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Putting “the Invincible” in the title of a book really leaves your character a lot to live up to.

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Yongbi the Invincible (Vol. 1)

Review by Jim Lancaster

Author: Ki Woon Ryu

Artist: Jung Who Moon

Company: CPM Manwha

Length: 200 pgs. (Approximately)

Category: Action/Adventure

Rated: PG 13 (Violence, adult situations)

EXTERNAL EXAM

Yongbi the Invincible is a young warrior who wanders the countryside in search of money, food, and booze. He seems to be a harmless goofball, not taking life very seriously, but when Yongbi explodes into action-look out! Both Yongbi and his horse/companion/advisor, Bi-Yong, seem to be much more than meets the eye. As bounty hunters, these two strange companions at least manage to keep themselves fed.

The duo have, apparently effortlessly, captured the dreaded Goo-Hwi, leader of the fearsome assassin group known as the Black Snake. Though Yongbi doesn’t seem worried, it seems he may have taken on more than he bargained for by opposing the entire Black Snake group.

DVD VISION TEST

ARTWORK: Jung Who Moon’s artwork suits the story well. He does a great job switching from serious action mode to the goofy humor that is peppered throughout the story. The characters and their world are both nicely detailed. The only real negative with the artwork is that the action is sometimes very difficult to follow.

SOUND EFFECTS: Most of the original sound effects have been left in, with smaller translated versions fit in next to them. In a few cases, it seems like the original effects have been replaced by English versions.

EDITS: There seem to be no obvious edits made to Yongbi the Invincible. The art has been flipped to read from left to right.

EXTRAS: The only extras in this volume are some very brief comments from the author and a pair of character profiles for Yongbi and Goo-Hwi.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Ki Woon Ryu’s writing is not going to surprise anyone with innovation or originality. The story of Yongbi the Invincible brings very little that is new to the table. This is a very straightforward action story, with liberal doses of comedy added to the mix.

TRANSLATION: The translation seems very accurate and carefully done. There is nothing in this volume that seems to stray from the author’s original intent.

FAN SERVICE: In many ways, Yongbi is all about fan service. There is not an abundance of women in revealing outfits, but there are a few. For the female fans, Yongbi is quite happy to use almost any excuse to drop his pants, usually because he thinks a woman is propositioning him. However, if you consider fart jokes and Three Stooges-style physical comedy to be fan service, this book is loaded.

THE 2 VIEW

Putting “the Invincible” in the title of a book really leaves your character a lot to live up to. If he is ever defeated, then he really doesn’t live up to his adjective. Of course, if he actually IS invincible, it takes away any suspense in the action. If Yongbi can’t lose, why bother reading at all? So, is Yongbi invincible? The truth is, Yongbi does seem pretty darn invincible, but it doesn’t really take away from the fun of reading his adventures.

At first glance, Yongbi seems pretty useless as a hero. On the surface he seems to be a callow youth, more interested in food, drink, money and women than in saving the day. He does not cut a particularly imposing figure, and he seems to be half-asleep most of the time. On top of all that, he takes quite a bit of guidance and advice in daily matters from his horse. (A horse that only eats meat and drinks alcohol, by the way.) Yet somehow, when it is time for action, Yongbi takes on all opposition and barely breaks a sweat.

Yongbi is amazingly strong, has unsurpassed fighting skills, and moves faster than the eye can follow. When attacked during a swim, naked, wet and unarmed, Yongbi takes out a horde of ninja assassins with nothing more than a wet loincloth snatched from an enemy. Despite appearing almost completely clueless, Yongbi actually comes out three steps ahead of his enemy every time. If this series took itself seriously, Yongbi’s unbeatable nature would take away from the drama, but drama isn’t the point of Yongbi the Invincible.

The entertainment value of Yongbi comes much more from the comedy than it does from the action. After Yongbi defeats his blowhard opponent, will he pants him and drag him around behind his horse? Or will he simply encourage the horse to fart in his fallen foe’s face? Maybe he will do both, and if you like that brand of humor, you will enjoy the adventures of Yongbi the Invincible.

If you go into Yongbi expecting a serious, gripping adventure with accurate period details along the lines of Lone Wolf and Cub, you will be disappointed. Ki Woon Ryu’s tale is much more of an action-packed comedy than it is an action/adventure story. If, however, you are looking for some light-hearted reading with a lot of goofy humor and an occasional fart joke, you can’t go wrong with Yongbi the Invincible. Yongbi may be invincible, but it is his silliness that truly saves the day.

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