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Title: Survival of the Sword King in a Fantasy World (a.k.a. História de sobrevivência de um rei da espada em um mundo de fantasia, Isekai Kenou Seizon-ki, Otherworldly Sword King's Survival Records, Survival Story of a Sword King, Survival Story of a Sword King in a Fantasy World, The Survival Record of the Sword King in Another World, การเอาชีวิตรอดของราชาดาบในต่างโลก, 拔剑九亿次, 異世界剣王生存記, 異界剣王生存記, 異界劍王生存記, 이계 검왕 생존기, 이계검왕생존기)
Genres: Manhwa, action, adventure, drama, comedy, isekai
Author: SOON-Q, YKB
Artist: SOON-Q, Studio Khit
Publication: Kakao, Red Dog Culture House and serialized at Kakaopage and Daum
Start Date: 2019
End Date: Ongoing
Number of chapters at review: 169
Number of chapters read by reviewer: 169
General Overview:
Life was normal for Ryu Han Bin. He just finished his mandatory enlistment period and finally got back home for two months. It was time for the young Ryu Han Bin to start a normal life in society, maybe get a girlfriend, get married and settle down to start a family. But life didn't pan out that way. Poor guy got sucked into a different dimension along with 7 billion other chosen ones. The unknown deities transmitted an RPG Guideline to all players but the poor guy Ryu Han Bin has such bad luck. One of the deities goofed up on the guideline transmission which left Ryu Han Bin perpetually leveling up from level 1 to level 4 in a newbie area for 20 hellish years where the local monster's strength scales with the player's stats. Life normalized for Ryu Han Bin until one of the deities found his lost profile among some junk debris. In order to maintain his employment, the deity forced the bugged chosen one, Ryu Han Bin, into the next area. Life just can't normalize for this poor guy.
Category Ratings: (1-10 scale)
Art: 9
The artwork by SOON-Q and Studio Khit is great but there are times when there could be more finished. A reader will get use to it the style. There are a lot of incorporation of meme into some of the panels.
Plot: 10
Isekai are trending but not a lot of them are good. Survival of the Sword King in a Fantasy World (SSKFW) is my favorite isekai as it's a breath of fresh air. Ryu Han Bin not the typical protagonist and SSKFW is not a typical isekai either. The story has a lot of heart to it. The subplot adds a great deal information that enriches the main plot. What I mean is that subplot are woven together to create lore and a very profound subplot centers on the impact of otherworlders on the native residents of Rath'na. Other isekai stories do not touch upon the psychological impacts of leveling up along with the potential pathological effects. And this is one attractive piece about this story that Earthlings receive a quest reward for killing any Rath'nian; and this reward is insidious as it's a dosage of drugs that gives humans a high. Otherworlders develop an addiction once they start killing.
Generally though, the plot centers on self-righteous antagonists who attain godhood to make the world. It's up to the protagonists to stop them. It's what SOON-Q and YKB has spun different elements to narrate a story about a South Korean who becomes a muscle monster hero that saved the world.
Characters:
I don't know how South Koreans are like meaning their socio-cultural behavior, mannerism and the way they think. Ryu Hanbin is an extremely character that suffers from extreme trauma while spending time in Thelha Rath'na. The time he spent there changed him innately as a human. He lived isolated yet his sanity persevere. His transportation to Rath'na was a big shock. The first creature he meets, he treats well even though his daily routine for the past twenty years involved slaughtering hell dogs and eating their flesh and drinking their blood.
I especially enjoy how Rath'nian lore is used to hide Ryu Hanbin's identity from the Rath'nians. Otherworlders are a subject of terror and historic trauma for that Rath'nians. It's exactly these points that has made SSKFW psychologically deeper. Other isekai showcase positive interactions between Earthlings in a fantasy world with notable exception to the main protagonist in FFF-Rank Trash Hero. From a Rath'nian perspective, since Ryu Hanbin is an otherworlder, he is viewed as a villain, but the people he's with, they view him as a hero.
The cast all come from very interesting and diverse background. The main cast is small with plenty of side characters. Ephyr is the first creature Ryu Hanbin meets. She has quite a peculiar past that lead to her predicament with Ryu Hanbin first meet her. Her development was quite a shocker.
Atisse is another character that Ryu Hanbin also meets soon. Atisse also has a peculiar past that plays a more prominent role later in the plot.
Kiver appears later in the plot but becomes an essential character in the four man squad composed of the other members Ryu Hanbin, Atisse, Ephyr.
Leonhart appears early in the plot and is a member of the Brotherhood of Darkness or Dark Brotherhood. His cult worships the Goddess of Darkness. His cult are always looking for otherworlders to detain and question.
Theme: 8
There are a lot of themes in SSKFW. The overall theme is isekai but as written above, SSKFW explores a darker and more pathological side of human beings. Human beings enjoy pleasure so what separates hobbies from addiction? Both trigger our endorphins in our brains and we feel pleasure. But what happens when killing humans on a different planet is rewarded with a quick injection of euphoria that's tied to a RPG system? The reward system can turn into a trap and nightmare for some while more sinister people turn into monsters. The impact of Earthlings are showcased mostly in a negative sense but I appreciate also the showcasing of more positive aspects of Earthlings.
Religious themes are obvious. A pantheon of gods and godesses exists in Rath'na but who they are is shrouded in mystery. There is also a kind of anti-pantheism such as founded in Magi. Creatures seek to subdue deities in order to change fate and make a better world. I typically don't enjoy such themes due to their dull platitudes. Many themes take develop deities from an anthropologic perspective. This aspect of SSKFW isn't very appealing to me.
Discrimination is another theme that becomes very apparent. Earthlings or otherworlders are not trusted by Rath'nians due to what Great Earth did in the past. Any otherworlders are eliminated if discovered or taken in by the Dark Brotherhood (not the same as the one from Elder Scrolls).
Originality: 8
Isekai, general plot, anti-pantheism and an over-powered hero are mixed together to form a piece that stands out from the rest. This is not a webtoon where the overpowered protagonist solves everything with his power or where the hero out wit or out power his enemies. I appreciate how different elements are woven to create a unique reading experience that is enjoyable as entertainment, intellectually stimulating to a certain degree and has an emotive depth where others lack.
Overall:
I recommend this webtoon for those that enjoy action, adventure, comedy particularly meme-related humor, isekai with a little more depth.
Genres: Manhwa, action, adventure, drama, comedy, isekai
Author: SOON-Q, YKB
Artist: SOON-Q, Studio Khit
Publication: Kakao, Red Dog Culture House and serialized at Kakaopage and Daum
Start Date: 2019
End Date: Ongoing
Number of chapters at review: 169
Number of chapters read by reviewer: 169
General Overview:
Life was normal for Ryu Han Bin. He just finished his mandatory enlistment period and finally got back home for two months. It was time for the young Ryu Han Bin to start a normal life in society, maybe get a girlfriend, get married and settle down to start a family. But life didn't pan out that way. Poor guy got sucked into a different dimension along with 7 billion other chosen ones. The unknown deities transmitted an RPG Guideline to all players but the poor guy Ryu Han Bin has such bad luck. One of the deities goofed up on the guideline transmission which left Ryu Han Bin perpetually leveling up from level 1 to level 4 in a newbie area for 20 hellish years where the local monster's strength scales with the player's stats. Life normalized for Ryu Han Bin until one of the deities found his lost profile among some junk debris. In order to maintain his employment, the deity forced the bugged chosen one, Ryu Han Bin, into the next area. Life just can't normalize for this poor guy.
Category Ratings: (1-10 scale)
Art: 9
The artwork by SOON-Q and Studio Khit is great but there are times when there could be more finished. A reader will get use to it the style. There are a lot of incorporation of meme into some of the panels.
Plot: 10
Isekai are trending but not a lot of them are good. Survival of the Sword King in a Fantasy World (SSKFW) is my favorite isekai as it's a breath of fresh air. Ryu Han Bin not the typical protagonist and SSKFW is not a typical isekai either. The story has a lot of heart to it. The subplot adds a great deal information that enriches the main plot. What I mean is that subplot are woven together to create lore and a very profound subplot centers on the impact of otherworlders on the native residents of Rath'na. Other isekai stories do not touch upon the psychological impacts of leveling up along with the potential pathological effects. And this is one attractive piece about this story that Earthlings receive a quest reward for killing any Rath'nian; and this reward is insidious as it's a dosage of drugs that gives humans a high. Otherworlders develop an addiction once they start killing.
Generally though, the plot centers on self-righteous antagonists who attain godhood to make the world. It's up to the protagonists to stop them. It's what SOON-Q and YKB has spun different elements to narrate a story about a South Korean who becomes a muscle monster hero that saved the world.
Characters:
I don't know how South Koreans are like meaning their socio-cultural behavior, mannerism and the way they think. Ryu Hanbin is an extremely character that suffers from extreme trauma while spending time in Thelha Rath'na. The time he spent there changed him innately as a human. He lived isolated yet his sanity persevere. His transportation to Rath'na was a big shock. The first creature he meets, he treats well even though his daily routine for the past twenty years involved slaughtering hell dogs and eating their flesh and drinking their blood.
I especially enjoy how Rath'nian lore is used to hide Ryu Hanbin's identity from the Rath'nians. Otherworlders are a subject of terror and historic trauma for that Rath'nians. It's exactly these points that has made SSKFW psychologically deeper. Other isekai showcase positive interactions between Earthlings in a fantasy world with notable exception to the main protagonist in FFF-Rank Trash Hero. From a Rath'nian perspective, since Ryu Hanbin is an otherworlder, he is viewed as a villain, but the people he's with, they view him as a hero.
The cast all come from very interesting and diverse background. The main cast is small with plenty of side characters. Ephyr is the first creature Ryu Hanbin meets. She has quite a peculiar past that lead to her predicament with Ryu Hanbin first meet her. Her development was quite a shocker.
Atisse is another character that Ryu Hanbin also meets soon. Atisse also has a peculiar past that plays a more prominent role later in the plot.
Kiver appears later in the plot but becomes an essential character in the four man squad composed of the other members Ryu Hanbin, Atisse, Ephyr.
Leonhart appears early in the plot and is a member of the Brotherhood of Darkness or Dark Brotherhood. His cult worships the Goddess of Darkness. His cult are always looking for otherworlders to detain and question.
Theme: 8
There are a lot of themes in SSKFW. The overall theme is isekai but as written above, SSKFW explores a darker and more pathological side of human beings. Human beings enjoy pleasure so what separates hobbies from addiction? Both trigger our endorphins in our brains and we feel pleasure. But what happens when killing humans on a different planet is rewarded with a quick injection of euphoria that's tied to a RPG system? The reward system can turn into a trap and nightmare for some while more sinister people turn into monsters. The impact of Earthlings are showcased mostly in a negative sense but I appreciate also the showcasing of more positive aspects of Earthlings.
Religious themes are obvious. A pantheon of gods and godesses exists in Rath'na but who they are is shrouded in mystery. There is also a kind of anti-pantheism such as founded in Magi. Creatures seek to subdue deities in order to change fate and make a better world. I typically don't enjoy such themes due to their dull platitudes. Many themes take develop deities from an anthropologic perspective. This aspect of SSKFW isn't very appealing to me.
Discrimination is another theme that becomes very apparent. Earthlings or otherworlders are not trusted by Rath'nians due to what Great Earth did in the past. Any otherworlders are eliminated if discovered or taken in by the Dark Brotherhood (not the same as the one from Elder Scrolls).
Originality: 8
Isekai, general plot, anti-pantheism and an over-powered hero are mixed together to form a piece that stands out from the rest. This is not a webtoon where the overpowered protagonist solves everything with his power or where the hero out wit or out power his enemies. I appreciate how different elements are woven to create a unique reading experience that is enjoyable as entertainment, intellectually stimulating to a certain degree and has an emotive depth where others lack.
Overall:
I recommend this webtoon for those that enjoy action, adventure, comedy particularly meme-related humor, isekai with a little more depth.
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