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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane From the creator of Hotel Africa comes a story that proves that when you're ready to give up on everything, adventure and hope may lie just around the corner. Fever is the first of Hee Jung Park's series to be released under her publishing deal with TOKYOPOP (vol. 1 of Hotel Africa is also available now, and the first volumes of Martin and John and Too Long still seem to be slated for summer releases), and it's my first exposure to her work. Not terribly surprisingly for a first volume, it seems as if this book is largely set-up for the next one; it introduces us to a variety of characters, most of whom have little or no contact with each other in this installment. (I haven't read anything about what happens next, so from my position of ignorance I wonder if it might develop similarly to how Ai Yazawa's NANA changed between its first two volumes, meshing its characters' lives thoroughly in the second volume after keeping them completely separate in the first.) With several characters to introduce, the book changes focus from chapter to chapter. We first meet Hyung-In, a tenth-grade girl who abruptly stops being able to deal with her school and its rigid expectations (and those of her family) after her classmates drive a friend past the breaking point. Hyung-In is most often the viewpoint character, so it's through her eyes that we meet Kang-Dae (and his dog, Bong-Nam), who has just arrived in Seoul. Kang-Dae doesn't know his way around the city at all, but after hearing Hyung-In's story he tells her she's been "selected", and gives her a piece of paper with directions--but no details or explanation--to a place called Fever. From there, the story moves to two boys, Ji-Jun and Ah-In. On the surface they're an unlikely pair of friends: Ji-Jun is a rough-and-tumble outsider, an orphan living at a Buddhist monastery, while Ah-In is a friendly, popular student. They've been friends for eight years, though, and Ji-Jun begins to get a closer look at Ah-In's life and family. Vol. 1 of Fever may indeed be set-up, but it has an organic, interesting feel to it. The artwork is consistently attractive and often lovely, focusing heavily on characters' faces--a good stylistic choice for a story relying so heavily on internal monologues. I'm reserving some judgment on this series until I have a chance to read the second volume, but overall, it's an appealing, enjoyable book that gives the impression it's likely to go somewhere very interesting. Comment on this review of Fever v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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