뱀은 꽃을 먹는가

BAEMEUN KKOCHEUL MEONGNEUNGA

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
August 9, 2022
CHAPTERS
86

DESCRIPTION

Long ago, an emperor suddenly decided to execute the members of his court. Only after being offered a girl named Ae-Hwa, did the emperor’s rampage stop. The emperor cherishes his “flower” dearly. When Ae-Hwa expresses an interest in music, the Emperor makes Ha-Rang Kang her personal court musician. However, the emperor decreed that only he can lay eyes on Ae-Hwa and has Ha-Rang’s eyes destroyed. After finding out the true cause of his father’s death, Ha-Rang swears revenge on both Ae-Hwa and the Emperor. In this twisted realm of snakes and flowers, who will prevail?

(Source: WEBTOONS, edited)

Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.

CAST

Ha-Rang Kang
Ae-Hwa Ju
Wangeun

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

bazazilio
90/100
the spiral of hatred and suffering starts with revenge
To be honest, I'm not a fan of revenge stories. Revenge can conveniently quickstart any story; it provides both a way for the readers to connect to the main character and a clear path for the narrative, so that we can just sit back, relax, and watch the bad guys get what they deserve. Too neat for my liking.

"The Snake And The Flower" starts off with meaningless cruelty that sets the tone for the whole series: a talented musician called Kang Ha-Rang, our main character, has been blinded by a tyrannical emperor so that he can play music for the emperor's "flower", a woman so beautiful that no other man has the right to lay eyes on her. The emperor also kills someone very dear to him. Now Kang Ha-Rang has lost his sight, the person he loved, and along with them, what seemed to be the point of his existence: scarred and traumatized, he falls into darkness, literal and metaphorical, and the only thing he finds in the darkness is revenge, the only thing that keeps him going. But we can't really cheer on Kang Ha-Rang and leisurely watch him "get stronger and defeat his enemies" because it's clear from the very beginning that he is broken beyond repair and fueled by hatred. And it's deeply unsettling. Because it's anything but a story about justice.

Kang Ha-Rang decides that he will hurt the emperor back and crush his soul by killing the only person that's dear to him: Aewa, the woman Kang Ha-Rang was blinded for, the emperor's "flower". But the irony is that the emperor doesn't actually love her—he keeps her in the palace against her will, and the one thing she desires is to escape. Kang Ha-Rang promises to help her with her escape (to get close enough to kill her), but another irony is that Aewa's best chance of escaping the palace is actually getting close to the emperor and past his defenses, figuring out what the hell that sadistic bastard actually desires. And then there's the emperor himself, Wangeun, desperate to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, whatever that may be.

So what we have is a game of strategy played by three very complex characters, each trying to outsmart the others and get what they want, spiraling further and further into darkness with every move they make. And we are left wondering whether they will ever see the light again or if they even deserve to.

This manga has an excellent plot that you can't quite make predictions about, but it's also a cautionary tale about trauma and all the twisted and unhealthy ways people cope with it. It perfectly depicts that compulsive desire to act, to do something to make it all go away, so that we can stop feeling helpless and finally feel in control of our fate. It is unsettling how relatable these characters are and how cruel they are to each other. And it's almost like their suffering and hatred have no beginning but threaten to spiral on and on as they continue to conspire against each other in a desperate attempt to find peace.

The only critique I have is that the ending was kind of rushed. Like, I get that it was supposed to be a shock for the readers, so the author tried to weave it into the story in the span of one chapter, but that didn't really work out that well. I think if they had literally two more chapters to elaborate on the ending, it would have become a nearly perfect story.

And it's very cruel and unfair, making us relate to horrible characters' trauma. Like, can you please not do that? It's a lot more comfortable to think that sick bastards were born sick and don't deserve an ounce of our compassion.
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