

By: Ed Sizemore

Ed Sizemore — Tue, 16 May 2006 15:16:11 +0000

Johanna, it is not just the chin, but the shape of nose in that particular manhwa. No one seems to have a complete nose.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 16 May 2006 14:15:03 +0000

I’ve noticed, in the Korean comics I’ve tried, a tendency to create VERY pointy chins that can be a bit distracting. That might be why Dokebi Bride was my favorite — the style wasn’t so typical of the other manhwa I’ve seen.

By: Ed Sizemore

Ed Sizemore — Tue, 16 May 2006 14:09:11 +0000

Am I the only one that thinks everyone in Not So Bad looks like Michael Jackson after all the plastic surgery. Very creepy.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 16 May 2006 11:17:06 +0000

Thanks for the link — that reminds me of the note in the first issue of Shojo Beat, where they acknowledged that properly, they were missing the circumflex, but that they chose the simplified spelling for brand purposes.

And shonen-ai isn’t porn, not the ones that I’ve seen. Yaoi could be termed that, but not shonen-ai — I thought that was the distinction?

By: Kevin Lighton

Kevin Lighton — Tue, 16 May 2006 03:32:51 +0000

(And should I be spelling shonen-ai with the U?) I'd assume thatthis would also apply to shonen/shounen, but "shonen" isn't as common a reference to a subset of pornography. (And "shÃƒÂ´nen" is another reasonably common method of indicating the lengthened "o" that has the advantage of being less likely to be mispronounced.)

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 15 May 2006 15:20:51 +0000

I had no idea that was so generic. Are there a lot of pretty boys starving on the street in Korea? Makes it sound like America circa mid-1930s movies, only boys instead of girls.

(And should I be spelling shonen-ai with the U?)

By: Katherine F.

Katherine F. — Mon, 15 May 2006 15:17:21 +0000

Your summary of Not So Bad made me roll my eyes. I’ve read quite a bit of yaoi and shounen-ai (scanlations, mostly), and that basic plot (Seme finds Uke starving/freezing/bleeding on the street; takes him in and looks after him while claiming not to be after sex; they have sex anyway) comes up again and again and again. It’s the shounen-ai equivalent of “two fight scenes, a chase and a weird villain”.