▪	RELEASED BY:		TOKYOPOP
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		HYUN-JOO SEO
		▪	FORMAT:		ENGLISH / BW
		▪	PAGES:		224
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		02/12/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		02/11/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

K is a sorcerer both beautiful and with nearly limitless capabilities to grant the wishes of others…for a price. People come to him one after another with their desires and hopes, both selfish and altruistic, and each must give up the thing most important to them to grant their one wish. What would you wish for that would be worth that which you most truly and most dearly cherish? Find out and dare to turn the page…

I Wish is a manga that blends fantasy, a touch of science fiction, and a strong supernatural flair to create a rich universe where nearly anything seems possible, although always at a cost. For every action there is a consequence and that is never truer than the wishes that people go to K for fulfillment for. First there is a man wanting to separate his son from a possibly disastrous relationship, but what does he hold most dear that he will have to give up as the heady price for his wish? Then a woman wants to save her lover from his mental anguish, but the price of that may be higher than she is willing to pay. Later, a tender tale of first love enters into K’s realm with an unusual wish and even more unexpected results.

Each story has its share of drama, sometimes quite traumatic tales of what these people have gone or do go through, but K, despite his prickly personality, doesn’t seem unkind. In his own offhand way, he seems to want to help people. That could be a false underlying impression and only the future volumes will hold the answer. But perhaps the most interesting story is the one the manga truly begins on, the one where K is forced to take on a feisty young woman as his helper. Jin lost her brother and both her parents in a tragic accident. Riddled with guilt, she goes to K with a wish, one even he cannot grant. However, due to the stipulations of meeting him, she ends up having to work for him. This creates an almost antagonistic dynamic as she tries to thwart what she sees as cruel attempts to ruin peoples’ lives. When she comes to understand the outcomes better, things slowly change and she seeks to help K more, though not without mouthing off at his aloof behavior.

Part of what makes her story so riveting isn’t merely that she is the only living character with ongoing interaction with K, it’s the secrets tied to her that she isn’t aware of but that K knows. It seems his taking her on has more to do with his own secrets, one very personal to her if she were ever to find out. The mystery around that whole situation is certainly a driving force in this intriguing manga. With each ‘case’, both Jin and K grow a little closer to each other, and Jin may be a little closer to a truth that she may not want to learn. To every wish their is a cost and it seems even K is not exempt from that rule.

The art style offers detailed fantasy fair that reaches ethereal tones whenever it focuses on K and his supernatural dealings. When the story is earthier and even comedic, the art style becomes more solid, less detailed but strong. The character designs are each unique and interesting. Naturally the otherworldly presence of K stands out, but there are lovely designs to Jin, and many of the young people featured in the stories. Curiously, even though a lot of the fashion and technology appears present day, the acceptance of a sorcerer seems to be common knowledge as is that of ghosts and other dimensions and aliens. Although there are diverse fantasy and sci-fi elements, the illustrations don’t stray too far from the main subject matter, so it only gives teasing glimpses of these other worlds from the limited perspective of the characters. This is not a bird’s eye view, but rather a titillating one to see what more might be revealed in future volumes. 

IN SUMMARY:
An imaginative and rich new manwha series, I Wish explores the nature of the heart and the deepest desires and hopes of the soul.