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Title: Sarasah Vol 1

Author: Ryu Ryang

Publisher: Yen Press

ISBN: 9780759530157

May Contain Spoilers

Ji-Hae is a girl who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “No.”  “Go away” is a challenge, too, but “Drop dead” she understands.  After mercilessly stalking Seung-Hyu for a year and a half, an unfortunate mishap near a flight of stairs sends her to an early grave.  With the help of a sympathetic goddess, she’s given the opportunity to do things over again.  Will she make another mess of her second chance at love and life?

When I read the first chapter of Sarasah in Yen Plus a while back, I remember not being overly impressed.  The heroine, Ji-Hae, doesn’t offer an initial favorable impression.  In fact, she is down right annoying, so when she fell to her death at the end of the chapter, I can’t say that I was upset at her early demise.  After getting to know her a little better in a few subsequent chapters, she is still irritating, but at least now I don’t want her to make a muck of things again during her second crack at life.  She seems to be headed down the same, however, so I’m not holding out much hope that she’s going to learn a new approach when it comes to pursuing the love of her life.

After making such a horrible impression on handsome Seung-Hyu, Ji-Hae has finally pushed the poor, victimized lad over the brink.  She has made life miserable for him, she couldn’t catch a clue it if was stapled to her forehead, and he has finally had enough of her embarrassing displays of worship. Ji-Hae helps them both out by tripping and taking a tumble down a flight of stairs, which lands her in the ever-after.  Though she’s unlucky in love, she appears to be lucky in death, and after learning of her sad end, the goddess who controls the flow of human life decides that she needs a second chance to win over her love.  Ji-Hae is sent back to the land of the living, taking over the body of her past self, a noblewoman, during the Shilla period. 

Since I prefer historical settings to those of modern day, I was happy with this twist of Ji-Hae’s fate.  Her former self gets gypped, but Ji-Hae gets to wear some very pretty and elaborate costumes now.  And she gets to live the life of luxury, if only she would stop sneaking out of the family estate and just stay home like a good little rich girl.  Not content to wait for true love to discover her, she is determined to track it down, employing many of the ruthless, relentless characteristics that got her into trouble in the first place.  I guess some people will never learn.

The illustrative style is pleasing, with the attention to detail that’s expected from a period piece.  The clothing and hairstyles from the Shilla period are intricate and elaborate, giving the story visual depth.  Ryu Ryang uses white spaces skillfully, leaving the panels clean and uncluttered.  There are lots of gorgeous boys, too, with pretty faces and enviable locks of flowing hair.

I enjoyed Sarasah, and wonder what will happen in subsequent installments.  Ji-Hae has already put herself in a precarious predicament, one that will be tricky for her to escape from unscathed.  Because she hasn’t learned from her previous attempts to win her guy, she is up to her old deceptive ways to snag Seung-Hyu’s past self.  She has yet to learn patience or the value of being honest.  Will she ever learn how important these traits are in a relationship?

Grade: B

Review copy provided by Yen Press