The Color of Water

 

Update 9/28/18: I am now an affiliate with Z Publishing House. I do receive a small commission for items purchased through this link (http://www.zpublishinghouse.com?rfsn=1831564.e6264) if anyone is interested in anthologies of emerging writers.

The Color of Water is the second book in the Color Trilogy by Kim Dong Hwa, a manhwa published by First Second in 2003. Dong Hwa is also known for his works My Sky and The Red Bicycle. The Color of Water does have discussions regarding sex and there are some explicitly suggestive images so be aware of this when picking up this book. 

The Color of Water picks up where The Color of Earth left off. Ehwa’s first few crushes have passed and a more series romantic interest is sparked with a field hand named Duksam. While the two court and flirt, Ehwa’s mother continues her affair with the picture man. 

Ehwa and her mother’s relationship starts to hit a rough patch. Ehwa is starting to keep secrets from her mother, she’s annoyed and angry at some points while her mother is aware of her daughter growing up but doesn’t want to acknowledge it yet. 

There is a part where Ehwa and her friend, Bongsoon, are doing a little self experimentation so be prepared for that. Nothing is shown but it’s one of the more explicit sections of the book.

Finally, Duksam and Ehwa come to terms with their love for each other but the old man that Duksam works for wants a young wife for himself and sends a matchmaker after Ehwa. Her mother refuses the man and the matchmaker several times but Duksam is sent away to prevent him from seeing Ehwa. In retaliation, he burns his master’s fields and must flee the village. He promises to return once he has enough money for marriage. 

Visually, this book is beautiful. The lines and shading is simple and elegent, emphasizing the natural beauty of the landscape. However, the style is a bit older so some of the images seem more cartoonish or facial expressions are emotionally limited. The painting man and Duksam look almost identical so there are times when I had to do a double take to remind myself who the characters were interacting with.

The writing is nice. It’s a coming of age and self discovery story that relies on nature metaphors to explain relationships and sex. 

I did enjoy this book. It’s nice seeing how carefully Dong Hwa handles the topics and characters, and Ehwa and Duksam are very cute together. I do feel like not a lot really happens in this book which slows it down. 

Since this series is often challenged in the US because of it’s content, I was happy to see discussion questions at the end of the book. It helps prompt readers to think about what they’ve read instead of just reading and getting angry at it. 

If you enjoyed the first book and like coming of age stories, this is a good choice for you. Again, just remember there are some more mature elements to it.