Chunhoo Kang lives in a world of crime, sex and intrigue. He's the Nihon Saikono Warrior, Japan's greatest fighter in the yakuza underworld. However, he's also Korean. He holds the title through Shi-Nan-Joo, a powerful and ancient martial arts from Korea. Haunted by past sins, Chunhoo abandons his crime life to search for the young woman and son he abandoned decades ago. His yakuza bosses are unforgiving. They want his honor and title back. Assassins trail him all the way back to Korea and Chunhoo resolves that he's not going to be anybody's servant anymore. He's going to become an Emperor, standing at the apex of his own empire. Meanwhile, his son Sukgi is a rising hotshot in the Baekhwa criminal organization in Korea. He's got it all; money, women and power. But when the Baekhwas spark a national murder scandal, the mob boss forces Sukgi to publicly assume the guilt for the crime by threatening his mother. To save her life, Sukgi must agree to take the fall, a certain death sentence. Will father and son find each other? What will happen to Sukgi's mother? Will Shi-Nan-Joo be powerful enough for them to survive the murderous intrigues of the crime world surrounding them? And who is the Emperor that Chunhoo seeks to become? Will he be for good or evil?
Filled with hard-boiled action, Emperor's Castle is the representative work of Korea's most popular author in the adult action genre.
CHUNHOO KANG
In search of his wife and son, Chunhoo pays a great price and leaves the Japan's most powerful yakuza organization
Sochun.
SUGKI GOO
Number 3 of the Baekhwa gang and the only son of Chunhoo, Sugki falls into Gaesan's trap and receives the death sentence.
GAESAN DOH
Number 2 of the Baekhwa gang, Gaesan plots against Sugki's life in fear of Sugki's advancement in the organization.
Vol. 2
The original plan was to resign from a life as the best fighter for the Japanese
mob and return to his homeland, Korea. Chunhoo wanted to reconnect with a woman he abandoned years ago, and the illegitimate son she bore. She has died and the son was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. He is a victim of the gang warfare in his own land. With a death sentence pending, Chunhoo helps Sukgi
escape from prison taking him to the red light district to hide out. Because
Chunhoo is viewed as a threat the Imperial House of Japan has contracted two
deadly hunters to kill down the father and son. Meanwhile, the prison warden has
sent his own deadly killer after the two to avenge his shame. When a situation
arises that endangers the life of his son, he must choose whether to save him
and expose himself to those who hunt them.
This adventure has gotten to the meat of the plot. All the schemes are
intertwining and some are yet to be revealed. An underlying theme in most
stories involving gangsters is often the fact that even those with good
intentions, or desire to leave it behind will come to tragic ends. This may end
differently but there are many obstacles in the way. The fact that the yakuza
bosses of the Sochun Organization won't let Chunhoo disappear would make it seem like he would have to wipe them all out to find peace. The fact that his new-
found bastard son hates him makes us wonder if they can find common ground to
bond. The rest of the characters are in a dance to seek their own ends in mostly
ruthless ways. It is not a pretty story. There is violence, some of it
senseless. But it reads realistically and is becoming fast paced. There is a lot
of ground covered as Sungmo Kim takes time to develop the characters and
situations but does not linger longer than needed. The little bit of martial
arts mystery is not overdone and adds to the aura of the main character. Part of
the fun is waiting for a climax but enjoying the pains being taken to get there.
It is a master story with a lot of depth to enjoy.
- David L. LeBlanc, ComicBkNet@aol.com
I enjoyed "Emperor's Castle" immensely. The first volume wastes no time throwing readers into a dynamic and quick-paced story. Readers who prefer their heroes to kick ass with overwhelming punctuation will find much to like in the first volume of "Emperor's Castle" which often reads like a print version of a good John Woo action movie. While the story is action-packed, the writer Sungmo Kim does an admirable job taking us from place to place and reminding readers that there's a larger story to tell, an expansive underworld of intrigue to explore and goals that each character ruthlessly pursues.
- Philip Daay, Editor, Emperor's Castle
1
2
3
4
5
6
- Total 15
reviews Avg. rating
(9.5)
Action Jackson, Eat Your Heart Out
GlyphLaGlace
08/15/08 15:08
When it boils down to it, there's only one real thing to say about Emperor's Castle: it kicks ass. Hands down, this is a manhwa that puts the graphic back into graphic novel. I love it. Chunhoo, the main character, and his son Sukgi are an epic tag team who can overcome any adversary. The story itself is nothing to scoff at, either. Telling the tale of Shi-Nan-Joo master Chunhoo who also happens to be the number one fighter in Japan, Emperor's Castle brings the reader along on a tour-de-force that crosses between countries as Chunhoo desperately tries to reunite with his estranged wife and son. Once reunited, their run from the mafia and their tale of self-discovery, loss, and revenge culminate in action-packed fist fights that suffer from ridiculous amounts of gritty, bloody, and exhilarating sequences. From the sex, to the action, to the martial arts and the fast-paced and thrilling storyline, Emperor's Castle is a Tarantino-esque opiate to the masses who starve for an action novel that's not just an Indiana Jones or Street Fighter clone. I've torn through the first books out, and can't wait for the next ones in the series!
I can just see a Hong Kong noir film when I read this book. If you like John Woo's movies, you will definitely like Emperor's Castle. It's got everything--action, sex, violence... Heart-racing.
I really don't need another series to get addicted to, but it can't be helped. There's not much emotional attachment to invest in this series, but it's engaging to see who the next opponent will be. The little side stories/mysteries are a nice touch, too. I wonder how this series will end.
After reading Vol.2- Vol.4, all I can say is Excellent! It has human emotions as well as in-your-face action. This story is really about Sukgi, the son of Chunhoo who gained the title of Nihon Saikono Warrior. We see how the ancient art of Shi-Nan-Joo is pass down as well as how there is no love loss between Koreans and Japaneese underworld. This is a very good find for the action reader as well as for those who want a change of pace. I will be waiting for the next update. So until I become the Emperess, keep up the excellent work.
Taking a break from the great titles, I spot this one. I just read Vol.1. Oh wow!! What a storyline. Great charaters and the perfect pace for the story. Yeah, there is nudity and violence enough to keep it away from the kids and those with weak constitutions, but it's well within the story and tastefully done. The artwork is good and I can see this one going very far. I will be reading the other volumns over the next few days holding my breath. So until I become a top assassin, keep up the great work.
- 
