Manga Review: H2O

Shoujo: H2O
Author: Hwang Sook Ji
Genres: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, Shoujo
Rating: 8.5/10

I was perhaps three volumes in when this manga found a place within my top ten favourites list. Even after reading countless novels and mangas, I still haven't been able to determine the recipe for the perfect literary escape, but whatever it may be, H2O has hit pretty close to home. Its originality is absolutely refreshing, and the humour is both witty and at times satirical. The story is told through the interactions of numerous charactes, and provides a fascinating perspective on the tiresome hustle and bustle of student life.

Occasionally, one wonders if the subtle humour found in the dialogue can be considered as well-disguised social commentary - especially regarding some of the issues that are brought to light in the plot.

Short Summary from Baka-Updates:

Menga is simply known as the vice rep and is bullied. Hanako has moved to Korea but was robbed the first day and has nothing. Na Hong Soo is known as a troublemaker and is in constant trouble. And Eechan is the student body president, very popular and known as Bacchus. It seems they have nothing in common but all of this will change soon.

On another note, the story is both engaging and relatable. Nothing seems overly dramatic, though upon further consideration, this might be because of the realistic portrayal of human reactions to rather dramatic situations that allow for this feeling of easy relatability than a drab plotline.

To be honest, this was perhaps the first manga that had me questioning who was in fact the main character. I then realized that there were two, and that every character (both main and supporting) were so well developed that it was like a third person narrative. This is a rare phenomemon due to the fact that manga artist/authors tend portray their stories in first person, allowing for an easy relationship to form between the reader and main character. In this case, though this attempt was tremendously creative and original, I always felt that there was a sense of distance between the characters and the reader. For once, I was a bystander, and I have to admit that it's only fun for the first time.

The art, on the other hand, is close to flawless. I dislike mangas by artists who take the shortcut and draw small, shapeless features for their characters when given the chance. Example:

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- exaggerated features

- shapeless characters

- crowded spaces

- pointless frames

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 Instead, I prefer work by artists who adhere to attention and detail. Example from H2O:

- attention to detail
- accurate drawings
- realistic
- beatiful expressions
- large, simple frames







There are instances where bad artwork can be ignored - when the plotline is overwhelmingly good. (Itazura na Kiss). Other times, great artwork can substitute for a mundane or slow plotline (Bride of the Watergod). Most of the time, however, artwork and content go hand in hand. H2O is such an example.

It is definitely a manhwa to check out.

- Annie

Memories

This is a featured poem by lili3.
Thank you for your wonderful contribution!

Memories

By: Lili3

Did you have memory that stayed through your head a long while?

If it was a memory of the first time you realized that you’ve gotten taller by an inch in the morning

Or if it was the memory of imagining the life and world of the people in the cars passing by in traffic, and how much affection and care did they have or gave to the passenger

Was there a memory of a loved one cry in your presence that affected you deeply that you might even remember it on the hospital bed with the doctor beating his fist on you’re the left side of your chest

Sometimes, people save these memories in their mind, even if it wasn’t special, but was a small connections or an encounter with a stranger

Would it be the memory of the early mornings in the school bus waving back to the kids in the other car?

Or when exchanging a smile with a waitress in a diner?

Normal people would say that’s just foolish to remember any single detail of a passing stranger, but who are they to define normal if they do the same thing as every human does

Some memories unwarily leaves, with no alert or a sign of it, just walk out of the door leaving chunks or bits

People wonder how they could possibly forget the date of their first greetings with their first love in their lifetime

People also wonder how they would forget the pictures of their old friends in an old floppy disk

They also wonder how couldn’t they realize that their children has matured a lot that they already got a job at an office and sometimes came back home drunk or drugged

If it was possible, if you can collect all the memories from everyone around the world

Think … how a heart would understand countless experiences of hardship or happiness that large and big crates couldn’t hold

Think … of the people that created those memories, how they felt, how they lived it, and how it possessed them for a few seconds of a minute while laying down on their bed before falling in a deep sleep

Keep a memo to yourself how wonderful a memory means, how emotions it carries and how it just attracts a simple attention from you

....

A Card!

I recently received this. Thanks!