In Pine Kiss, the graceful and endearing series by the celebrated Eunhye Lee, Orion is the beautiful and mysterious new teacher at school. He immediately catches the attention of Sebin, daughter of a rich gang leader. When Orion is involved in protecting her from gang rivalry, it becomes apparent that there is more to this teacher than just a pretty face. Not only are students surprised, but Orion's effect entangles the already troubled relationships of the different students. The passionate triangle between Orion and Sebin and another student, Dali, as well as the mysterious past of the beautiful teacher is realized in Lee's elegant drama.
ORION
Orion is an extremely good-looking new teacher who grasps hearts of every
female student at school.
SAEBIN
Sebin Jo is a spoiled daughter of an infamous gang leader. At first sight, she becomes obsessive over Orion.
DALI
Dali Nam remembers Orion as her first love and her ultimate fate,
but Orion remembers neither Dali nor the day she gave him
one of her marimba sticks: her hope.
SANGHYUNG
Sanghyung Lee is a popular male student himself who tries to win Sebin's
heart but she doesn't even notice him.
The setting for this story is a secondary school and it involves
a new teacher, the good looking and mysterious Orion. In many
ways this is a tale of typical teenagers - some with a crush on
teacher, some with stronger feelings for fellow students. Much of
it concerns two female students. Sebin is the daughter of a rich
gang leader. She is often left alone with servants to make her
own way. She is used to having things her way - she makes the
chauffeur let her drive even though she is too young, she gets
other students to do her cleaning chores, she has enough money to
buy what she wants, and thinks money can solve all problems.
Beneath she is hurting from the knowledge of where the money
comes from. She falls for Orion and sets out to win him over.
She has made an enemy of sorts out of another girl, Dali. Dali
confronted Sebin about her arrogant ways, particularly her
manipulation of other students to do her chores. She also has a
revelation about Orion when she realizes she knew him long ago.
She wants to put Sebin in her place and somehow make Orion
realize who she is and fall for her.
Orion himself is another story. We see some of his past at the
beginning, the wedding of his sister has some importance. Being a
first year teacher he needs to learn the ropes and fit in. The
students take to him right away, and as we see some adore him. A
chance incident forces him to take action against some local
thugs that will set a fateful meeting into motion. Once things
get rolling the story gets more interesting. There are a bunch of
scenes in the first chapter that will not make sense right away
but will become clear as the story unfolds. By the end of this
volume there is intrigue about Orion's past, a potential gang
war and that is nothing compared to the scheming of two teenage
girls!
The art is top notch with a good use of black and grays as
needed. One keynote of quality black and white art is how well
it stands alone without the dialogue. You can see the
craftsmanship in every panel. I enjoyed Pine Kiss overall but
parts of it bogged down in teenage silliness, which is of course
a major part of its intended audience. It can be enjoyed on many
levels so everyone should take a look.
David LeBlanc, Editor
Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine
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reviews Avg. rating
(8.8)
Can't wait for the next chapter
lilshorty
08/01/08 10:24
I love Pine Kiss. The art is clean and beautiful. The characters are fun, interesting, and dramatic. Of course, there are some characters I disliked (i.e. Sebin and Orion), but the story between Dali, Rocky, and Sanghyung is getting more interesting. I'm keeping my eyes open for the next release. I agree with the last reviewer that Rocky does look better with his hair down :D
Rocky Choi is hot with his hair down, Eunhye Lee should draw him that way more ofter. To those of you who are stuck around the first volume keep going. I promise it gets better as it goes.
I'm soo frustrated. I really hate Sebin! I feel stupid getting so worked-up about a character in a comic but I am hoping, somewhere in the 8+ volumes, that wench gets hit by a semi. I'm not particularly fond of this story so far but my hatred for this character has me reading because I want her to die so badly (I'm not kidding). I don't want something awful to happen to her that will make the other characters pity her - I want her to die. I felt a little sorry for her for a second and then that phony suicide attempt really ticked me off. I wish she had gone over the railing.
This story is pretty twisted. What is up with Orion?! Take a stand already. His stupid, wishy-washy attitude is what has caused this mess (although I would still want Sebin to die, either way). He is supposed to be the adult and I don't feel at all sorry for him. His students are being physically attacked and it is his fault for indulging Sebin's selfish, spoiled nature.
Wait, I want to end on a positive note...ummm...the artwork is lovely.
I love the artwork, and the story has gotten more interesting now that it is in the middle. Characters are all developing with their emotions. It has a lot of love triangles which is funny lol
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