Queens: Volume One
© Tokyopop
"Queens: Volume One"
By: Nadia OxfordDate: Friday, December 08, 2006
There's a lot of talk about gender roles these days. Some people believe humans should be free to openly explore sexuality, even if it's sometimes a rocky path. Others think men should stick to wrestling bears for their woman to cook before a marathon baby-making session. And still others like Sung-Hyen Ha whip up manhwas to remind us the situation is not black and white and never has been.
Queens, published by Tokyopop, is about the misadventures of Pil-Hyun Jung, a champion pretty boy. While his brothers drip testosterone and his father is obsessed with defining the physical criteria of the male race, Pil-Hyun would rather sing, dance and put together teddy bears. Despite problems with his family, Pil-Hyun is happy with his image and popularity--until his love interest becomes enraptured by the manly musk of the school's star athlete. Looking for the advice and inspiration needed for a desired transformation, Pil-Hyun seeks the help of Bok-Nam Park, the prize author behind the adventures of a bishounen who wishes to become more manly.
Queens is a fun manhwa because it's lighthearted. Serious, sometimes controversial themes are explored, but Sung-Hyen never gets on a soapbox about society's tendency to form stereotypes. There's plenty of opportunity for the story's material to become heavy-handed--Pil-Hyun lives with a father who repeatedly threatens to cut his son's pecker off since he's obviously not using it anyway. But Pil-Hyun is an interesting character because he never lets his father or brothers get him down; he's happy to accept life for what it is, he loves conversation and socialising, and his purposefully exaggerated, watery doe-eyes are hard to turn away from. He doesn't instigate and he's not aggressive, but neither does he let himself be pushed around.
The manhwa's dialogue is humourous, as are some of the facial expressions Sung-Hyen uses on her characters. Of particular note is the two-page spread where Bok-Nam Park, swathed in a fashionable cowboy getup, sits on a freshly-painted bench.
It's also refreshing to see a story about an effeminate boy who isn't automatically gay. Pil-Hyun is indeed heterosexual though he does have his share of problems due to the instant association between the two traits; aside from his obvious failure to charm his love interest away from her manly crush, Pil-Hyun also has to deal with yaoi fangirls who would die to see him coupled with said athlete. But again the situation is dealt with easy storytelling and great dialogue.
If Queens has a failing, it's that the storyline focuses on the same "harem" situation standard in many animes and mangas. When Pil-Hyun moves in with Bok-Nam and her female room mates, he's oblivious to their attraction for him. If you've seen that kind of material before (and you have), it tends to drag.
It's a small complaint compared to the rest of what the manhwa has to offer, however. Queens is undeniably a lot of fun.
