But that is of no matter, what matters is this amazing title which I've had the joy of discovering, and now, want to share with others.
Shin Angyo Onshi is the story of Munsu, an angyo onshi: a government agent of the country of Jushin who traveled in secret and rooted out corrupt officials and warlords to restore the peace and bring justice to the people. However, at the onset of this story, Jushin has fallen, and Munsu wanders the ruined country cleaning up the shattered remains of the once glorious country.
This work is the brainchild of writer In-Wan Youn and artist Kyung-Il Yang, serialized in Sunday GX which is published by Shogakukan. Both In-Wan Youn and Kyung-Il Yang grew up reading and enjoying manga despite not knowing much about Japanese culture. In the same way, they believed that Japanese readers would enjoy reading a work drawn from a Korean cultural background as long as it was interesting. In this fashion, they have seamlessly integrated an eclectic array of Korean culture and folklore into an amazingly woven tale.
They work close together with their editor, referred to as N-san, and streamline the plot into an easily absorbable and appreciated form. They also provide very informative and interesting author's notes at the end of the volumes/chapters at times.
This isn't simply a retelling of cla.ssical folktales, far from it. The story is dark and twisting and a unique product of its own. From the onset of the very first chapter we have a plot twist and the ugly face of the remnants of a ruined country. Moral dilemmas and plenty of action is all abound. The story is seemingly episodic at first, but soon enough ties together into a much larger plot.
The characters who drive the plot are also wonderfully developed. Munsu is an anti-hero as much as an anti-hero gets. His stout stance in his principles and seeming lack of morality and kindness at times--much to the dismay of the "helpless"--hide a darker past. Sando, his "bodyguard" is a complete 180 from him: innocent, naive, and sweet, she is often taken aback at Munsu's seemingly incoherent acts.
What I love about this series is that while it contains elements of fantasy, it still remains very believable. Munsu is not a man who can whip out an energy blast. Instead he fights with his head and his guns.
The art is also fantastic, it's as if I'm reading a series with the artwork of Takeshi Obata but even more detailed, refined, yet rough at times. One could get into series for the art alone.
The plot never seems to slow down, much like Claymore once it got to the Teresa Arc. Just full steam ahead and no fillers, indeed, no chapter is wasted on filler, only more development. In fact, this is a series often compared to Claymore and Berserk.
It's finished its run at 17 volumes this year, and I eagerly await the day when a competent publisher licenses this series and does it justice. I can't wait for an anime adaptation either, provided there ever will be one.
You can find the scans online here at Anime-Source.
I've barely scratched the surface of the series here, so please check out this wonderful title, and tell people about it.