Love in the Mask

This is an absolutely fantastic manga.

It shares a concept of cross dressing and having males falling in love with them, but the concept has been taken to a new level.

This manga will have you wanting more and put in twists you'll never have expected.

WARNING: This manga has some males that have taken their love to a different love. Some say that they have become obsessed, or very possessive. It also involves gangs, abuse, alcoholic abuse, and the yukuza.

Never Written a reviw before, but this one needs one. It has such amazing characters and such a great plot but i was soo disappointed at the end, the story moved soo fast towards the end while at the start it was at a nice pace. OMG i felt like the author needed to finish the story quick. I really wished it would explain a bit more. Can't believe she made the main character like another guy.....and what happened to Chi ho!!! - i felt like he was forgotton i really thought he would end up with the other women! It is an amazing story and i would really recommend it but i gave it a lower score as it was not a really good ending but it was a happy ending :)

Story: 8/10
Han Yu-Rang made the gender bender of the story unique. I haven't seen gender benders done like this, so I was really happy. There's not much to complain about the story itself, yet there's not much to brag about the story either. But it did keep me really interested.

Art: 9/10
This is the first time I'm fully engaged in a manhwa, and the different style it has from manga is very obvious that it took me a while to get used to it. In the end, I still love the art. I didn't give it a 10 because there were times I didn't know which character was which.

Characters: 4/10
As much as I love the story, some of the characters sucks so bad, I couldn't ignore them. The heroine's character was also confusing; I didn't know what Han Yu-Rang wanted her to be portrayed as. Is the heroine supposed to be strong or weak?! Make up your mind! Then the hero could've been better. There were only two (maybe three) people that I actually liked.

Enjoyment: 8/10
Even if there were flaws, I still enjoyed it, always wanting more, more, more, and more. Like I said previously in the Story section, it was interesting. HYR knows how to lead a story in a good direction that will keep her audience interested and at the edge of their seats.

Overall: 7/10
I can't ignore the flaws. If I did, it would've been a nine. I know there are some people who won't mind, and others who actually like the characteristics of the manhwa that I see as flaws. I actually don't mind the imperfections because I'm always going to have a disagreement with anything and everything, but even so, I rated harshly because I feel it's more honest this way. It's also because it could've been better. I'm still satisfied with it and would recommend it. The flaws aren't actually as bad as I make it seem because I didn't even notice it until I was in chapter 100 something.

Anyways, I recommend it!!

This is the best story I've read so far! Koreans keep on impressing me everytime. I'll be waiting for the next korean who'll impress me with a new story!
This story is reallly harsh, it depicts how hard life is really by showing its darkest sides. It made me feel bad too because we always complain about little things, while they are many orphans who couldn't get a chance to taste happiness.
It took me a long time to read it, because it's too long (32volumes), but also because it was too stong for me (lol). Eventhough, I really wanted to know how it's going to end, so I finished it!
There isn't one lead personnage, but at least 4 ones! The writer go in the details so I found it really intersting (32vol on just one person would have been boring :p ).
That's it ^^

How do i say... The story isn't bad, in fact the plot s actually pretty good, something that will sound dramtic and enjoyable if a friend was discribing it to you, however, the set up was not very good. It is a great plot but not well executed.
I originally planned a 6 but taking the good parts like the plot in consideration i guess it is more deserving for a 7. Giving a grade score, 60% would be too low for it and 70% sounds about right, a C.
The art was not very good, the eyes were really large and shimmery looking and the proportions werent great either. The houses were nice though.
Characters were mediocre, they seemed pretty immature in general except for a few and were lacking in some way. There wasn't an immense amount of character development but its there. Most of the gang members seems butthurt which was annoying. Bik Rak was the manga's savior character. Hyung and Yun ha werent bad but Bik outshines them imo.
The biggest flaw with the manhwa was the dialogue. When it wasnt chessy it was boring, when it wasnt those two it didnt make sense, when it wasnt those three it was lame or downright sexist. Some lines sounds pretty sexist and was offensive. A few parts were funny but not as much as i would expect for a comedy manga. Though i cant judge too harshly on it because it may be wrong on the translators part.

The manga is a good gender bender. It has lots of action, drama and romance.
But what I did not like was the fact that Hyun-Bin is a girl, she was beaten almost all the chapters. It is cruel and inhumane to take a woman like that.A woman would never have sufficient physical strength to beat several men at the same time, take both. It was part of the fantasy author

i have read a ton of shoujo manga, but only a few manhwa, especially the black and white one ( which i think better than the color one ). First of all, i wanna tell you that, to be honest, i really want to give this manhwa a 9, but my heart telling me to not, so be it.

The story is about a girl who has to hide her identity and act as a boy for a very long time ( you can read the plot ). The story is great for me, but there are several part that is still lacking and the author also too cruel for me. The bad side of the story which i think several people also think the same as me is the relationship between hyunbin and yunha. I ship both of them till the end and i know that they love each other so much. But, the storyline just keep going over and over for several times between those two. And one more thing that is kinda stupid for me is hyunbin herself, if she had just revealed herself, i dont think the problem will be so complicated.

The character is good, not great. There are a lot of flaw going on in each character. The one i hate the most obviously yae ha, a stupid girl who has a twisted personality. I actually like hyunbin, she is a poor girl and i feel really sorry for her. Yeah its a good character, but they are just good. The love story is also not so cute.

Overall i think its a really worthy manhwa, u need to read it for sure. The reason i give it an 8 despite of 9 is because i dont feel a strong feeling while reading this which i think is the most important thing when u watch something. I only feel kinda sad and my heart moved just a little but. even (SPOILER) when oong died, i still dont feel so sad, i hope he live though.

Let's see.

-Really long, going on circles (I love him, can't reveal, I love him, can't reveal, I love him...). Would have worked way better as 30ch series.

-Art is awful. It is hard to describe, but the art is very crude except for hair.

- Plot is bad and unrealistic, every single character is unlikeable.

Unless you are 12-13 years old and female, I'd stay away from this. There are so many better series.

I absolutely love this manhwa because it really goes in detail of the characters from their childhood to their adulthood. The story is about a girl who is an orphan, but live amongst street gangsters. She conceals the fact that she's a girl so that she can survive. One day she's taken in by a rich family and becomes the family's granddaughter's bodyguard. The owner of the house tells her to conceal the fact that she's a girl to everyone and concentrate on training and protecting the weak granddaughter. Hyunbin is the name that is given to the heroine. She lives her life as a bodyguard for many years and go to high shool with the granddaughter. While there, she meets many different people, and even guys who fall in love with her despite the fact that they all think she's a boy.

The story gets even more interesting because the Hyunbin was taken into the rich family for her use later on when she gets older. She is concealed as the family's grandson and is allowed to be kidnapped by another family, who happens to be a mafia, and the enemy of the original adopted family. She has to contain her secret of being female for 9 years with the mafia, so that they do not know that she's the fake grandson. She also has to give up on her love back at the high school.

The story is really original and interesting.
I love the fact that it has 32 volumes, because I really hate underdeveloped storyline and characters. You'll really regret it if you miss this manhwa.

If you love gender bender and shoujo, this one is definitely for you!

If you're looking for a simple manga without any unnecessary complications, look somewhere else.

Plot (8)
When you read the synopsis first, you may think it's pretty simple, but it totally complicated. The story focuses on the dark side of life: Death, orphanhood, lonliness, crimes and more. You will see unmoral actions (which will influence some of the characters. Even a character who doesn't look hurmful at the beginning, may reveal its darker side).
The story in the beginning pulls to certain direction, and as it goes on, the relationships are changing as well as the feeling of the characters (and even their mental condition).

Characters (8)
In one word: tragic. Most of the characters lost someone who is important to them. You can see the first death in the very first chapter! The death in each of the character's life is going to change their lives forever. There are also the charcters who were unfortunate from an early stage of their lives. The charcters can make you angry and also make you sympathize with them.
Most of the characters go through a change in a certain point, and this will be a point of no return (they will never be as they were before).

Art (9)
There are better, but it's really really good.

Enjoyment (8)
I enjoyed, but in certain points it started to be confusing and really irritating (but maybe the things that made me angry, will make others happy. It's very individual)

I have never written a review for any manga till now. But this manga really captured my heart. It is awesome! There are so many touching moments. I love it so much. I cried at least 12 times, that means that at least 12 chapters were so sad. It really broke my heart. I love this manga and how it expresses fate and destiny and about true love! I love this manga! I might even read it someday. One day, I will share this manga with my kids. LOLXD This manga has made me feel so sensitive and now I am babbling and talking nonsense. I feel like a retard. Argh, I love this manga so much! I love Hyun Bin. I really wish that I too will be loved like him. I hope that everyone who reads this story can experience the same feelings as me. The end is sad yet happy. I really don't know how to express it, but I know one thing-I love it!

I've never written a review here before but after spending however many hours reading and completing this manhwa, I felt the need to write something, cause oh boy was it all over the place.

I'll keep it brief:

The characters are all pretty unlikable and many are just plain annoying.

The story is dragged out and seems to just go in circles, basically nothing happens in the first half that means anything.

I can't say much to avoid spoilers but I got quite annoyed at the ending, not to mention the lead up to it, Hyun-Bin's motivations completely change in a matter of chapters and the conclusion is just stupid.

The art is not the best, especially the eyes, I figured i'd get used to them as it went on (like Clannad) but nope, they were distracting the whole way through. The hair is well drawn though, lots of detail in it.

In the end I feel like I wasted my time with this one, I probably should've dropped it but by the time I was sick of the story and characters I was about half way through and still wanted to see the ending cause I figured it couldn't be that bad. It was that bad. I can't say much about whether it's a good gender bender or not since I haven't really read any others but I can definitely say there are much better romances out there. 2/10.

I've been following this manga since it started till it finished and I absolutely love it.
The only thing that urks me is the fact there are so many time skips like 7 years later, 2 months later =-= Also, two of the girls just won't accept the fact their love doesn't like them-after years as well==" *spoiler warning* One even goes as far to sleep with the guy when he is drunk and has his kid-but it helps the plot so I can accept that.
I love the fact the main girl and the main guy falls in love and no matter what happens, they don't fall out of love.The plot was wonderful, develops really well though the ending was rushed.

Using the seemingly un-rusting gangster setting, this Manhwa would have been dropped faster than it would take you TO READ TILL HEre. But it had something extra; not only did it have the overly, and I mean OVERLY, used setting and characters but it had something new, something that most don't have.
No it's not detailed drawings but a bodyguard.
Yessiree, a bodyguard.

It is a tale told from a bodyguard's point of view. Not a rich kid, or a poor kid;

It was a bodyguard.

You see, I'm a simple person. I don't like overly used things or things that are 100% nonsensical (a little nonsense here and there is okay).

And that's all it took to get me interested in this Manhwa, a little change from the routine.

But like cheese, the longer it's ongoing, the more it stinks. I gave the author credit for the bodyguard point but when the Manhwa lasts for +20 volumes and it's a love story. Oh God. The stench gets to ya. I mean by volume +10 even if you turn a love triangle to a love octagon, it's still a painful read. When you get twists, that are more like (bends...?) things that aren't twists; it can get a little (A LOT) boring.

The art was truly priceless, priceless because I don't think anyone would want to buy it. It is unchanging; when I learn that it is a gangster Manhwa; I expect exactly this art (no changes) and lo and behold!

I was right.

But this just proves how it has almost become a tradition to use this kind of art for the specific setting; and it not something to be proud of. The best thing to do about this is simple, don't use it.

It was fun while it lasted but the Manhwa could use a lot of work and it had character development but someone tell the author to end it already! How long does a non-twisty love story going to be?!

A love to hate manga, not because it's so horrible but because the characters really piss you off.

Do the characters have their bad qualities? Yes, but at this point I think their qualities are essential to the drama and its unfolding.

[Mild Spoilers but very little]

Suh Hyun-bin. She’s had a rough start in life. Watched her little brother die in her arms without being able to do anything. Was later picked up by a wealthy man who needed a bodyguard for his granddaughter. It was either be a guy forever or be on the streets. She chose what anyone would have chosen. Used and abused by everyone for everything. Even Yae Ha, who is suppose to be her friend manipulates her for her own benefit. Hyun finally falls in love only to be taken away and taught a lesson on the reality that she isn’t suppose to feel anything for anyone.

Yun-ha Lee, a boy with a tragic past. Lost the girl he liked and his brother is in a coma. Only has his dad. Made his own gang and was willing to leave everything for the person he loves. Even though he is mean to Hyun and hate him protecting yae-ha he is still devoted and sincere. I am willing to overlook that he’s the one closest to Hyun and hasn’t figured out he’s a she. His character is the one that has given and given to Hyun expecting nothing in return but to see her smile

Yae-ha, I'm not sure if her character is suppose to be a manipulative, self absorb, rich girl or if that's just the way the mangaka wants her to be perceived. She has no redeeming qualities. Even her good qualities at the beginning were to satisfy her narcissistic personality. She’s spoiled and deserves a beating, maybe I‘ll make a poll to see how she should be beat…
The truth about her was told to her face by no other than Ji-Woong, “You don’t know anything about love or the act of loving another.”

Chi-ho, he’s a follower of Hyun, to the point that he stalked him to the bathroom and harassed the girl out of him. He loves her deeply. Even confessed when he thought she was a guy. He was the top in Lee’s gang before Hyun got there and took his spot as the better fighter.

Kang Ji-woong was the best addition to the manga. Abandoned when a child by the people he cared about. He gave up on love and hates when people love. But somehow Hyun got under his skin. He was the only character that automatically saw her as a girl. He got extra credit points just for that in my book.

Art: The fighting scenes are good. They get cleaner as the manga progresses then reverts to it's former state. There’s no suave way of saying it so here goes, I like knowing how one person gets beat up and you don’t miss anything with this manga. Also, the characters expressions are not the best towards the middle, I’m not sure why I noticed. Just somewhere along the way their expressions were always sullen. It could also be that the mood of the manga shifted.

My opinion on the characters are pretty consistent with my version of their description above. I have to note thought that though Hyun is the protagonist I feel that she would have better off she if she told someone of her circumstances instead of hiding it and suffering in silence.

I can’t say anything else without spoiling (even more) the rest of the story. I know how it ends, I have seen the raw and I am looking forward to it to see the look on their faces!

After all is said and done this was one manga that was worth reading until the end.

The first thing I did when reading this manga was cry. This manga was for me heart-wrenching and very depressing. This poor girl has had unfortunate upon unfortunate thrown upon her. Her little brother died in her arms then she had to become a heartless body guard. After 9 years of trying of what I can only describe as a half-hearted darkness she falls in love but she can't reveal it. Then to top it all off the has to spend another 9 years as a heartless gangster all the while having to pretend to be a boy.

I read this manga thinking it would be like Tokyo Crazy paradise but instead I am tortured by this poor girl's life so much that i want to cry. Personally I don't like heavy manga's so I'll just drop it and when it is completed I will read it's happy ending I was so close to finishing it only a couple of chapters but I honestly don't want to cry any-more.

This manga is just too DEPRESSING!!

One might say that the plot enchants with its beautiful simplicity, yet it's very colourful and enjoyable. The characters have interesting and moving past and the way they act is very interesting, but the thing that I like the most in this manga are those simple, yet beautiful scenes where the characters show something about their deepest feelings, dreams, for example, where Hyun-Bin thinks about her life and the things she can't do, it's so sad and touching and somehow very hard to express. But in my opinion this story is truly amazing and beautiful.

Let me begin by saying I loved this manwha all the way until chapter 127. I liked the characters and although I got a little annoyed with all the self sacrifice (and there is a lot of it) I liked seeing what was gonna happen next and waited anxiously.
The reason it wound up with an 8 from me is because the ending was completely rushed. Its like waiting 2 hours for a really short and uneventful ride at an amusement park. The majority of it is awesome keeps you interested and shows a lot of longing, emotional stress, and the true value of relationships and things.
I think that ending really upset me so this is a great story with a happy cliche fast food ending.

This manga is sooo cool......I mean the story is originally and the characters are great but ....the thing that I like the most in this manga is the thing that the girl have a strong personality and she is disguised as a boy and she is good at fighting too.....I think that this manga is the best ...XD ...I suggest you to try it because you won't regret ....^_^

This manwha was a mess.

It was all over the place. The story started out very interesting with the introduction of characters and all. I also liked the main female lead very much because she was a tough girl and was able to fight and defend herself.

However, then the author started introducing more characters and unnecessary drama. Half the time, I could not even understand the whole vengeful situation and interactions between Chairman Kim Pil Joong and Chairman Yun (I think this was their names. I also couldn't keep up with all the names because there were just that many characters) whose relationship actually instigates all of Hyun Bin's issues and sadness.

The author introduced not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different love interests. I felt that one of the guys that fell in love with her (Chi Ho) would have fit the plot better if he played the main role of friend instead of obsessively trying to gain the love affection of Hyun Bin. Then we have Yun Ha who is second to fall in love with Hyun Bin (or realize it) and is the actual main male lead. He was a "nice" character but I could not, in me, find any other reason to like him. His love for Hyun Bin was also overly obsessive. His main role essentially contributed a new-found sense of freedom and comfort to the ever tragedy-stricken Hyun Bin and that was it. Next, we have the crude, love child of the superior of Chairman Kim Pil Joong who also falls in love with Hyun Bin. I don't remember his name but he's the type of character we all love to hate. I didn't so much mind his role in the plot because it actually did contribute to the relationship of the two main leads. Lastly, we have Chun Bi Rak who, in my opinion, is really the only redeeming, lovable character in this entire manwha besides Hyun Bin and is also the second main male lead. Bi Rak was the only character that I felt contributed happiness to Hyun Bin's sad life and provided her with unconditional love and understanding. In addition, the author included two supporting female rivals, both of who had very washed-out, cliched personalities (typical spoiled princess-like female and typical evil-like female).

The author also had a bad tendency of introducing characters that seemed like they were going to contribute to the plot in some way and then in the end, the author seemed to have forgotten entirely about these characters from her large gene pool of repetitive, cliched characters.

Again, this manwha had so much unnecessary drama and impulsive turning points in the plot that weren't thought out and drawn/written clearly. Lots of repetitive events also happened. This manwha could have easily been ended with 30-40 chapters but instead was dragged out in 134 chapters. It was literally 20 volumes of Hyun Bin crying about the fact that she couldn't profess her love to Yun Ha because of her role of a male bodyguard, fear of her life, and sisterly love and respect for the princess-like rival character.

On a positive note, this manwha does have heart-wrenching moments that will make you tear up. This was one of the main reasons why I continued to read it as far as I did aside from curiosity of Hyun Bin and Bi Rak's relationship and the reveal of Hyun Bin's gender.

But in all honesty, the ending was very cliched and disappointing and I do not wish to go on any further with this review because it was the type of ending to abruptly put an end to the developing plot and feelings of all characters.