Title: There’s Something About Sunyool
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Artist: Youngran Lee
Publisher: NETCOMICS (US)
Serialized in: N/A
Translation: NETCOMICS
Review copy provided by NETCOMICS.
The time has come for 20-something Sunyool Lee, the daughter of a famous politician, to tie the knot. Though she takes her impending arranged marriage mostly in stride, Sunyool is understandably distressed when her father presents her with three potential husbands-to-be. They’re all so cute, she can’t pick just one! A few awkward dates later, Sunyool agrees to marry Sihyun Park; while the two barely know one another, they resolve to build a connection before consummating their relationship. Will Sunyool and her new hubby stumble upon marital bliss or will their romance be over before it even starts?
In my mind, this manhwa sat firmly in the romantic comedy camp; perhaps it should have stayed there, or at least made the dramatic switch at the end of this first volume less jarring. The series starts out with the headstrong Sunyool, who is easy to like; she’s realistic about her goals and the necessity of her arranged marriage, given that’s she’s actually the illegitimate (and only) child of her well-known father. And while not exactly boy crazy, Sunyool can appreciate a good-looking man (despite her lack of experience). Sunyool’s more worldly childhood friend Taehee watches over her, coaching her in the love department and shedding appropriately timed tears when Sunyool reveals that her wedding night was less exciting than imagined. I didn’t find Sunyool’s counterpart Sihyun particularly memorable, though. He seemed like a pretty gentle and understanding husband, but I can’t recall anything in particular about him that makes him stand out. Together Sunyool and Sihyun make a good couple, but Sunyool is clearly the main character in the story thus far.
The bulk of the post marriage chapters focus on the newlyweds being overly lovey-dovey, much to the annoyance of their friends, and debating consummating their relationship. There are hints of potential drama given Sunyool’s rough childhood but not enough to make the dramatic conclusion to volume one less jarring. While I hate to spoil anything, a death causes the couple to be abruptly thrust apart; and, to be frank, I just didn’t care enough about the couple yet to find it particularly compelling. I think the first volume would have benefiting from being a bit longer, maybe fleshing out the characters relationships a little more.
The second volume picks up with Sunyool working in a pastry shop in Paris, trying to move on from Sihyun and build a new life. Things are mostly peachy, until Sunyool inadvertently destroys the pastry’s shop owner’s laptop. Enter one Kangjae Lee, pastry owner and famed author, whose laptop contained the beginning of his newest book. Sunyool is immediately awestruck by his good looks and is overjoyed when Kangjae cares more about making Sunyool his girlfriend and less about his fried laptop. But as hot as Kanglae is he runs equally as cold, and his and Sunyool relationship quickly turns sour. Despite the rockiness, Sunyool acknowledges that she’s in Kangjae’s debt for the laptop, and moves into Kangjae’s home to work as a “maid” for month.
The second volume is decidedly less dramatic than expected given the first volume’s cliffhanger, but even with the second volume’s cliffhanger the series runs into the same problem I had with the first volume – the lead-up just isn’t that compelling. Sunyool and Kangjae argue for the bulk of the second volume, and while some may find it funny or cute, the constant bickering quickly got annoying. Like Sunyool and Sihyun, I didn’t care much about Kangjae and Sunyool’s relationship. The “live-in maid” bit to force the couple into close quarters was obvious from a mile away as was Kanjae’s eventual mixed feelings and the “shock” of the cliffhanger that closes the volume.
The best thing about this series is Sunyool, hands down. Her appreciation of good-looking men without being completely desperate or helpless, along with her ability to go toe to toe with Kangjae’s bickering made her character such a breath of fresh air, but I found myself wishing she was in a different, more compelling series. Unfortunately this series looks to be on an indefinite hiatus, so we may never get to see what becomes of Sunyool after volume three.
