Series Title: Model (Original Korean Title: 모델)
No. of Volumes: 7
Author: Lee So Young
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Volume One Description: A Handsome Stranger with a Dark Secret ... Jae is your typical struggling artist, studying in Europe and dreaming of a successful painting career. Typical, that is, until her friend drops off a rather inebriated -- though breathtakingly beautiful -- young man at her apartment one evening. That night, Jae dreams that the stranger visits her in her room ... and drinks her blood! But was it really all just a dream? Could this handsome creature truly be a blood-thirsty vampire? And if Jae actually considers his ominous proposition, will she be entering into a deal with the devil?
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: May 4, 2004
Volume Two Description: Jae begins to learn more surprises about her tall, undead and handsome host Michael. Meanwhile, passion turns to competition, as Ken wants to get between Michael and Jae, vying for her sexual attention. And with the arrival of a new guest comes the naked truth about a loving obsession that turns into a blood lust.
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: Jul 13, 2004
Volume Three Description: As Michael and Ken vie for Jae's affection, Eva makes a bold move to warn Jae to leave Michael's mansion. When Michael learns of this he throws a fit -- but something holds him back from going into an uncontrollable. Afterward, Michael is unable to bring himself to drink from Jae. Is this vampire all bark and no bite?
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: Sep 7, 2004
Volume Four Description: In explosive revelations, friendships are pushed to the limit and lovers become bound until death do they part. When Ken reminisces about his first encounter with Michael, he discloses to Jae that he wanted something more from the vampire. Stunned, Jae has a secret or two to share ... including a surprise about Eva that might knock Ken out!
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: Nov 9, 2004
Volume Five Description: With Michael and Ken fighting for Jae's love, Jae contemplates leaving the mansion. She is drawn to Michael, both physically and emotionally, and temptation begins to take over Michael, too. When the heat intensifies, Jae reaches the point of no return with Michael. Has she really committed her heart and soul to this man?
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: Feb 8, 2005
Volume Six Description: Time and tragedy weave a tangled web of passion and loss as Jae gets a clearer picture of the one who made Michael into a vampire. All the while, various histories converge, and Adrian is the missing link that ties it all together. However, the next step in Jae and Michael's forbidden relationship begins to unfold...
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: May 10, 2005
Volume Seven Description: Time is an unstoppable thief. Here in the mansion, a lifetime of deceit and pain is exposed to Jae. The truth about Adrian is revealed...but what will it mean for Ken? And as for Michael, the years of loneliness and emptiness have taken a toll. Can he allow himself to hope for something more with Jae, or will it be the end of everything? Find out in the final volume of Model!
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: Aug 9 2005
My Review: Back in the days when I was a manga/manhwa addicted I grabbed anything I could get my little grubbers on. I am crazy for pretty art. So I had to try this manga. Plus it has vampires and romance, who could skip over that?
The art is great. The background art is considerably absent in many panels, but we get lots of head shots. Michael, the vampire, is very glamorous and androgynous looking. Probably the perfect looking vampire, for most. The background art (when shown) is dark and mysterious, gothic and romantic. It sets the mood for the subjects and themes of the book.
The story is very angsty and brooding. Even to the end the story is bittersweet. Feelings of hate, regret, loneliness, confusion, denial, unhappiness and self-loathing pervade each book. The effect is that your biggest hope is that each character finds their happy ending.
Michael's life is stagnant. It appears that he does little else other than sleep with beautiful people, feed off their blood and then kill them (in a very unique way). Instead of this vampire's life being nonstop action, he lives a long life of endless non-action. Nothing is new. The author effectively gives the flow of time an inert feel. Time is indeterminate. A month could have passed, or maybe years, for these characters and we would never know.
This series is not completely depressing. We get bits of comedy too, usually ending with a smirk or an amused chuckle from one character or another. The humor is on the dark side. Very fitting with the already dark mood of the books.
The only unsuccessful point [SPOILER AHEAD] of the series is that I never believed the heroine, Jae, ever loved Michael. We are led to assume that Jae does love him, but all I saw was her struggle to trust him. [SPOILER END]
I would heartily recommend this series to any vampire fiction fan.
Rating: 3.5/5
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