Have you ever wanted to go on a grand adventure? If so, then Lee Dani's and Shin Jiwoo's King of the East might be just what the doctor ordered.
Summary
Long ago, when the earth was still young, ten suns bathed the land in demons and hellfire. Upon orders from the heavenly king, a great archer named Yae stopped the madness, shooting down the suns till one remained. Utterly enraged, the Solar Goddess bided her time over several centuries, gathering resources to revive her lost children and unleash hell on Earth again.
To stop her stride, the heavenly king sought out two new champions, a great warrior named Hang-ah and the immortal thief Dongasbuk. Now, the unlikely pair must travel across the land and beat back every demon they can find, lest they, too, become engulfed into the flames.
Dongasbuk: Our "hero," Dongasbuk, is a thief who infamously stole a divine peach, granting him immortality. After centuries of being a wanderer, Dongasbuk is extremely crafty, overconfident, selfish, and mischievous. He is an unlikely hero in all this, but once he realizes how serious this is, he starts to adopt his new role, growing more compassionate and careful.
Hang-Ah: A faithful servant of the heavenly queen and king, Hang-Ah is a very kindhearted and brave. Despite her advanced age, though, she's still very young at heart, looking up to the grand hero Yae and having an inferiority complex for the other ten suns in terms of strength.
Overview
I've been on a high fantasy kick lately since I read Black Clover and watching D and D but the King of the East scratched the itch, though. I love the way this webtoon looks. Shin Jiwoo is on the art for this one and they really know how to show off, the slightly saturated colors, cartoonish faces, and thick outlines really give off the vibes of me reading an old school story from a scroll.
Also, it doesn't hurt that KOTE is an assortment of many different branches of Eastern folklore. Not only does it mean you get a ton of potential tidbits, but it also colors the world to feel lived in and ever-expansive. The journey of the main characters can help with that as well. Each arc follows the duo going into a new town plagued by a demon, featuring their own stories and other parties in play.
The former hero Yae, the interpersonal relationships between the nine demon suns, and even the mysterious hero Chiwoo we get teased about all get their hidden agendas to ponder about. A; helping to display a vast world of diverse fighters. Dongabusk and Hang Ae may not have the flashiest toolkits, but their physical abilities and intellect help ground battles against supernatural threats.
If there's one thing I would like to complain about, it's KOTE's pacing. Every chapter isconcise, but it always seems to end in a very awkward place, like we missed out on a panel or 2. Which, by all accounts, is a nitpick since it also, by proxy, means you can catch up quickly.
Epilogue
Overall, KOTE is a fun webtoon I know will get a lot more crazy as time goes on. I'd like to see if the series can make due on its set ups. Until then, though, let's see where the spotlight takes us next.
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Webtoon Spotlight
RandomJust a simple person is trying to shine a little light on the beautiful world of webtoon. With a splash of sarcasm, narration, and spitfire along the way. And who knows I might have other segments just for the hell of it.
