Manga adventures at the bookstore are fun. I go to the store with absolutely no idea what to buy, browse the manga section for however long it takes to find something that sparks my interest, take it home, and read it.

While the term “adventure” may be and overstatement, I find this exciteing nonetheless. My recent finding at the bookstore is a manhwa that was interestingly titled Honey Mustard

Honey Mustard was first published in the US in 2005 by Tokyopop. So it’s nothing new. That’s okay though, it’s new to me as well as you if you have yet to read it. The book was created by prominent Korean manhwa artist Yeo Ho-Kyung.

I’ll get it out of the way…I’m sometimes a sucker from romantic comedies in the graphic novel form. There. Honey Mustard is a striking and emotional comedy with a dash of drama.

The story revolves around high schooler Ara who has a crush on a boy. During a class fieldtrip she gets inebriated thus allowing her to muster up the courage to confess her love to him. But through misfortune and misunderstanding she kisses and confesses to the wrong guy. Not the prince charming she intedended but rather a slightly dorky guy named Young-Woo. The two don’t even know eachother prior.

They are caught by their principal, suspended, and their familes find out. Unfortunatly, each’s family is ultra-conservative and traditional. Ara’s is embarassed and nearly disowns her and Young-Woo’s grandpa tries to convice him that “the couple” must now get married. Because “back in his day even brushing up against one another was enough to spell engagement”. (I tried my best to summarize although the story is more complex)

Yes, it seems rather ridiculous. That rationale aside, it’s a comedy, it’s fun. The overall arc of the story is very humorous but I’ve found that several instances in the book are not. There are several confrontations and intense arguments. But to my happiness’ liking, these are broken up and balanced with some pretty clever humor.

The first book moves a little slow and doesn’t do much in the way of character development but it leaves off at a pretty humorous point…I’ll have to pick up the subsequent volumes.

At the end of the the book Vol. 1, author Yeo Ho-Kyung clarifies that the reason why the title of the series is Honey Mustard is simply because she likes the sauce a lot. That made me laugh.

If you’re in the mood for some romance and/or comedy, I’d recommend this manhwa. So next time you are at the bookstore and they’re out of what you came for of you don’t know what to get, look for the “H” section and give Honey Mustard a read.

Yeo Ho-Kyung\’s site on Daum (Kr), Honey Mustard Vol. 1 info @ Tokyopop