YAOI MANHWA REVIEW: U Don’t Know Me

Jennifer LeBlanc AKA Asami's Girl — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:35:09 +0000

U Don’t Know Me – Rakun – Manhwa Review

I have very mixed feelings about this one. I first started reading it on NETCOMICS’ Web site where you can buy a chapter at a time but I didn’t finish it. I then kicked around the idea of buying it and obviously did but it wasn’t something I jumped on as soon as it was released. The first time I read it online, I remember thinking that it didn’t seem to flow well while reading it. Now that I have it in book form and have read the entire thing, I still feel the same way. I’m not sure if it is the translation or the writing itself. Part of me feels it is the translation because I’ve noticed similarities to other NETCOMICS’ titles. Clearly, there was something about this title that made me want to give it another try, and even through the somewhat difficult reading I found myself compelled to finish it.

As far as the story, we have two childhood friends, Seyun and Yoojin, forced to separate due to one moving away. However, he’s only a few more bus stops further than he was so they do still see each other but perhaps that bit of distance was enough to change their dynamic. The rest of the story deals with Seyun’s feelings for Yoojin and how Yoojin really feels for Seyun. Sounds pretty typical, right? What I found I really loved about this story is how the author goes so deep into Seyun’s mind and inner thoughts. I don’t think I’ve ever run across another title that is so deep. They weren’t the inner thoughts of a flakey, angsty uke, they were the thoughts of someone dealing with the turmoil of watching himself and his friend growing up together but emotionally apart.

There is another character that pops up periodically in this story that is tied to Seyun and for the life of me, I still do not understand why he’s in the story and how he relates to Seyun. Again, I don’t know if it’s bad writing or bad translation but I was and still am completely confused about that part and why Seyun does the things he does for this particular character for what he gets in return. Since I can’t read Korean to be able to compare this to the original and because I feel this may tie into confusing translation, the grade for translation will be adjusted for this.

This title is sexually explicit and these boys do love to hook up. There’s a lot of sex in this one but I think a lot of it is used by the two to clarify their relationship, their individual feelings and where each wants this to go. One scene in particular is a little violent and did make me question why Seyun would tolerate it. The reason for Yoojin’s behavior to me just made it more disturbing.

U Don’t Know Me in my opinion is a bit dark. It has its funny moments (more at the end after the main story is done and some added stuff is provided by the author). The inner thoughts of Seyun do make it interesting and different but the story is also confusing in places, which makes it a more involved read. It’s quite lengthy at 232 total pages cover to cover so you are definitely getting your money’s worth with a title priced at only $9.99. The illustrations are quite nice and the characters very sexy. Even with the confusion of the story, I would still recommend picking this one up (or checking out a few chapters on their Web site first). If you like a varied yaoi library like I do, this one will fit in nicely.

Plot = A-

Characters = A (Seyun’s inner thoughts really add to story)

Illustrations = A

Sexual Content = A

Translation = B- (hitting grade here for lack of clarity in story)

Overall Grade = A-

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YAOI MANHWA REVIEW: U Don’t Know Me