Star Project Chiro, Vol. 1

Although touted as a unique Korean manhwa, this book is a lot like standard teen romance–comedy manga. Eun-yo is a pretty, outrageously pampered schoolgirl who's pursued by almost all the boys in her class, but yearns for one of the few who leaves her alone, Chan-Kyung Woo. High school dating is complicated enough, but Eun-yo also attracts the attention of surly teen idol Nan Lee and, thanks to an accidental bit of arson, finds herself at his mercy. Much allegedly-amusing emotional turmoil follows, all of which is reflected in each page of the art. As feelings ricochet from one extreme to the other, a character's appearance changes, too. In one panel, he or she looks like a slim, glamorously self-possessed young adult; in the next, as immature emotion takes over, that image is replaced by a round-headed, childish caricature. The layout, meanwhile, is splintered and the fragments jammed loosely together again. This all makes for an unusually lively reading experience, but it's also hard to follow. Who can tell what's happening to the people when it's so difficult to recognize them from one fractured moment to the next? Some readers may not care. The story's not as original as it looks. (Oct.)