KILLING STALKING

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

• 

  achu3p

  90/100
  A good thriller. I wish people were more patient when evaluating both the content and the creator.

  A good thriller. The carefully placed violence is heart-pounding, and strangely beautiful. I still remember the meat slicing imagery alongside the chin/neck wound - awful and exhilarating.

  I have yet to read the second season, but I do applaud that such a young and new author managed to create an extremely exciting introduction.

  Regarding its controversy...not that the worries of fetishizing homosexuals and negative mental illness representation are unfounded, but I do dislike the fact that this manhwa's bad reputation comes from people jumping to the extreme when attacking the author/the fans. Of course Asian countries are capable of producing content that is healthier and, in general, more positive towards minorities, but the reality is that this content will be rare so long as education and awareness stays at the level it is it is in Asia. Not a lot of people against this manhwa took the time to actually reach out to the creator and inform them why their [portrayal of certain] content may be disrespectful... nor do people seem to be aware that yaoi fangirl culture isn't exclusive to Killing Stalking's fanbase. Etc, etc, etc. Likely, any argument I could state by now would already be heard of lol

  I might be taking it too personally since I'm Chinese and too well-aware of East Asia's faults when it comes to specifically pathological mental disorders. I just wish most people were more patient when approaching these subjects. Attacking just leads to being more defensive, after all.

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• 

  meniel

  80/100
  Excellent suspense, good characters and skilled visuals satisfy those who are mentally prepared.

  Killing Stalking got people talking, both for its heavy themes and for the popularity it quickly obtained among Boys’ Love fans. Discussions arose about its depiction of love and people wondered whether it is morally right to like such a story. Without further ado, let me show you why this comic is so controversial and whether you might like it.

  

  Killing Stalking’s plot centers around Bum, a young outcast who finds himself helplessly in love with Sangwoo, a guy who is his opposite. Beautiful, popular and clever, Sangwoo looks perfect. Realising there is no hope for his feelings, Bum decides to fully part from normality and makes a plan to enter Sangwoo’s house. This is when he finally discovers that behind Sangwoo’s glittering facade is hidden a merciless killer. Catched red-handed, Bum is captured and imprisoned in Sangwoo’s creepy basement, where the most wicked crimes will be committed...

  This plot is not predictable, but at the same time it is not original either, especially for a thriller work. However, if one considers the panorama of BL manga, Killing Stalking suddenly gets very innovative and interesting, which is one reason it is so well-known. Overall Killing Stalking can offer something new both to thriller and BL fans: an LGBT+ theme for the former, a thriller plot for the latter.

  

  Apart from originality, which is not a strong point of this manhwa, Killing Stalking does have its merits; first of all the excellent management of suspense, a staple for any respectable thriller. Tension is skillfully portrayed and narrated, as well as carefully alternated with moments of calm, in what I would call perfect “direction” : some panels clearly resemble movie shots, thus enhancing the reading experience. Even the most innocuous situation, like buying a pie or setting the table, can feel unsettling and frightening. The suspense is tangible and keeps you holding your breath, waiting for Sangwoo’s unpredictable and crucial reaction.

  As already mentioned, the graphic emphasises this oppressing atmosphere by using peculiar focusing and framing, strong colours such as red, distortions and kinetic lines.

  

  The graphic is audacious and retreats only in the face of sexual details, which are completely censored - a common practice in Korea. Everything else is clearly visible: blood and wounds, bruises, insects, body fluids, hideous concoctions and grime. A scene that made the hairs on my arms stand straight up, and which I think shows how this comic uses original ways to have you horrified, is the following: Bum, who has a deep cut in his right hand, slips and falls on a rubbish bin, that tips over. Thus his wounded hand ends up on a tangle of rubbish and fish bones.

  

  Unfortunately, given how gore and similar scenes are portrayed in their entirety, the “glowing” censures that hide harmless body parts feel out of place and nonsensical.

  The narration cleverly alternates between past and present, revealing more information on the back stories of the characters chapter by chapter. The protagonists’ past gradually takes shape: their life, which looked fragmentary, becomes complete as the reader assembles the puzzle. And ultimately the protagonists' past is all you need to know to understand the story. Like the author pointed out in the final notes, both main characters end up replaying and reliving their past. Thus, the line between present and past, reality and illusion, gets vaguer and vaguer while characters slowly but gradually lose themselves into a spiral of madness.

  From a formal point of view, I appreciated this narrative choice since the “domestic adventures” of Bum and Sangwoo could otherwise have got repetitive and boring. Maybe to avoid this, another narrative line is soon introduced: that featuring policeman Seungbae and his investigations. As many other thrillers and horror show us, an underrated cop ignored by his seniors senses the truth. I wished Koogi had chosen a less stereotyped antagonist (or should I say hero?), bui I already said Killing Stalking is not very original.

  

  But let me show you another essential part of this comic… the so-called love story. The sick relationship that develops between Bum and Sangwoo is a fundamental element of the story. It is the direct expression of two disturbed personalities, Bum’s and Sangwoo’s: the former cronically dependant on others; the latter fool at its core and with lots of unresolved traumas. Managing two characters this peculiar, as well as their interactions, is not easy. But Koogi definitely succeeds and portrays a believable relationship that develops with time.

  After describing this work’s main characteristics and its strong points, I should talk about its flaws, too. The frequent lingering on Bum’s back and legs is unjustified and, after some time, even annoying. The same goes for similar “fanservice”, that seems to emphasise an out of place sensuality. I was also able to find, if not actual plot holes, inconsistencies, although sporadic ones.

  If this work is good, why do many ask Killing Stalking fans…

  

  Despite my overall positive review, this webtoon is undeniably difficult. Not only its themes are heavy, but the graphic does not make it easy to read. A reader who casually approaches this work would probably be disturbed by it. Because of this I personally do not recommend Killing Stalking to those who simply want an absorbing BL webtoon (for that, I recommend 19 Days) and, more in general, to someone who is not mentally prepared. Even if you love horror, this manhwa could be unpleasant if you are not okay with the homosexual theme, which is central to the plot. All in all Killing Stalking targets a narrow audience, that is however able to satisfy with a good story, excellent suspense, well-characterised protagonists and skilled visuals.

  ★★★★☆
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• 

  Rumvaesen

  70/100
  a look at character development and use of art and why its still a decent read for the right person

  I had originally heard a few different opinions on Killing Stalking before i decided to start reading it, and i think i'm glad i did. I do want to start off by saying full disclamer i'm really new to the world of manga, not only that but this is my first review so i'm not totally sure what these are supposed to be like, but i'm just going to talk about it as if it were a normal book i was reviewing as i know very little about the fanbase as a whole and also more specifically the fanbase for this specific manga. I am also aware that this is a Manhwa but for the sake of my goldfish memory i'm going to refer to it as a manga just to minimise inconsistencies in the review.

  I'm want to start with the characters in this manga. we have our two "lovely" main characters Oh Sangwoo

  

  and Yoon Bum

  

  (or the killing and stalking part of Killing Stalking). These two characters have very weird character growth throughout the course of the story, which to me is one of the biggest flaws in this story. lets start with looking and Sangwoo:

  Sangwoo starts off as this cold blooded killer who seduces women and kills them until one day he finds a man, Yoon Bum in his house who Sangwoo then kidnaps and holds hostage slowly showing signs of Lima syndrome as well as beginning to project his late mother onto Bum, without too many spoilers their relationship starts becoming more akin to that of a couple than a captor and his hostage. This is where i started having issues because at somepoint close to the end Sangwoo seems to completely lose his biggest character trait (being a psychotic killer who's held someone hostage) and gain the strong slightly overprotective boyfriend character trait. A chapter or two later he suddenly returns to beiing like he was, thereby not only nulifying the 50 or so chapters of character development but also nullifying those 3/4 chapters where his character did a complete 180 in personality. Almost felt as if i had wasted my time watching this character and reading about him just for him to go back to acting exactly like he was in chapter 1.

  now as for Yoon Bum, Bum has had very little and very slow character growth over the 60 something chapters i read. he is this mentally unstable stalker who is deeply infatuated with this guy who doesnt know of his existance. After being kidnapped by Sangwoo he (as any normal person in that situation) tries to escape and is contstantly scared, However, there is this constant inner battle with him on whether to leave and runaway or not, except it is very clear from the chances he gets he does has some want to leave. he slowly develops Stockholm syndrome ( which i guess had always been there since he gets caught), it's a shame because this could have been portrayed in a very interesting and respectful way but it isnt until the very end. in the few chapter that Sangwoo does a complete 180 in personality we see Bum's Stockholm syndrome really get pushed beyond the point of no return, its just a shame that they decided to give Bum a burst of character development at the end rather than pace it out as is natural in human nature. then suddenly sangwoo does something which reverts both their character development back to like it was in chapter 1, which if you know a little bit about Lima and Stockholm syndrome you'd know them reverting like that was every unnatural. However the redeeming factor for me in Yoon Bum's character is how he acts in the very end (plot spoiiler alert click at your own discretion) after Sangwoos death and how the side characters react and deal with this young man completely driven to the edge of sanity due to his Stockholm syndrome

  in summary to this segment I just feel like I wasted so much time reading and following these 2 characters just to be left with this empty feeling, i couldnt get attached or like either of them because it just felt like they stagnated in terms of being real characters we were supposed to feel any emotion about. It felt like first and foremost the writer wanted to create a Horror story and then decided to throw in a flimsy not super fully or well developed Boy Love trope into the mix. Now i'm not saying that BL and horror cant work together, there are many romance and horror stories i love, but from my perspective it feels like the relationship aspect of the story was put to the side to focus more on the characters and how they all react to all the uneasiness, horror and murder going on, but as soon as the story stopped focusing on these horror elements and plot (which was for about the last 20is chapters in case you were curious) they had nowhere to go and they had forgotton about the whole BL part of the manga, and when they remembered they tried slapping a normal shounen Ai one-shot plot ontop of it which just really took away from the mood imo. overall this lack and disjointed character growth really hurt my experience, i do just lastly want to say i dont think it's entirely the fault of the character development and balancing of the different themes that was the cause of the stagnation, i think the plot for how "unique" it was was not fleshed out and also not entierly unique or interesting enough to avoid the story getting repetitive un the plot concept there's only so much new stuff you can write for a plot like this before it gets repetitive unless they had decided to introduce some different sidecharacters who would have had a bigger impact on the story and that werent as forgettable as "generic cop that goes mad trying to catch the killer and then gets fired" and "generic girl who seduces killer and then dies".

  in order to avoid boring you guys and to avoid writing an essay i'm goiing to talk about what i enjoyed and end it off there.

  Now this is a good horror story i really commend the story writers and artists on their really amazing job. I think any piece of media that claims to be a good thriller/ horror NEEDS to have an ability to create tension, cause suspense, make the consumer hold their breath and wonder what'll happen next, make them want to simultaniously want to turn the pag/keep their eyes open for another minute etc. and also not because theyre filled with fear and anticipated. that is something that Killing Stalking did magnficently through their artwork, panel layout and story telling.

  

  Take the screenshot above, the way they created that sense of "oh shit i'm going to get caught" and not only that but managed to make the reader if not feel it to at least be able to imagine how Bum was feeling at that exact moment. ~~~

  ~~~ and the way this scene is depcited (spoiler warning there is blood and body parts in the first screenshot) these are just a few examples of the amazing art direction, writing and panel layout that is shown for a majority of the manga. The artists cut no corners when drawin everything, from the smallest drop of sweat to blood, cuts, bruises, bodily fluids and the general grime, grossness and gore of those hyperfocused scenes. So after reading this manga what do I think? Well it is a good horror/thriller manga, it is a hard manga that isn't for the faint of heart. _Killing Stalking_ is not a manga for everyone, it deals heavily with issues like rape, paranoia, abduction and deals with topics such as Stockholm and Lima syndrome which should __not __ be taken lightly. I as a gay person had to actively remind myself that the relationship depicted is built on a basis of mental illness, i personally do not accept it as a relationship beyond the line that it was simply an abductor and a hostage that grew to have Lima and stockholm syndrome (respectively), however i do know there are some people that ship this and i guess to each their own. It was unnerving and made uneasy sometimes to see this sort of romanticizing of mental illness and homosexuality but i can also acknowledge that these were a byproduct of someone having stockholm syndrome or Lima syndrome. the combination of these sick, dark and twisted themes really make for a manga that is not easy to consume and i wouldn't be surprised if it even repulsed some people. so now for the allmighty question would i recommend this manga? well i would if you are: A. a lover of all things thriller, horror and manga with dark themes B. if youre somewhat ok with twisted and sick visuals and topics It's undeniable that this manga is for a very small niche audience. Despite targetting a small niche audience this manga has very good suspense and anticipation control, amazing visuals and a relatively decent story.__ i wouldn't recommend this is you are: A. not someone who mentally isn't prepared B. can't deal well with dark and twisted visuals and themes C. are either a girl or of the queer community looking to consume cute BL content for that i would recommend [a personal favourite ](https://anilist.co/manga/98819/Kazoku-ni-Narouyo/) or [this cute ](https://anilist.co/manga/98029/Worlds-End-no-Niwa/) D. are a young gay/queer person looking for some romance to project themselves onto
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