Give to the Heart Volume 1

Give to the Heart #1

by Wann

In the far-off distant future, the Earth suffers a cataclysm that destroys modern civilization. Over centuries, human survivors regroup and organize into primitive cities. Three godlike beings arise and oversee the well-being of the world. Lord Ganok rules all waters. Nations prosper - or starve - on his whim. He nourishes farmlands with rainfall or blights entire realms with drought. He can unleash violent storms that level entire cities. Yet, despite all his awe-inspiring abilities, the Water King can't win the heart of a simple human woman named Sooyi. Lord Ganok quickly learns that the human heart contains more intense storms than he could ever hope to create. Furthermore, Sooyi seeks out a power of her own in order to fulfill an old vendetta...the power to slay the Water King once and for all!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Manhwa, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2014

About the author

Debuted with Stupid in 1997
Main works: Honey, The return of the Princess Louina, Fining A Hidden Handsome Man, Miracle, I Wanna Be Happy, Anne the Lover

Reviews

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Give to the Heart Volume 1' by Wann is an interesting premise for a story. My only question after reading it is "Why can't the male characters manage to keep their shirts on?"

In the far distant future, civilization as we know it is a distant memory. Humans live in new, primitive cities, but the old cities still remain. Three gods rule things. One of these is Lord Ganok, who rules the waters. He is the most tempestuous. Denying water, or sending too much. Some of this could be due to his missing wife.

Meanwhile, his wife is trying to find her way to the Dead City in order to destroy Lord Ganok. When he finds her, he has to decide if loving her means keeping her captive and making her miserable or letting her go and making himself miserable.

It's anime style, but it reads like conventional Western comic. The anime emotions are all evident as little comic heads, or character thoughts outside of word balloons. I liked the art and story. It's not complete in this volume, but as long as you know that, and that it leans more heavily on it's Asian story roots, it's a good story. I was a little put off by the overy aggressive domination of the poor human female in this book.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Netcomics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Raquel Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mais uma vez com o apoio da NETCOMICS , li o primeiro volume Give to the Heart da Wann. Yey!
Ando um pouco de olho em Wann por causa da sua série 100% Perfect Girl, que ainda não li mas que terei mesmo de ler em breve!

Give to the Heart passa-se supostamente num futuro longínquo, em que é destruída toda a civilização na Terra. Voltando quase tudo a estaca zero, os sobreviventes reagruparam-se e organizaram a sua nova localidade.
Entretanto três grandes seres divinos surgem para ver como o mundo está a recompor-se do sucedido.
Neste volume temos Lord Ganok que governa as águas, e tudo o que a envolve, a terra ora prospera e dá frutos ou morre devido a seca, ele é que manda.
Como era de esperar, apesar de ter este poder todo ele é temido e por essas e por outras razões ele ainda não conquistou o coração de Sooyi, que ele tanto deseja.
Eu estava com receio quando o comecei, o inicio deixou-me logo a medo visto ser assim:
1111

Eu achei estranho até por ter estas cores meias primitivas, mas descansei 3 paginas mais a frente, porque o resto é literalmente mangá. Uffa! Pelo menos a nível de desenho, porque ele lê-se da esquerda para direita (eu acho que há um nome para isto hum..) . Acho que é força do habito ler da direita para a esquerda quando se trata de mangá por isso estranhei também está parte, mas nada por aí além.
Todas as expressões próprias do mangá estão presentes e isso foi um alivio, esperar piadas quando supostamente não há, é fantástico.

Bem o Lord tem muito que se diga tenho que dizer, ele é frio e as vezes um pouco mau, mas é só porque Sooyi o tira do sério, mas isto é conversa para spoilers e eu não o posso fazer, não devo fazer!
Mas seria de esperar o físico que tem não é? Belo e de camisa ao vento (bem esta parte não é requisito, é um extra *sigh*)
Em relação á história em si, ela tem uma boa premissa e espero que se desenvolva melhor daqui para a frente envolvendo mais o amor, e não tanto o verdadeiro ódio. Sim porque ambas as personagens tem uma relação estranha de amor-e-ódio que ao principio não conseguia bem perceber. Mas o final deixou-me a querer ler o segundo!

Como é normal tanto em mangá como em comics em geral, eles não tem som mas é frequente "ajudas" aos efeitos sonoros através das palavras. Como Boom! Paw! Bang! etc. E Wann usou-os muitas vezes, mas não chegando a ser ridículo, é perfeito e parecendo que não ajuda tanto que nem nos apercebemos deles, eles simplesmente entram na mente.

Ainda não tenho grande conhecimento da mangaka por isso fica para uma próxima vez ;) Irei investigar! Quem souber algo pode sempre comentar e ajudar.

[Li Or · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

About the artwork:
The artwork is really high quality. It's in the Japanese anime style (including the typical anime emotions of #anger, comical crying face, embarrassed face etc). The drawings are all in black and white and though I would have prefered them to be in colour, they're still beautiful. At times without colour though I found it a little tricky to understand what was happening in some of the drawings.

For artwork alone I'd give this graphic novel 5/5

About the story:
I found it a little difficult to understand what was going on at first and think maybe it could have used an editor's help to clarify things, but towards the middle of the book I started understanding what was going on better.

If I had to classify the genre of this graphic novel I'd say it was a "supernatural romance". Though the main relationship shown in this book is the kind of love-hate relationship that's abusive with a lot of arguing and shouting, threats of killing or injuring one another and romantic scenes that feel like they're on the rapey side.

If you've ever watched Japanese anime tv series, some of the humour reminded me a lot of the same style as that.

The story ends on a cliffhanger which makes you want to read volume 2.

About the sound effects:
You know how comic books have the typical sound effects like "POW!" "BANG!" and stuff like that? This graphic novel has quite unique uses of sound effects, like "KRNK KRNK" for knocking, and a few I didn't quite understand like "FROOSH" and "FRRR" and "PADADA". Another one that I found quite funny is that when a character was panting, say from overexertion, they had the sound effect "HAA HAA" which for me has associations with laughter, and sometimes this was used at times that were not meant to be funny at all which had an unintentional comic effect.

Overall
It's clear that the artist is very talented but I'm afraid the story was a little too focused on unhappy situations for me to enjoy it.

---

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I don't normally read graphic novels, my friend asked me to me to give this a go.. Not bad at all I liked the mythology that started it off.. Great artwork through out and I managed to finish it in one short sitting..

[Claire Charlot · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is beautiful, the story interesting despite feeling somewhat messy however I was totally put off by what was depicted as romantic scenes but feel to me very much like rape. Isn’t it common knowledge that no means no?

[Violet Stone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for something sweet and romantic. But this wasn't it. Girl gets threatened with rape from every single male she stumbles across.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. I liked how it opened and you didn't know the characters or what was going on and you had to figure out what was happening. I also liked the illustrations. Lord Ganok's hair is everything - along with his sculpted body. ;)
I have the second book, so I'll get to reading it soon.

Thumbs up!

[Beth Younge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked art style a lot and thought that made this super readable but i just did not connect with the story. I found the characters a bit flat compared to other mangas and wish that certain chapters did not feel so rushed.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Treisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

very problematic manga

[E.J. Powell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very confusing storyline. Seemed to hop all over the place.

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to get a handle on this one. The worldbuilding is so fuzzy, and the localization isn’t the best.

[Raynna · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est une belle histoire, on a une héroïne qui n'est pas nunuche et un personnage masculin qui est assez intéressant.
Envie de savoir la suite !

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give to the Heart Volume 1 by Wann

4 stars

Lord Ganok rules as god of the waters. Sooyi is bent on assassinating the Water King after he held her captive. It should be easy to slay him, but he has power and charming ways. I did a horrible way of describing the story line for this manga. The storyline is pretty awesome, I actually happen to love it. Volume 1 is a lot of fun and I flew threw it. The storyline, writing, plot, and characters are all fascinating. The artwork is beautiful. It’s definitely worth checking out if you are a manga fan.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 4

I can’t remember much about Sooyi besides the fact that I liked her.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3

Ganok is an entertaining character and he pretty much made me love this story. I know some people will hate him, but I love him. He’s very true to the manga god stereotype, but I kind of love that stereotype. OOPS.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 5

There are some characters in here that I really like and then there are some that I’m not crazy about.

Character Scale: 4

Plotastic Scale: 4.25

Here’s a picture of the art:


Art Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. I love the way the blues bleed in the background into darker and lighter blues. It’s not amazing, but it’s a pretty good cover for a manga.

Thank you, Netgalley and NETCOMICS for provided me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Andrea Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading on Manta app (free app). Story is interesting, but the relationship between the main female and the males in this story is toxic. This may trigger those who do not like the threat of rape and abuse.

[DreamerReviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the enemies to lovers trope, but in this one it was not really understandable...I'm just in the first volume, but the story starts with a man looking for his wife who ran away from him after what he "did"🤷 But when he found her again that's when things got pretty mixed up.... He forces her to stay but she doesn't want to and she tries to find several ways to get out of the place where her husband can keep his eye on her (I sometimes like when that happens in enemies to lovers but this was too sudden and wayy too fast to even start with) and when a certain "someone" decided to help her find the solution to run away.... She realizes that she has feelings for her so-called husband whom she loved before and for a last goodbye she sleeps with him and runs away... My only reaction was but....? I know he did "something" that she didn't like about him but... I would have needed a little more explanation😂😭 If one day I get the opportunity to read the 2nd volume I wouldn't say no, because I still want to know what will happen and what's that "something" he did, for me to understand this manga😂😭

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing Manga, and one which throws the reader a curveball early on with shenanigans about a strange world with its own mythology, from the point of view of artefact dealers and hunters, before getting us much more intimate in proceedings ethereal. Too intimate, if truth be told, as the sexual relationship as played out (in unfortunately circuitous, and annoyingly unattributed, dialogue) is a little unsavoury to see in such detail at times. Still, with some easy patterning for shading, the artwork is a step above the usual for the genre – the characters are attractive yet still human, for once, and the story is definitely on the interesting side. And the production values go as far as completely making it a western, left-to-right, beginning to end edition, unlike so many others. Unlike, too, some instances of Manga being split into two parts for little reason on netgalley, I was certainly happy to go back for a second helping.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting start of a story! I really like the concept and idea of humans being the descendants of gods, and that we are just stripped from our powers and condemned to live a mortal life because of gods wrath.

I love the characters that are being introduced, and naturally, I like the Water King. The story was interesting, and kept me at the edge of my seat. It is filled with suspense, which was very good for the start of a story, and as the first volume! I wish I had bought more volumes so I can read them all right away!

[Sara the Librarian]

Can any of you manga experts out there tell this novice weather all of them are...I feel like sexually aggressive is a gentle term.

I was certainly intrigued by the concept of a mortal girl trying to escape her river god husband after he does the unthinkable but instead I found myself wading through pages of a barely dressed wide eyed child desperately trying to avoid being raped by every man she encountered.

Are they all like this?

[Crystal Oros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an easy read and a nice change to see a half naked male rather than a female, I enjoyed how all the females are dressed cute or conservative. All in all I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this series and I wont say anything more about it as it just might ruin the read for others.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line was really well done. I found the "god" characters very interesting. They had more depth than first appeared. I'm glad they added their back story. It was better than the main story. The love story did get a little crazy at times but as the story unfolded things started to make more sense.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so... I loved this. This is exactly the type of manga I obsess over. Luckily I was able to get volume 2 quickly, but now I have to wait for volume 3? UGH.

Thanks be to Netgalley, giver of review copies.

[Rin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where can you buy this book? Is it at bars and noble?

[Jessica Duet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good. So much better reading from the manga then online. Translations are better. I'm liking this story line so far and hope it grows quickly.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good tale of a god falling in love with a human. Some confusing parts and some areas where the art could be a little cleaner. Great story though!

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6

Melodramatic, decent art, arrogant male and stubborn (almost bitchy) female.