DEVIL'S BRIDE by Se-Young Kim(2008).
© Tokyopop
Title: Devil's Bride
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Story and Art By: Se-Young Kim
Publisher: Tokyopop
Price: $10.99
DEVIL'S BRIDE
By: Nadia OxfordDate: Sunday, March 02, 2008
You wouldn't go into a diner named "Joe's Eats" expecting a meal of grilled unagi served with caviar. Similarly, you probably wouldn't pick up a manhwa called Devil's Bride expecting something deep and revolutionary. Good call. Se-Young Kim's adult fairytale doesn't exactly rival anything Stephen King's written, but its non-nourishing saltiness makes it an enjoyable, albeit slightly lurid, read.
The manhwa's plot revolves around the loneliness of the Devil, who has become weary of his empty, soul-devouring existence and now resides in a lovely little hut in a deep dark wood. Shutting out the scorn of his hellish peers, the Devil canvases a nearby town in search of a bride. The only prospect to answer his call is a young child, Ley, whose father desires the monetary compensation. The Devil grudgingly accepts the companionship of his new bride, even after an incident literally exposes Ley as a boy. Open-minded, the Devil comes to enjoy Ley's company until the boy's death prompts the heartbroken deity to build his own bride using Ley's body as a shell.
The first volume of Devil's Bride is paced a little strangely. Given that the series' focus is Lucifer's assembly of a zombie lover, the first half of volume one feels unnecessary. There was no real reason for Ley to trick the Devil into believing she's a girl. The real story actually begins near the volume's end, when the Devil realises the first thing he'll need for Ley is a pair of eyes. Here, the story shifts focus to a broken-down kingdom ruled by a king who can't afford to hire the help he needs to fight the bandits plaguing his people. He offers mercenaries special privileges with his blind son if they can clear out the kingdom, and thus the story goes far away from Ley and the Devil to spend time with Prince Alex, who will presumably be providing Ley's new eyes.
Thankfully, even though character after character is introduced in Devil's Bride and (at this point) it's unclear how much each one will contribute to the story, the fairytale simplicity of the plot keeps everything relatively straight. But it also means there's a lot of empty space and dead ends. Hopefully the story's pacing will improve with time. Overall, Devil's Bride is one of those guilty pleasures that helps you unwind after spending hours with stiff college textbooks. Volume one retails for $10.99.
