Walking past the manga section at Barnes and Nobles, I can’t help but notice the fiery red hair of the girl on the cover gazing at the guy in front of her. I picked up the book and started to read the first couple of pages. I am mostly a fan towards manga that I can relate to and “Fever” fell into my category. I bought it, read it, and now I review it as follows.

Hee Jung Park , the creator of the teen manwha “Fever” may have given a peep of her crowded cubicle in the first couple of pages which is quite new to me because most artists would appear on the side panel. Following those pages, Park slowly unfolds the high school teen story by introducing a student who does not reveal her name yet, but we know her full name from the chapter title, Hyung- In Kim. In school, Hyung calls herself number 37, an impersonal introduction can only mean she feels she is an object in school. Another student is indirectly introduced, number 47, Bo- Ram Yang. We learn Bo- Ram Yang is a shy girl and an outcast who transferred to another school. It is unclear of the relationship between Hyung and Bo- Ram, but Hyung’s sudden violent reaction of stabbing the classmate’s hands who ridicules Bo- Ram proves there is a deeper connection in the relationship. The artwork is drawn elegantly, skillfully, and slightly realistic to human features, but Park makes it hard to figure out what Hyung is feeling because of her unchanged facial expression. Through the artwork, Park develops a way to create dramatic tension when prior to the stab incident, we only see the classmate’s fearful eyes while Hyung’s facial expression remains the same leaving me clueless of the situation. After the stab incident point, we see Hyung is a troubled character whose actions may be fueled by her hidden anger. Her expressionless face and her rash action arises my curiosity of what is her problem that she is dwelling with. After the incident, she also disappears like Bo- Ram as illustrated by the extracted artwork of Hyung’s silhouette.

From there, we later learn Hyung meets a country side boy who just moved into the city, Kang- Dae. Their first encounter was at the bus and perhaps it was Kang Dae’s humorous and caring side that opened a crack to Hyung who suddenly tearfully spills her problems out to him. It was at that moment where Hee Jung Park does a wonderful job in opening up a bottled up character for anyone like me to know my emotions are understood at one point. The feeling of not being able to show one’s true self because of the need to protect their image in front of others. Being the opposite of Hyung’s character, optimistic Kang-Dae gives Hyung a piece of paper and tells her she is selected to join him at a place named “Fever”.

Next, out of blue, we are introduced to an orphan boy, Ji- Jun who is hopelessly trying to find love. He is rejected several times, but in any case, he is determined to find the “one”. While doing so, Ji- Jun is also determined to live his life as an individual and no one else. Other characters that are yet to be developed enter Ji-Jun’s story who may share the same “loneliness” such as Ji- Jun’s friend, Ah In and Ah In’s flirty sister, Ah Rip Lee.

The story flips back to Hyung who opens up more of her personal life. On the surface, Hyung’s family seems like a well- off perfect family, but underneath it, is actually filled with fragments of common issues we often hear. Her mother’s high expectations and school pressure, particularly the devastating news of Bo- Ram’s suicide has once again overwhelmed Hyung to tears. Hence, the break out of her emotions in public, but no one cares. Eventually, Hyung visits the place “Fever” and coincidentally, meets Kang Dae. Due to a bizarre ghost- like event, Hyung faints to wake up in a place where all three: Hyung, Kang- Dae, and Ji-Jun meet. At this point, I am looking forward to know the relationship between Ji-Jun and Kang- Dae, and what does Park mean by ending the note that it isn’t the first time they all met? Let’s not forget, what is this mysterious place named “Fever”?

Overall, the main part I liked about this manwha was the character development of Hyung. I can relate to her emotions and other events circulating around her. The art work is drawn elegantly and realistically. Often times through the artwork, the reader can feel the isolation and emptiness of the character from the empty space panels or rises a curiosity feel in some of the scenes such as the brief appearance of the characters (at the bus) in connection to the other character.

However, I do get confuse at certain intervals of the story because the story does not flow smoothly. At a moment, it may seem like you are reading the character at its present state, but it can be a segment of their memory of the event. I get confuse on the time and place that the certain event happened. Also, the random characters like Ji- Jun who jumps in the story without a distinct connection with Hyung and Kang- Dae can break the reader’s focus in following the story. Perhaps, this is Park’s style of telling a story. You may need to re read the pages to connect the story together as a whole, but in any case, “Fever” is a good read to any teen fan who can relate to the problematic situations and emotions of the characters in “Fever”. I think the certain fan that would enjoy this manwha is someone who is trying to discover their true identity amongst the expectations of others or someone who is trying to understand loneliness.