Ranked #359

The Summit (Manhwa)

It's hard to recommend a manga to someone when 3.7 of the volumes have been translated. That's right. 3 full volumes have been translated. Half of the fourth. And then like 4 other random chapters after that. How are you supposed to reel anyone in with a premise like that?

Because it either will or it won't.

The Summit is surprisingly good. Not great because I haven't felt like I've had the full helping I should (like I explained above, not the full translation), but what I've been given had me reading straight through. I didn't stop and I wanted to read more. And I was seriously disappointed when there weren't any more chapters for me to read!

Story: Saez, Han Lee or whatever is on a train one day and gets pickpocketed by Moto, this really pretty, effeminate boy. Standard stuff. But I felt like there was this hard-edged, gritty feel to the The Summit and while I didn't particularly feel any pull towards Moto, I felt it toward Saez. He's the one who changes, specifically his tastes toward a pretty boy who suddenly starts to hang around him a lot, and the story sort of goes through their life together. Nothing particularly special, just them together. Until we get a little further in and we see Moto's pasts starting to come out and the trouble that he seems to drag everywhere and that's where it really starts to pick up-and also where the translations get **cked up! It's really very interesting though to watch as Saez tries to keep his growing feelings tame for Moto who's completely oblivious about it but who attracts just about every testosterone filled organism within a 50 mile radius (yes, people. BoyxBoy love if the synopsis didn't clue you in on that already.)

Art: I've never really been one for Korean art, but I have read some before (Boy Princess, Bride of the Water God) and it always has this weird look to me at first. Like I can't read it because I'm so used to reading manga and not manhwa. But once I got past my initial reaction it's just as beautiful as most other manga. But one thing I can say, is that manhwa always feels edgy, rough and sometimes harshly detailed. Not that I find this demeaning in any way. On the contrary I think it is what gives it the unique feel of manhwa and I always appreciate that. But I think it is something others may not like.

Character: I find that I like Saez much better than I like Moto. There's certainly character development, definitely between them and for each of them, though I can't say how much for Moto. The random chapters at the end have revealed a devastating past and decision that he makes and I really wish that the translators would do something about that! But the supporting cast isn't bad either, partially because they're almost nonexistent until later and then they fit into the part of the story that we don't have much to go on yet, so it's hard to say what about certain characters. But I don't have anything against any of them. Just that I like Saez, even if he is a bit of a perv.

Enjoyment: All together, I particularly enjoyed reading this manga and I would really rather they just translate them in order and not jump around like that. Because that's what ruins the enjoyment of the manga for me. Not the material but how I have to read it. I can't find it anywhere to buy and so I must revert to the internet. But really, don't let that stop you from at least giving it a try. It may not all be there and I know some people may not want to start something that may never be finished and that has bits and pieces thrown in at random places, but it's almost worth it to just suck it up and deal with it.

Regardless, I can honestly say I don't understand why anyone translates half of volume 4 and then skips the rest only to go and do chapter 32, then 36, 38, 46 and then 52. Seriously? I'm not a translator, nor will I ever be able to be one because I don't know Korean or any other language. But if I did I would be translating my heart out. Don't get me wrong, I am truly grateful that anything is translated period. But what's the point of jumping around, when it won't make any sense in the end?

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