The Breaker: New Waves

Unlike the other reviewer who only read 1/10th of the series(21/201 chapters). My review is based off the entire series(2nd Season-New Waves). Spoilers from here on.

~SPOILERS~

Shi-oon is now a clan head. Then he eventually gets his Ki center restored and is stronger than ever. Fights S.U.C. which is like minions under the Nine Arts Dragon(NAD), fights some of the lieutenants, fight a sub-boss then his master. Bunch of masters die. Then the next cliff hanger which won't be resolved till 2017 at the earliest Shi-ho wakes up.

Now short manga reviews are also too short to be allowed so here we go again. OMFG these reviews just say it's too short and not what qualifies what is the proper length.(3)

The manga as a whole is very interesting. With some interesting twists but to understand the situation of the main character you have to read the The Breaker. Read the first manga to get a feel of the situation that Shi-Woon is facing. At first it starts off with the main character as helpless as ever having lost his fighting ability. So he decides to live a normal life. But problems arise and he dragged back into the world he was thrown out of. Having to fix himself to enter back in the world. He sets out to make himself stronger. In a different status then in first manga. Now is a leader or Gaju of a clan. He learns new things and gains more strength and eventually learns about his master.
Now going on about the plot the plot was interesting as it involved trying build the main character back to his original strength. There were new enemies introduced. Now matter how much he tries to escape that world it comes right at him. I gave the plot or story a 8 the art a 8 as well since I felt that the characters well well drawn out and it was better looking that most Manhwa's I've seen. The characters had interesting back stories and development so i gave a them a 7. I enjoyed reading the manga and seeing as the story progressed but i also enjoyed the fighting scenes. 60% of why I enjoyed this manga was because of story and 40% was because of the fighting scenes in the panels. It is very well drawn and it a very exciting martial arts manga. Overall I gave this manga 9. If you have the time you should sit down and read this manga.

The Masterpiece is back...

The Breaker: New Waves is a sequel to the manhwa "The Breaker", and is in my opinion even better than its father manhwa.

A good warning to everyone, there might be some spoilers in this review, so if you haven't read The Breaker, i recommend that you stop reading this review right now, you have been warned.

The Breaker: New Waves keeps following our old main character, Yi Shi-Woon now with his Ki-center broken by is own master, in what seems to be Yi Shi-Woon back to his every day ordinary life... But ofcourse having the great Nine Arts Dragon, the strongest and most godly person in the murim world, as your master has its own sets of drawbacks ... The story picks up after the events at the roof and Yi Shi-Woon recovery, and Yi Shi-Woon thinks is life as a member the murim world his over, but he is being targetted by a new threat, he is also (unknowingly) the gajuu of the Sun-woo clan since he got the medallion from So-Sul during her rescue missing, proving he is the leader of the Clan, and so we keep the story Yi Shi-Woon in the murim alive. Not wanting to spoil the story, i'll stop here, but trust me when i tell you it gets SO GOOD.

The art, like its predecessor, is still amasing, the level of detail in the background and the characters just make you think the drawer is someone very near the level of god in his respective field of art, and sometimes you get treated with really beautiful and realistic drawings of close ups from characters that just make your eyes cry from hapiness.

We are also introduced to some new characters, like the super smart super beautiful super cunning Kang Sera, the current head of the Mil-Yang Clan, and Kwon Jin-le a member of the Sun-woo clan and granddaughter of one of its elders, entrusted with its new gajuu protection. Great character development for this characters, Yi Shi-Woon and some others who i wont spoil will ensue, with the return of some other memorable names from the past like Han Chun Woo also known as the Nine Arts Dragon overall make for a entissing and great story.

As you can see from most of this review, i complety love reading and following this manhwa, its currently my favorite work (and i doubt very much that that will change anytime in the future), so it goes without saying that i recommend this work of art to anyone and everyone who read the prequel, and if you're reading this and haven't, go check it out before you read this one or you might not understand everything.

Overall, the breaker: new waves is a gift from god to us humans so that we can rejoice in happiness from great story telling and unbeliable art work, i hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Much like the story in the original series, this was fairly consistent and didn't have too many major plot holes (though there definitely were a lot of minor ones). I was a little disappointed when they did the lazy thing of making Shi-yoon practically invincible despite being somewhat weak but that was something I could let slide.

The art definitely got even better in this one, there was also a lot more cleavage and butt flashes which I can't say I disliked. Jinni and Se-ra had me smitten... but yeah both the panelling, the facial expressions and the action scenes were improved by leaps and bounds. Nothing but praise for the art.

Characters were a lot more interesting in this one and the development was nice, the protagonist became more shrewd and all of the supporting characters were incredibly intriguing. Elder Kwon is my favourite.

As you can tell I liked this one more but enjoyment only goes up to 10 so...

Story 5: Breaker: New Waves' biggest downfall is in this regard, where the prequel, The Breaker featured a unique and strong narrative format this one...doesn't. It kind of meanders about, without much direction until a sudden, almost out of no where plot development appears progressing the narrative for all of half a chapter before meandering again. Whats bizarre is how little the story actually develops over a long period, its to the point where a large portion feels like filler, which really hurts the series as a whole.

Art 8: The strongest point of the manwha, the art is absolutely on point. Where its predecessor had issues with portraying motion and action in its fights scenes this one has no such problems. It also features more unique designs, stronger shading, and a lot of variety in body types and postures among the cast which are utilized to the fullest in the fights, giving great visual presentation.

Character 6: The characters for the most part aren't too bad, with a couple being surprisingly solid with variety of character's that shift sides dynamically with their motivations giving them a nice sense of growth as the series continues onward. the main protagonist on the other hand is really poorly written over all and pretty much acts as a blank slate for the reader to impose on. In the predecessor, he was relatable because his views reflected the trauma that he endured and in turned helped him grow to be a well rounded figure. However, in this one he's got as much depth as wet cardboard with the word "chivalry lives" written on it. He doesn't change and doesn't grow and god he is just beyond my comprehension.

Enjoyment 7: This was a fun experience when viewed as an individual story and not as a successor to the previous series, The Breaker. It has excellent art, strong character variety, and still has solid lore detail that is intriguing, but the themes, character depth, and stakes are just not present.
Over all it makes this feel a bit too shallow to be as satisfying as the original. It has needless filler, and a lot of plot threads just don't go anywhere or serve any real purpose to the story as a whole.

Overall 5: If you want a fun martial arts action romp than I highly suggest this series. The art and over all design of the series creates an atmosphere that is both enjoyable and intense. However, if you want an emotional under dog tale with a lot of depth then you'd probably best avoid this one, which is a shame given how much better the original was.

I just going to put it out there... New Waves is not as good as it should be
No, I was not held back by my expectations, i read eagarly through 150 chapters in a sitting, but i felt that Shi-Woon was just a punching bag for about 100 of those chapters...
In terms of his progression as a character, he hasn't gone far. He is still the strong willed fighter, nevering giving up.
However, when he becomes teh elader of teh Sunwoo clan he seems to have attained leadership qualities. BUt to me it just seems like cockiness. Also his "brave" "leadership" traits are wasted when he interacts with Chun Woo, he doesnt fight him and acts like an invalid.

As you may also have noticed Shi is continuously underplayed, giving teh notion that he is "weak" that he has a reason to be in the current state of patheticness (chp. 150). But we must remmeber that Shi is special in that he took a dan pill got invigorated with Ki, then became the student of the most badass martial artist, also somehow wins over the phoenix pendent which allows him to become the leader of the Sunwoo clan. Yet he's still so pathetic, his martial arts have made little progress and his character is still weak when faced with a real challenge (when he can fight Chun). In every single fight the opponenet of Shi lets him off beacuse they belive that he has speical "recovering powers" or "they want to see him reach full potential". Really as a martial artist and character overall he hasn't changed much.

I think they have used his life too cheaply in that Shi is always putting his life on the line announcing how he is willing to die all the time. I believe as a martial artist you should not always have the mind set to be willing to die, it does not make you strong.

The romance between Jin-le was really nice early on however i think that the introduction of Sera was a bit much.

In The Breaker, the edgyness was taken off with the chibi illistrations of Chun. This was really nice, since i cant stand watching a Shi covered in blood for 50 chapters. The chibi style drawings have dissapeared in New waves, which means that the authors want to maybe make the story more serious. This is oh-kay, but since this manga originated with a mixed style they should've kept it since it was a good aspect.

Another thing that bothers me is that since this is a martial arts manhwa, i think there needs to be more realic progression in combat. As in, iron fist style, there are more eloquent and useful techniques than just "ran at opponenet and grab concrete". Sigh.

I know Chun is like the 9 something dragon, most OP martial artist. However if he can "take over Seuol" then shouldn't there be other people like him around the wrold. I mean, come on, there isn't just like 9 schools of martial arts... I mean theres boxing, muay thai, sambo and others more. Also later one i feel asthough the manhwa is trying to take the storyline and action to an international level, this is wh i feel that teh diversity in combat is lacking, it's aiming to get bigger but with so little a base for construction.

The fact that other asian country's have a strong standing in martial art's, then why hasnt the manga introduced them? I mean if a guy can come into a country run around killing hundreds of people and still be able to escape wouldnt it make international news? wouldn't other martial artist around the world come to kill him? or challenge him? (CHun)

Overall i think this manhwa is an 7.5-8/10

So, the Breaker Part 2. I binged the first one and this one in a week. That alone should tell you it is good. But it annoyed me a lot as well. Let's get into things:

Story (8): The story is well written, suspenseful, intense, dramatic, and overall well done. But it only gets a 8, because I didn't enjoy the story it told. To elaborate, Breaker 1 was fun action and drama, and really intense. But New Waves forgot to include one of those: the fun.

The main character grows as a character, beats villains, and occasionally you get a good rush of fun from a villain getting punched... but it almost completely lacks the comedy and all the light hearted elements that made the first one so great. Instead, it wears down on you with constant tragedy, cliffhangers, and dark tones. I entered it expecting to have a fun time... but by the end, while I still wanted more, I left more tense than I entered the story. Their is no resolution, just constant buildup.

Overall, the story was 10/10 for writing, 10/10 for immersion, 10/10 for making me want to continue... but a mere 6/10 for actual enjoyment.

Art (10): Art is great, and unlike many action mangas, it manages to convey the motion fairly well, and you can picture how the scenes would look as an anime. Very good, perfect score from me.

Characters (8): The characters are more complex than in the Breaker 1, but they lose some interest when all humor is stripped from them. Everything is serious and dark, and that leads to a drop in how much I like the characters. It's hard to like people who have no fun in their lives.

Enjoyment (6): Pretty much as I said in Story. I didn't enjoy this, really. I put a 6, because it kept me reading, and I didn't leave it hating the author. But man, it is dreary.

Overall (8): Great story, great art, good characters, but completely dreary and draining.

Now, I don't usually write reviews but I happened to create one because I have absolutely nothing else to do. (Not a good writer btw).

So I guess I'll start with the story first. Personally, the story was fine, I wasn't expecting much since it's a martial arts-based manhwa and not like a romance story or something. The story mostly consists of meeting stronger and stronger enemies while the MC also progressively gets stronger. I've always been a fan of these types of stories and I think "The Breaker" executes this pretty well. In terms of pacing, I think sometimes it was way too slow and forcefully dragged out. I think the story could have been a bit better if they had sped the story up at certain times. I wasn't expecting to find a super good story in this manhwa and you shouldn't either. So like a 7/10 or something.

In terms of art, I was pretty impressed. Unfortunately, it isn't colored at all but the detail and linework are pretty top-notch. Most webtoons I read have a lot of panels that I can't understand what is happening and exactly what I am looking at. After reading "The Breaker", I can safely say I didn't run into a lot of these types of confusing panels which is a good thing. I'm not an artist but even I can tell this has some good artwork. So like a 9/10 or something.

As for characters, nothing impressive. If you've spent a pretty decent time in anime and manga, the characters are nothing new and you've probably seen these character types in other animes a lot. Only a couple of characters are worth remembering. 6/10.

As for enjoyment, I definitely enjoyed this manhwa. The martial arts in "The Breaker" is great and very easy to follow. Personally, I've had a few moments where I was in total excitement because cool things happened. I read the manhwa because I heard its martial arts was good and I was not disappointed at all. The only thing that brings this score down is the fact that sometimes the pacing was too slow and the lack of a good conclusion. 8/10.

If you're looking for a martial arts manhwa to read, this is great. The characters and the story aren't spectacular but they don't really affect the quality of the manhwa too much. Overall, 8/10.

BIG DISCLAIMER: I've only read the manhwa like today but I browsed the subreddit and it turns out that there hasn't been a sequel in many years. The author keeps making promises to make a part 3 but there's nothing behind his words. Supposedly, the author MAY have dropped it. Also, New Waves ends with a cliffhanger so this may ruin your experience if anyone still wants to read it. This is a heavy risk but the martial arts is still pretty good nonetheless.

Though "The Breaker", that is the prequel to this series, was way better, being to me a great manhwa, "The Breaker - New Waves" is still worth reading. You may get bothered by the story pace, that is sometimes slow, there's also and the novel about the girls around the main character and how you never know if he likes any of them or who he really likes. Other than that, the action and fighting scenes are great, and the relations between the organizations envolved in the plot are really convincing. Therefore, if you didnt read "The Breaker" I would not recommend this manga at all, but if you did, you already have a opinion about this sequel. If you got here wondering if you should read this or not, then read "The Breaker", cuz its fucking awesome.

Updated ( 10/6/2013)

A lot has changed since my previous review of New Waves. Let's get started.


Story 8/10
The story of New Waves is that Shioon, after the events of The Breaker, has to cope with life without martial arts. However he is still be targeted for being NAD's ( Nine Arts Dragon) disciple. During one of these encounters Shioon meets the fiery red head Jenee, who is ordered to protect him by the people of the Sunwoo clan. Later it is revealed that the Sunwoo clan wants Shioon to be their new leader, and thus begins the story of New Waves.

The overarcing plot of New Waves if that of Shioon trying to cope with being in a world of martial arts, without the ability to do martial arts anymore. For those that have read The Breaker ( all of you reading this review I hope ), this seems like things have gone full circle, to how things were in the beginning of the The Breaker. This can make the plot seem like it is moving slowly, and that "nothing" has happened over the course of 10 chapters, but let me tell you, the slow build up has MAJOR pay offs ( especially around chapter 50+ ). Overall I would say, while the story is very " basic" it does well with building up, and keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen in the next chapter.


Characters 7/10
While the plot may have its moments, outside of a few characters, the cast of New Waves, is very sterotypical, with many characters not given time to flesh out their personalities, or not having very redeeming personalities to begin with. Most of the villains are just " I want to take over xxxx, I am right you are wrong " sort of thing, while there are a few exceptions to this rule, for the most part it holds true.

The main characters all develop nicely, and get plenty of time to build up their characters, making the main cast very likeable, and makes you really get into events that revolve around them.

Overall I would say the characters, while generic, are redeemed by the main cast of characters being unique and their character development.

Art 10/10
One of the best drawn action series ever. The fights are easy to follow, the characters look amazing, and the backgrounds are really well done. The art conveys moments of action so well it makes your blood pump, moments of sadness so well it makes you cry, and moments of the funny so well it makes you laugh, just off the art alone.

Enjoyment 9/10
While I will admit the start of New Waves is very slow, and it takes a while for the payoff to come, the series, once it picks up, makes you not want to put it down. Be it from simple fights, to clan wars , the series has it all, and never makes you want to put it down. I am currently up to chapter 131.

Overall 9/10
I would recommend New Waves to anyone who wants a well drawn out action series, with a great main group of characters, and edge of your seat action making you wish the next release would hurry up.