Im Dal Young
In addition to our great Oda, Im Dal Young is one of my favorite Mangaka, and I'm sure I'm not alone! This thread is to talk about his works, most notably a few that I'll list. For convenience, if you're not familiar with the series please check the MyAnimeList synopsis' in the spoiler tags, or the links to the series on OneManga.
[The manga title name is the link].
! One day the earth was invaded by extra-dimensional beings known as "The Nova''. Using manufactured tissue called "Stigmata" and branding it into their bodies, a new breed of female warriors was born. these girls possessed the ability to call forth powerful weapons and abilities that far exceeded normal humans. Taking a younger boy as a partner, the two fought as a pair of combatants. These girls are also the only power on earth that have the power to resist the Nova's freezing effect. Mankind has come to call these girls…
I personally really love this Manga and wasn't surprised at how good it was knowing that Im Dal Young wrote it. The artwork is exceptional, and is the same artist as Aflame Inferno, Kim Kwang Hyun. I love how they took a fairly cliche concept, a female with power along with a boy defeating supernatural evil entities,(Example: Claymore) and made it seem really unique! The romance angle is enjoyable, not overdone but still touched upon to make it a plot device. The fighting style is fairly unique, although it contains the cliche transformation(Example:SuperSaiyan, Bankai, Gear 2nd, etc etc) known as "Pandora Mode." I like some of the concepts used in the fights such as techniques like "Axel Turn" and all the different mobility related moves. However, I feel like it's become a bit rehashed when it feels like there's 10 different versions of the same move, and just by elevating yourself to the next level you outclass everyone, even though the fighting looks the same as you read through it. I think that the stigmata, and baptism ritual is a really cool aspect to the Manga, and makes the romance angle seem more mature, as they would share their senses. The manga has a few funny little things such as Bridget liking hamburgers so much, when she seems like classier kind of person. All in all, I really love Freezing and would suggest it to anyone here at APForums, moving on!
! Aflame Inferno is about a self absorbed high schooler, Kang Shichan, that gets caught in the middle of a battle between demons. Injured severely and near death, the demon Inferno merges with the student to save his life. Together they win the battle to discover that they are inescapably joined. The only hope of every being separate beings is to close down 1,000 Invento Hells and find the right spell of Resurrection. Can Kang Shichan balance hunting down demons with his school work?
With the same artist as Freezing, I really was enthralled with the artwork from Aflame Inferno. The fighting style was enjoyable, and I like the concept behind the "Invento Hells." The domain aspect to the manga, with the four regions, really appealed to me, and once again Im Dal Young knows just how much romance to put in a manga to make it work. I thought he also did a good job showing us how Kang Shichan went through training and battled, without making it seem like a boring and unnecessary training arc. The other thing I liked about the series is that it's already 42 chapters in, so I got more than just a good story concept with character designs, but actually got a little bit into the plot. If you're bored I would seriously consider picking up Aflame Inferno.
! A young man finds and returns a lost wallet and cell phone to a beautiful young lady, thus begins the destined relationship between two strangers. Sound typical? Well then, how about making the young lady the young man’s future homeroom teacher, and give them both a twisted sense of right and wrong. And just for kicks, let’s have the young man help himself to a self proclaimed reward from the lost wallet before returning it… but of course, this scenario wouldn’t be complete unless the young lady was very unforgiving when it came to teaching one of her students a lesson on morals.
This is within my top 5 favorite Mangas of all time(It's actually a Manwha), and is my favorite Romance genre Manga. Although I'm more a fan of shounen, super-natural fighting and adventure theme Manga/Anime, Unbalance x Unbalance was something I just couldn't put down(so to speak) until I finished! I don't want to get to into it because I'm likely to give things away, but if you like the art style of Freezing/Aflame Inferno, you won't be disappointed here either! The art is done by Lee, Soo Hyun, (Both have Hyun in their name, I have no clue if this is significant, or if there's any relation) and appears to me at least, the same. The plot is amazing, the romance is amazing, great dialogue, well thought out chapters that keep you wanting more. It's currently 72 chapters in length, so if you haven't read it's something to kill some free-time with.
! Weak, bullied and pessimistic about life, that's Setsuna Kashiwagi. On the verge of jumping off a bridge, a mysterious man appears behind him and offers the contract "10 million yen in exchange for your life in a year." Skeptical at first, he accepts. Waking up the next morning, thinking it was an dream, he notices 2 beautiful women sitting beside him, they are Kanna and Rena Kurohime, demon princesses here to claim his heart in a year.
Pretty much a similar styled Manga(in this case Manwha) as the others, same art style by the same artist as Unbalance x Unbalance, just a pinch of romance that isn't overdone. With only 11 chapters currently, it's a quick read and at least left me waiting for the next chapter in anticipation.
So there's my little review/opinions on the works of Im Dal Young that I've read, he's also the Mangaka behind "Zero," and "Black God," both of which I haven't gotten around to yet, so I can't give much of an opinion. So if you've read any of these, or are interested in discussing them, please do so!
IMPORTANT, PLEASE NOTE: Not everyone in this thread will be up to date on these, so please keep spoilers in spoiler tags, thanks!
With that in mind,
DISCUSS!