Ranked #2429

Aflame Inferno (Manhwa)

Aflame Inferno is a Shounen, Ecchi, Supernatural, Action manhwa from the amazing Im, Dal Young. There’s quite a lot to take in from the mystifying plot but the story certainly shows a lot of promise.

This manhwa is mostly about Kang Shichan, a high school student whose life undergoes some drastic changes the night he encounters a Tedlar. Tedlars are basically this story’s version of demons that exist right under the noses of human’s… nothing original there. Now due to certain circumstances, Kang has no choice but to surrender is body to Legendary Tedlar/Demon Lord (Inferno). Having just summarized the story in a few paragraphs, you’d expect this to be a straight-forward action manhwa with supernatural themes; however I’ve only just scratched the surface of this very convoluted story. The most anyone would be able to comprehend, in the beginning, is that Kang becomes a Demi-Tedlar and that he must survive attacks from all the other Tedlar clans. Other than that there are a number of plot points that the author seems to shuffle between and at times you’ll forget the plot from the previous volume.

As for characters, some of them are an interesting change from the usual Shounen manga. Here we have quite the conceited bastard for a protagonist but Kang Shichan can be both rational & compassionate. Things get more engaging when a girl Shin Chae-hee & another Legendary Tedlar (Gehenna) get involved, adding some drama and potential romance to the story. There are a lot more characters worth mentioning, like the two other Legendary Tedlars but apart from them, the cast is mostly forgettable.

But one Korean name I won’t forget is Im, Dal Young and he is at it again, with another artist (Kim, Kwang Hyun). So anyone who’s read one of the following (Unbalance x2, Zero or Freezing, etc.) will be familiar with the art style. Busty babes and beefed up guys are on the menu. The detailed backgrounds scenery follow an authentic Korean setting and the action sequences are awesome but can be too flashy and hard to follow.

Overall Aflame Inferno initially felt like a rather unoriginal manhwa, with the clichéd ‘normal guy being bestowed with great power’ plot device but the various concepts certainly did add a bit of flair to it. However it’s those concepts that make Aflame difficult to comprehend, and even the ‘Inferno’ style combat is quite farfetched. This manhwa really does show a lot of promise and its flaws will continue to be outshined by its positive aspects. read more