One Vol. #01

By Eduardo M. Chavez     June 19, 2004
Release Date: April 01, 2004



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Lee Vin
Translated by:Sunah Kim Schultz
Adapted by:

What They Say
Welcome to Daewon High School - the original school of pop! The talented but reserved new student Eumpa One is causing a commotion. It's a bizarre love triangle when he falls for Youngju, the girl-next-door type... but the school's diva Jenny has her sights set on him! Even worse, when Eumpa's latest composition is ripped off, can he step out of the shadows and into the spotlight?

The Review
Packaging:
The final cover for One main character Eumpa One in a star with pop-idol classmate Jenny You tugging at him from behind the star. Behind both of them is a a background of an audience in black with lights shining from above. The spine continues the music theme by incorporating musical notes into the art. The audience background wraps around to the back where we see a close-up of Eumpa's face (looking a little feminine, my girlfriend wondered who she was ) to the left of a short blurb.

Logo Check!! (2003 Megs).... the logo used by TOKYOPOP has the word "one" with small theater lights in each letter.

This volume features a short preview for volume two, followed by ads for: Gravitation, Forbidden Dance, Snow Drop, Psychic Academy.

Artwork:
Personally I have mixed feelings towards the art of One. I really like the character designs. Characters are drawn with very thick lines. Lee Vin's eyes might be a little intense but they have a lot of expression. Those eyes do a lot of talking on faces that are generally very simple drawn (on occasion, lips are also detailed but this technique is often used to show beauty). Costume designs are very fun. They do a great job making short characters look long and mature. Those designs can even make average characters look like bishies when they dress up. (heh, We We Magazine were not the only ones confusing male characters for females.) Even the SD designs are cute (they remind me of a mix of Obana designs and the character designs from Crayon Shin-chan).

Backgrounds are often stale and are not used very often. With a solid layout the background issue was not a big but I have to say there were a few times where the layout had me a little confused. Bubble placement can be a little weird and without translated SFX I felt a little lost at times.

Orientation/SFX:
TOKYOPOP presents this series left-to-right in their standard tall B6. SFX are not translated. So far this series does not feature a lot of SFX, but I still would like to see these translated in some form.

Text:
The translation (by Sunah Kim Schultz) and it's adaptation (by Dan Bova) sounds good but can be a little confusing. Names in particular had me really confused. I am not sure if Korean names are always like this but Yunjin-Oppa in particular was giving me fits. Sometimes he is Mr. Yunjin, even though Jenny You is never Miss Jenny and for some reason Jihae Han is referred to as Miss Jihae. At one point he is Jin-Oppa. I have no clue how that makes sense, unless it is really Yun Jin-Oppa (and once again Jihae Han is sometimes called Miss Han, making things completely confusing). There are moments outside of the text where main character Eumpa One has his name written "Won" instead.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Jenny You is a teen idol. If you were in Korea recently, it's quite likely you have heard of her. She just won South Korea's MBS New Music Artist award as an outstanding solo female performer. Her record I'm Jenny has inspired a new generation of music fans and has propelled her to fame in the music scene.
Jenny is a renowned actress. She has been in dramas since she was five years old and her abilities have translated to a long career in TV, film, and modeling. She has had parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and lovers in these scripts and at times he has actually really fallen in love with some of them.

Jenny is a teenager. She is a 17-year-old student at Daewon High School where she usually skips out on class to go to work and generally excels at the few classes she has an interest in. She does not have a lot of friends although a few kids in the pop media are her classmates. She is also falling for a nobody - Eumpa One, who might be a genius or just some kid with random luck that has not become a media doll without opinions or choices.

While Jenny's world is restrictive, full of managers, agents, producers, and industry numbers that determines popularity, airtime, acting roles, and even her persona through the media. Eumpa One may be just as talented but nothing holds him back beside himself and how he wants to be seen by others. Eumpa is a gifted child. In America he skipped grades, excelled at everything and was a potential musical talent. Upon moving to Korea, he learned the language within a month and came to the decision that he would be an average teenager. He chooses the subjects he wants to put an effort into and lets the rest slide. He likes people who are simple, plain looking, and genuine to themselves and others. He may have high-society friends and family but he chooses not to live by what others decide; instead, he lives his own life at his own pace.

Unfortunately, Eumpa still has a lot to learn. Friends, love and the real world are infinitely more difficult to control than one's own looks and grades. The games he has to play to get a girl to like him. The real world steals from him, confuses his identity, and wants him to be like every other pop influenced kid. Will Eumpa change to fit the roles people want for him, or will he stand up for himself and make an image all to his own? The demographic might not understand it, but maybe it can change?!

Comments
On the surface One has the potential to be something very good. Eumpa One as a main character is fascinating as gifted child that tries very hard to keep his talents hidden to be a normal kid. Talent like his is hard to hide and although he grades below average at the things he hates, but that talent thrives when he has the chance to experiment with the subjects he loves. Eumpa has similar reactions to the people he associates with. Those he likes he opens up to easily, with everyone else he is just an average kid.

The rest of the cast needs a lot of work. Even with Jenny being the focus of most of this volume her character is just starting to show some history and personality (besides that stuck-up princess attitude). With a little more direction these characters could pick this series up. Now I could hardly care if Jenny has issues with her classmates, her manager should watch his back; her mom is psycho, or even that someone might be stealing Eumpa's musical compositions.

When I first heard the title was picked up, I was expecting a title full of a variety of music and the personalities behind it. What I got was an awkward presentation of the Korean pop scene (music and acting) and a nicely done teen-romance (full of all the awkward moments and games that can come in those situations). The romance, while not exceptional, could keep me interested for a few volumes, but without proper development of Eumpa's (or even Jenny's) musical career I cannot imagine continuing for the duration. As fun as this series is, even with some decent art, without some direction this title is going nowhere.