Phantasy Degree, or "Master School Olympus" as it's known in Korea, focuses on the adventures of Sang, a red-headed sorceress (sound familiar?) who does what she wants, when she wants. Determined and headstrong, she'll stop at nothing to reach her destination and work around all those who oppose her. Of course, there's always time to eat or trick someone for your own gain along the way, right? If you enjoy the sorcerer, magic artifacts, demons, werewolves, elves in the forest, sword fights, and shenanigans-type stories, you will feel right at home with PhD. If you enjoyed Slayers, this will feel familiar and yet fresh, with enough questions to keep you guessing on the big forces at work behind the scenes.
To list every possible character would be a chore, as many come and go in this series. However, the main and recurring characters all have well-defined and dynamic personalities that work well with the other characters around them. The interactions flow smoothly and none of the dialogue is stilted. Each character also has their own set of skills and abilities that make them memorable.
Sang is just as powerful as she is spunky, and she's entertaining to watch, especially when she wants to troll someone. Chun Lang has somewhat of a "sidekick" role at points but her fighting skill as well as her sense of humor make her a very fun character. Dev and Notra's personal development as well as their relationship with each other is intriguing, although it isn't expanded on much after the first arc. Iris, despite clearly being the "spoiled brat" character, becomes likable after she's forced to witness tragedy, and you do start to feel for her. Overall, aside from these brief positives, the characters do feel fleshed out even if we don't learn everything about them. The villains come off as very threatening and oh boy, is there a lot of them.
I liked Phantasy Degree when I was a teenager and I like it now. The character designs are unique and memorable, the setting is a fun and wacky fantasy world, and there's enough comedy alongside action to keep you entertained.
Wish I could talk about the entire story, but sadly it's been on hiatus since 2005. It's a shame, too, because by volume 10 the plot begins to really pick up and things look like they're about to go down. It only frustrates me that I'll never find out what the author had planned for this series. Nonetheless, maybe that's all right, because the product that we're given is a fun fantasy adventure that's perfect for reading when you wanna turn your mind off and enjoy a good story.
Here's a brief summary.
Pros:
-Dynamic and expressive characters
-Unique and polished art style, only occasional fanservice
-Individual plot threads are interesting
-It's a comedic fantasy swords-n-sorcery story with a good amount of mystery
Cons:
-Many interesting characters introduced only to become irrelevant
-As it's been on a hiatus since 2005 it will probably never get completed
-Seems to lack direction at some points and too many things can be introduced too quickly, causing confusion. (Too many questions and no answers in sight.)
If you can manage to find the books online, give them a try. It's not the best manhwa you'll ever read, but it's a fun tale that won't leave you unhappy.
