Ranked #593

Threads of Time (Manhwa)

I wasn’t too sure about the series when I first picked it up, and at first it was a bit boring. But, the story is actually quite enjoyable and original for a time travel story.

Story: As I said before, the story is original for a time travel plot. It takes awhile to get into it, but once you do it’s simply amazing. I’m pretty sure that most of the history is actuate in the story, save for a few things which are mentioned in the last book. The whole plot is a rich tapestry of excitement and sorrow, but always pulling you along with the characters and allowing you to understand just what there are going through. It has been said of many series that they can make you feel as if you are part of the story. While the story is spectacular, Threads of Time is just not one of those books. Instead of standing beside the characters during their struggles, it seems as if their emotions are more emphasized and therefore you feel more for these characters than many other stories.

Art: The art in Threads of Time starts out like many series. The author is not yet use to drawing the characters in their settings and plot, but it gradually becomes better as the author gains more experience with the characters. I’m not saying the art in Threads is bad, not by a long shot, and thankfully it doesn’t change too drastically throughout the story so that the characters look completely different at the end than what they did at the beginning. It’s very wonderful, but the beginning could be better, especially the parts set in modern Korea.

Character: The character development and their relationships with one another in this story is absolutely phenomenal. You end up feeling amazingly close to at least one character because their personalities are so well defined, even the ones that don’t stick around for very long. The best thing about this series is its characters. They are just so wonderful that I really can’t say more than that.

Enjoyment: Once you get through all the necessities at the beginning the series is wonderful. If you’re into action and/or romance then you’ll love this series. That’s another good point of Threads. Even if you don’t like action, you can still enjoy it because of the romance, and vis versa. It’s an incredible series. I think I’ve reread it about four times now and I’m still enjoying it.

Overall the series is an undiscovered gem. It’s sad that not many people seem to even know it exist but that’s how it is with many of the best manga unfortunately. This is one of the few series I have given a 10, just because it is so deeply moving and was able to affect me in such a monumental way. read more

In Threads of Time [the title sure is giving off a bit of mysteriousness), we find our dear old friend Kim Moon Bin the delinquent (VERY original character, right?) who has money (the originality flow just keeps coming) and distant, uncaring parents (we've almost hit jackpot with the originality here). So he's a chain smoker (great influence on readers) and loves chillin' wit his homies, he also does KENDO!

*Ding, ding, ding!

We've got ourselves a winner for ORIGINALITY!

Woohooo!

.............Not happening, buddy.

So back to our yarn (I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself), chain-smoker-buddy is under a weird witch-thing...'s, a scary ghost or whatever, is haunting him and the creepy thing troubles his dreams which turn into NIGHTMARES!!!!!!!! AHHHHH!


Honestly, I felt sorry for him there cuz I know how nightmares can get and I bet you had your share of those too.

So anyways, this witch-ghost-thing... Uses violent means to bring him to Ancient Korea (UNITED for once) where he lives with another family who believe he is their son. And here is when the trouble begins.


Story-wise, this Manhwa was, surprisingly, entertaining.



I know, I was surprised too.

The plot developed, moved on and didn't lag too much; in fact, I would have extended a couple of the scenes but I'm quite happy with the way it is because I'm not that rookie-ish to believe that extending makes the story better. In fact, it could strangle it to death.

Speaking of death, here is the Ideologies and Themes paragraph {I promise, I'll try and be concise}.

The thing that bugged me for a while was when reality seemed to merge with illusions in the story; it wasn't quite my cup of tea since this reminded me of Monarch slaves. I was like, is this reality or is THIS reality? Secondly, there was some bloodshed... Okay, not some, but a solid amount of bloodshed which was made below-R-ratings by the very lukewarm art. The other one of the bigger ideas was the let's-make-sure-every-girl-woman-and-female-baby-gets-raped-or-better-yet-gang-raped idea, which wasn’t the most comfortable thing to read through, but the Manhwa isn't one of the worst themed stories.


*Looks at above paragraph

There, that isn't too bad.


Coming to the characters, some were really unoriginal while others were alright. There was not much exploration through personalities and ideas but then again, the story wasn't very detailed in that way.

The art was:
a) Almost constantly simple
b) Not shaded as much as I would have liked
c) Filled with those creepy weird big eyes
d) Occasionally seen to have details.


Overall, the story was moving if nothing else and thought-provoking which earns it big points. Even though the quality wasn't the best; after finishing the tale, you'll find that there is an aftertaste inviting reflection and questions bouncing in your head. The story encourages perspective to be used in life and will definitely have you enjoy yourself at bare minimum.

For you geniuses out there, that means read the Manhwa!
Which in turn means that Maz-Maz doesn't give it a thumbs-down: VICTORY! read more