Bride of the Water God, Volume 1(2008).
© Dark Horse
Manga: Bride of the Water God
Issue: Volume 1
Story and Art By: Mi-Kyung Yun
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Price: $9.95
Bride of the Water God Review
By: Adrianne HessDate: Friday, April 18, 2008
Paganistic villages can be precarious places for beautiful young women to live, since appeasing gods often involves their sacrifice. Bride of the Water God begins in a village ravaged by years of a severe drought whose residents resort to sacrificing one of their own in an attempt to bring rain to their land. Chosen by a village shaman, Soah is betrothed to the Water God, Habaek. The day of her “wedding”, Soah is impeccably dressed and adorned with beautiful jewels only to be pushed out towards the sea on a rowboat. Soah listens to the lame rationalizations of her fellow villagers along with their apologies all the while knowing that they only care about is the prospect of rain. Only Soah’s family will feel the pain of her loss and Soah is left to face death alone.
While Soah believes she is drowning, she is surprised to suddenly find herself in the land of Suguk, the palace of the gods including Habaek, her new husband. Intrigued by the new world she will call home, Soah meets the various gods and goddesses, all interesting and colorful characters who apparently grow bored with their immortality since they are all excited about Soah’s arrival. Soah now has to deal with her husband’s childlike physical form, the mysterious handsome stranger that appears to her at night and her beautiful yet frightening mother-in-law, Seowangmo, whose recent arrival seems to have placed everyone on edge, especially Habaek.
While the storyline is decent, the highlight of Bride of the Water God is the beautiful artwork on just about every page. The characters are drawn with painstaking detail especially in their faces, which convey true emotion. The gods and goddesses of Suguk are especially intriguing since their personalities match the vivid fashion in which they are drawn. Their personalities range from playful and laid back to pensive and chivalrous. The first volume serves as a good background and setup for the main storyline which has potential to evolve into a great story.
