The Good Gentleman
S'all Part of a Miracle Masterpiece
It's a tiny little thing I decided to do, but there are a TON of things I like out there, from anime to games to shows to books, to whatever, that to my surprise many people have little to no knowledge of. It's certainly within my power to keep these to myself and name myself Hipster Supreme. But instead, I choose to enlighten and share these awesome things! 
Today's recommendation is...
What is this nonsense? Explain! NOW!!!
A fantasy/science-fiction/general-badassery manhwa (A South Korean manga) that was published between 2001 and 2007 in the South Korean magazine Young Champ, and simultaneously published in Monthly Sunday Gene-X in Japan during the same period. It was created by Youn In-wan and Yang Kyung-il, both of who would later gain recognition for their manga Defense Devil. Despite being relatively unknown, Shin Angyo Onshi has received such critical acclaim and praise that it was the subject of the first-ever joint-animated project between South Korea and Japan via a film adaptation, which you might have glimpsed now and again through Funimation's solicitations, titled Blade of the Phantom Master, animated by Oriental Light & Magic - or more accurately, the founder and CEO of OLM was such a huge fan of the comic that he personally went through the trouble of having it made.
Well, that's uh....something. What's it all about?
The series takes place in a fictionalized version of 1800's Korea, named Jushin. Throughout Jushin's history, the government employed secret agents known as the Angyo Onshi, disguised as wanderers, travelers and merchants who would go from town to town and punish abusive landlords and nobles. The central Jushin government has long since been destroyed, and the country reduced to scattered fiefdoms and kingdoms across the land - yet a single Angyo Onshi, with his two companions, still continues his mission with ruthless determination and bloody vengeance on his mind against the man whom he blames for Jushin's very collapse.
Why the hell should I read this tofu nonsense!?
Manhwa in general have something of a bad reputation in the anime/manga community and fanbase as being cheap copies of Japanese manga. In general...they kind of are! Every now and then, you'd get a true exception to the norm like The Breaker, Flowers of Evil, and Noblesse. And then there's stuff like Shin Angyo Onshi, which can give even the best of Japanese manga a run for its money.
The two key ingredients with this one are: The story, and the art. The story is largely an amalgamation of old Korean folktales like the Legend of Hong Gildong or Ondal the Savage, but told throughout a single coherent narrative. More than anything though, the tragic history of our protagonist and what drives him to his single minded ruthlessness in avenging his former kingdom is the main centerpiece. This is a man whom you will most likely hate initially for his cold-hearted pragmatism, but soon after, root for like no one else before.
And then we have the artwork, which can be downright ethereal and mesmerizing. The talent involved here is some of the best you've never seen.
Well. That looks pretty ****ing purty. Where do I dip my toes into this?
The movie is quite easy to find - Netflix has it available for streaming, the DVD/Blu-ray is literally bargain bin price anywhere you look. Though to be honest, the film is woefully incomplete; best viewed after finishing the actual series, just to see the characters come to life even if only briefly.
And comes the reason why you probably never even heard of this series until now - it was pretty much released nowhere - a real hidden gem. Germany and France released some volumes here and there, but it was left unfinished due to the publishers collapsing. And not a single English-speaking country took a crack at it, so as a result, your only options are the grey ones - though in this case, light grey. No doubt a couple of online scanlation sites have it uploaded, so simply look for it at the usual spots. Your best bet, however, is to go directly to ETC's website. Those guys put forth some serious effort into making this into a professional scanlation, and loading up their volumes directly onto your iPad or something is the next best thing to having an actual paper copy in your hands.
And now for other stuff!
Today's recommendation is...
What is this nonsense? Explain! NOW!!!
A fantasy/science-fiction/general-badassery manhwa (A South Korean manga) that was published between 2001 and 2007 in the South Korean magazine Young Champ, and simultaneously published in Monthly Sunday Gene-X in Japan during the same period. It was created by Youn In-wan and Yang Kyung-il, both of who would later gain recognition for their manga Defense Devil. Despite being relatively unknown, Shin Angyo Onshi has received such critical acclaim and praise that it was the subject of the first-ever joint-animated project between South Korea and Japan via a film adaptation, which you might have glimpsed now and again through Funimation's solicitations, titled Blade of the Phantom Master, animated by Oriental Light & Magic - or more accurately, the founder and CEO of OLM was such a huge fan of the comic that he personally went through the trouble of having it made.
Well, that's uh....something. What's it all about?
The series takes place in a fictionalized version of 1800's Korea, named Jushin. Throughout Jushin's history, the government employed secret agents known as the Angyo Onshi, disguised as wanderers, travelers and merchants who would go from town to town and punish abusive landlords and nobles. The central Jushin government has long since been destroyed, and the country reduced to scattered fiefdoms and kingdoms across the land - yet a single Angyo Onshi, with his two companions, still continues his mission with ruthless determination and bloody vengeance on his mind against the man whom he blames for Jushin's very collapse.
Why the hell should I read this tofu nonsense!?
Manhwa in general have something of a bad reputation in the anime/manga community and fanbase as being cheap copies of Japanese manga. In general...they kind of are! Every now and then, you'd get a true exception to the norm like The Breaker, Flowers of Evil, and Noblesse. And then there's stuff like Shin Angyo Onshi, which can give even the best of Japanese manga a run for its money.
The two key ingredients with this one are: The story, and the art. The story is largely an amalgamation of old Korean folktales like the Legend of Hong Gildong or Ondal the Savage, but told throughout a single coherent narrative. More than anything though, the tragic history of our protagonist and what drives him to his single minded ruthlessness in avenging his former kingdom is the main centerpiece. This is a man whom you will most likely hate initially for his cold-hearted pragmatism, but soon after, root for like no one else before.
And then we have the artwork, which can be downright ethereal and mesmerizing. The talent involved here is some of the best you've never seen.
Well. That looks pretty ****ing purty. Where do I dip my toes into this?
The movie is quite easy to find - Netflix has it available for streaming, the DVD/Blu-ray is literally bargain bin price anywhere you look. Though to be honest, the film is woefully incomplete; best viewed after finishing the actual series, just to see the characters come to life even if only briefly.
And comes the reason why you probably never even heard of this series until now - it was pretty much released nowhere - a real hidden gem. Germany and France released some volumes here and there, but it was left unfinished due to the publishers collapsing. And not a single English-speaking country took a crack at it, so as a result, your only options are the grey ones - though in this case, light grey. No doubt a couple of online scanlation sites have it uploaded, so simply look for it at the usual spots. Your best bet, however, is to go directly to ETC's website. Those guys put forth some serious effort into making this into a professional scanlation, and loading up their volumes directly onto your iPad or something is the next best thing to having an actual paper copy in your hands.
And now for other stuff!
- You said earlier this series' genre is "general badassery." Wut?
- When you watch something like Fullmetal Alchemist, or Black Lagoon, and as such you are witness to balls-to-the-walls action top to bottom, do you consider it "general badassery?" Let's put it like this: The idiots over at TVTropes have stated that the series has almost a gratuitous degree of acts of characters being total badasses, good and evil alike. So in this case, it's not so much as me overusing the word.
- Sorry, but not enough boobies.
- Yes. Yes there are.
- Okay, I just started it....and the art looks like crap! You said it was mesmerizing! MESMERIZING!
- I admit, the first volume goes through growing pains. But what comic doesn't? The artists have to get into their groove. For some, it's quick. For others, it takes a while. Fortunately, by volume 2, you'll start to see some of that mesmerizing art I was talking about.
- What's with those weird guns?
- Initially, Munsu fights with a mostly cobbled-together shotgun and revolver. Later on though, he upgrades to a pair of golden long-barrel Lugers. Yep, gold Lugers - before Resident Evil did it! I think...
Ask and discuss, all down below hither!
