Neck and Neck

(Tokyopop, 2004-2006)
™ and © 2002 Lee Sun-Hee

Dabin Choi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Korean crime boss, is desperately in love with Eugene, son of one of his associates who doesn’t like her “that way.” Still, she arranges to be transferred to his school—which goes less than swimmingly because of Shihu, the hunky heartthrob son of her father’s “business” rival.

As elegantly attractive as this high–school romance is, it’s unfortunately dull. Rather than do something interesting with the organized–crime setting, it prefers to devote itself to trying to create romantic sparks where none are to be found.

And, although it’s Korean, not Japanese, and set in Seoul, the art is very much in the style of Peach Girl. What really distinguishes this as Korean are the signature elongated necks sported by all the leads—appropriately enough, given this series’ title. And it’s hard to imagine that an organized crime figure, especially one as painfully boring as Dabin’s father, would be so sympathetically portrayed in the pages of a girl’s romance manga.

— S.A. Bennett

Jump to issue:

Notes

Writer

Artist