Kingdom of the Winds

Kingdom of the Winds

By Kimjin

Net Comics, 2007. 210 pages. Graphic novel.

ISBN: 9781600092510

Reading/Interest Level: Age 13+

Curriculum ties: N/A

Booktalk Ideas: Hallyu back: Describe the main conflict Prince Muhyul faces at the beginning of the manhwa with his brother going missing and what that means for the kingdom.

Challenge Issues: N/A

Challenge Response: First Defense File

Reader’s Annotation:

In an ancient Korean kingdom Prince Muhyul and his sister must fight to keep their family and kingdom together despite their mad father and the forces of evil working against them.

Plot Summary:

This manhwa starts on a dark, rainy night as guards rush in to notify the king that one of his sons has gone missing. When Prince Muhyul hears this, he plans to go find his brother. Is it really the best time though? It’s raining furiously and the river where Prince Yeojin was last seen is extremely dangerous. Also, Muhyul’s wife is currently in labor!

Still, Prince Muhyul loves his younger brother and he knows that their cruel father won’t send men out to rescue him, so Muhyul heads out into the storm, leaving his sister, Seryu to look after his wife.

When he reaches the river, Muhyul discovers that the Gods have captured his brother and are holding him. Muhyul must fight the mystical beings if he wants to save his brother, but can he do it in time?

Meanwhile, Muhyul’s wife gives birth and when the lives of the mother and baby are threatened Seryu must use her divine powers to save them.

Critical Evaluation:

This is only the second graphic novel I’ve ever read and I don’t know if I had a hard time following the story because I simply wasn’t used to the formatting, or because it was actually confusing. I know just a little bit about Korean history, but nothing about the era and family this manhwa depicts.

That being said, it was an interesting read and I really felt the contrasting black and white drawings enhanced the story. There were a few instances where I couldn’t figure out what was being depicted, but by simply skipping over those sections and moving on I never felt like I too confused to continue.

The characters are all unique and have very distinct characteristics, making it easy to pick out who is present in each scenes. That being said, sometimes it was difficult to tell who was talking because there were multiple instances where the speakers were outside of the frame and not visible.

The action scenes where Prince Muhyul is fighting the spirits felt chaotic to me and it was difficult to decipher what was going on, but as frustrating as that was it also made point from an artistic standpoint because battles do tend to be quite chaotic and it can be difficult to tell what’ going on.

Overall, I enjoyed this manhwa and would willingly continue reading the series.

About the Author:

No author information available.

Justification of Selection:

This manhwa (which is the Korean equivalent of Japanese Manga) is full of action and adventure, highlights family bonds and expectations, and is an excellent graphic novel that I think many readers, especially guys, would enjoy.