Rhie Won-bok

For what it is, it's wonderful. One must take into consideration that this is a non-fiction comic book and as such, it takes some liberties for the sake of brevity. We are talking about summing up a whole culture into less than 250 pages. Comments such as "this book is too general" or "it takes too many liberties" failed to see what this book is intended to be - a general overall for people with virtually no background knowledge of Korea. To that end, this book excels.

I also commend this book in its comparison with Japan, China, and America. The author has taken a vast amount of information and condensed it into very approachable subjects such as cultural identity, leadership and economic growth.

Let's not forget that this book is driven by it's artistic style which is quite pleasant and not distracting the least. For an animator, the script is well written and translated which includes very native-English references and subtle jokes that demonstrate his dedication to the project.

All in all, it's a great non-academic read that is recommended to anyone looking to take an introduction to Korea without having to dig through countless volumes of ancient history and poorly translated, nationalistic rhetoric.… (meer)

This graphic, non-fiction comic book with dynamic and funny illustrations is a fascinating look at different aspects of Korean culture and lifestyle. The author clarifies Korean history and shows how the country’s peninsular shape and mighty neighbours helped to shape the national identity of Koreans. Then he tackles Korean language and customs and points out how they are different from those of the neighbouring countries of China and Japan. Politics and the nation's struggle to become a democracy are also discussed as well as Koreans' high regard for education and the country's amazing economic development. All this in a highly entertaining form.
The book was supposedly a bestseller in Korea, which is probably the best recommendation for anybody who would like to understand this country. I really enjoyed it.… (meer)