불편한 진실

BULPYEONHAN JINSIL

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
April 7, 2018
CHAPTERS
74

DESCRIPTION

Yoseob, normally very quiet and composed, is in the police station convicted of stabbing 8 civilians with a knife. Everyone's wondering whether he actually committed the crime. Does he, a mere high-schooler, really have any reason to have done such a horrifying act? Does his obsessive love for his older brother, Jaeha, have something to do with it?

(Source: Lezhin)

CAST

Jaeha Nam
Yoseob Nam
Taeoh Lee
Yura Hwang

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

artificalspoon
100/100
“An Uncomfortable Truth starts as your classic high school story and at some point, everything goes out of control.”
“An Uncomfortable Truth starts as your classic high school story and at some point, everything goes out of control.”
I began to read An Uncomfortable Truth when I was recommended it on a Reddit thread after reading Killing Stalking. Although it shares similar characteristics (and I would highly recommend both) they have their individual storylines and characters with their own development. Whenever I find recommendations I often compare the two works rather than looking at it as a piece on its own, however, I’m writing this review as objectively as possible. I will avoid spoilers to the best of my ability, but at the end, I will dedicate a section to my thoughts on the ending which will include many spoilers.
This is my first review and I apologize if it isn’t the best, but nevertheless I hope you enjoy it.
Art

At first, the art struck me as simplistic, but it forms a great contrast between the story and the subject matter. This style of art immerses you in the beginning romance aspect between Yura and Jaeha and the surface relationship between Jaeha and Yoseob. It allows a good amount of exaggeration between not only Yura and Jaeha’s interactions but all the character’s actions which might not have been achieved with a different style. This almost makes you forget what you originally came to read and the obscurities and gore stand out much more.

Storyline & Character Progression

The character development was very smooth and the backstories of the characters shaped them even more. Although the author thought the story dragged out in the middle, in my opinion, all the parts of the story were necessary. From backstories to the actual plot, everything enforced your understanding of the characters and why people and things were the way they were. One thing I most enjoyed was how the author showed different points of view at times. This helps you see through the antagonist’s eyes and question what side is truly right. This also increases the psychological aspect as both sides have their respective flaws and morals with no strictly ‘good’ or ‘evil’ side.

The Ending
!! In this section there are major spoilers !!
I thought it would end with Jaeha being hit by the car, as many psychological manga/anime do to end with a feeling of shock, and sometimes it's nice and while it has its charm, I often have a love/hate relationship with them. It's nice to end with a twist, but losing a good character brings a very blunt ending and from my experience often leaves a hole somewhere. What happened to everyone after? What happened to Yura's face? Did Yoseob hurt anyone else? Did Jaeha really die? Losing a character (often a main one) and with many protagonists in other genres magically coming back to life this type of ending reminds you it may not be possible to undo things, but things can turn out pretty good.
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UltimateHope
95/100
'An Uncomfortable Truth' will leave you thinking; Maybe we acted honestly too late...?
I want to start by saying that perhaps you come to this series because of the BL category, in fact that's how I came, expecting the 'boys love' but with psychological suspense. And I must say, they couldn't be more wrong. I'm aware that there are several pages that have it in this category and as you might be confused, it's actually quite far away.
"An Uncomfortable Truth” uses very personal language about human relationships, severe trauma, and the importance of communication. I dare say that, if it weren't for the suspense element, we would have a very enjoyable series of self-improvement and personal growth.
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Script/Story:
A story that begins in media res; that is, in the middle of an event. That kind of event that leaves you wanting to know the truth. From the beginning the reader is aware that something very bad will happen in the end, evolving into constant tension as the plot gets closer and closer to that horrible outcome. One of its best factors. Because, although one could say that it is a little obvious from the development of events, there is always a hint of doubt; Who will survive? Yoseob eliminates everyone? What is it that unleashes everything?
It is in that space of doubt where everything else develops. In the middle we have a back-and-forth between the relationships of its characters. Actually a very small cast, which, for this story, is a real advantage. First, it presents superficial characteristics and attitudes that, as we learn about the past, we understand why the consequences will occur.
Personalities so far apart that it is surprising to discover how they conspire. They're high school kids making dumb decisions, like high school kids. Problems and sequences that we have always seen (bullying, selfishness, rumors, jealousy, inferiority and broken families), however, they all revolve around the creepy atmosphere of Yeosob, which gives it the perfect touch of mystery.
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Creepy-light art
One of the first things that may catch the reader's attention is the simplicity of its drawing. A series of a few vignettes where sometimes the speech balloon stands out more than the character's own action. Muted colors, few onomatopoeias and almost no physical action. Which means that the visual weight falls on the main cast and the handling of the expressed expressions.
I think it's a point in its favor, as I said, the really important characters are very few, and we depend only on them to know what happens. When having a thriller series, one would expect that the characters' reactions and their context would rely on the visual to stand out, and that is not always the case. Just as there is no overexposure of gore or explicit scenes, they are actually countable, but shocking and surprising enough to think: “wow, where did that come from?”
Forget about looking for dark or descriptive scenes, honestly, that is not the strong point of this series. But a good effort is made in the visual tools section; distinctions to know the temporality of events and the change in the characters' perspective in the face of a single event that connects them. The best praise is that, within those same tools, it plays very well when trying to find out what is real and what is happening in the minds of young people, which version is a lie and which is not.
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It may be too late...
Returning to one of the points of the introduction: this work could only pass as a dramatic series of self-improvement if it were not for its final twist. Special attention is paid to topics such as forgiveness and miscommunication.
Most of the initial events occur due to the protagonists' bad decisions, but seeing how it affects them years later is the real drama. Personal growth is not about making amends and simply offering apologies, but about understanding the other's position and acting accordingly. There are many important things here in looking around you and stopping clinging to a comfort zone that you know has hurt you. And only then do you forgive yourself... It's complex to explain without giving spoilers, but it's an incredible way to handle character development. Believe me there is, it seems very superficial at first, but there is a lot behind it that at the end of the work will leave you thinking. “Perhaps we acted honestly too late…?”
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Conclusions
It has been a real surprise to continue reading this. I really believe that if you have enough patience and interest you can discover a very well-run and planned series.
As additional information; I have read in an epilogue by the author that it has been difficult for her to express the suspense effectively, and a challenge to maintain a mature character... Let me tell you, author, that she has managed it wonderfully. It is difficult to present a light story and still have readers eagerly awaiting the end, but few series have managed to do so without falling into clichéd elements of the genre.
I repeat that the BL or romance category bothers me a little. I know it's not much, but I think it can really alienate some readers, because while it may be a valid interpretation to some extent, it is very far from the actual message it was intended to give. Since the detail was never in presenting a loving-toxic-dependent relationship of the protagonists, but in how dangerous any relationship with poor communication and insecurities can be. If you are interested, forget about that label and enjoy it, you will find a very good job.
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