Seyoung is an ordinary 17-year-old schoolgirl who is used
to playing mediocre roles in her school's drama productions. Her real-life drama develops as she finds herself falling for her childhood playmate Hyunwoo, who is drifting away from her and toward a TV star schoolmate named Hyemi. Seyoung lives out her youth as if all the world's a stage, but as she basks in the bright lights of innocence she seeks someone in the audience to recognize the light within her. Narration of Love at 17 is a coming-of-age tale about one ordinary high school girl who learns about life through an extraordinary thing called love. Written by Korea's eminent writer Kyungok Kang, Narration of Love at 17 is a classic romance which
appeals to young and mature readers alike, as well as
anyone nostalgic for the simplicity of youth.
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reviews Avg. rating
(9.2)
Very Nice
StormyKate
03/23/09 00:46
I really liked this story! I had lots of troubles when I was around her age too, not love ones mind you, but I know how everything can be so confusing and hard to deal with. The good thing that Seyoung and I in real life have gotten from these trials, is we both grew stronger because of them. -Kate
Everyone ponders on the meaning of life sometime in their existence and "Narration of Love at 17" is a significant piece of humanity that addresses the insecurities of life in a high school girl's world.
At times it seems a little sophisticated in terms of philosphical and psychoanalytic content for the "appropriate for all ages" stamp, but the situations that are addressed can relate to anyone in any part of their lives. The whole series is really a mural of the troubles and anxieties that people endure throughout a lifetime. There is a lot of contemplating on self-worth, the mysteries that the future hold, and of course the timeless struggle of getting your crush to reciprocate your feelings. You can think of "Narration" as a guidline to the upsets and struggles of life.
"Narration of Love at 17" definitely isn't a manhwa that you can read for just its ups and downs of love--you will be challenged to ponder some heavy thoughts. And although it does deal with a lot of philosphical ideas, it remains unburdensome because of the steady ebb and flow of the amount of drama. Plus, the philosophical questions that are asked are age-old questions that have always returned from generation to generation. "Narration," then, is essentially a book of advice about life from the artist Kyungok Kang. So sit back and read what she has to offer for the struggles in life.
The artwork alone was enough to be worth the read. It was very detailed, even down to the extras in the background. Each had an individual characteristic that made it difficult for them to blend into the backdrop. But I think that's what the artist was going for to demonstrate the uniqueness of "ordinary people." I especially enjoyed looking at the expressions, which could clearly portray their sentiments even with the absence of dialogue.
We may be ordinary people, but it doesn't mean we can't have spectacular stories. And this series delivers not just a story about a girl's budding love story but her walk in coming to understand and believing in herself.
That's what I did the whole time I was reading this one - sighed. I became annoyed pretty quickly with Seyoung. She kept calling Hyunwoo dense but she seemed to be pretty thick too.
I was annoyed with her immaturity and indecisiveness. Then I realized that is how a 17 year old thinks and acts. Miracle of miracles - here is a story about a teenager that actually reads like a story about a teenager. Unlike most of the other supposed "coming-of-age" stories; this one actually read like the real trials and tribulations of a high schooler in the throes of first love.
Which is probably why I didn't like it very much. Reading about Seyoung's painful and awkward youth made me relive my painfully awkward youth. Although I suppose, in that sense, this story was actually a success. I've become used to these types of stories reading like an adult's perspective of teenage life. This is the closest I've ever come to feeling like I was reading an actual teenager's perspective (kudos to the author for that).
Oh but there were some inconsistencies with the spelling of character's names...
It really portrays a teen angst very well. Very believable and the characters were nice. The art was good and misunderstandings were very realistic. There were some things that I thought the main character reacted to too dramatically that it made me want to hate her but, she grew on me. The subtle hints also gave me some room for my own interpretations. overall, pretty good.
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