Semantic Error Volume 2 Review
This is bad. Having Jaeyoung around has become my life’s default state. This error has become too deeply engrained. Sangwoo Choo.
Sangwoo is confused. Deeply confused. His nemesis, Jaeyoung Jang is no longer trying to make his life hell around the campus but is showing the charming, friendly side of his personality – especially when they’re working on the skit for their Chinese class project together. He’s even taken to giving him friendly little pats – but this eventually elicits such an unexpected physical reaction in Sangwoo that he runs away, mortified. As Sangwoo frantically tries to work out for himself why his body has produced such a critical error when Jaeyoung is very definitely not a woman, all the heterosexual presuppositions that he’s built his life around come crashing down and he retreats – yet again – from all contact with Jaeyoung.
But Jaeyoung is confused as well. He has much wider experience with sexual partners (Sangwoo hasn’t had any at all) but he’s never felt this way (whatever way that might be) about anyone else before. When Sangwoo and the charming female student Jihye go again to the restaurant where Jaeyoung works part-time, Jaeyoung is unaccountably put out.
So when Sangwoo suggests that they work together to create a mobile game to a tight deadline, he agrees. And soon discovers that Sangwoo’s idea of a tight deadline is just that; there’s to be no skiving off, playing pool or even turning up late for daily update meetings. As they attempt to work together to finish the game Veggie Venturer and market it, they get to learn a lot more about each other. Jaeyoung keeps falling back into his old easy-going ways – but Sangwoo is not prepared to let him slacken off and pursues him relentlessly to get his design work for the project up to the required standard.
If there’s one problem with Semantic Error it’s that reading it may well spoil you when it comes to enjoying many of the other manhwa around, BL or otherwise. Angy’s art is superb, ranging from gorgeous character art (her leads are both good to look at) to a versatile range of cartoon-based images and super-deformed/chibi to score comedic points when necessary (but never overdone). The use of colour is also a treat to look at, whether in the naturalistic panels or some of the impactful collage-style panels showing what’s happening in Sangwoo’s mind, employing IT-inspired imagery. However, the strength of Semantic Error is the way the art is used to convey the clash of two forceful personalities; and here the story and character-building from J. Soori is strong and compelling.
In so many BL manga and manhwa today, too little time is paid to building the characters before they fall into bed together which is fine if that’s all you want to see portrayed but has led to an overabundance of ‘meh’ material in which the way the characters react to each other lacks spark or originality. By the end of Volume 2, nobody’s fallen into bed with anyone – although there’s definitely been a kiss (or two) and so much more in both young men’s fevered imaginations. Because yes, Sangwoo is beginning to realize that he is attracted to Jaeyoung even though he tries to shrug it off as ‘some abnormal lust’ which doesn’t convince Jaeyoung at all. Sangwoo (predictably) keeps trying to explain away his physical reactions to Jaeyoung in terms of chromosomes and evolution. When Sangwoo tells him, “Let’s pretend it never happened” Jaeyoung is not to be dissuaded. And, even though Jaeyoung with his insouciant, cool attitude and dazzling good looks, seems unlikely to be able to feel any kind of attraction toward strait-laced Sangwoo, Angy’s drawings show us how his expressions around Sangwoo change and soften as their arguments crackle with repressed emotions. This is still one of the best ‘enemies to lovers/opposites attract’ Boys’ Love around in manga and manhwa at the moment; highly recommended for its character interactions, feels and its humour!
Ize Press have produced another very attractive edition that really does justice to Angy’s colour art; extras include a really useful page of translation notes, a two-page lookbook showcasing the outfits worn by the two main characters and a two-page preview of Volume 3. The translation by Manta is better overall than the slightly rough-and-ready earlier Manta translation and it’s very well served by Chiho Christie’s versatile lettering. Volume 3 (of six) will be available in July when the rating is rising from OT (Volumes 1-2) to Mature.
Our review copy was supplied by Ize Press.
